At my wits end with feeding baby :( please help

[Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp]

We have such a battle to feed our 12 week old DD and I'm really struggling with it.

We just can't get her to drink well at all, her intake has been the same for weeks now and I'm really worried that we can't get enough into her. She drinks on average about 600ml per day, and the guidance on formula feeding states she should be having at least 800ml per day. She feeds every 4 hours at the moment, we've tried every 3 hours or just on demand, but the end result is the same. Today I had to wake her from her nap 4.5 hours since her last feed and she would only take 80ml, and that was a battle in itself.

She was weighed on Monday at the hospital (she's under a paediatrician there) and her weight gain is tracking perfectly against her centile (between 25th and 50th), and she is peeing and pooing frequently. But I feel under so much pressure to get her intake up to scratch.

I just feel like I'm failing her, failing as a mum, failing my family.

I am going to contact the gp tomorrow about this, and to get some help for post natal depression (which I'm aware is likely linked to how I feel about it all), but in the meantime does anyone have any tips or just reassurance that she may be getting enough?

The gp has given us access to a fortnightly weigh in clinic to keep an eye on her weight gain for peace of mind 😊

Oh that's good 👍

I had the opposite - a tiny baby with an enormous appetite! I worried terribly she was over feeding but she was so tiny I didn’t want to deny her anything. She’s now a normal healthy toddler at 18 months. Babies just vary in appetites, don’t stress if her weight is tracking.

OP I could have written your post! My DD (19 weeks) is a nightmare to feed and often refuses feeds or just takes a small amount. It's incredibly stressful. I've sought HV advice and they say as long as the baby is happy and sleeping and getting through plenty of nappies all should be well. But then when you take them for weighing mine give me a hard time for her not being on the right spot on their chart 🙄

She has good weeks and bad weeks so I just tell myself now she'll catch up during the good weeks. As PP have said what else can you do anyway?

Try not to get focused on what the formula guide is - they're just trying to sell more!

Just wanted to add - I've found dream feeds to be really useful. She's much easier to feed when half asleep as the hunger just takes over!

I breastfed at first and thought my DS wasn’t getting enough and he ended up having an aversion because I offered it that much when he didn’t want it. I had to then bottle feed, and he still didn’t drink that much milk. He would never have more than 4oz at a time. He just wasn’t into it like some babies are but loved cows milk from 12 months onwards. Their weight gain and how much they’re weeing and pooing is the best indicator that they are taking what they need.