How to get full bottle into newborn ?

[LizzeyBenett]

My 11 day old will only take 2oz and is waking up hungry before the next bottle is due starving . She falls asleep after 2oz or refuses the rest . Has anyone any advice on how to get the rest into her ? I've tried changing her nappy and taking her blanket off her she just doesn't want it yet will be hungry an hour later .

Welcome to the chaos of newborns. There's not a lot you can do, just follow her lead.

Never stuck to times, fed our lot as and when so they weren't hungry. Happy 3 toddlers now and did same for our teens

At 11 days old I bottle fed on demand. That was a long time ago - has advice changed? I can't see any reason for not feeding a tiny baby when they are hungry.

Don't try. Feed on demand, she doesn't know she's supposed to be following a schedule!

At 11 days old you bottle feed on demand as much as they want. You absolutely don't try to encourage them to drink more.

Their stomachs are tiny for one, so yeah they only have a little then wake up hungry again. Perfectly normal.

And you can be overfeeding which can make them uncomfortable and sicky anyway. You wouldn't want to eat until you couldn't eat anymore then lay down and go to sleep would you?

https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/feeding-your-baby/bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding-your-baby/feeding-on-demand/

NHS recommends feeding responsively/on demand for bottle-fed babies as well as breastfed ones. I would try to go with the flow and follow your baby’s lead at least for now - she may well go longer between feeds once she’s a bit bigger but her stomach is still tiny.

Good luck!

2-3oz per feed is about normal for this age up to 8-10 times per day, you can’t just stuff them with 7oz so they go longer and only need feeding half as many times. Some babies will naturally want to take more at a feed but for most, little and often is how they need it. Follow your babies cues not what the books say they should be doing.

How old is she and how much does she weigh? Perhaps 2 oz is all her tiny tummy needs just now, which is really really hard because she’ll not sleep very long before being hungry again, you could try feeding 2oz on demand throughout the day and see if she’ll stretch a little more overnight,

I think as long as she’s feeding, giving plenty wet and dirty nappies and you’ve no other worries you carry on, as others have said feeding on demand. Trying to force more in can cause vomiting and discomfort and she’ll stretch when she’s ready, it is very tiring though but it’s not forever and enjoy all the lovely newborn cuddles make sure you’re getting plenty rest too.

At these age, you should feed on demand and not set a schedule because at this age, babies have tiny tummies that can't hold much milk, hence the little and often feeding pattern.

My son never drank the amount he was meant to, always much less. I just fed on demand, his weight always went up ans he did well during the night.

It's been a while but if I remember correctly 2-3 oz was what DD had upto 4 weeks when all of a sudden I couldn't get enough milk into her to keep up with her appetite. That lasted about a week and she had a massive growth spurt then it settled and we were on 4-5oz bottles for another few weeks till the next growth spurt.

She is doing it right, you can't get a full bottle in to her, newborn babies feed little and often, just accept it is perfectly normal

Babies feed when they are hungry they weren't given a manual on how to behave when they were born, why the pressure?

Babies' tummies are only as big as their fist at that age, how much is "a full bottle"?

You won't get 7oz into a newborn without doing them some damage or them throwing it back up again, they just don't have the capacity. Little and often!

Feed on demand. It’s not just for breastfed babies.

I formula fed my DD. Fed on demand and after a few weeks she naturally took a bit more at feeds and settled into more of a regular pattern.

2oz is about right for that age isn’t it? Are you seeing something different OP? I mean where are you getting the idea of a full bottle from?

Don’t force feed them when they’re not hungry, there is no concept of “the next bottle is due”

2ox is about right for that age, their stomach's are teeny tiny.

She's too young for a feeding schedule. My would need feed every 90mins at that age, going 2hrs at a stretch.

She'll go longer and take more milk as she gets older.

Look at your baby and then imagine you had x-ray specs and could see inside to her tiny tummy, and you might be able to understand better why she is only able to take a small volume of milk at such a young age. As others have said, on demand, little and often.
And Congratulations 💐

At 11 days old you bottle feed on demand as much as they want. You absolutely don't try to encourage them to drink more.

Their stomachs are tiny for one, so yeah they only have a little then wake up hungry again. Perfectly normal.

And you can be overfeeding which can make them uncomfortable and sicky anyway. You wouldn't want to eat until you couldn't eat anymore then lay down and go to sleep would you?

Agree with all of this
Over feeding teaches that this is the aim very early on in life

Try not to worry so much about how much but rather look at your baby ... is she settled after a feed with wet and dirty nappies?
Does she wake spontaneously for more?
Enjoy your baby such precious days x

best to feed responsively, little and often for tiny tummies. Avoid over stretching their tummies as this can lead to poor appetite control and over eating further down the line. It also keeps the brains ‘full’ signal sharp and working efficiently. Think about it in regards to yourself, you wouldn’t want more when you feel full? You would eat your next meal when you fee hungry, not when someone else says it’s the correct window, and you wouldn’t deny yourself a drink when thirsty. Just go with what baby wants and let them settle into their own rhythm

There's no such thing as a bottle being 'due ' at this age.

The next bottle is ‘due’ when baby wakes up to tell you it’s due. 11 days you just feed baby when they need feeding. At this stage it’s best to just follow baby’s lead

I agree with most of the comments above. If you are using the formula packet for guidance ignore it - we found it was really out for newborns. They need more frequent smaller feeds than most of the formula brands advise. You can add up the total amount drunk over 24 hr and see if it’s about right for their weight but there is a range of normal for this too.