How often do newborns feed? Worried I’m feeding baby too much.

[Aug122020]

My little boy is 15 days old and until a few days ago was going 2.5-3.5 hours between feeds (he is formula fed)

In the last few days he’s started crying every 1.5 hours, he looks like he’s wanting food as he tries to bite his hands and fingers, we’ve checked everything else like nappy, clothes, whether he’s too hot or cold or wants held and he seems ok otherwise.

He’s sometimes drinking 3-4oz per feed then other times just an ounce.

Is this normal? I’m a first time mum and I’m stressing that he isn’t actually hungry and I’m missing something else and feeding him instead 😬 would he take the milk if he wasn’t hungry? A few times after he’s had an ounce and we burp him he cries again after so I feel like I’m doing something wrong :(

Help please 😫

Mine had a bottle every 1.5-2 hours for the first few months. They have such tiny stomachs and it's been hot too. Feed on demand for now and more of a pattern should emerge over the coming weeks. Congratulations!

Are you pace feeding? If not have a look into that. Tipping a baby back and giving them a bottle they will just consume loads even if they don’t really want to because they don’t have much choice, it’s how their swallow reflex works. Pace feeding more closely mimics how they’d feed from the breast.

But either way they are growing a lot and have tiny stomachs that need a lot of refilling. It’s also been hot and it’s their fluid as well as food.

Bottle fed babies can cluster feed which is the experience I had with mine. Always in the evening and would feed a little and often. Upside was he often then slept for 5/6 hours.

Go with it. He is only 15 days so routine and pattern just won't be there yet.

Pace feed on demand, little and often. 4oz is a lot for such a young baby.

Generally I would say feed on demand. But also exercise caution. My eldest cried like this and I assumed it was because he was hungry. He actually had silent reflux (which was probably because of CMPA but that's another matter entirely) and overfed for comfort, which actually made the problem worse!

Do they have a dummy? I would try a dummy and offer that if they've had a decent feed only an hour or so beforehand. If they're still upset with the dummy, then offer a feed.

Take note of how much he is drinking over 24hrs rather than just each feed as u might find it all evens out and daily input would be similar. I wouldn’t restrict any milk and feed on demand xx