Breast milk v formula oz question

[newbiechristian552]

I'm not sure exactly how to word my question. I know not to compare the volume of breastmilk to formula because a baby will often need a lot less breastmilk compared to formula, but how does this affect stomach size?

I've been exclusively breastfeeding my 5mo since a few weeks old so I have no idea how many oz he usually gets per feed. We're just trying to swap to formula for one or two feeds a day, and for his age and weight it says he should be on 4-6oz per feed...but he can't even finish 2oz before being full up, uncomfortable and spitting it all back up again. He's 25th percentile so a little small, but following his curve so I believe he's been getting enough calories. Do I just produce calorie dense milk and his stomach is now tiny??

He's had awful reflux and digestive discomfort since he was born, but I didn't realise until now how little milk he could actually take. I'm not sure if this is why we've had reflux issues or if this is normal when switching to formula.

Any advice gratefully appreciated

 

[andrewdave354]

@newbiechristian552 If he’s only on 1-2 bottles of formula a day, do the amount he takes of breastmilk, not for his size for formula. He’ll get his calories from the bm.

 

[newbiechristian552]

@andrewdave354 Thanks, I'm not too concerned about the calories for now but wondering if this is normal for his stomach to be so much smaller than a formula fed baby... We're also considering transitioning to formula once he's 6 months, so calories will be an issue then

 

[purposesteps]

@newbiechristian552 Studies have shown that bottle fed (which in this study was formula fed) babies often eat less at night, for a complex number of reasons. study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4925078/

This means they have to eat more during the day to get their calories in. So for combo fed babies, the recommendation is to keep formula volumes at breastfeeding volumes (2-4oz a feed) to mimic breastfeeding

 

[johnnathanturner1989]

@newbiechristian552 I’m in exactly the same position. My son also prefers BF obviously. So I treat formula like a top up snack, and only prepare a couple of ozs which he may take a few attempts to finish.

I wanted him to be able to take a bottle to give me some flexibility eg I’ve got some job interviews coming up, but at this stage unless I went cold turkey on BF he won’t be able to manage the quantities of formula recommended for his age for an exclusively formula fed baby.

 

[newbiechristian552]

@johnnathanturner1989 Same, I would really like some flexibility now and then possibly start transition to formula alongside solids, but I have no idea how to ensure he gets the calories he needs. 2oz is too much for him!