Can we overfeed our babies?

[mightyheart]

I am so conflicted. I’ve been told You can never overfeed a baby. I’m also told by my pediatrician that I am and that I should space out my feedings more.

I have a 9 week old. She drinks 5oz (increased about a week ago. We would feed her 4oz, wait 20 or so minutes to see if she was still actually hungry. Feed her the other oz. Once it became consistent, we just filled her bottle to 5). She drinks about 28-32oz every 24 hours.

Rarely spits up. Burps every time. Doesn’t seem like she has too many tummy issues. She went from 8lbs to 12 lbs 4oz in 6 weeks. We have always just fed her when she was hungry. It could be anywhere from 2-4 hours. She sleeps from 10pm to 5am.

The problem? He wants us to feed her no sooner than 3 hours between. She’s been wanting to eat between 2-2.5 hours. She only naps about 30 minutes each time, unless is directly on me. She is hungry. She screams and cries. I’ve been trying to play with her, sooth her, relieve possible gas, go for walks to drives. She just wants to be fed. Knowing she’s hungry and hearing her cries, I feel like a terrible mom. I feel like I’m torturing her.

Do I just keep letting her (us) suffer through it until she maybe gets used to it? Or do I say f*** it and feed my baby when she’s hungry? I don’t want to set my baby up for poor eating habits in the future. But dang, it feels terrible to feel like I’m already putting my infant on a “diet” already. Help.

 

[paterfamilia]

@mightyheart 100% feed your baby when she’s hungry. It’s that simple. 28-32oz is completely normal, every 2-2.5 hours is completely normal & 3 pounds in 1.5 months is literally…. once again….normal, PLUS you’re getting a 7 hour stretch stretch at 9 weeks which is amazing. In most cases, mama does know best.

 

[sleeplesswhite]

@mightyheart Feed her, and get a new doctor.

 

[jameseva99]

@sleeplesswhite Yes this

 

[tobiahjude99]

@sleeplesswhite If only I could give this 1000 upvotes

 

[misterblackeye]

@mightyheart My baby was born at 6 lbs and is now 13 weeks and is at 13 lbs. She’s had an insatiable hunger from like week 4 and beyond. I always ask my pediatrician if her feeding patterns are normal and it’s always the same answer: if she’s hungry, feed her.

 

[monicats]

@mightyheart Feed that sweet baby and get a new doctor. Also, can you tell your baby to teach my baby how to eat? She’s 12 weeks old and just now taking a 4 oz bottle every 4 hours. It sounds like your LO is thriving and has gained weight appropriately. I really would look into getting a new pediatrician. Idk why any doctor would recommend not feeding your baby when they’re hungry.

 

[jameseva99]

@monicats Same. 14 weeks and barely does a 4oz bottle still

 

[sleeplesswhite]

@monicats My 13 weeker just jumped from 3oz every 3 hours to 5 oz every 3 hours, so there's hope!

 

[andyweb]

@mightyheart Feed her when she’s hungry. Don’t overthink it. There is zero reason to not feed her.

 

[luluhead]

@mightyheart Feed your baby and get a new doctor

 

[kariarna]

@mightyheart Wow I could have wrote this exactly. Last night gave the 4oz, cried an hour gave 2oz, cried an hour gave 2oz, finally happy and slept 4 hours. Then did another 4oz and 4 hours no problems. Why does reflux and hunger have similar symptoms? Arching back, fist, crying is it colic? We usually hit 28oz in 24 hours so it works for us. Also I have a healthy 2 year old who was a horrible eater so I am shocked by a baby with an appetite.

 

[biscuitfeatures]

@mightyheart Def get a new doctor. I was worried we were overfeeding and baby’s ped told us to feed when we think he’s hungry and if he wants more to give him more. As long as they don’t spit up or seem like they’re in pain after finishing a bottle then they’re fine. Babies also don’t have the desire to “overeat”, all they want is to feel full and satisfied

 

[sarnmere]

@mightyheart Get a new doctor. My pediatrician told us he'd rather see an overfed baby than a hungry baby. Your baby knows what her body needs, so go ahead and feed her on demand.

 

[currysue]

@mightyheart My baby ate about the same (35 oz even some days) and my pediatrician always made it sound like we should reduce how much we fed him which completely screwed with my head. I ended up feeding him on demand anyway because I trusted him to know what he needed and he is now a super healthy and very long but not at all overweight 6 month old.

I would also recommend you trust your instincts and your baby, the quantity of milk she eats seems pretty standard.

 

[tcboomer]

@mightyheart My girl was born 6lbs and eats like a freaking champ and gained weight fast. If I overfed her she’d vomit literally all over (usually all over me or freshly cleaned sheets). Now at 12 weeks she pushes the bottle out when she’s full. It’s slowed down and she eats less in between now.

Don’t let her go hungry. Feed her when she’s hungry. Can’t imagine she’s happy and calm when hungry either, my girl screams. Both my kids did.

 

[quakapedia]

@mightyheart Yes, you can. But you’d know.

If she’s not spitting up or full on puking, if she’s acting content and satiated, she’s fine.

ETA: as I’m thinking more, is she happy after she eats?

 

[rudytoot]

@mightyheart Feed your baby when she’s hungry. Sounds like a doctor who is judging a baby girl for weighing more than average or eating too much. That’s so gross.

She’s growing so much right now, let her eat and be happy.

 

[one2one]

@mightyheart Get a new paediatrician. Feed your baby whenever, and however much they want. They will tell you when they are satisfied. If they’re over fed, they will spit it out. Our babe is 4months and 17lb, dr noted that he’s a big boy but certainly never told us to stop feeding him. He will usually drink 6-8oz every 2-3hrs. He’s been sleeping 7pm-6am since he was 7wks old, and is very healthy.

 

[seekingadvice24]

@mightyheart This sounds similar to how my baby was at that age. He now averages around 34 oz/day at 15W but was up to 40+ oz for a while there. We do 6oz bottles every 2.5 hours during the day (every 2-4 hours but averages around 2.5) and he now goes 12 hours overnight without a feed. He’s 93rd percentile so he’s definitely a big boy, but my pediatrician hasn’t said anything about it! They eat when they’re hungry.

Edit to add: my baby was 7lb 3oz at birth (born 3W early), took the full 2 weeks to get back to birth weight, and is now 17 lbs at 15 weeks.