Is 3 oz of formula too much for 6 days old?

[gimmick]

@lostmanfar This is quite a bit for a 6 day old. Babies' stomachs can only physically hold so much milk and after the stomach is full that milk has to go some place. Most of the times if it's too much the baby will spit it up into their mouths, but because in infants the esophagus and trachea are even, babies can reflux from the esophagus into their airway without you ever seeing the milk.

In that case the vocal chords will clamp shut to protect the lungs and then the baby can't take a breath until the vocal chords relax. This isn't fatal, just terrifying because baby usually turns blue and stops breathing for that short period of time.

It sounds like your bottle nipple may be too fast. If it's a size 1, I would look for a preemie nipple to help slow down the flow. If the flow is too fast the baby may be drinking more than they need because babies have a suck reflex and if milk is pouring in they will continue to suck and eat.

While it's true that babies will sometimes have a feed where they eat more, 3oz every feed is a lot for a 6 day old. I would expect them to be eating closer to 2 oz.

All this to say, that you know your baby best. If your baby doesn't seem like they're in distress or anything a feed like this every once in a while is fine.

Edit: I'm a pediatric ICU nurse, and this happens so frequently we have a term for it: ALTE or acute life- threatening event, which scared parents too much so now they call it a BRUE or a brief resolved unexplained event. You guys can down vote this all you want but she asked a question. You all are entitled to your opinions, I'm just sharing what I've experienced.

 

[enigmaticaptcha]

@lostmanfar I always fed until he was full, and I was also shocked at how much he took sometimes lol. He's now almost a year old and doing fabulous

People will say things like "formula babies can be overfed" and whatever, but in most cases baby knows what they need and will stop when they are full. Just keep following cues, you're doing great!

 

[michaelwotbingham]

@lostmanfar An overfed baby will vomit.
More importantly LO should be eating 24oz per 24hours and up to 26 ounces is fine. As long as LOs eating that amount don’t stress over per feeding amounts.

 

[ashleyjames240]

@lostmanfar The average newborn requires 16oz a day the first few weeks. Not the amount referenced. You can in fact very easily overfeed them from a bottle because this is a reflex. Normally a breast would not have 3oz a feeding in it on day 6.

 

[bcmillegan]

@ashleyjames240 My baby eats a lot more than that, and the pediatrician says they cannot overeat. I feed from a bottle as well. Some babies are simply hungrier than others and that's perfectly fine.

 

[unapprec]

@bcmillegan Yep, mine has always been a massive eater. Sometimes she'll take 4oz, give it an hour, then demand 4 more oz. I attribute it to growth spurts and I give her all she wants. Never has issues.

 

[unapprec]

@ashleyjames240 If the baby is not spitting up or vomiting, they are not being overfed. Every baby's intake is different.

My 6.5 pound infant was taking 2oz every 2 hours straight from birth, then bumped up to 4oz in the 2nd week every 2-3 hours. Kept it all down, is still in the 16th percentile for weight. She is fine and I would not consider her overfed.

 

[ashleyjames240]

@unapprec I would expect most babies to be spitting up regardless of being overfed or not. That is in no way helpful.

 

[unapprec]

@ashleyjames240 Wouldn't you say that if an infant ISN'T spitting up, they are not being overfed, though? Pretty simply logic.

You implied that 3oz at 6 days old every 2 hours is overfeeding.

I am simply stating that around the same time, my LO was taking in 4oz. With no signs of being overfed.

Spitting up is a clear sign of a stomach unable to hold it's contents. Which she did not do.

Babies take in many different amounts in the early days. Saying that 16oz is the standard and you shouldn't deviate because it would be "overfeeding" is an incredibly narrow view of infants and their feeding needs.

Every baby takes in the amount they should, they regulate themselves more than we realize.