My 1 week old is getting an average of 45 mL of formula every 3 hours. Yesterday the total was 295 mL or about 10 oz.
All the sources I can find say 1-2 oz a feed every 3 hours, so this seems fine. However the only guidelines I can find say by the end of the first month he should have 3-4 oz per feed for a total of 32 oz per day.
That’s significantly more than he’s getting now..should I just follow his lead? I can’t find any guidelines on how to get to 32 oz during the first month. He lost 8% of his weight between birth and his 1 week appointment; I want to make sure he’s getting everything he needs.
Update: After following everyone’s advice to follow his lead and increase feeding frequency, we’re doing great! He took 14.5 oz yesterday and 16.8 today!
@ranked Follow baby’s lead. I believe 3 hours is the max they can and should go between feeds until they are a bit older. My daughter typically averaged 24 oz a day for the first couple of months and was having about 2 ounces every 1.5-2 hours. Now at 9 months she has about 7-8 ounces every 3-3.5 hours with no overnight feeds and averages about 36-38 ounces.
Roughly you are aiming for about 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight in 24 hours.
@ranked Babies this age should be eating every 2 hours. Babies this age and almost any age should be fed on demand. Feed on demand. As much as baby wants, when baby wants. Congratulations on your new baby.
@ranked There really shouldn't be different guidelines for formula vs breastmilk feeding frequency; it seems more bizarre the more I read and the more personal experience I have. Your sweet little baby is used to getting nutrition from the placenta with your every heartbeat. They're so new. It takes awhile to transition away from that. Formula-fed babies will clusterfeed, comfort feed, absolutely everything a breastfed baby is expected to do. They're just babies regardless of calorie source. My 16 week old still asks to be fed every 2 hours during the day! Trying to space out feedings while he's hungry would leave us all miserable.
@highlyfavoured I think it has something to do with the fact that formula is digested differently than breastmilk. My baby has reflux and if I feed him over 50 mL a feed he always spits up. Maybe I can try 50 mL every 2 hours instead of every 3!
@ranked You need to need your baby on demand — that means feed baby whenever he is hungry and stop when he doesn’t want any more. Be aware of and attuned to his cues. You can find YouTube videos showing examples of babies’ hunger and full cues. Be careful not to force feed your baby because you could create a feeding aversion or bottle aversion (see Rowena Bennett’s book on the topic). If you have questions about feeding baby, turn to your pediatrician and ask them for lactation support — lactation help isn’t just for breast feeding, they should be able to help with formula and bottle feeding, too.
@defender I told my pediatrician what amounts and feeding schedule we were going by and she didn’t express any concerns. But I’m so new to all of this, I’m not sure what to think. It’s easy to tell when he’s fussing or rooting, but I haven’t seen other obvious cues from him since he sleeps so much.
@ranked Every 3 hours is perfectly fine if your baby is gaining weight! However, if they are showing hunger cues, definitely feed them more often if they seem like they want it!
@ranked Your baby is so little right now and 3 hours is a long time for a tiny tummy. It’s always trail and error with babies. I’m sure you’re doing your best, Sometimes babies will sleep through their hunger and do not give hunger cues at this age.
@ranked My baby is 5 months old forumla fed as well and she can hardly make it 3 hours without eating. Please feed your baby more. Also babies aren’t robots and they need to eat more during growth spurts.
@ranked Right on !!! It’s really easy to get caught up in articles and things people say online but you will know your baby best. So just keep feeding on demand and don’t worry too much about what articles say. Every baby is different
@systematiker I want my baby to take that much, but I just gave him 45 mL 2.5 hours after his last feed and he took the bottle but wouldn’t suck/take more than that. He also has bad reflux so I worry about making him vomit. I’ll keep trying with next feeding to give more.
@systematiker Dr. Brown’s with level 1 nipples. He sucks really well and it seems like the reflux has gotten better since we started using them, compared to the nipples on the ready-to-feed formula bottles at the hospital. I burp him every 10-15 mL and he’s a decent burper. We haven’t started tummy time with him yet (his umbilical cord stump just fell off yesterday), but I do hold him on my chest on his tummy a few times a day and he lifts his head up a lot.
@ranked Do you feed him while he's up right? I use dr Brown's as well, and we try to make sure he's always up right "sitting" I hold the back of his neck. Then slow flow feed where the milk usually stays in line with his lips and sometimes more but don't want to have the nipple "full". I do the same and burp him every .5 oz drank. Then I try to keep him up right for ~20 mins after whether that be on my chest sleeping or walking around burping.
@bdnelso87 I do it pretty similarly to you! I typically burp every 0.5 oz and keep him upright for about 20 minutes after a feed. Only differences is I do let the nipple fill up fully and feed with him at. 45 degree angle in my arms instead of fully upright. These are helpful tips - thank you!
