My boys just turned one month old and they're eating 4 oz. I think that's normal since I just couldn't breast-feed them enough to satisfy them, so I just switched entirely to formula. The biggest one is about 8 1/2 lbs., and the smaller one is just at 8 lbs., and now after I feed them they still act hungry. Was just wondering if 5 oz. was alot for such a young age?
Oh, and they're having alot of trouble burping. They're already on the Nutramigen formula, but they're so hard to burp they're spitting up after almost every feeding. I've tried alot of different positions. I bounce them on my knee and pat them, put them over my shoulder and pat them, just sit them up slightly bent forward and pat them, lay them across my lap...does anyone have any special techniques they wouldn't mind sharing with me? I've tried all these ways for 30 minutes a piece somedays and they just won't do it. I'm at a loss here, mamas!
A trick my grandmother gave me was to gently rub the baby's back only going down next to his spine. It always seems to help my 10 month old. As far as the amount of formula, if they are still hungry, I would try 5 ounces, there really is no magic number every baby is different. Congratulations!
Hi R.,
I am the mommy of twin boys as well who turned two on June 16th. Being a month into it, I can sympathize sooooo much to how exhausting it all can be. Sounds like my boys were born a few pound smaller than yours but at a month or so, they were taking it about 3-4 oz every three hours. I think you can safely go to 5 oz if they are still acting hungry. My boys didn't reach a full bottle (8 oz) until six or seven months. As you are probably figuring out, with bottle feeding, schedule is vital with twins. Once they are used to a particular amount at a particular time, they'll adjust well. If you aren't using a pacifier, give it a try, maybe they just want to suck. About the spitting up. One of my twins spit up constantly. The dr. told me that the little flap that keeps food down can take awhile to strengthen after birth so for some babies, that means more spit up. She was right on target when she said it would get better around 6 months. Hang in there, some days it'll seem like you barely made it (LOL) but one day they'll be more independent and it'll get a lot easier (until they start beating the mess out of each other, of course!) LOL
G.
hi R.!
my little emma was really hard to burp too! i would really worry about it, but someone told me (i think my pediatrician) that she may not burp and that's ok. if they seem uncomfortable, then you can try again, but you may not want to force it cause it might cause them to spit up unnecessarily. as far as the formula, emma had to be on nutramigen, too, but we found that similac enfamil worked better for her. they're exactly the same thing, just a different brand. i think they're the same price too. you might try that and see if it helps. also, emma always ate a lot! when she was really little, like a few weeks, she would eat at least 4 oz. and everyone told me she should only be eating 2-3 oz.! i worried that i was over-feeding her, but she was still hungry! i quickly learned that emma wouldn't over-eat. she spit on the bottle or pulled off my breast when she was done and wouldn't take anymore. babies know when they're full, no matter what other people say... at least mine always has. she quickly went from eating 4 oz. at a time, to 5-6 oz. and now she eats anywhere from 6-8 oz... she's 10 months old.
i really think you can rest in the fact that your babies are going to be able to tell you when they're done eating. if they're still hungry, let them eat. my doctor always said the main concern for little ones was gaining weight... not how much they were gaining... unless its way unhealthy. but it doesn't sound like you're in danger of that. i think it sounds like you're doing a great job. if you ever have any questions, please email me. i'd love to help!
good luck and cherish your little ones right now. as hard as it is, i promise you'll miss it! emma kate is already 10 months old and it has gone by TOO fast! :)
God bless!
S.
I loved Good Start by Carnation, and I used the Follow Up formula after my daughter turned 5 months. My daughter burped easiest if I would burp every 2 oz or so, then after she was finished eating, massage her back gently in a circular motion, then pat while seated in my lap, slightly bent putting pressure on her belly. You might also check the flow on the nipple--if its too fast or too slow, it can cause gas. And about bottle brands, I tried other bottles, but the good-ol Playtex nursers were the best. I used the Wal-Mart or Target brand liners, and they caused little to no air bubbles after the full liner was "burped." I read in a baby book somewhere to preprare 1 oz more than you anticipate the baby wanting. Good luck--you'll be done with all this bottle stuff before you know it.
HI
I'm not sure if it's different for twins or not, but at one month old my little guy was eating 5 ounces (formula!!). We had the burping/spitting up problem too, but if they are still hungry...???
Good Luck
R.,
My daughter was 9.10 lbs when she was born and was eating 3 oz before we left the hospital (we were actually there for over a week, but that's another story)....anyway, your boys are bigger, they may need to eat more!!
My daughter was also on the Nutramigen formula and she ate quite a bit more than other babies her age which made it pretty expensive! I eventually talked to my dr and we switched to carnation good start...which is the same as nestle good start (parent company)....I wish I would have had her on it since birth!! It was amazing, and other Moms have felt the same way! I don't really think Nutramigen is all it's cracked up to be....like a light switch Cameryn's tummy troubles went away w/the new formula!
About the burping, we started at the lower part of her back and rubbed in an upward motion a few times and then burped and it worked pretty good!
Hope this helps! congrats on the new ones!
Cari
My son always burped well after he ate, but he still spit up about 3-4 times after every feeding. Maybe he overate, maybe he was just that kind of baby. Maybe he had reflux. I never knew. I really think some of them just spit up, so I don't know if the burping really helps- like I said, he always burped well. He eventually stopped- after a year. I just always had burp rags handy (and a lot of them).
FYI...mine was on nutramigen for a while, we would get it off ebay, saved us some money!! I agree with the other person, I thought it was OK. We eventually went to goats milk at 4 months. Good Luck with everything!!
Up until kids are 3 years old they will be able to show you that they are full through signs. If your boys don't act like they are interested in the bottle or start turning away then more than likely they are full.
If they are spitting up after each meal than there may be a chance that they over ate.
Sometimes babies just enjoy the sucking, whether it's from a pacifier or thumb and they're really not hungry. For the most part babies will eat about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours each day, with flexibility.
It sounds like you're doing all the right things to try to get them to burp. Sometimes it takes awhile too.
Good luck.
C.
Hey R.!
My son was very hard to burp and spit up a ton! My doc suggested feeding him in his bouncy seat and waiting a couple of minutes to try to burp him. It helped a little. He eventually just outgrew it. Also, it happened to him if he had breast milk or formula.
He at between 4 and 5 ounces by the end of his first month. I would say just make them a 5 ounce bottle and see how much of it they drink. They won't over eat.
Have a great weekend!
When I had my son in April I was so affraid that I would over fed him. My doctor said that babies are very good at when to stop eating and it is very rare for any baby to over eat. Also, another good person to ask is Kay at the Nesting Place in Grapevine. She is a former labor and delivery nurse that gives classes for new moms and dads. She helped us out alot and is very nice. Also, you might want to consult with your doctor, they should have good advice also. My son is lactose intolerant and was vomiting after feding. We placed him on lactose free formula and now he is doing great.
Hi R.:
Two of my three kids had trouble with burping and what I found worked great for them was burping every two ounces. But, I didn't pat them...instead I held them up on my lap in a sitting position with a firm hand on the back and my other hand flat on the front of the stomach/chest area, and I would gently masage the front. This seemed to help the muscles loosen so that it was easier for them to pass air bubbles. Nothing scientific to back it up--just something I tried with my kids and found helpful. Have a great weekend-T.
Congrats R.!
I have twin boys who are 5 months old. They started eating alot early on. I pumped for one since he was in the hospital, but breast feed the other for about 12 weeks. They were eating about 6-8 oz at around 2 months. I think 5 oz is good if they are acting hungry. You might also ask your pedi about adding rice cereal to the night time bottle. We started that at 8 weeks. One of the boys had to supplement formula once a day with Neosure, but we took him off that after 1 month. For the burping you might try to burp a couple of times during the bottle. We also rubbed one of the boys back for a couple of sec and then pat, and that worked better.
