How Much Should My 5 Week Old Be Eating?

M.,

I have been giving my 7wk old 4oz since he was born, but I stop every ounce or ounce and a half and make sure he burps so he won't spit up as much. Some babies just spit up more than others and if you think he is hungry, then feed him. What kind of bottles are you using? Maybe he is getting alot of air when he is eating. I recommend Dr. Browns bottles,it has seemed to help with the "giving back" issue.

Good Luck, I know it is hard, but you will know what is best.

E.

It's wonderful that you're being so dedicated to breastfeeding. Here's the good news. You're almost out of the woods. What you're describing is the hardest part of it, and you're learning fast.

Try starting from the other end. It will require a lot less measuring and a lot less math :) How many wet diapers is he making? (Check his diaper often so you know it's only one pee, not two or three that you're looking at.) I don't remember how much he needs to be making, minimum, at this age, but a quick check at either llli.org (la leche league international) or askdrsears.com will give you the information you need.

Another thing is, you're being really wise to prioritize his cues over anything else. Keep on doing this: if he acts hungry, feed him.

He's probably spitting up much less than you think (at least relatively speaking). And that stuff spreads a lot. Pour a tablespoon of milk from the fridge on a blanket and you'll see how big it looks on the fabric. And all babies spit up. It might not be too much feeding, but how you pick him up, lay him down or hold him afterwards. Sometimes when I pick my daughter up after a feeding (even 1/2 hr later), I accidentally squeeze her belly in just the right way, and I've got to sponge off a big puddle on the floor.

If it were me, I'd stop with the bottle feeding and focus on the breast. The nipple on the bottle is too easy for him (I don't care what the manufacturer says). So he's getting used to that and his latch on your nipple is staying shallow.

WHat i did was, I let my baby find her own way. I gave her a minute or two, and even though her first attempt was a shallow latch - just my nipple - that was just her starting point. It was part of her process. Her real intention was to go from there to get a big mouthful. Wait and see if this is what your son does. If not, tickle above his mouth and wait till he opens really wide, like a yawn, then swiftly but gently move him onto the breast. Let his head move down, like taking a big bite of sandwich. Don't work the jaw, but the face (same as when you tkae that bite of sandwich.) You can help him and encourage that good, big latch by gently compressing your breast with one hand to make it flat parallel to his mouth. Just like you eat a sandwich horizontally, not vertically relative to your mouth :)

You can also fix the lip by gently going in a bit with one finger and dragging it out as you withdraw your finger.

Hope this helps. Keep trying! My daughter and I had way worse issues, we kept trying and once we learned the right tricks, we settled right in and it's SO easy to breastfeed. I sleep really well overnight even though she wakes to feed. She sleeps in bed with us and I just lift up my shirt, she latches and I drift right back. COzy. DOn't get up during those cold winter nights to make formula!!!

L.

You need to contact your nearest La Leche breastfeeding counsellor for help. She will be able to help you with the latching on issues. Giving your little boy a bottle is only going to confuse him. It is much easier for a baby to drink from a bottle and he may end up rejecting the breast altogether.

Breastfeeding should be on demand. Baby will take as little or as much that satifies him. So what if he falls asleep at the breast - he has had enough to keep him satified.

Contact La Leche. And please keep up the breastfeeding.

When I was breastfeeding, I had a LOT of trouble in the beginning. In fact, my son was either 3 or 4 weeks before he would even take my breast... so, kudos on keeping with it. Even though you are pumping, I'd keep trying with the breast even though it is frustrating because once you get it, WOW, it's so amazing and such a wonderful way to bond.

Anyway, I was pumping would give him only 2 ounces at a time. This way if he was still hungry, I could just add a little bit more and if not, I hadn't wasted any of the precious stuff.

If he is spitting up a lot (my baby was and still is a spitter) you may just need to burp him more and keep him still for a while after feeding. A Bopee infant lounger works GREAT for this! It's like a Boppee pillow but is closed and it's like a little papazan cushion for baby to use after feeding, to control spit up.

Our doctor has told us that babies stomachs are as small as their fists, same with us. So, think of that tiny fist and what it takes to fill it. Even now, at almost 10 months old, I still wonder how much to feed my son because he can't quite tell me he's hungry...the only way I know to stop now though is he pushes the food away and shakes his head. :o)

Liev is very educated and her answer covers most everything you should be thinking of. My first child seemed to stay latched on for 6 months. If you are a stay at home mom that shouldn't really be that difficult. It sounds like you are overfeeding him with the bottle, because it is too easy and at 5 wks old, yes the baby gets worn out quickly sometimes from breastfeeding. Breast feeding works best on demand. With my second and third children I only got to stay home with them 6 wks. I started supplementing as soon as they started daycare but they were well established so that I was able to continue breastfeeding for six and nine months, respectively. Every child is different, and you can only do your best and move on. Try not to be too stressed about it, but please considered feeding every hour if that's what your baby is doing and you can stay at home and manage it. They do grow out of it, and this is only the first few months, which you never get back again. Cherish the moments!
Best of luck!
C.

M.,

Moms nowadays rarely give their infants WATER. And they need water as much as we adults should be drinking lots of water daily. I strongly suggest you give your baby the 3 ozs that you are currently giving and then if he signals not only with his tongue motions but by crying the hungry cry for more food, then give him plain water! It will satisfy him by filling that tiny vacancy that may still exists in his tiny tummy. Often times babies will make the tongue motions simply because this is what babies do. It means nothing. If he cries for more food that's different. Then give him water first, perhaps an ounce. And burp him again. Remember also alot of times they move their tongues that way because they are still tasting the remains of milk in their mouths. Once again, listen for the cry of hunger. Give water, burp again, and wait. Babies let us know what they need when they need it. It's a matter of the moms becoming accustomed to the different cries and noises that they make to signal us.

Good luck!

D.

My children's Pediatrician always told me to feed them when they are hungry and feed them until they are full! Dont worry yourself so much about exactly how much your baby is eating. As long as he is gaining properly you are fine! If he is spitting up I would try burping him more often. I had to burp both of my kids after every 1.5 to 2 oz or they would just spit it all back up... Some babies just get more air!

Well, I'm not sure the answer to your question - my son was a hungry horse and could eat a ton sometimes, and I breast fed so it was hard to know how much he actually ate and how much I was providing. I do know that spitting up is a normal part of an infant's life, and will continue until around six months or so because until that time the flap at the top of the stomach hasn't firmed up, so food will come out whether or not the baby is full. Spit up is related to air in the tummy, not an overfull stomach. "Baby 411" by Denise Fields and Ari Brown helped me a lot when I was caring for my first son, because it goes into such depth while still being quite straightforward and easy to understand.

Congratulations on your little one!

Don't worry so much! The good news is if he is falling asleep while eating he is getting full and no longer feels hungry. However if you want him to eat a little more at a time before dozing off, strip him down to his diaper. Feeling a little breeze will wake him enough to eat. this worked with my daughter. Sometimes she would have her lip tucked in too but was still able to eat good. And she does spit up. Most babies do. Just try to get a good burp in. Not all breast fed babies burp, my first didn't but my third, watch out! Good luck

It is possible the spitting up is due to the bottle, not that he is overeating. They get more air in their tummies from a bottle. I would agree with the other advice and say keep at the breastfeeding. I know it can be frustrating, but it is worth it. Get help though, find a lactation consultant and have her help you with the latch. It is too frustrating at times to try to figure it out on your own, but a lactation consultant can help you find a way to encourage a correct latch.

I do have to say in response to one poster, that you cannot assume that because baby is falling asleep he is full. In most cases this is not an issue, but having had a child who had serious feeding issues (and turned out to have serious health issues in general), falling asleep meant that they were worn out, not that they were full. The best ways to tell if baby is getting enough is if they are producing plenty of wet diapers and if they are continuing to gain weight (even if they are not high on the scale, but just that they are growing).

The other advice I would give you is to try different nursing positions to see if he finds it easier to latch in a certain position.

Are you burping him during the feeding? He may be spitting up due to gas if he's taking in air during the feeding. It often helps to stop 1/2 way through and burp to release the trapped air. If you really want to breastfeed, I recommend consulting a lactation specialist (at either a hospital or health department).

You may want to discuss it as well with the pediatrician since certain minor physical problems can cause latch problems. One example is if a child is "tongue-tied" meaning their tongue is too tight underneath. However, if your baby is sticking out their tongue so that you can see it well, that's probably not the case.

Good luck!