[chickenpants]

Hi there,

I am comp feeding my 6 week old, and according to the formula label, from 1-2 months he should be having 150ml per bottle. But I'm hard pressed getting him to drink the 100ml that he was supposed to have from 2-4 weeks.

A lot of the time he will only drink 50-70ml of the bottle before either falling asleep or pushing it out with his tongue and refusing to accept any more (he grits his gums so you can't even push it in!)

I'm becoming meaner in getting him to stay awake to finish his regular bottle now, it requires more than just a gentle flick on the foot - I have to give it a good shake or give him a decent poke.

I'm not worried about weight gain or anything - he put on 870grams between his 4 and 6 week weigh-ins and has plenty of wet nappies.

Should I be more forceful in making him drink a full 150ml bottle in one sitting? I know that will decrease the amount of feeds he has per day/night, but will it improve his sleep too? He doesn't have big sleeps through the day, just a few little ones so he gets a bit overtired by late afternoon.

[~Supernova~]

The label is just a guide, some babies will drink more, others will drink less. My son drinks anywhere from 50ml to 240ml...depends on his mood (or lately, not at all!) And he was doing the same before solids. Just like an adult, sometimes they are more/less hungry than others. Even over a 24 hour period, the amounts babies drink can vary by several hundred mls between different children...

[idignantlyright]

Say the label says they should having 6 x 150ml bottles. My kids would have maybe 3 x 200ml bottles and 2 x 150ml bottles. They sometimes wouldn't even finish those bottles.

[Princess.cranky....]

As the PP said- it's only a guide.

MCHN would work out how many mils/bottles per day by the weight of baby, not age. So my babies were always heaver than average and were having more than other babies their age.

If Your bub is small then he won't need 150mills. Just give him what he will take. And yes the amount can vary at each feed.

[lucky 2]

I cant see a need to force in more than baby wants to eat, it would be counterproductive as bfing is a self-regulated way of feeding and this is the way babies are made to be fed.
If you want/need to use formula/bottles then I'd feed in the same way, ie let baby feed to appetite.
Also with an average weight gain of 400+ for the past 2 weeks it is possible that none of that bottle is be needed, even without that amount of formula in that one bottle the growth of your baby is in the upper range of average.
All the best.

[chickenpants]

I have supply issues so he has more formula than BF. I was quite shocked at the weight gain though - little piggy he is. Yet still not a big baby - has some little thigh rolls but not much - but didn't gain a lot of length.

Thanks for all the advice, I won't try to make him drink more than necessary.. I was just a little concerned that he wasn't getting enough per feed, if you take the formula labels as a guide.

[mum201]

Not meaning to come across as a lactivist, because your body, your baby and your choice but how do you know your supply is bad? Is it possible baby is getting more boob than you think and that is why not so hungry, as that is a LOT of weight to put on.

[chickenpants]

I ended up in hospital for a while a couple of weeks after he was born and couldn't express initially while I was in there. Once the nurses had sourced a pump and after draining the girls initially, a couple of hours later I could only get a small amount... then after that nothing. Even after attempting every few hours for a full day. They stopped feeling 'full' and were similar to after being drained.

Since being home I have had him on the breast a lot and made a few batches of lactation biscuits and have got it back to a certain level, but he still only feeds for maybe 5-10 minutes each side (until he drops off) and is then hungry again quite soon afterwards.

I am curious about the weight gain, thinking about it last night I remembered that he was weighed wearing a nappy (which wouldn't have added too much) and then did a massive poo afterward. Perhaps it was all poo-weight.

[Katie_bella]

Have you seen a lactation consultant? Fullness of breasts and ability to express are not accurate ways of measuing how much BM you baby is getting. Your baby is growing and putting on weight. He may simply may not need comping, just BF'ing a little more frequently. FWIW the more you FF your baby the worse your supply issues will get.

[Lokum]

Since being home I have had him on the breast a lot and made a few batches of lactation biscuits and have got it back to a certain level, but he still only feeds for maybe 5-10 minutes each side (until he drops off) and is then hungry again quite soon afterwards.

How soon? BF babies do tend to feed more often in 24 hours than FF babies. 8-10+ feeds a day would be very normal at 6 weeks old - and around 2 hourly during the day if he's sleeping any decent stretches (3hrs+) overnight. Also, since he's having short feeds of 5-10 minutes, it's not a big deal to do short frequent feeds.

(Mine was doing 45 minute feeds 8 times a day. The imprint of my bum is still in the couch from being there so much!)

If he's hungry again quite soon (like 60-90 minutes later), and you put him back to the breast, what happens? If he takes another short feed and drops off, sounds like it's working , and he's just thirsty for a drink, or wants a little top up. I would give flat out, non-stop BFing a go for 24-48 hours, and maybe skip the formula. You might find your supply has boosted, and things have evened out and no need to go back to the bottles.

If you want to keep up the BM... that's what I'd do. If you keep pushing the formula when he's after a top up, the breast milk might just gradually dry up and be gone. Of course, if you'd prefer to just FF all the time, go for that too.