11 week old breastfed baby eats about 6 ounces in 8 hours?

Question

Has anyone else had this experience? I know my baby is having a hard time taking the bottle as she really can't get a hold of using that nipple. But we use the Avent newborn bottles that are recommended for breastfed babies. I'm giving my mother-in-law pumped milk to offer her and she really only eats about 2 ounces max with a bottle. This is my second day back at work and so yesterday she had a total of 4 1/2 ounces of breast milk (3 feedings). When we got home she breast fed every two hours (3 more feedings) and slept well through the night (10:30pm to 5am). She seems content, but I just worry she's not getting enough. She's very petite but according to the doctor her weight is average (she was 10.8 lbs at 9 weeks) so I know she's gaining weight and she still has good diapers (although she doesn't p**p very often but when she does its not hard so I know she's not constipated).

I guess what I want from you fellow breastfeeding moms is a little reasurrance. I want to know have you been through this and how is your baby?

Answer 1

If she's drinking 6oz in 8 hours then assuming she drank the same when you are home she is getting 18oz per day.  Most breastfed babies take 19-30oz per day -so that's not that far off.

However she is going to get more milk when you are home.  Many babies prefer just to wait for mom.  If you wouldn't wake her at night if she slept 8 hours then respect her if she chooses to take that 8 hour "break" during the day so she can wait for mom.

Also bottles aren't the only way to feed a baby; in fact bottles are the worst way to feed a baby.  Bottles cause ear infections, gum, jaw, and tooth problems.  Cup/Paladai feeding has none of these drawbacks.  Why people persist in using bottles is beyond me, I think its just laziness because bottles can be propped and cups require you to actually pay attention.

Reverse Cycling

http://www.workandpump.com/reversecyclin...

Reverse Cycling basically means that your baby has nights and days mixed up, and eats more at night and sleeps more during the day. This sounds like a nightmare, doesn't it? A baby up all night? You've got a job to go to, how are you supposed to sleep?

Well, it's not really all that bad. In fact, some moms actively encourage their babies to reverse cycle. Why?? Well, the more your baby eats when you're together, the less he'll need when you're apart. Bottom line - less bottles, less pumping. For moms who work in places where it's really hard to pump, this can be a godsend.

The keys to making reverse cycling work for you are 1) Making sure your baby gets enough to eat, and 2) Getting enough sleep. Both of these can be solved with the same strategy: Having your baby sleep close to you.

If your baby is close to you at night, a few neat things happen.

What to Feed the Baby when the Mother is Working outside the Home

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/17feed_ba...

1. Babies must learn to take a bottle so that they can be fed when the mother is not there.

Not true. Some exclusively breastfed babies will not take a bottle by 2 or 3 months of age. Most, who have not taken a bottle, and even some who did accept a bottle in the first weeks of life will not take one by the time they are 4 or 5 months of age. This is no tragedy, and there is no reason to give a bottle early so that the baby knows how. If your baby is refusing to take a bottle, do not try to force him; you and he may become very frustrated and there is just no need to go through all this. If the baby is at least 6 months of age when you start back at outside work, the baby quite simply does not need to take a bottle. If he is even 4 months, he does not need to take a bottle. He can be fed liquids or solids off a spoon just as any other 6 month old and by 6 months of age he can be taking enough so that he will not be hungry during the day. Furthermore, he can start learning to drink from a cup even by 5 or 6 months of age. The cup can be an open cup and does not need to have a spout. Start with water as your baby may spill a fair amount at first. If, however, he has not got the hang of the cup by the time you must leave him, do not worry, he can take fluids off a spoon, or the solid foods can be mixed with more liquid (expressed milk, juice, water). Obviously, if the baby is to be taking a fair amount of a variety of foods by 6 months of age, he may need to be started on solids by 5 months of age. However, some babies prefer to wait for the mother in order to drink something. This is fine; many babies sleep 12 hours at night without drinking or eating at all.

2. But getting the baby to take a bottle surely won't hurt.

Not necessarily true. Some babies do fine with both. The occasional bottle, when breastfeeding is going well, will not hurt. But if the baby is getting several bottles a day on a regular basis, and, in addition, your milk supply decreases because the baby is nursing less, it is quite possible that the baby will start refusing the breast, even if he is older than 6 months of age.

3. Babies need to drink milk when the mother is not at home.

Not true. Three or four good nursings during a 24 hour period plus a variety of solid foods gives the baby all he needs nutritionally, and thus he does not need any other type of milk when you are at your outside job. Of course, solid foods can be mixed with expressed milk or other milk, but this is not necessary.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkc...

If baby is taking significantly less expressed milk than the average, it could be that baby is reverse-cycling, where baby takes just enough milk to "take the edge off" his hunger, then waits for mom to return to get the bulk of his calories. Baby will typically nurse more often and/or longer than usual once mom returns. Some mothers encourage reverse cycling so they won't need to pump as much milk. Reverse cycling is common for breastfed babies, especially those just starting out with the bottle.

If your baby is reverse cycling,

Answer 2

Some breastfed babies will only drink enough from bottles to not be hungry and then have a feast when they have access to mommy. :)

She may warm up to the bottle, or she may keep doing what she's doing. As long as she has good output of diapers and is gaining weight, it's fine.

Answer 3

Ouch, WI mom.  I'm not sure that's what she is asking.  Why not take that attitude over to Sarah Palin's official website?

Your daughter doesn't want a bottle.  That's all.  She takes enough to stay hydrated while you're gone and does most of her dining with you.  Be flattered!

If she's pooping and gaining, she's fine!

Answer 4

sometimes you just cant be a full time mom okay sometimes you just have to work  so dont be mean, and I think he just has to get used to the bottle, if he has wet diapers and is gaining weight then i wouldn't worry, if he only take 2 ounces try offering a little later, good luck

Answer 5

instead of using a bottle you can look into this

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alter...



or try a different bottle

i used the playtex nursers with the drop-in liners. my son prefered those to any bottle i ever tried. at first he did have a hard time taking it and my step mother ( one who watched him while i was at work) had to hold him like he was being nursed instead of holding him like you would a bottel fed baby- he needed to be very close. not pooping every day is very normal for a breastfed abby in fact my son only ever went every 3-4 days

My son is now 17 months old and a little over 22 pounds and about 31.5 inches at least and still nursing some

Answer 6

sounds like she is making up for her lost feedings during the day by power nursing at night. At some point she may warm up to the bottle, but for now just let her set the pace. As long as she keeps peeing, pooping and sleeping then she is fine.

Answer 7

As long as she is putting on weight, and her doctor is happy with her progress, i wouldnt worry.

When i went back to work and put my kids on the bottle instead of breast, they took a few weeks to get used to it, but all was fine after that.

the main reason being that the way they suck a brest nipple and bottle  teat, is different, and they just have to re-learn how to do it.

Good luck!

edit: ignore wi mum. people like her think they are perfect!

Answer 8

Sorry, I loved my child enough to not leave her with a bottle all day long.

No reassurance. You need to parent your child full time and let grandma be a grandma, not a full time babysitter.

Answer 9

I went back to work after 6wks. My son had the best time using the breast flow bottle from first choice. It has a huge bulb of a nipple with a little blue insert that let milk down like a nipple. My pediatrician recommended feeding by syringe if I did not want to cause nipple confusion, but luckily it never came to that.

Answer 10

As long as your child is wetting diapers, and gaining weight, she is fine, she just likes it better "from the tap".