8 week old breastfeed babies

Question

My daughter is 8 weeks old...I can't believe how time flies! Anyway, at birth she was 7 lbs, 11 Oz's. At one month 8lbs 12 ozs. She is a breastfeed baby only, no formula yet. I have been pumping into bottles so I know she drinks about 4.5 ozs usually every 3-4 hours during the day. She does go about 6 hours at night. My question is, does this seem "normal" for an 8 week old? People have said she looks huge. I would guess she is about 11-12 lbs already. Based on my other children, she seems right in line, but it has been 5 years since I had a baby! I know each baby is different, but just looking for others that may fall into the same situation. Also, when did you start "skipping" feedings or increasing the amount the baby drank. Anyone on a schedule yet? THANKS! :)

Answer 1

I've never had my babies on a feeding schedule.

My son is 9 months and has always just been fed when he's hungry. I've never expressed so i don't know how much he has in a day. Obviously now, he doesn't feed anywhere near as much as he did when he was tiny, but it's still just on demand.

He had massive weight gains in the first few months, then it started to even out a little after around 4 - 5 months.

Your little girl sounds perfectly fine....remember, you can't overfeed a breastfed baby.

Answer 2

all 3 of mine were all exclusively breastfed.

my oldest was in the 90th percentile all the time she was a chunky baby,

my second was in the 15th percentile, she is our dainty girl.

and my baby is right in the 50th percentile.

so my answer would be all babies are different mine were all normal for them, as long as they are growing consistently then they are fine!

as far as the feedings, i just feed my baby when she wants to eat and let her suck as long as she wants to then depending will switch sides.

sometimes its 5 min sometimes its 20 min.

i jsut feed on demand

she goes to sleep around 730pm and is up for the first time to eat at 5am, then eats and is back to sleep till around 8

Answer 3

Sounds like she's doing great.  

A baby gains an average of about 2 pounds a month (after losing weight at first, and getting back to birthweight at around 2 weeks), so if she was  8 lb 12 at 4 weeks, (one pound over birthweight) you would expect her to be around 11 pounds at 2 months -- though she may well have gained a bit more, or a bit less. Some healthy babies gain VERY rapidly at first, averaging 4-5 pounds a month for the first few months.  That's completely normal, and doesn't mean she's eating too much.

I never used a schedule with my daughter (and schedules aren't usually recommended).  Feed her when she's hungry, let her take as much as she wants, as often as she wants, and trust her to gain at the rate she is supposed to.

In your situation, I would definitely NOT start 'skipping feedings.'  3-4 hours is already a pretty long stretch for a breastfed baby, and you wouldn't want to cut back any further. An 8 week old baby should probably be eating 8-10 times a day.  Since she's already (if I'm counting correctly) eating only 7 times, that's on the low end.

Answer 4

This sounds fine. my lil sis was 9 lbs 7 oz at birth, so your bubs not that big. in fact, to me that sounds just like all the babies in my life. every 4 hours ish and hopefully only once during the night. maybe instead of dropping a feed, try going a little longer between each feed untill you miss one? i dont have my own kids, so dont take my word for it, but i rekon thats how id do it. good luck.

Answer 5

If the doctor is okay with her size and weight (and at 8 weeks it would be very rare for her to have weight concerns unless she was underweight), then don't worry about that.  People may be comparing her to their smaller children, thinking of how big or little their kids were at that age, or noticing just how much she's grown.  My first child was about 8 lbs when he was born and he gained weight like your baby is--his weight was doubled before 4 months.  But he also lot much longer, too, making him just a large baby.  He's now 6'2".  

As for skipping feedings, baby will guide you in this, by finishing bottles faster and seeming to want more.  You'll be able to give her more and she'll go longer between feedings.  If she's actually breastfeeding, this is a little easier to guage; she'll just nurse longer and longer to fill up, but if she's getting it all from a bottle, you'll have to watch for cues that she's not full and wants more.  

Answer 6

I had a schedule and my daughter slept about 6-8hrs during the night on breast milk only. The oz sound right on target. Every child grows differently just like utero. I only skipped feedings when she didn't wake up during the day to eat. Its okay you will have times when they will sleep more to get that extra burst of growth. As for increasing the amount, they do it on their own when bf.

Answer 7

my daughter was 4 kgs at birth and was already 6.1 kgs at eight weeks. I think that is 13 lbs 4 oz. And I was told she is growing beautifually. She is also exclusivly breastfeed.

No shedule as yet, well no set shedule  but she generally does the same each day.

Answer 8

My 6 month old only has 3-4 ozs each feed so that seems alot to me but the I've only breastfed 2 children!

Babies seem to eat as much as they want....I've not come across a 'normal' amount yet.  If she is a happy, healthy then she's doing fine.  Your babies just eat that much that often!