How much did your newborns eat?

Ok, how much did all newborns eat at 1-2 weeks old? Little man will be two weeks on Wednesday, and he’s currently only eating breast milk, nursing, and bottle. Every feeding, he can nurse for 30-45 minutes and then still be hungry and down another 3-4 ounces from a bottle. He eats too much. Is it normal for a baby his age? He’s almost 9lbs. Will eating this much make him cause too much weight?

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I wouldn’t exactly worry about eating too much at that age unless he’s spitting up a lot or your doctor tells you to be concerned. My 3 month old has had a big appetite like that since she was born. She can nurse for 45 mins at a time and still want more afterwards.

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If baby is hungry feed him unless he spitting it up but if he is holding it feed him

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Try burping him more often. He also might just want to suck. It’s a soothing mechanism for babies. You can try a pacifier. But this also could be totally normal for him.
My boys both nursed every hour and a half around the clock from the day they were born until they were about 6 months old.

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Weigh him before he nurses and then after to see how much breast milk he’s getting

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My daughter started eating about 2oz out of a bottle every 2-3 hours at a week old. Now, she will be 4 months old next week and is eating 8oz

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It’s not a bad thing for them to eat that much when they are little like that. My daughter had problems eating when she was born cause she swolled amniotic fluid and they had to stick a small tube down her throat to suck it out. Then she finally started eating more

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Around two weeks he is probably cluster feeding to get more milk at one time. It is exhausting but it doesn’t last forever. Put him on the boob as much as he wants. This will make you produce more ounces of milk for him at one feeding. My daughter went through cluster feeding at two weeks and she would eat every 15 minutes for hours in the evenings but it only lasted a few days. If you are giving him formula during these times it will mess up your supply. If you are only giving him breast milk don’t worry about over feeding. Google cluster feeding and you will learn a lot! A lot of women feel like they aren’t producing enough because of this but it’s not true. You have to cluster feed to produce more milk. The more baby is nursing the more milk you will make!

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My daughter is a week old a couple days. She’s eating 2 ounces almost 3. The doctor told me if she’s sucking or showing signs that she’s hungry, feed her as long as she handles it well. Granted she’s only 6 pounds but she has a huge appetite

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My daughter would eat every 1-2 hours all day and night long and would only soundly sleep from 5am-8am it was hard. She would nurse the same then drink 3oz bottles of formula. She grew out of this and slept better by the time she was 6-8 weeks. Hang in there. Totally normal it’s called cluster feeding

I felt the same way and I read somewhere I’ll try an find the artical but basically you cant over feed your baby the baby will spit it up if they are full but I would burp after every oz on the bottle help make sure the baby is full

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My son nursed every hour and a half ish. My middle child came out highly pissed and I kid you not hangry. She only quieted down when they gave her a bottle. Let him eat :woman_shrugging: he’s probably fine.

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Mine was eating 3oz every 3 hours and I was told it was too much lol but I fed him that anyways cause he was hungry .

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Feed on demand. Dont worry about weight unless losing it.

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He’s probably not very efficient at getting the milk out of the breast when he is that age. He’s just beginning to gain strength/stamina in his tongue and cheeks. Keep feeding him on both sides before giving him the bottle so he gets better at it and don’t worry about overfeeding.

Babies grow so mich those first couple months I would not worry unless his dr says something

Yes it’s normal it’s called cluster feeding

Nursing you don’t really know how much they are getting… baby is likely not getting enough that way and that’s why wants bottle but it’s tricky bc you can def overfeed when doing bottle. Have you tried just the bottle to see how he does then nurse after. I’m 4 months PP and nursed for first month or so but she wasn’t getting enough and not gaining enough weight so supplemented with bottle and she was satisfied so I stopped nursing… to me seemed like she was just pacifying while nursing anyway… sad but she needed more than I could provide

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Babies are individual and vary widely. As long as he isn’t spitting up a ton or throwing it up, let him eat as much as he wants. He might just have a big appetite.

My daughter drank 4oz when I feed her the first time and would be hungry less then an hr later she alway had a healthy appetite

Maybe hes not getting alot when he nurses? Doesnt sound like hes eating TOO much. If hes eating too much hed be spitting up & have an upset stomach. If hes hungry feed him

Newborns really can’t over eat

I don’t know what’s normal. I followed my instincts and fed my baby on demand. There wasn’t no way I was going to let my baby cry of hunger.

It’s possible he may not be getting much/any milk from nursing. Then he’s drinking 3-4 ounces from a bottle because he didn’t get anything in the 30 minutes of nursing. It’s also possible he’s cluster feeding. Best bet is to talk to his doctor about it to make sure nothing is wrong.

Those first 2 months or so are a blur of constant feeding & sleep deprivation. He’s not eating too much. Remember just 2 weeks ago your body was constantly feeding him. He’s developing his brain, organs & muscles. He needs to eat. Babies generally double their birth weight in 2-3 months. “Double by 3, triple by a year”. He’ll be fine. Feed him as often as he needs to. An infant can not over feed themselves.

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Completely normal from birth to about 3 months they demand feed. Then after the 3 months they tend to get into a routine

Should not be worried about about a 1-2 week old gaining too much weight. My kids would nurse for that long and then drink a bottle because I really did not produce breastmilk in the way they needed. Newborns should eat on demand whenever they are hungry, but a general rule for formula fed is every 2 -3 hours. Breastfeeding is whenever they are hungry.

He’s still learning how to effectively pull milk from the breast so it will take a while until he learns. At this age I like to say they know what they need when it comes to milkies.

How is his latch on the breast?
Is he getting breast milk or formula in the bottle?

Oh gosh, I’m surprised anyone can remember. It was all such a blur due to being super sleep deprived, I don’t even remember the first 3 months of her life.

Baby probably doesn’t need the bottles. They suck them down because it’s easy to get milk and sucking soothes them, so they suck until they’re so full they pass out. You should tell to a specialist they can explain it better than I can

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Maybe he isn’t getting as much from your breast as you think? 4 oz after 45 mins of nursing is ALOT.

They eat every 4 hours new borns 4 oz

Make sure he’s properly on the breast and getting hindmilk (nose should be clear of the breast with chin going in). Mine used to suckle without eating too so try shorter time on the breast too. Mine was nearly 9lbs at birth and perfect weight for height now.

My son was born weighing 8lbs 12 ounces. The day I brought him home he was eating oatmeal and a 8 oz bottle. He got chubby legs but lost them when he began walk. He has been thin his whole life since.

The baby will eat what it needs . They grow at different rates . Keep demand feeding .

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You don’t know for sure how much he is getting from breast, he may not be getting anything.

Mine drank 3-4 ounces at 1 day and ended up at 10+ ounces at 12 weeks. I asked his doctor and they said that some kids just like to eat. Calling a nurse line may help ease some of your worry?

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Our son was this way and it turned out he had awful reflux. While he was actively drinking it felt good and helped with the burning so he would eat and eat and eat. A few days into the meds and he drastically cut back on how much he would eat

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How do you know he’s eating too much? Are you producing enough milk? Have you spoken with a lactation consultant?

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My son did that for like the first month of breastfeeding and I started giving him more formula and he wasn’t eating as often. I was not producing enough to satisfy him so we switched completely to formula by 2 months old.

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Nope , you have a very healthy baby :eagle::four_leaf_clover:

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Nursing as much as your baby wants will help your supply meet his demand. But like the other person commented, speaking with a lactation consultant will help you. I had a friend that didn’t produce enough milk, and after a while of the baby not gaining weight switched to formula. As long as your baby is growing and healthy you are good.

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Mine wasn’t getting enough of brest milk so suppluliv

Look up cluster feeding in newborns :blush:

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Your milk production might be lower than you think.

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its normal for a new born. Just let him breastfeed when he wants. willdrink every 90 mins. feedwhen he wants.

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If I were you I would pump to see how much milk you’re actually producing. I have to primarily formula feed my twins as I’m not producing enough for even one of them. I’m only getting maybe 20 ml each breast which is 1 1/2 ounces total crazy cause these 2 make 6 children for me and I never had issues lactating before. Also my son has severe acid reflux so he would eat for comfort but also because he was spitting a good amount of it up. I’m a mix of old school and new seeing that my oldest child is 20 I believe in portion control but also feeding on demand as babies go through growth spurts they will cluster eat as well. How much did the baby weigh at birth?

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I dont think so. My son was eating alot and often. I was basically always nursing lol if hes eating till he throws up it might be an issue. But other than that hes probably fine. Congrats on breastfeeding. I’m sure you are doing just fine

He’s not getting enough breast milk. Give him formula to.

My newborn at 4 ounces.
She would eat every 30 minutes and still scream, I wasn’t producing anywhere near enough.
I had to give up the breast.

Follow baby’s lead, they cannot overeat. They’ll show you signs.

You should talk to an IBCLC, they would have good information to help ease your mind.

My second one ate every 2 hours for the first 2 months it was crazy. Dont worry abt how much he weighs hes just a baby

You can not over feed a baby. Ask any pediatrician. Baby is suppose to eat and gain weight

You CAN over feed a breastfed baby. By giving a bottle after nursing, you are stretching out his stomach and making it impossible for you to produce enough. Breastfed babies only need 1-1.5 oz of breastmilk every hour from birth until a year old. Breastmilk is not like formula, its constantly changing to give baby exactly what he needs so no need to increase bottle sizes. It is also important to pacefeed bottles so they dont over eat. Nursing and then having a 4 oz bottle is WAY to much for a 2 week old. A 4oz bottle on its own is way too much for a 2 week old.
At this age, bf babies will clusterfeed, which makes it seem like they’re always hungry/never full. This is normal. Clusterfeeding helps to regulate your supply and helps with baby’s development.
Breastfeeding is also more than just for food. Its a form of comfort for babies, so he could seem hungry to you but just wants to be close to mom.

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Maybe he’s thirsty and needs water.

He needs breast milk only ( or formula only if for some reason can’t breast feed) babies are going through growth spurts. He needs his feeds on demand. Don’t worry about weight at this age.

Call a lactation consultant. I had a really good one. She came to my house, sat with us and weighed the baby before and after feeding from the breast. Super awesome lady. Most insurances will cover it

Each baby is different. My kids would do the same thing. Just not getting enough from the breast feeding. Now all 4 of mine are over 5"9’ including the 13 year old.

I bottle fed my son (1975) he was hungry all the time, when I mentioned it to my doctor at his 6 week check up he told me to add a very liquid teaspoon of baby food rice, I spoon fed it to him before his bottle. I don’t even know if you can buy boxed dry baby cereal anymore. But it worked for him.

  1. See a lactation consultant. 2. Anytime you offer a bottle we really should pump to to make sure your supply keeps up. 3. Are you feeling let downs during that 30-45 minutes of nursing? Maybe the baby is sucking but your not producing much milk. If you want to continue to nurse, I would look up power pumping. If your goal is to get the baby off the bottle after every feed. also when bottlefeeding a breast-fed baby you need to make sure he pace feed. Lots of info out there about it.

My son ate like a pig. Lol. But if they are hungry, feed em!

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My babies were born small, they are like pigs and never lost weight, just gained and gained quickly, they both quickly went to 98th percentile. It’s normal to eat and grow

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I didn’t make enough milk I didn’t know until the checkup and she didn’t gain weight. Are you sure you are producing milk?

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You can definitely over feed using a bottle. If you are just breastfeeding then you don’t have to worry about over feeding. Make sure you breastfeed every 1-3 hours and about 30 minutes to feed is normal. If you follow with a bottle this will throw you off and can cause symptoms such as spitting up etc. You can know if your baby is getting enough by watching diaper output. If the diapers are 6 or more in 24 hours with just breastfeeding no bottle then your baby is getting enough. If you do find that you need to supplement it could be because your baby is not actively eating the whole 30 minutes he/she is on the breast.