feeding problems

[peps]

Hi there, I am breast feeding my two month old, however for weeks she was very difficult to settle, so a friend suggested i tried her on formula, which i am doing gradually, for her age she should be having roughly 6oz every four hours, however she will only take around 2 to 3 oz at a time, i dont think this is satisfying her enough as she seems hungrey two hours later. Has any one else had this problem before, how can i increase the amount she has at one time?

[yummyumm]

You could try a formula for hungry babies, all the major brands make one, it fills them up a bit more.

[tigilou]

I cant quite remember exactly(its amazing how quickly you forget) but i thought if they had 1oz they would want another 1oz in an hour so for each oz is the amount of hours this will last them this is why she is hungrey after 2 hours if she had the whole bottle she would be ok for 4 hours i remeber this being the case for my little one don't think this will help but could be the reason she is hungery.

[enigma]

Part 1 : Hi Peps. Breastfeeding is a lot of hard work but the benefits to you and baby are enormous if you can persevere - it does get better , honestly. Your baby may be going through a growth spurt where it may seem at times as if there is no feeding her but this is common and even bottle fed babies experience similar stages of extreme hunger at times. I bottle fed my first daughter as no-one in my family had really breastfed before and they talked me out of it but I instantly regretted it and so breastfed my other two children. It is completely exhausting and you have my full sympathy but then it is equally an exhausting time for any new mother but it does get easier and the feeling of closeness you get whilst feeding your baby is second to none. My youngest child has just turned one and is sleeping a bit better at night but my problems with his troubled sleep pattern was down to me not establishing a proper routine by allowing him to come into bed with my hubby and I at night so that I could feed him. Even at such a tender age , they have it sussed and know that if they cry loudly enough , poor tired mummy will come running to bring them into bed for a lovely cuddle and some milk. Your daughter may not be drinking the formula milk because she does not like the taste of it as breast milk is supposed to be quite a different taste to formula milk (sweeter) and she may be rejecting it in favour of what she is used to. I once tried my youngest daughter with formula milk as a one off so that I could try to go out for a few hours one night and I was having difficulty expressing milk but she hated it and refused to feed. My health visitor told me that it may have either been the taste of the milk or even the teat.

[enigma]

Part 2 : Remember that this is also a new sensation for her (you may want to try a natural shaped teat that is as close to the real thing as you can get if you do decide to stop breastfeeding) and she may not like it.You have to be very careful when changing over from breast milk to formula milk at such a tender age in order that you do not upset their digestive system. Stage one milk is as close to breast milk as you can get but stage two formula milk - for hungrier babies - is not suitable for babies under six months old. Why don't you express your concerns to your health visitor who will only be too glad to help you. Good luck in whatever you decide to do but I hope that you won't give up breastfeeding too early - you'll miss it when you do x

[enigma]

Hi Peps - just to clarify , the point I made about my son attention seeking with wanting fed through the night (grazing as it's called because they are not really feeding , more just wanting a comfort suck) obviously isn't the case with you. Your daughter will be feeding constantly as is the norm at that age but bear in mind that the sleep pattern/feeding pattern varies greatly from baby to baby and you can't really compare other babies in terms of feeding especially when comparing bottle fed and breastfed babies as a breastfed baby will feed when hungry and you should put her to the breast whenever she wants it. Is she always hungry or could she maybe be teething ? My three children all cut their first teeth around the two-three month mark and the signs are fretfullness , nappy rash , blotches on face , sucking or biting at their hands , constant dribbling etc. If this is the case why not rub some sugar free Bonjela on to her gums to relieve the pain but please do speak to your health visitor as she will be able to advise you better than anyone else x