[sarah sheppard]

My baby is 9 weeks old & weighs nearly 141b.He feeds every 2,3,4 & sometimes 5 hrs.He can also feed for a bit more after an hour.I'm worried that he's gaining weight too much,as he's heavy.How long should he need maximum on each breast & how much in oz should he have.He also has formular when I'm out & when I want a few alcoholic drinks.He brings up quite a bit of milk too!


Thanks Sarah

[DoulaLC]

Try not to worry, you won't overfeed a breastfed baby. It is important to remember as well that breastfed babies and formula fed babies will gain weight differently... early on, many breastfed babies will gain more quickly, but then slow down around 6 months or so. Also important to be sure your child's doctor is using the correct growth chart. There are newer ones out that are designed for babies who receive mostly breastmilk... keep in mind, however, that these are just a guide and unless your child were growing unusually fast or consistently losing weight, they aren't the best guide as to how your child is doing.

It sounds like he is doing exactly what would be expected of him. Hopefully those 4-5 hour stretches are at night! This would also account for him eating a bit more often during the daytime.
Let him nurse as long as he is actively eating. Watch for the cues... some babies will start to use the breast more as a pacifier after they have had enough to eat. This is fine if you are not getting sore. When he does use a bottle, see how he does with maybe 4 ounces and adjust it from there. Just keep the formula feeds as sparingly as possible so as not to interfere with your milk supply and his intake of breastmilk too much.

[ang8318]

Totally agree with Doula. Just wanted to add, I know it is hard to hear not to worry about how heavy your child is getting. My son weighed 18lbs at 6 months, and I worried even though the doctors told me not too. Now that he is 11 months old and A lot more active he went from being in the 98% weight to the 70%.

[aneangel22]

They are both right in telling you not to worry. I just wanted to say that I breast fed my little girl for 15 months and completely understand where you're coming from. When she was two weeks she developed what they thought was an ear infection. They told me to give her pedialite for 12 hours instead of breast milk. When I asked how much to give her, because you can't measure ounces in your boobs, lol, He told me to start at two ounces and maybe give 3. Well I filled her first bottle with 4 just to be safe and she ended up eating 2, 4 oz bottles!! So every baby is different and once she started crawling then walking her weight became very steady and she's not nearly the chuncker I was worried to death that she would be.

By the way, enjoy it while you can. It was a great way for me to feel close to her after she was born. I miss being pregnant so much and having her in a safe place. At 15 months when I got her out of bed for her morning feeding she didn't want a thing to do with it. Even though I was a bit devastated that it ended so abruptly I just let it go. I had planned on doing it for 18 months but I guess she had her own plan in mind.

At least you chose to give your baby the best form of nutrition out there. Kudo's to you!