Feeding Formula

hi guys!

was wondering if anyones got any suggestions...

my little Mathew is 6 weeks old and 9lb 11oz.

he is feeding on SMA Gold formula and has been taking 5oz every 4 hours, but over the last few days he has been demanding it more often (every 3 - 3 1/2 hours), and really wailing until i give him it.

do you think uping it to 6oz is to much for his age or should we try a hungrier baby formula instead? any suggestions?

he's a happy content baby most the time but seems to turn into a monster when he wants feeding!

Hi Lucy! We were wondering how you were getting on and how the birth went etc. Obviously all must be well!

I'm not at that stage yet myself, so I'll leave the others to answer your queries, but if you've got time to post about your birth experience I'd love to read about Mathew's birth.

Hi Lucy,
Freya is the same age as mathew (born on 11th Dec) and she is also on 5oz, she is 9lb 7oz now and is contented on that fine but a friend of mine found herself in the same situation as you and put him on hungrier baby formula and he started sleeping through the night! Give it a whirl. I was breast feeding Freya up until 4 days ago and she wasn't feeding enough in one sitting and crying every hour for a feed!!! But loves the bottle! They are all different, give it a go and if he still wants more then up the amount to 6oz. He will be on that in a month anyway.

hi Claire

thanks for the tip we put him on 6oz last night and he took it well, lets hope this is the way forward.

i really worried that uping him to hungier baby formula is going to make him fat!

did you're friend have any problems with her baby putting a lot of weight on on the formula?

Hi Lucy
I reckon it's worth upping the feed for now but just keep an eye on his weight. Do you go for regular weight check ups? I did with my first – I'll probably be too laidback with my second (due in 5 weeks)!
If the weight graph is going up smoothly on his own trajectory then you're fine. If it jumps wildly then just ask the health visitor while you're at the clinic.
Some babies really do just need more so it should be fine.

He put on alot of weight actually now you mention it. I am pleased to hear that 6oz is working out for you. As Freya is the same age it's good to hear he's doing well on 6oz. freya was only 9lbs last week then I started bottle feeding on friday and now shes 9lbs 7! i know what you mean about them being too fat! surely it cant be good for them?

just to let you all know how were getting on.

his now taking 5 oz during the day and a 6oz before bed. he's been sleeping 10pm till 6am for the last few days so seems to be getting into a pattern hopefully.

i spoke to my GP and he said to wait till putting him on to the next formula till his 6 months if we can.

Sounds great that he's sleeping through. Congratulations!
If that's the case, it sounds like he's getting what he needs.
I breastfed for a while and then started to mix with a Hipp Organic follow-on milk so I'm no expert in the different kinds of feeds. I guess the heavier formula is really for when their digestive system is a little more mature.

I pleased that its working out for you. I wish Freya would sleep that long in night. She wouldn't take 6oz. Which is a shame. Any tips on getting her to sleep a bit longer?

hello claire.

with mathew we tend to give him his last feed at 11 ish, then put him next to the bed in his basket , we've found that making the blanket a little bit tighter ( not to tight so he can still move) he feels more secure. try putting her arms under the cover to start with and let her move them as she wants.

also try giving her 5 oz during the day and maybe a 6 oz as her last feed (if she'll take it) may relax her more.

we also give him lavander beby bath on a night.

i think we're just really lucky but these thigs may help. mathew is really active during the day though (only having 2 - 3 hours sleep so this is probably why he sleeps well at night. just try and keep her as active as possible i know it's really hard and tiring but it does work.

let me know how you get on.

good luck x

hi guys

well after a bumpy start on 6 oz then 7oz we decided to go for the hungier baby feed now he sleeps most of the time and is a lot more content.

it was his first time in the nursey over night last night and he slept 10pm till 8am and then i couldn't wake him up! i'm so glad i've got a sleeper!

hope everyone's ok.

xx

Well done to you all. I would always suggest putting up the feed, but if you are worried about how much weight they are gaining, try to get them to do more exercise in a door bouncer, or even you moving their legs in a cycle motion for them, softly of course, and the increase in exercise should stop the weight and both will help them sleep.

Wow Roxanna - you're well up for fitness training!
I hope all the babes have settled into a good routine. It is so difficult as guidelines on feeds etc can only ever be just that - they are based on average babies, and really no two are the same!
How are they doing now?

Well I have opted for breast feeding this time with my 5 week old, though I will only contiune untill 6 months. With his older brother though, now 7, he had to stay in hospital a little longer than expected and so had to be bottle feed.

I suppose wit the first one I was so worried about him gaining too much weight or leaving him starving that I had to find some go-between. I found always giving him a bath about an hour before he wanted to go to sleep would really wake him up. Then put him in the bouncer for half an hour, then he would be getting tierd, so I would play with him, so he would stay awake, then feed and bed. He used to be so sleepy I would get him down from about 10 till 7 no problem every time which was a god send!

speaking to our health visitor prior to sophias arrival they didnt reccomend sma formula as babies fed on sma tended to be more restless than other formulas, don't know if theres anything to it myself but were using cow & gate formula.

HI guys hope everyone's well!

little man is doing 8 oz every 4 hours on the white SMA and doing really well!

he sleeps in his cot bed now in the nursery every night 7pm till 6am! and his only 15 weeks it's fantastic!!!!

anyone got any suggestions abut when to try baby rice though? because although he enjoys his bottles it just seems like he wants more with a look as if to say is that it!!!

but my health visitor says don't wean him till 6 months but the jars in the shops say 4 months onwards! we're a little confused as to what to do!

help
x

can anyone help us!!
callum is 6 and a half weeks old we have just upped him to the sma white hungrier baby formula and he is still wants feeding evey 2-3 hours he was 9lb 3oz and weighs about 13lb now but he isn't over weight or chunky looking at all. my partner and i are at a loss as to what we can do we feel we have used evey bit of advice given. He takes between 6 and 8 ounces depending on the time of day and he rarely sleeps during the day for longer than 10-15 mins. Someone suggested putting a tiny amount of baby rice in his last feed before he goes down to sleep and i wanted a bit of advice on this please. He also only goes 3 hours max at night and I'm so tired!!

please please please please please somebody help us!!

I feel really bad for u. Have you tried maybe changing the formula. I use cow & gate and my best friend used cow & gate hungry baby on her little boy and I know that was good for him. Try that and give a bit more at night and make him really snuggly and warm. Give him his bath straight before bed and tire him out then bottle and bed. I know of someone who does put baby rice in their baby's bottle from 6 weeks and he seems fine but I am not sure whether its ok or not? Walking him out in the fresh air everyday will also make him tired. You probably do all this anyway and I sound real patronising. I hope not but I hope it gets better. Let me know what you did xxx

My little Alex was hungry all the time, I put her on SMA white and it sorted her out.They get what they need in less volume.

HI Katy, sorry to hear about your feeding problems. First off, if he's gaining weight well and not excessively then that's the main thing, although I know how exhausting it is when baby is on a 2-3 hour schedule, believe me. But it is actually not very unusual in the first few months and six and a half weeks is still early days. You may hear of a few babies who are sleeping for seven hours or longer, but they're the lucky parents!

Still, every two-three hours is quite a lot when he's formula fed and eats a lot each time. I take it this is usual and not just a couple of days (ie. a growth spurt).

The sleep and the frequent feeding could be connected, sometimes babies who don't sleep well want to feed more often as comfort. Does he feed quickly and does he reflux back a bit, or does the whole feed usually stay down?

If he's fussing and appearing hungry he may actually be tired, and if he's over-tired because of too-short naps then he may want to feed more. If you always put him down to sleep you could try putting him in a sling or baby carrier when he starts to fuss. He may compalin more loudly at first, but if he's tired then a few minutes of walking around and singing to him should help him nod off. With the comfort of your body he's likely to stay asleep longer in the sling than in his pram or cot, as long as you keep your movements gentle.

Claire's also spot-on with the walks, the fresh air is really great for them and he may sleep longer in the pram if wheeled about.

When our little one was six weeks' old he was usually sleeping in two sections of three hours or a three and a four-hour at night. I put him down at around ten thirty and would follow him to bed half an hour later. He was also something of a napper in the day and I do need to encourage him (as with the sling, where he's snoozing away happily right now) to sleep for longer.

He'd also have his penultimate and last feeds quite close together, about 2 hours apart, so he went to bed with a really full tummy.

He very gradually began to sleep for longer stretches of time, although the last few days has also not managed more than 3 hours at a stretch.