How many ounces should my baby be drinking?

My baby turned 3 months on the 15th and I feel like he should be eating way more than he is. He was born at 36weeks with a small gestational weight. And he’s still barely finishing 4 oz bottles.. some days he finishes them some days he doesn’t. There’s days where I give 3 oz and it seems like he wants more, then there’s times where I give 3 and he only drinks 2 oz of it. The last weight check we had he was up 5 pounds since his birth weight which was 10/22, but he was still under 10 pounds.. I just don’t want him to drop weight.. should I try giving 5oz to see if he will drink it?

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Is it breast milk or formula?

@Moira he takes both. I was instructed to give him formula due to his gestational weight being low at birth. And I had a hard time getting him to latch so I only pump…

@Moira I do noticed majority of the times he will drink 4 oz of breast milk and won’t drink as much formula when it’s offered. This morning he was super fussy and was at the 4 hr mark so I made him a 3.5 oz bottle of breast milk and he left an ounce in the bottle.. he’s just so hit or miss..

Gotcha. Well I've read/heard that breast milk is more calorific than formula so fills them up faster.. were combo fed here cuz I don't pump enough for her... but we onpy drink a out 3.5-4 Oz of breast milk whereas with formula well drink anywhere from 4-6oz

My baby is turning 3 months next week (born 37weeks) and will only drink 2-3oz per feeding, mostly 2oz. It's not your responsibility to know how many ounces they need to take per feeding - That's the baby's responsibility. Your responsibility is to offer the bottle and respect their decision and how much they want to drink. I used to be concerned on how many ounces my LO takes and pressured him to drink more which made him averse to bottle feeding. Every baby is different. I suggest you read the book "Your Baby's Bottle-Feeding Aversion: Reasons and Solutions" by Rowena Bennett.

Breastmilk is easier to digest so it's typical for babies to drink more. Formula is thicker and heavier which makes it takes longer for them to digest. Hope this helps.

i’m on the same boat. my baby was born super early at 28 weeks but is overall healthy. he still only does 3-4 oz and is not gaining enough. i’ve been told by NICU doctors and his pediatricians not to feed past 30 mins because they burn more calories than they are eating once it’s past 30 mins. does your doctor seem concerned? my baby is 6 months old but 3 months corrected age. so basically we go off of his due date which was late august.

My baby was born at 38 weeks with fetal growth restriction; he was tiny at birth so we were feeding him 2oz every 2 hours at first. He finished every bottle, but would fall asleep right after. At 1 month we moved him to 3oz and soon after that we went to 4oz. He doubled birth weight by his 2 month check up, and has since continued growing—now we are up to 4oz and 5oz rotating every other feed. Some days he only drinks 3oz at feeds, and other days he has an additional 2-3oz at feeds. It just depends on your baby—sometimes it’s mood, growth spurt or leaps… My pediatrician says he’ll eat when he’s hungry. As long as he still wets and dirties his diaper multiple times daily, he is hydrated and he is fine. If you are worried, call your pediatrician.

My 3 month old eats 5 ounces of breast milk every feeding per my pediatrician

In a 24 hour period breastfed babies should drink between 19-31 oz of milk.