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If they are regularly finishing the full bottle then increase it. Every baby is different so go by them. My girl is 17 weeks and half the time won’t have more than 150ml every 3 hours in the day. She also sleeps through the night so she isn’t hungry 🤷🏼♀️
It's very easy to get caught up in comparison. As long as weight gain is good and you're getting wet/dirty nappies, I wouldn't worry too much. When baby is consistently draining bottles, up it by an ounce 😊 Remember all babies are different... our little one likes little and often, some babies will take big bottles every few hours. Formula amounts will need to be constantly increased with age but if you express breastmilk, the bottles will remain small (~3-5oz). Our LO is nearly 16 weeks and only just started 5oz bottles (mostly breastmilk) They say the daily intake should be between 28-32oz so maybe jot down the bottle sizes for a couple of days and see where your LO sits in comparison then take it from there 😊
There is absolutely no hard and fast rule on how much a baby should be having, they’re all different. Just because someone else’s baby is drinking x amount don’t think yours should be too! General rule of thumb is when they are consistently draining the bottle to increase it by an ounce
Agree that you can't have a blanket rule for baby is x weeks so should be drinking X mls. My LG is 11 weeks and drinks either 90 or 120 mls each feed. She was on the 1st centile at birth and has been playing catch up since (nothing wrong with her, we are just small people) so don't let anyone say, or a tin say how much you should be feeding your little one. Take your cues from your baby! They know best
Is the quantity for breast milk vs formula milk different?
Yes, the nutritional content of formula doesn't change with time so baby needs more as they get older whereas with breastmilk, the contents changes to fit babies needs so they require less in quantity to get what they need (normally around 3-5oz per feed but there are no hard and fast rules!)
So if I give my baby 120ml formula and 120ml breast milk expressed, it’s not the same?
It’s the same, but they will likely digest the breast milk quicker so they may need a feed again sooner
So if I give 120ml but she starts falling asleep, does that mean the 120ml at 3months every 3hours is enough? Should I upgrade my teats from 0 and 1 to 1 and 2 on mam bottles (we kept these teats for breastfeeding so less flow discrepancy)
It’s impossible for me to say as I don’t know your baby and all babies are different. Basically just feed on demand. You should increase the teat size when it’s taking longer than 20mins to finish and feed and baby is fussing at the teat rather than drinking
Try not to get caught up on X amount every X hours. Offer the same size bottle for ease but feed on demand. Not many babies will have a set feeding schedule at that age so if baby is showing hunger cues, offer a bottle (regardless of how much time has elapsed). Growth spurts and developmental leaps can really change their feeding patterns! Re. teat sizes, baby will either get sleepy on the bottle (normally long before finishing it) or they'll get frustrated and feeds will become harder. When you size up, it might take a day or so for baby to get used to the faster flow so don't worry if they seem a little dribbly to begin with! If they're coughing/spluttering after a couple of days, it might be worth dropping back down a size to see how they go.
This has been full of amazing advice and really reassuring! I’ve been going stark crazy thinking I’ve been under feeding or now over feeding!! What are the cues to look out for at this age. She has started eating her hands generally
They should definitely be on far more at that age my baby stopped having 90ml by 5 weeks. Minimum of 120ml every 3-4hrs. My 11 week old is on 180ml every 3hrs gonna bumb him up to 210ml soon. If they r finishing the bottle everytime then u need to move them up. If ur formula feeding there is a rough guide on how much a baby should be having at what age and weight. It is always better to offer them more incase they want it, I would probably start trying them on 120ml immediately x