Can breastfed babies overeat?

[Sarah13]

Just wondered really as my baby seems to feed a lot! He seems to be growing fast too and it got me wondering if he could ever get too fat from breast milk?

 

[nikki8092]

He could just be a hungry baby? My son felot as though he was constantly feeding but as you dont actually know exactly how much they are getting its hard to guage x

 

[Miss]

I have always been told you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby.

They do feed more often tho as our milk is more easily digested. Unlike formula it does not have fillers in it to make babies feel fuller for long.

Don't worry hun x

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[Esoames]

When Isla was tiny I used to feed from the same boob twice, so she got the richer hind milk. That used to satisfy her as she got older x

 

[isobel84]

When Noa was about 2 weeks he wanted boob every minute of the day so as he was just sucking a little all the time he never really got a big feed so I stoped feeding and waited 2 hours between every feed, it gave him a chance to eat more as he actually had had some time to get hungry, it worked for us (he screamed blue murder to start with but I always waited 2hours exaccly) n after a dU or 2 he was not constantly on my boob.

U can't overfeed a breastfeed baby

 

[Franna75]

I had the same worry, but had heard you can't feed them too much, but it does get a bit too much for you if you're contantly feeding. I've recently done what Isobel84 suggests (with the help of a dummy) and it really worked, he is going longer between feeds, I am filling up more and he is sleeping for longer. Magic....until the next growth spurt.

 

[Sarah13]

That's good to know. I've just had another 24 hours of what felt like non stop feeding! Think I'll try and make him wait as my poor boobs feel empty and I'm sore!

 

[knopk@]

I have exactly the same problem here but i think coupled up with the growth spurt. Really hard. Once i am sure he is getting enough milk, I will try it

 

[Miss]

Personally I could not make Georgie wait - I just could not listen to her scream knowing that I was causing the stress and could stop it and calm her down. She was bloody evil and would not take a dummy lol

Plus....the more she sucked the better my milk supply - I had so much I donated lol

Xx

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[Bunnykins]

I was wondering this, I weighed Noah last Thursday and he was 8lb 11oz (week and half before he'd been 7lb 3oz) it seemed like a huge weight gain, although he doesn't look fat he looks normal, but he's growing out of his clothes at a rate of knots, I was worried I'm over feeding as like kynon he is constantly on me, I'm so tired and sore too some days its less than an hour between feeds all day! It's good to know we can't over feed them! I've started giving him a bottle of expressed milk before bed to try stop the evening cluster and give me a break, since doing that he sleeps through from midnight to anytime from 5am to 8am!!! It's only been since Saturday but its bloody brilliant while it lasts!!!

 

[Sarah13]

That sounds good bunnykins. How much do you express for him? I can get about 3oz but he's not satisfied with that so I end up feeding as well which defeats the purpose! Been giving him it around 3am might try at 12am feed tonight though!

 

[Bunnykins]

I can only get 3oz at a time aswell which is what I express in the morning after going so long through the night, I don't get chance to get any more as he feeds so much there is none left for expressing!!! so normally I give him that before I take him up then he finishes off on me 10 mins later when we get into bed around midnight, although tonight I had 3oZ spare in the freezer so he has just had 6oz and he still wants more! On sat when he first slept through my mum was babysitting and he had 12oz!! Finished all the milk I'd stored up in the freezer!!!

 

[Sarah13]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a greedy boy then! Tried giving him the expressed bottle around midnight last night but no luck I was still up loads, sure I'm surviving on about 3-4 hours of broken sleep! He takes ages to wind and settle into his crib after feeding which dont help either. Hope he settles soon, they say 6 weeks but I wonder if that will be adjusted with Kynon being a month early, hope not!

 

[KirstyL]

I wondered the same with Jacob as he was always feeding, or it felt that way! I had him weighed every week and he was going up between 8-12lbs a week, I haven't had him weighed for 3 weeks, I daren't as he was 14.5lbs at 12weeks. Hes demand fed, there is no routine to our feeds, although some days he is a lot better than others.x

 

[Franna75]

Hi girls - just wanted to let you know it does get better, it sounds to me like growth spurts, Thomas was the same. At 8 weeks he weighed a grand 13lbs8, that's 5lbs heavier than when he was born. In the last couple of weeks he's been going three hours during the day, awake and not feeding, which is great and its such fun to be around him. I found one of the reasons that he was eating so much, crying and being awake most of the time was because he was overly tired. I think it happens with cluster feeding, three days on a day off of sleep.

In the past week, he's been sleeping from 8.30pm to 11pm (made sure i put him down in his crib in dark room) half hour feed and snuggle back to sleep until 4am, 15 min feed (both boobs), awake again around 7.30, feed both boobs then a doze for an hour then he's awake, play time and now he's sleeping again for an hour (11am-12pm). Last night every time i fed him my boobs were full, which hasn't really happened before. I think your body does get used to it.

He is also in the top 90%ile for his height, so he is a big boy (that's my way of saying he's not a pork chop hehe). He doesnt look tubby, just healthy.

One thing I did try is that every time he slept for more than two hours/or went without a feed I expressed. Sometimes it was up to three times a day, each time getting 6oz. It was roughly 3oz when he was the same age as the younger babies.

Good luck to you all and don't give up, it gets better at six weeks, you havne't got long to go Xx

 

[Bunnykins]

Little man has been cluster feeding since 8.15, its now nearly 2pm, if he comes off he immediately starts screaming and routing and he's now lost his voice. I feel really empty I'm sure he must just be getting air, I tried a dummy for first time as was sure he was messing or doing it for comfort, he has it 2 mins worked out it wasn't food spat it out and won't take it again! I put him back on my boob and he started doing his animal grunting which he does when trying to latch when he's really hungry. I just don't know where he's putting it all???? He's not throwing any of it back up and he won't wind so he's clinging on to every drop!!

Couldn't be a worse day I feel like death with a bad cold, just wanna lay down and sleep!

Updated 3.51 - still feeding, he must be knackered cos I know I am!! I think he's caught my cold its the only explanation

 

[knopk@]

It might be a growth spurt hun,I was literally confined to my bed

 

[Sarah13]

Little man has been cluster feeding since 8.15, its now nearly 2pm, if he comes off he immediately starts screaming and routing and he's now lost his voice. I feel really empty I'm sure he must just be getting air, I tried a dummy for first time as was sure he was messing or doing it for comfort, he has it 2 mins worked out it wasn't food spat it out and won't take it again! I put him back on my boob and he started doing his animal grunting which he does when trying to latch when he's really hungry. I just don't know where he's putting it all???? He's not throwing any of it back up and he won't wind so he's clinging on to every drop!!

Couldn't be a worse day I feel like death with a bad cold, just wanna lay down and sleep!

Updated 3.51 - still feeding, he must be knackered cos I know I am!! I think he's caught my cold its the only explanation

Our boys sound so alike! Grunting and all! He even moans if he dozes off and I move him then greedily sucks again! Yesterday was hell for me, I think I was blocked as my boob was so painful and nothing came out even though I felt full, made him even angrier and me cry! Today I feel better though, think it's cleared. We tend to get the worst cluster feeds from 8pm til 2am.