Formula amount question...

[Lynsey]

I am breast feeding Nathaniel but giving him a bottle of formula just before bed so my OH can do it. He has taken a bottle no problem and is happy to swop from nipple to bottle without fuss.

He is just over 2 weeks old and I was wondering how much he is meant to be having in a bottle? I can't tell how much he is taking from the breast in the day but last night he downed 80ml (3oz) from a bottle and desperately wanted more. I don't want to overfeed him as his tummy is still so small. How much were your LO's taking in each bottle around 2/3 weeks? Can I up the amount? I am sure I read that at this stage they were meant to be taking 40ml each bottle??? Help!!!

 

[daftscotslass]

Becky was taking between 60ml and 90ml per feed at that point though she is formula fed so I don't know if that makes a difference

 

[Bee]

Finlay didn't have a bottle at that age but he did at around 2/3 months and I started him on about 4oz.

Maybe make up another oz and see how he goes

 

[purplebluered]

I did exactly the same as you but started at 3/4 weeks I can't remember which. It started off with 4oz and now it's 5 oz which started when he was 8 weeks. He was about 10lbs when we started feeding him 4ozs at night if that helps.

I also found that Isaac tends to want more...and more...and more, but if we limit it to 4/5ozs, it doesnt mean he'll wake up in the night hungry. In fact, he's just a greedy boy on the bottle - and as it's easier than BF for him he just carries on sucking away. We once fed him 6 1/2 oz by accident and he threw it all up promptly the greedy boy

 

[Magic Monkey]

You can't overfeed a baby, as they will just throw up anything that is more than they needed. I would ignore any guidelines and go by what you baby wants, try adding another oz and see if he wants it all, if he does add another and so on. I was told that you should aim to have an oz left at the end of a bottle just in case, so once they have drained a bottle a few times add another oz.

 

[Lynsey]

Thank you for your replies We put 4oz in the bottle last night and he settled quite well afterwards so think i will stick with that amount for now. He also slept 4 hours afterwards which i definitely needed!