Feeding Question

My b/g twins are a little over six weeks now and were born at 35w5d. Last week they had to put my son on a apena monitor and he has also been having some other issues. Both babies are currently taking 4 ozs of breast milk, sometimes formula but the doctor wants us to decrease the amount of milk they take because he thinks its too much for this age. I'm not sure if that does sound like to much at this age. Even after they eat 4 ozs they still act like they are hungry. How do you give them less (like 1/2 oz to an 1oz less) without them acting hungry and crying? Does 4 ozs sound like to much at this age?

Thanks for your help.

 

I think mine were taking in 2-3 oz at that point. But, I always fed my kids until they are full, as long as they weren't throwing it all back up. Does the feeding have something to do with the apnea? Not sure I understand his reasoning. The only suggestion I have, is if they want you to feed less amounts, to do it more often, so they aren't as hungry....but that doesn't make much sense to me!

 

If a baby is hungry, you feed them. Unless they are spitting a bunch of it up. My girls were drinking 4 oz, every 3 hours at that time. Now, at 4 months, they drink 6-7 oz, 4 times a day.

 

Why does the doctor think it's too much? It seems awfully early to be concerned about excessive weight gain.

At that age, my babies would take 3-4 oz at a bottle feeding, often closer to 3. But you know your babies - if they're hungry, feed them!

 

My kids were drinking 4 oz. of pumped milk/formula by 4 weeks. I don't think it's fair to limit a baby's intake if they're truly eating out of hunger (not comfort). I was glad to give my boys big bottles during the day. They go so much nutrition during daylight hours that they soon didn't eat at night. Babies, like adults, drink different amounts. Some babies will be satisfied with just a couple of ounces, others need more. I fed my boys enough to go three hours whenever I could. Just my opinion.

 

It's hard to give a thought on that because you mention 'other issues' but don't go into what they are. Maybe these other issues are part of the reason they want you to limit the intake? In an otherwise healthy baby, I would feed the baby on demand. If baby is hungry, feed him. If he's full, stop. But it sounds like there is a reason for the pedi's suggestion.

Mine were born at 34w6d. At 6 wks they were taking 1.5-2 oz still.

 

mine ate less at that age but if yours are hungry, are drinking the 4 oz without being forced, and aren't spitting it up, then I don't understand what the problem is. I'd probably be seeking a 2nd opinion before cutting my babies' feedings.

 

Although my boys were small when they came home from hospital, they have ALWAYS been big eaters. I mean they were eating 4 oz at a time by 3-4 weeks about 7-8 times a day. It was crazy...doc couldn't believe it. My boys are different than most people here on TS in that they ALWAYS drain a bottle. I can give them an 8 oz bottle and then another one just several hours later and they will drain it. At almost 5 months, they will eat 2 pkgs of veggies and cereal at dinner. They are just really good eaters. Anyways, doc told us to then gauge it by how quickly they were hungry again. If they could make it 2.5-3 hours at that time, I didn't worry about it. Nowadays, they will drain an 8 oz but can go 4-5 hours before needing to eat again. Trust your instinct...if you think they are still hungry, give them more. You are the mommy and the one that has to see them upset, not the doc. If he can't give you a solid reason for why they shouldn't be eating more, I would do what you need to do IMHO!

 

O.K. I am going to apologize now if this comes across bad - but this is one of my hot buttons! First, I am a peds dietitian - so I deal with this everyday!

At his age - unless you are forcing your baby to finish a bottle or sticking a bottle in his mouth everytime he cries - then you are not overfeeding. True, most babies will take a little more milk after they nurse (offer and they will take), but if you are feeding him and he still WANTS more after he is done with his bottle than give him more! I have seen babies at the age of your babies take anywhere from two ounces a feed up to seven ounces a feed! Let him tell you what he needs - not his doctor! HOw does the doctor know if he is hungry or not! Kids this age aren't like us - they are biological feeders and the eat when the need to and don't when they don't! It is us trying to regulate them that messes this system up!

Sorry - I didn't mean to get on my soap box. My suggestion is to feed him when he is hungry and feed him as much as he wants! Hope that helps!

Angel

 

I agree with everyone else. At 6 weeks, at least one of my girls was regularly emptying 4 oz. If they are not spitting it up, I don't see the issue. My pedi said not to restrict feedings that early - it is necessary for brain development. I was worried because one drank more and was chunkier than the other, he said not to worry if it wasn't more than 34 oz. a day. (per child!)

oh- unless it has something to do with the sleep apnea - I would clarify that with your doctor first. Maybe he has a rationale that he didn't express clearly.

 

Babies appetite isn't just based on age. Unless there is a medical reason to limit intake I would not do it. At that age my babies were almost exclusively nursing - when they did get a bottle - I don't know how much because I was in a fog & couldn't even manage to keep a log But I can tell you, if they were acting still hungry when they finished the bottle they would have been offered more.

 

I probably should have mentioned why he wanted me to give him less at feedings. For the past couple of weeks my son has been having some eposides where he would arch his back, stiffen up, get bright red and scream and hold his breath. Sometimes he will vomit afterwards and have milk come out of his nose and other times he will look dazed and tired. Some days he would have 2-3 eposides and other days he would not have any. Yesterday he had the worst one where I thought it would not end and I was close to calling for help because nothing I would do would help him. He has been tested for reflux and that has been ruled out. The doctor had me switch his formula from Enfacare to Soy to see if that still helps. She says I can still give him EBM. He had been getting EBM for 1 1/2 days and was okay until yesterday. Yesterday afternoon I switched over to Soy and will try that for a few days and see if he has anymore eposides. That is pretty much why the doctor wanted me to lower his intakes, but I just can't seem to do it because he is very hungry if he does not get 4 ozs.

Sorry for not explaining earlier.

 

:hug99: I would try feeding him less, more often and see if that helps. How often do you feed him now?

 

Did they do an upper GI to check for reflux? If not, they should. If they did, then ask if they checked for pyloric stenosis. My now three year old had it. He would do the same as you are describing. We went through several reflux meds, and every formula out there. They didn't catch it until about 8 weeks since he was still gaining weight. I hope it isn't, but ask your ped about it.

 

They did do the check for reflux and nothing came back. He was just a little slow at digesting his food but they said that shouldn't be causing him to have the eposides that he is having. I'm hoping the soy formula will help. He has only had a couple of bottles so far but hopefully this will be the answer.

 

When they said he was slow digesting, did they mean that his stomach wasn't emptying into the intestine normally? If so, I'd ask for another radiologist to read the upper GI just to be sure. That's exactly what happened with Aaron. I don't want to scare you, but I don't want him to go undiagnosed if there really is a problem. The only reason we caught it with Aaron was when he was 8 weeks old, he had thrown up in the bassinett and it was bloody. Scared the bejeesus outta me! It's an easy fix, but they don't get enough nutrition until it's fixed. GL and I really do hope the change in formula is all he needs!

 

My ped just sent us for an upper gi for my DS. She said that we might not see reflux during the exam but that didn't necessarily rule it out. It turns out that we did see a "reflux episode" during the exam but the technician said (more than once) that they don't "grade" the reflux. It's just a short test out of a long day!

Our doc also said to feed them less more often because of the reflux. The babies really didn't want to at the time. It's funny though, now they're eating less than they were then! Mine eat 2-4 ozs every 3 to 4 hours. Mine are 12 weeks.

 

I'd make sure you understand which test they did for reflux. If he had a ph probe only, I'd insist on an upper GI. The arching is a sign of pain and it should be taken seriously.

For reflux, it makes sense to limit his intake at any one time. But in that case, smaller and more frequent feedings is the key, not just smaller feedings.

If he is digesting slowly, I would think the EBM would be better for him as it is much more easily digested than soy formula. Has he seen a pedi GI? If not, I'd really encourage you to get him an appt with a pedi GI so you can get a focused plan in place instead of having to guess for yourself.