Starting to eat 1 oz less...

I have 1 month old twin boys. My one has a raging apetite which has be great, but my other was eating 3 oz fine for a week and now I'm barely getting 2oz into him. He doesn't have a fever or anything, but he's also not waking for feedings or anything. He will sleep right through 3-4 hours with 2oz and then I'm still barley getting 2 into him after 4 hours. Do they sometimes slip back on amount of food or should they always be moving foward? My first son would never stop eating so this is new for me.

 

Hi there! I wouldn't worry. I've been worrying 9 weeks for nothing. I actually went to the emergency room last night because I called the nurse line when my son was really irritable for the last two days and I was scared because they just put him on Reglan (for reflux). She told me to bring him in. To make a long story short, and not about me...my ds already weighs 13 lbs and was pretty much told I might be overfeeding him because "I think" he should be eating more. I think he should be eating anywhere from a 4-5 ounce bottle when the doctor told me it's okay if he eats less. And my DD weighs 10 lbs and she still only eats about 2 ounces. I don't know how they are gaining, especially her with only drinking 2 ounce bottles about 7 times a day. The research I've done says a baby should eat 2.5 ounces for every pound. If I did 2.5 x 10 she should be eating 25 ounces but she is only getting 14 ounces a day and gaining just fine...right on the button actually. So, as long as he's gaining weight don't worry about it. They really do let you know when they are hungry.

 

I would call your pedi. I was told early on they shouldn't have a big decrease in appetite all of a sudden. When that happened to one of my girls, reflux was the culprit one time and an ear infection the next.

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Nov 26 2007, 07:15 AM) [snapback]508684[/snapback]
I would call your pedi. I was told early on they shouldn't have a big decrease in appetite all of a sudden. When that happened to one of my girls, reflux was the culprit one time and an ear infection the next.


I agree. Is he arching, screaming, uncomfortable after feedings?

 

Katie does this on and off, and we were told it was just something babies do sometimes. When she doesn't eat much at a feeding, her night time bottle I put 5-6 ounces in and she finishes it completely. (I also put a little cereal in it because she did spit up, and now she doesn't).

ETA: She is almost 13 pounds, so she apparently is getting enough.

 

I would not worry at all. My DD drinks around 2.5 ounces eight times a day and she is already 11 pounds. DS is breastfed though and only weighs 8 pounds now. I would not worry about what they are eating. My other two boys always ate a lot also. They ate 4 ounces per bottle when they were a month old but DD just does not eat much. She also looks huge compared to her brother. As long as they are gaining weight they should be fine.

 

My DS will sometimes not even take one ounce. He will then guzzle three ounces at the next feed. I would not worry if you still have at least 3 poopy diapers and 6+ wet diapers...that's what my ped said when I was worried. And, if you are really worried, get them weighed. You can often bring them into the doctor often without an "official" appointment and have a nurse weigh them for you. Call ahead to see if that's the case at your doc's often.

Lanie