Breast / bottle feeding how does it really work??

[tickle]

Hi all! :)
I was having a little debate with my SIL about feeding and how it all works.
I know that you can't feed a breastfed baby too much and I have also heard that a baby can be overfed on formula. (not sure about the truth in this)
So when you bottle feed do you need to be really careful about how often you feed and how much or can you just go with the flow like you do when you breastfeed?? Or do you need to scheduele to a certain extent??
I have never bottle fed and I hope I won't need to, so I don't really know a lot about it but my SIL was asking so I thought I'd check with you lovely ladies.
I am not looking for a debate on breast vs bottle, just interested in the ins and outs of it all. ;)

[Ky]

My kids started out on ebm as neither of them could breastfeed due to physical limitations.

I demand fed them both whether they were having ebm or formula ... it was really much easier to go with the flow and they seemed to know, no matter what they were having if they had had enough or not!

[Rell]

I belive that a baby will only drink as much as they need, regardless of if it is breast or bottle. I bottle feed my kids the same way I would have breast feed them, what ever they took when ever they were hungery. My DD would feed routinely and take a little more then was stated on the tin and my DS was all over the place with his feeds and would take less then stated on the tin. Both were and still are healthy kids.

[nemosmum]

Hey E,

I dont think you can over feed a bub on ff. When we weaned O (at about 10 months) he would take as much or as little as he wanted from bottle and leave the rest or scream for more LOL

My sis ff and she just seemed to go by what her bub needed, I guess its a bit more tricky ff than bf. As with bf theres no measuring etc its all demand (which I love lol)

Im sure others will let you know what they think too.

S

ps are you looking COOLER today or is it just me ;)

[tickle]

Thanks for that guys.
Why do people always say that ff babies can get fat?? And why do people always say ff babies tend to weigh more?? So many questions. Very interesting topic.

Hey Sarah,
I've been trying really hard to improve my image lately and move up to 'cool' status. I'm glad someone has noticed! :p

[carls]

My mum said that she bottlefed me, and I was always crying, so she just kept feeding me to shut me up (it still works to this day). I got so fat that I couldnt fit into disposable or cloth nappies!

Fatty boomba!! :D

[nemosmum]

Carls a fatty? NEVER LOL you should see my baby pics I used to get called "The whale" coz I LOOOVED food sooo much :D

Happy Lady did you know your signature reads HAPPY RADY????? Not very cool after all hehehehehe :p

[tickle]

You'll have to read the 'more support' thread and catch up on our idol gossip to know about 'happy rady'. It's all cosmics fault really. ;)
Carls: That's what I'm talking about. My DS comfort bf a fair bit, but I think that when he did that he wasn't really getting all that much, just sucking for the fun of it?? Or when you bf do you think your body makes the milk according to how you feed them?? Don't really know whether that makes sense??
Where are you JanetF??? ;)

[Ky]

Both Bella and Dan had ebm until 6 weeks and then were on formula.

Neither of them got fat (Dan started out that way and got slimmer!) and they are both very slim children still!

at 6 weeks Bella was 4.66kg ... this was when we changed to ff.

3 months 5.43kg
5 months 6.52kg
9 months 7.9kg
12 months 8.8kg

definitely not too fat! She was 3.84kg at birth.

Daniel ...

6 weeks 6.82kg - on to ff from now
3 months 7.68kg
5 months 9.28kg
9 months 10.7kg
12 months 11.1kg

also not too fat! Bear in mind that he was 5.94kg at birth, so his weight reflects the fact that he is also very tall.

As I said, I demand fed and both of my kids were on solids quite early. They both weaned completely from bottles at 12 months.

They are now ...

Bella 4 years 8 months ... 13.8kg 105cm
Daniel 2 years 9 months ... 13.5kg 101cm

OK, you probably weren't interested in my waffling, but I thought I would put up real life examples! It seems to me that my kids did just as well on ebm as they did on ff!

[Ky]

Just to add ... my two comfort fed quite a bit too .... they just didn't seem to drink much, they were more interested in being held close with a bottle to suck on :)

[nemosmum]

You'll have to read the 'more support' thread and catch up on our idol gossip to know about 'happy rady'. It's all cosmics fault really. ;)



no no E I get it but thats what I mean by not so cool after all :eek:

hehehehehe only joking LOL just saving face :D

[jonesso]

My bub is breast and bottle fed (about 2 bottles/day, rest breastfeeds) and as other mums said will drink what he wants from the bottle - sometimes he drains it, sometimes he leaves half of it. Sometimes though he will treat the bottle (or my nipple!) like a dummy and just be sucking for the sake of it - when that happens I end the feed. Maybe this is how overfeeding can happen? Bub might be left to comfort suck on the teat and ends up taking in unneeded sustenance?


Why do people always say that ff babies can get fat?? And why do people always say ff babies tend to weigh more??

I can't remember why it is but apparently on the whole breastfed babies are lighter than formula fed ones... would be kinda helpful if I could remember why though!! Baby brain strikes again!

[cosmic]

JanetF is sure to know the answer! But isn't it something to do with the fact they actually don't digest formula as well as they do BM??