What if he just won't drink enough?

[lovinmybub]

My baby is 8 weeks old and has been on formula since he was 2 weeks old. Up until a few days ago he had a bottle every 3 hours, recently he's decided to switch to every four! I'm happy about this as I seemed to always be feeding him (he drinks so slowly) but now I'm worried he's not getting enough.
According to the side of the tin (s26gold) he's not drinking anywhere near what he should be. :no: I struggle for over an hour most feeds and the most he drinks is 150ml, I wouldn't worry if he always had that amount but the middle of the night feed and then the first in the morning he'll only drink 70 - 100ml. Today it took me 1hr 20mins for 130ml.
The advice line didn't help.
I'm tired and frustrated and worried and today I've found myself getting cranky at him and he's just a little baby.:crying: I'm just so worried he's not drinking enough and I can't make him drink anymore. He won't drink more frequently, and he won't drink a bigger amount.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Seekrit]

As long as he's having plenty of wet/dirty nappies, and is growing I wouldn't worry :) He just doesn't have a big appitite!

I'm not sure how much they're meant to have (I Breastfeed) but when I'm at work my 8 month old only has 2 x 160mL bottles!! And even then, he leaves some most days!!

[Tabby]

lovinmybub,

Is he gaining weight fine? If he is then there really isnt anything to worry about as long as he has plenty of wet nappies and gaining weight.
I do notice Katie changes amounts week to week, depending on growth spurts. She is only having 100 - 150 mils 4 hrly, way lower than "recommended" on the tins,but she is tiny for her age of 11 weeks but shes gaining beautifully so I dont worry
Maybe a chat to your health clinic nurse for some info and to help ease your mind?
I hope that helped in some way

[lovinmybub]

Thanks, he has been gaining weight well, but has only just changed over to 4 hourly feeds, and hasn't seemed to increase the amount per feed enough for that to work. I guess I'll just have to watch him closely and see what happens.
Does anyone know the way the health nurses work out how much babies need to drink depending on their weight?

[Chickadee]

Does anyone know the way the health nurses work out how much babies need to drink depending on their weight?
It's typically 150ml to 170ml per kg of their weight. That is the total amount they will drink in a day. Example:
Bub weighs 5 kg
Total formula in a day = 5 x 150 = 750ml
over 6 feeds: 750 / 6 = 125ml per feed, average.

But all of that is average. Bubs go through growth spurts and will drink a lot for 2 weeks and then after the spurt it is easy to think they're not getting enough anymore. They are. Trust your bub to know when his tummy is full.

[jamb]

I cant remember exactly how little my DS drank as a baby as it was awhile ago but i do know that he drank no where near what was "reccomended". Far from it.

He also did not gain the "expected" weight each week.

He was alert, happy, slept well and pee'd reguarly.

To this day he is a skinny kid, still eats like a bird but is still happy, clever and "normal"!!

Trust your instincts, i really believe mums know best- if you are worried, seek help, if not, keep travelling on :thumbsup:

[lovinmybub]

It's typically 150ml to 170ml per kg of their weight. That is the total amount they will drink in a day. Example:
Bub weighs 5 kg
Total formula in a day = 5 x 150 = 750ml
over 6 feeds: 750 / 6 = 125ml per feed, average.

But all of that is average. Bubs go through growth spurts and will drink a lot for 2 weeks and then after the spurt it is easy to think they're not getting enough anymore. They are. Trust your bub to know when his tummy is full.
Thanks, at least I've got something to go on.. I think when I work it out I'll find he's drinking more than I think. The guide on the tin has such a big range, ie- 2 to 8 weeks is 120ml, then it jumps up to 180!:eek: I've been in tears worring, I think my frustration must make him fuss more too. I'll try and calm down and save the worrying for if and when I actually need to....
Thanks so much ladies:hugs:

[blueangel]

I really wouldn't worry about what the side of the tin says as it really varies so much between babes.

My DS is 6 months and he only drinks about 120ml at a feed, at the most he will drink 150ml. He only has 5 bottles a day each about 5 hours apart. I try to coax him to have more but he is just not interested. He is still a chubby baby - I think he just doesn't need much to survive.

According to the tin DS is drinking less than a 2 month old :eek: But he is still gaining weight, so I really wouldn't worry about what is recommended, as long as bub is happy and puttin on weight.

[funnyfarm]

My daughter is like this. She is now 3 1/2 months old and is only having 4 bottles a day (sometimes 5 as a top-up bottle so only a very small one) and still doesn't drink what is recommended on the side of the tin.

I used to stress about this and try to fit 5 bottles in a day but one day i was so sick of trying to adjust her bottles to fit them all in, i just let her go for a couple of days to see what her natural routine was and she was just as happy having 4 a day and is still growing (just not as much as her sister did at this age).

I figure that she is happy and healthy, so no probs. If she wasn't gaining weight, i would probably have to step in to give her more but at the moment all is going well. I make sure i get her weight checked regularly.

Maybe just step back from the routine thing for a couple of days and just feed him when he is hungry and he might sort his own routine out.

About him taking so long to drink his bottle, are you stopping half way through to burp him? I used to always do this with my daughter and then i would struggle to get her back on for the rest of the bottle. Now i just feed her the whole bottle and i find that she burps alot better after having a full bottle and i don't have the worry about trying to get her to drink the rest of it.

[ourfirstbubba]

oh sweetie, please try hard not to worry...our little girl is nearly 6 months old and was exactly the same...even now she is not a big eater but is growing each month and is on the same growth line as she was born.....

I used to worry so much but I look at her now and she is fine......some days she eats more than others, similar to us.....the tin is a guideline, at the moment my little girl "should" be drinking 5 bottles of 240ml, but she does not always do this......

please dont worry, I know its hard..

ps, love the name Nathaniel, it was the name I loved if we had had a boy......so we went for the female version instead!

feel free to pm me if you have any questions....

[ourfirstbubba]

About him taking so long to drink his bottle, are you stopping half way through to burp him? I used to always do this with my daughter and then i would struggle to get her back on for the rest of the bottle. Now i just feed her the whole bottle and i find that she burps alot better after having a full bottle and i don't have the worry about trying to get her to drink the rest of it.

my little girl is exactly the same...she drinks it in one go and then turns her head as if to say "no more Mum!"

[Rubyjean]

I have had the same problem with my 7 month old some days she will only drink 300ml. The doctor said she needs to get a 100 ml per kg but as long as she's happy and has wet nappys it's fine. If your baby seems sick maybe you should take him to your gp i mean it doesn't hurt to check and they can do things like give you some glucolyte... However if he's happy and healthy don't stress.

[Rubyjean]

Oh I forgot to mention... don't push to hard if he doesn't want to or he may have an aversion to bottles.

[Nowhere]

as long as he is gaining weight and having wet nappoes i would try not to worry to much i know easier said then done
i have a 1 year old whos maximum intake at one time is 150mls and thats on a good day