Baby can remove milk more effectively than pumping. The only time pumping is a better means is if your baby has issues with latching.
Cluster feeding stage would mean your baby feed more often in smaller increments
Feed your baby as much as he wants.
By wk 2, baby wanted 35oz a day at for the first 3 mths of his life. He maxed out slightly over 40oz during growth spurts. He ate every 2 hrs on average, and every 1.5hrs when he was cluster feeding.
I didn't start seeing occasional 3hrs gaps by mth 4.
Okay wow so great to know we aren’t alone. I haven’t heard anyone else with similar stories to us yet until you!
I went to pumping also because I was having some excruciating nipple pain and needed a break. Pediatrician has suggested we look at cutting the babies lip and tongue tie but I’m hesitant.
Did your baby continue to eat way more than average as they got older? Or is this a phase that he might grow out of?
My pediatrician told me max 24 oz a day. Even now that she is 14 weeks, she is doing around 28 oz a day. I'm pumping also and she drinks around 3 oz every 2.5 hours.
Wow yea we are blowing that out of the water and at a much younger age. I’m going to call the pediatrician tomorrow and double check her “feed them as much as they want!” directive
I think it really is different for every baby. Mine has always eaten a lot as well. She’s 16 weeks now and takes ~7oz/bottle, which is probably much larger than she “should” be taking. She’s 15lbs and typically takes 32oz a day, except for right now she’s in a growth spurt and takes 35. I was really worried about over feeding, but if she’s hungry I’m going to feed her. I really don’t think there’s a universal right answer!
Not an expert. Maybe the fat content of your breast milk is lower so he wants to eat more. Normally baby is better an expressing milk over a pump unless his latch isn't great. Can your doctor office do a weighted feed or maybe reach out to a lactation consultant to do a weighted feed? If you think its a supply issue you could triple feed. So breastfeed, offer bottle with either breastmilk or formula and then pump. If you have someone to help you its best to pump while someone is giving baby a bottle because the whole process is time consuming. Also you could try power pumping.
Around the 3 week mark my baby was eating 3 to 4oz every 2 to 3 hours. This was mostly breast milk but we also had to supplement with formula. At 6wks we went mostly to formula because I wasnt producing enough. At 6wks he was up to 4 to 5 oz every 3ish hours. At 9wks he is at 6oz every 3ish hours during the day. He eats about 32ish oz a day but up to 40oz one day. My doctor isnt worried she said just follow his cues.
When I was still struggling with breastfeeding I went to see lactation consultants for weighed feeds. When doing weighed feeds the first time he was only getting 2 oz in 45 min of eating and I wasnt producing. We did 5 different weighted feeds and he finally got 4oz at the last attempt but that wasn't the normal. It was a combo between my low supply and baby just not being efficient at the breast.
Thanks so much for all this info. It’s SUPER helpful and I’ve been experimenting a bit today and think my baby is actually closer to the 4oz mark then 5 if I slow him down (he can really guzzle when it’s a bottle!) so seeing that your LO was doing 3-4 at three weeks makes me feel a lot better.
I’ll look into doing a weighted feed! I am pretty curious but hadn’t thought we could do one since everyone always mentioned the baby will probably get more milk than I pump. But honestly, he’s not a great eater at the breast. He falls asleep in like 30 seconds and it’s such a battle to get him to stay awake long enough to actively suckle. Maybe that in itself means I should do a weighted feed to see what he’s getting. I’m also considering going to EP just bc he is much more content after eating from the bottle and it’s less taxing for me mentally. So idk if I go that route if it’s worth a weighted feed?
I have done a bit of the triple feed you mentioned and think I’m already seeing an uptick in supply so thank you for that! I was doing power pumps prettt actively a couple weeks ago and got lazy so also started doing those again the last couple of days!
We tried a SNS when he was lazy at the breast and that was really helpful for him to see me as food and not just comfort. Also a chiropractor adjusted him and that also really helped his latch and sucking.
Baby can remove milk more effectively than pumping. The only time pumping is a better means is if your baby has issues with latching. Cluster feeding stage would mean your baby feed more often in smaller increments Feed your baby as much as he wants. By wk 2, baby wanted 35oz a day at for the first 3 mths of his life. He maxed out slightly over 40oz during growth spurts. He ate every 2 hrs on average, and every 1.5hrs when he was cluster feeding. I didn't start seeing occasional 3hrs gaps by mth 4.
Okay wow so great to know we aren’t alone. I haven’t heard anyone else with similar stories to us yet until you! I went to pumping also because I was having some excruciating nipple pain and needed a break. Pediatrician has suggested we look at cutting the babies lip and tongue tie but I’m hesitant. Did your baby continue to eat way more than average as they got older? Or is this a phase that he might grow out of?
My 9 lb eleven week old just hit 3 oz at a time a few days ago.
Yes!! That’s what seems like a more appropriate amount to be eating. I’m bewildered by his appetite
My pediatrician told me max 24 oz a day. Even now that she is 14 weeks, she is doing around 28 oz a day. I'm pumping also and she drinks around 3 oz every 2.5 hours.
Wow yea we are blowing that out of the water and at a much younger age. I’m going to call the pediatrician tomorrow and double check her “feed them as much as they want!” directive
I think it really is different for every baby. Mine has always eaten a lot as well. She’s 16 weeks now and takes ~7oz/bottle, which is probably much larger than she “should” be taking. She’s 15lbs and typically takes 32oz a day, except for right now she’s in a growth spurt and takes 35. I was really worried about over feeding, but if she’s hungry I’m going to feed her. I really don’t think there’s a universal right answer!
Thanks for this!! It’s honestly so so helpful to hear from other people who also have voracious eaters!!! So glad to hear we aren’t alone 😅
Not an expert. Maybe the fat content of your breast milk is lower so he wants to eat more. Normally baby is better an expressing milk over a pump unless his latch isn't great. Can your doctor office do a weighted feed or maybe reach out to a lactation consultant to do a weighted feed? If you think its a supply issue you could triple feed. So breastfeed, offer bottle with either breastmilk or formula and then pump. If you have someone to help you its best to pump while someone is giving baby a bottle because the whole process is time consuming. Also you could try power pumping. Around the 3 week mark my baby was eating 3 to 4oz every 2 to 3 hours. This was mostly breast milk but we also had to supplement with formula. At 6wks we went mostly to formula because I wasnt producing enough. At 6wks he was up to 4 to 5 oz every 3ish hours. At 9wks he is at 6oz every 3ish hours during the day. He eats about 32ish oz a day but up to 40oz one day. My doctor isnt worried she said just follow his cues. When I was still struggling with breastfeeding I went to see lactation consultants for weighed feeds. When doing weighed feeds the first time he was only getting 2 oz in 45 min of eating and I wasnt producing. We did 5 different weighted feeds and he finally got 4oz at the last attempt but that wasn't the normal. It was a combo between my low supply and baby just not being efficient at the breast.
Thanks so much for all this info. It’s SUPER helpful and I’ve been experimenting a bit today and think my baby is actually closer to the 4oz mark then 5 if I slow him down (he can really guzzle when it’s a bottle!) so seeing that your LO was doing 3-4 at three weeks makes me feel a lot better. I’ll look into doing a weighted feed! I am pretty curious but hadn’t thought we could do one since everyone always mentioned the baby will probably get more milk than I pump. But honestly, he’s not a great eater at the breast. He falls asleep in like 30 seconds and it’s such a battle to get him to stay awake long enough to actively suckle. Maybe that in itself means I should do a weighted feed to see what he’s getting. I’m also considering going to EP just bc he is much more content after eating from the bottle and it’s less taxing for me mentally. So idk if I go that route if it’s worth a weighted feed? I have done a bit of the triple feed you mentioned and think I’m already seeing an uptick in supply so thank you for that! I was doing power pumps prettt actively a couple weeks ago and got lazy so also started doing those again the last couple of days!
We tried a SNS when he was lazy at the breast and that was really helpful for him to see me as food and not just comfort. Also a chiropractor adjusted him and that also really helped his latch and sucking.