How much should I feed my 4 day old newborn?

Question

This is going to be a long one. My newborn cries from about 2am until about 6 (roughly). During the day, she sleeps all day long. She has gone for 6 hrs in between feeding during the day. I had to wake hr up yesterday so she could eat. Between 6 and 7 in the evening she starts getting fussy. So I increase her feeding. She may eat an ounce and then an hour later another ounce. The rest of the evening goes like that with her eating 1-2 ozs every 2 hours or so. I feed her because she is fussy and her diaper is not dirty. Well, between 2 and 5 am she starts screaming. She is fed and clean and I can hear her stomach bubbling and she farts. My question is do you think I am feeding her too much in the evening? Should I let her cry when I know it is in between feedings? I think she should have 2 ounces every 4 hours. Maybe her evening feedings are catching up with her in the middle of the night making her bloated and gassy. I am not sure, I just need some direction here. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

is she crying daily at same time---then it may be because of colic pain as my daughter use to cry daily in the evening for nearly 4 months n i use to think that she is not getting proper feed . every now n then i use to take her to Dr n tell him to ckeck properly may be she has some other problem. His answer was always same that she has colic pain n it will go don't worry about it. but i never use to believe him as my daughter use to cry so badly.

but it is true that because of colic pain kids do cry for 3-4 hrs also n after few months like 3 or 4 for some kids they r all right.

so don't worry about it.

when the kid is hungary they will automatically get up n ask for it. don't fix any time wnenever she wakes up n demands feed her.

Answer 2

call your dr. it may be colic or even acid reflux. my four year old had both and never sleep cried out with pain all day and night. newborns are different as far as the feedings go some will eat 1-2 ozs every 2-3 hours and if they are like my 8 year old was maybe 1 once every three hours. they usually tell you 1-2 ounces every 2 to 3 hours but every child is different. there can be other things going on and other things you can try. if you would like to talk more about it you can e-mail me at [e-mail] or if you just want to talk more a new born is a lot of work and uncertainty especially if you are a first time mom. good luck!!!!

Answer 3

First off - your baby is WAY too young for you to let her cry. Sleep training of any kind is not recommended until a baby is at LEAST 6 months old. Second - I think she should have *way*, like ***WAY*** more than 2 ounces every 4 hours. Even I eat more often than every 4 hours, and my baby is 10 months old and still eats at least every 2 1/2 hours.

It is very normal for a baby to need to eat at all hours of the night. Have you tried breastfeeding? It's not too late, if you haven't already. Even if it's only partial breastfeeding.

Some babies, bottle fed or breast fed, will wake up to eat as much as 8-9 times per night, and this is all normal (though it's usually more like 3-4 times). Your baby is also going through the hard adjustment of being inside you, surrounded by life and softness, to being dry, alone and cold (or at least colder than inside you) and alone in a crib which might as well be at the other side of the world from you.

The best thing I can suggest to you is bring your baby into bed with you, and feed her however you feed her , whenever she acts like she wants to eat. It can work wonders on helping to comfort your baby.

She is probably sleeping all day because she is crying so much. Has she been crying from 2-6 because you've been letting her, or is she acting colicky, or is she just hungry? She could be reacting to the formula you're giving her, you could try a lactose-free one, that could help.

It's normal for babies to be fussy in the early evening. Almost all of them are. It's not necessarily an indication that they're hungry, but if you offer them more food and they take it, then go ahead with it. It's very important to give your baby as much milk as he wants, regardless of how much or little it may seem to you. Follow his lead - when he acts hungry (which you will learn to figure out after a while) give him food! Whether it's been an hour, or 4, he needs that food to grow and he doesn't know about schedules or clocks, and has no way of grasping that concept for a long time.

I'm a little worried that I sound harsh here, and I'm really sorry if it seems that way. I know those early days can be so hard trying to figure out what is right for you and your family. Try and do some research online and see what you can come up with. All in all, it's important for your BABY to set the rhythym, decide how much she wants to eat and sleep. Parenting is hard, and it is sometimes inconvenient - it is a frequent trend for parents to force their babies into their own routines and schedules to make it more 'conveneint' for them. Parenting needs to be more about love and compassion, and less about 'convenience'.

Answer 4

I just delivered my second baby 2 weeks ago. We were told to feed the baby up to 2 ounces at a feeding, never letting the baby go for more than 4 hours in between feedings, even if it means waking him up to feed him. Once the baby is about 2-3 weeks old, he will probably want more, closer to 3 oz per feeding. Again not letting more than 4 hours go in between feedings. Babies this young should be fed on demand, whenever they want; even if it is not convenient for us. If she gets really fussy, and you've done the feeding, burping and diaper changing, then try softly rubbing her head and face, or lay her on her back and do bicycle motions with her legs. She may have gas and she can't fart enough to get it out. If it keeps up, call your doctor, maybe she needs to go on soy formula. That was the answer to our prayers with our first son. And as hard as it may be, try to let her cry it out for a little while as long as you know every need has been met, increasing the time every day. She may just wear herself out. That's a touchy subject for a lot of moms, especially if this is your first baby. And sometimes, babies just need to be held and rocked; try tightly swaddling her and holding her. I'm trying to give you several suggestions, based on what has worked for us in the past. Every baby is different, all you can do is love her! Good luck and hang in there.

Answer 5

Usually every 3-4 hours bottle feed or every 2 hours breast feed...

As my baby's doctor said... If she eats more, she will sleep more... if she only takes and ounce or two... she will cry faster...

So if she only wants and ounce... dont push her for more... but be aware that in a little while she will want more...

And to eliminate other possibilities...
-Check her diaper
-Burp her
-Check for room temperature... (Is it too cold or too hot?)
-Comfortable clothes
-Lighting
-You can play soothing music for her... (I've found that the sound of the sea waves seems to calm my 3 week old) or you can talk/sing to her yourself.
-Also I've read that to calm a fussy baby the contact with the mom of skin with skin seems to work magically... and Ive tested it..

Also babies have what its called "growth spurts" when they will bbe more hungry. Growth spurts (also known as appetite spurts) typically occur at approximately 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 6 months, although there may be variation from child to child. The most obvious sign of a growth spurt is an increase in appetite. During a growth spurt, your baby needs more calories to support the rapid growth she is undergoing.

Along with the increase in appetite commonly seen during a growth spurt, you will most likely also see an increase in time spent sleeping. Growing is a serious and tiring business. Some babies react by sleeping more frequently or for longer periods of time during the day. Others might catch their extra snooze time at night. As with feeding, it is best to go with your child's cues. Don't worry that they are sleeping too much or that a long nap during the day will interfere with their sleep at night. They need extra sleep at this time, so an extra or a longer nap shouldn't interfere with their normal sleep habits. Most importantly, enjoy the extra sleep while it lasts!

I also recommend The Hush Baby CD. It contains a unique blend of white noise which mimics the white noise effect of the womb (blood flowing through the mother's body and the digestive system). This 70-minute CD quiets infant crying and calms even the fussiest baby.

Hope this helps! I know how frustrating it can be...

Answer 6

She is just 4 days old - many reasons as to why she feeds less.

1. She maybe falling asleep duing her feed - gently tickle her under her feet or stroke her chin to wake her up and continue her feed. Try to wake her up in whatever ways you can to ensure she has a full feed.

2. Newborns have a different sleep pattern - so gradually it will adjust to when she will feed during the day and sleep at night - as of now you need to fall into her pattern for a couple of weeks (she is only 4 days old!)

3. They have a small stomach - so may need smaller feeds but more frequent.

4. Bowel movements take a few more days to adjust to regular ones - if you see this persists for another week (about when she is close to her birth weight), you need to talk to the prdiatrician.

Plus as your doctor may have told you, your baby may lose her birth weight and regain it back within 2 weeks - so hang on. You are doign a great job.

Answer 7

Congratulations for your baby. Since your baby is so very young it is important to feed her regularly. When I had my baby I was told to feed her every four hours at least. How is your "milk production"? Do you think that your baby gets enough to eat when you breastfeed? Give baby formula if you doubt that breastfeeding is not enough. I was told that it actually takes some days ( 3-4 days ) until "milk rises" to breasts ( this is translated from different language and might sound funny if we have better word for it )

Make sure you boil the wated you give to your baby. And if you use botles or pacifiers boil them clean too.

My baby was having gas too. It helps if you burb her even middle of the feeding and then after.

It is ok to wake baby up so you can feed the baby at least every 4 hours. But when your baby is little bigger I would not wake the baby up if she sleeps during the night. I also fell into trap feeding my baby every two hours, but I just knew that sometimes she did not eat enough when I breastfed her.

My baby did not fus too much the first month but she started to cry when she was month old. Every afternoon from around 3pm to 12am excluding the time I breastfed her. It was nervewrecking to me because I did not know what was wrong and it is so hard to hear your baby crying. My mother told me that this period lasts for a month. And she was right. It was long month to me...but my friend's baby had much longer time. I was told by nurse to make myself comfortable even if baby cries. That is very hard. I kept her near me so I could see her but I watched tv with headphones. That helped me to stay calm. So let her cry if you have done all you can.

Listen to your inbuild motherly instincs. And eat yourself good and nutritious food and rest. Sometimes I rubbed my baby's chest gently and she stopped crying. Always smile at your baby and talk to her with loving voice...I was so so happy the day when she smiled back at me and she became smiling baby.

We have a load of hormones so we can respond to baby's needs...unfortunately you cannot have eliminate how you react to something unconsidered from enviroment ( spouse, relatives, neighbors etc. ) and you might find yourself crying a lot if your loved ones say careless words to you. We have these hormones so we can take better care of our babies. Love her. I know you are going to be a good mother!

Answer 8

i head this issue with my son... hes 4 months now
but in the begging i let him sleep and when he woke up i fed him 4oz... sometimes he would go 8 hours without eating when hes hungry hell wake up trust me...
also he would go 6hours eat 4 oz and then 2 hours later he would get a clustred feeding and want to eat anothe 4 oz... if ur worried about it make a dr appointment and ask the doctor,, i can only tell ya what i did for my son
hope this helps and congrats and good luck

Answer 9

Maybe your precious baby has colic..
Also dont feel bad about her sleeping thru a feeding, it's ok. If she's hungry she'll wake up.
My son would eat 4oz per feeding until he was about 3 months old... but all babies are different too. I would ask your pediatrician for more professional help.
Some babies are fussy because they want to be cuddled, held or rocked, it could be colic.
I recommend GRIPE WATER for bloat and gas... but talk to your doctor FIRST.

Answer 10

Talk to your Physician hun.He/she will help you.You may need to incorparate gas drops when feeding.I worked in daycare for many years and learned that if you rub a cold cloth on there face if they fall asleep while feeding they will wake up...maybe crying and screaming but they will eventually feed more.My brother had colic and mom walked the floors w/him.