How can I get my 8 week year old daughter to eat more?

Question

She only eats approximately 2 oz (or one breast) at a time. So she is up every two hours. Is there a way to get her to eat more? Is this normal?

Answer 1

Breastmilk digests in 90 minutes or less, so this is perfectly normal. Also her stomach is the size of her fist, she can't fit much in it!

Check out:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/frequent-nursing.html
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/elizabeth_baldwin.html

Answer 2

This is perfectly normal... No-one ever warns you about this while you're pregnant!!! I found the best way to deal with it was to look at it as a good reason to sit down and put your feet up while having everyone else bring you cups of tea/cook dinner/clean the bathroom!

Your daughter is probably getting more than 2 oz, she is so much more effective than a pump. It will settle down as she gets bigger, but her tummy is still tiny and breastmilk is lovely and easy to digest, so for the time being try to enjoy all the snuggles. My daughter settled into a more manageable 3 hourly routine at about 3 months, and feeding became quicker too.

Have you thought about introducing a bottle, either EBM or formula for 1 feed? Just so as you can get a break, and give hubby a chance to feed her.

Answer 3

This is perfectly normal for a breast fed baby. Don't be tempted to compare her to bottle fed babies, breast feeding is totally different. They don't have 'x' amount of ounces at 'x' amount of hours, they simply feed when hungry. I had this worry when my baby was this age, as I'd tried expressing milk for her and managed 3 ounces, and when she didn't take the lot I worried she wasn't getting enough!!! The baby will take what she requires for that feed, and it may seem like you are a milking machine sometimes, when she is constantly on the breast, but bare with it, she could be going through a growth spurt.

Alternatively, she could be tiring whilst feeding, I used to gently encourage my baby to feed for longer by tickling her feet, or stroking her face. This worked as I thought she'd had enough and she was just resting so she fed a little longer!

My daughter fed exactly like this at your daughters age, and she is now 14 weeks old, sleeping through the night, and feeding less often (unless she is spurting, and we're back to the milking machine....lol) And I am still breast feeding and enjoying the closeness I feel with her whilst she feeds...!!!

As long as you are getting plenty of wet nappies, and she is putting on weight, then this is normal (bare in mind too that breast fed babies have less soiled nappies as there is less waste from breast milk). But if you are stressing about it, then call your health visitor, or look up for breast feeding advisors in your area, they have some really helpful advise and put your mind at rest that you are doing everything right. Welldone, you sound like you are doing a cracking job to me!

Hope this helps, and Good Luck!!!

Answer 4

By advice from my doctor a baby should eat 150ml of milk per 1kg of body weight. Obviously this is difficult to measure if you are breast feeding, but if this is the case, it may be that she is not getting enough of the hind milk and too much fore milk. Fore milk does not fill her up therefore she would be hungry again quicker than she should if she were getting enough of the hind milk at every feed. If she is gaining weight as she should, you have nothing to worry about. An excellent guide that I use as it has helped me immensley, is 'The Contented Little Baby Book' by Gina Ford. It is filled with excellent hints and tips and has been my saviour! Good Luck

Answer 5

There is no reason to try to get your daughter to eat more. She will eat when she is hungry and will eat as much as she needs. Eating every 2 hours is not uncommon for a baby your daughter's age. As she grows, she will begin to drink more and less often. It is recommended to introduce solids when a baby is 6 months old, although some babies do show signs of being ready at 4-5 months. It is an Old Wive's Tale that feeding babies cereal early will help them sleep longer. If your baby is growing and having wet diapers, she is eating enough.

Answer 6

sorry, but that is normal for a breast fed newborn. she is getting more than you think - no matter what amount you are pumping. by feeding every two hours, she is effectively upping your supply to meet her demand. you can try to get her to stay awake and feed from both breasts - be patient, she's new at this too, and newborns are very very sleepy. as she gets a little older, and is less sleepy, the feedings will spread out a little, and will take less time. another option is to pump the other breast while she is feeding - this will relieve any discomfort you may have and will set up a nice freezer stock for later.

Answer 7

newborns eat every 2 hours to start with. Her stomach is tiny. As she gets older she will be able to take more and the gap between feeds will lengthen.
Make sure you get plaenty of rest try to have a nap when she does. Its tiring hsaving a newborn and breast feeding wears you out too.
Congrtulations on your baby

Answer 8

Babies only have little stomachs, youprobaly find your daugter possets verylittle this is because she is not over faced, alot can come from one breast I could get 12oz from mine expressing some days. 2 hours is not that bad she's only 8weeks, some of your freinds probaly gave their babies 5-6 oz at that age but half comes up thiink of how big the stomach is!!

Answer 9

Nope. Remember your baby's stomach is only the size of her fist. Babies, unlike adults, stop eating when they are full. DO NOT put cereal in your babies bottle. Breastmilk does not have fillers in it like formula, so they do need to eat more often so It is normal for babies up to 3 months old to eat every 2 hours, and off just one breast. Welcome to motherhood. It does get better. Sleep when she sleeps. Think about co-sleeping. They make special baby beds to put in your bed, so you can get enough sleep at night. We called it the all you can eat smorgasbord.

Congratulations on breastfeeding.

Answer 10

Newborns feed every two hours. She is only going to eat as much as she needs, no more. Babies aren't like greedy adults eating even when they are not hungry. Just be patient when she is older she will eat more and sleep longer. Unless the doctor is alarmed by a drop in her weight don't worry.

Answer 11

She will only eat what she needs. Some babies more than others have very small stomachs and can only consume small amounts at a time