Why is my baby so hungry?

Question

She is now 6 weeks old and was born at 36 weeks, I have soley breastfed until this week when I have started giving her 2/3 formula feed to give me a break, but she is still hungry. She gulps both breast and bottle so fast she can hardly breath then she throws it up and then cries for more. I have tried to make her wait and I have changed teats on the bottles. Im now thinking this could be some sort of illness or medical problem???

I am still breastfeeding around 6 times in 24 hrs aswell as 2/3 SMA gold feeds inbetween.

Answer 1

Try the SMA white. I used Farley's Yellow first and my baby was the same, so I moved on to the next one (green in my case) as it was for hungrier babies. This worked well and he would go longer between feeds.

Answer 2

You should take her to the clinic. The formula may not suit her. I had to try two or three brands before there was one suitable. Cow and Gate usually suits most babies......that's if they still sell it! Make sure you are mixing the right amount with the correct 'spoon' that comes with the packet. She may not be getting very much breast milk either. It depends what weight she is to what amount of milk she drinks. If she finishes the bottle and is still hungry you need to start making more for her each time. Wind her half way through as if you don't do that she can 'belch' the whole lot up at the end. She should be every four hours so that's 5/6 bottles a day. There's a web you may find interesting that I just found.
www.cowandgate.co.uk

Answer 3

Hi it is definitely worth mentioning to your health visitor.I had the same problem with both of my children and although I did part breast feed I also used the cow and gate PLUS formula. This is a formula for especially hungry babies. It helped my two immensely.Also though one of the most likely causes is wind. I should think someone has already given advice on this but if not... When a baby gulps there milk they can take extraordinary amounts of wind in.Meaning that they throw up and then feel hungry because they have gotten rid of all the trapped wind. Try winding the baby more often during feeding.
Hope this helps. If not there is a brilliant forum on www.netdoctor.co.uk.
all the best
Lynnette

Answer 4

Well first off she is doing a whole lot of growing right now. Also make sure she is getting a good latch when she is breastfeeding if she is not latched on right then she won't get as much milk as she could. The formula may not be agreeing with her and I wouldn't give her both choose one or the other since you can breastfeed i really would stick with that. Switching between the two might be upsetting her belly at this age or she has a cow milk allergy. Talk to her doctor, they may check her for GER it's infant acid reflux caused my underdeveloped stomach muscles. If this is what is going on she is drinking lots of milk because it is soothing to her she would also be spitting up excessively, I can't say for sure.....Breastmilk is pretty much on demand and you can't overfeed them that way, babies don't eat out of boredom or stress like adults do, so they usually stop when they are full. She could just be a hearty eater...it is much better than a lack of appetite trust me that is when you need to worry. She could have strong sucking reflex try a pacifier in her mouth and hold to you like you are nursing her

Answer 5

I had two very hungry babies, so I sympathise with you. I think feeding problems are one of the hardest things you have to deal with as a parent. Balls to you for keeping up the breast feeding this long!!
I changed my children (who were bottle fed from birth) to a hungrier milk formula which is a bit more satisfying for hungry babies as it takes a little longer to digest (I think)
As for the throwing up, talk to your health visitor if she's any good (mine's not) it could be that she's taking in too much air. You could try the vari flow teats if you haven't already, they let out milk depending how hard they suck. Or it could be Reflux, it is common in pre term babies. My son (who was born at 37 weeks) had this and he would projectile vomit across the room. If your baby is posseting a lot, then she will still be hungry and cry. If it is reflux, it can be treated with gaviscon infant powders (ask your doctor or health visitor) they help keep the milk down and keep the baby fuller for longer.
The only other thing I can suggest is to try a little cooled boiled water in between feeds to try and put her off a bit.
Good luck with this and your future with your beautiful daughter. Keep positive and bear in mind that this is just a hurdle, the first of many ahead of you, but each one worth it a million times over!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

If she just started throwing up after you started the formula then I wouldn't def leave out the formula and stick to the good ole breast milk. She is def going through a growth spurt at this age--she needs around 20 minutes on each breast for a good feeding. If that is not filling her up, you should pump more to increase your milk supply (and to check your breast supply). I would DEFENITELY call your pediatrician though....they can tell you exactly what needs to be done about the throwing up and the mixing of the formula. Breast fed babies usually don't throw up that much. Good Luck.

Answer 7

It sounds quite normal to me, maybe your milk is coming out fast and so she gulps it. My girls did that, I'd just pull them off burp them and then commence feeding again. Babies spitting up after a feed is normal, they never throw up as much as it looks like, it is only a tiny bit but looks like more.
Babies espeacilly breastfed babies feed pretty much constantly. Both mine were attached to my breast for like the first 6 months.
I thought my first was a big booby baby as she was constantly feeding, but my second was even worse. Not that its a bad thing.

You really should just stick to breastfeeding, I know it can get tiring and annoying at times and you just want your body back. But it really is better to keep all feeds the same unless you are having really bad problems.
When she feeds let her feed for a few minutes, then stop and put a towel over your breasts and just let the milk flow for a bit while you burp her. That way your milk should have settled down and it will help her not to get gas.
To me it sounds like she is just a good feeder and a bit of a piggy, but that is fine. Both my daughters were the same ( I never gave them formula though) and there was absolutely nothing wrong with them. I saw the Dr about the spewing as it did concern me. But she said they only spit up like a teaspoonful of liquid and it just looks like a lot and is upsetting for us Mummies as we worry so much.
So I think you are lucky as it sounds like you have a good milk flow and baby is doing well on the breast. Some women arent so lucky. Just remember that babies have tiny little tummies that digest breasrmilk really quickly and that is why they need constant feeds. Whenever you feel she is gulping to fast, just pull her off and burp her for a bit and then continue the feed.
Good Luck with everything and if you are still concerned go and see your Dr or local childhood nurse.

Answer 8

try to slow the feed down and make it last longer, she's throwing up coz she's taking too much too quickly and her little belly cant deal with it all.
Make sure that the bottle you are giving her is not too hot as well . Try a slower teat as you should be on the first stage still with the bottle....failing that have a chat to ya hv. My first little girl was the same and never really settled til I weaned her and had to do that alot earlier than they say...she's 4 and well big and healthy now.

Answer 9

i had the same problem although i did not breastfeed, when my son was 6 weeks he was taking 9 x 9oz bottles of sma gold a day but was not throwing it back up afterwards so i took him to health visitor and she suggested putting him on sma white (hungrier babies formula) and he was soon satisfied with only the 6 x 9oz bottles.

now he is a big and health 3 year old with just as big an appetite

Answer 10

You probably just have a very hungry baby, if she gulps then throws it all up try feeding her little and often, its difficult to say anything really as it would be good to know how often you feed her and how many ounces her bottles are. to combat the throwing it up after I would stop her mid feed and wind her as if she is gulping she will be taking in a lot of air.

Answer 11

Make her slow down while feeding. Use a slow flow nipple and every little bit take the nipple out and let her catch her breath, let the food settle, try to burp her very often. This may help with the spit up. I had to do that with my son because he drools the food out if he gets too eager. Also keep her up right for 20 min after feeding to let gravity help the food stay down. Don't bounce or move her around a lot after each feeding. Check with Ped about using soy formula or reflux if these tips don't help.