Is My Son Eating Too Much?

How often is he eating? Some babies like to suck, try a pacifier after he eats. Pacifier's are okay for a few months.

Are you pumping to keep up your supply? You should be pumping for 20 min. every 3-4 hours to establish your supply. Have you talked to a lactation consultant? Breastfed babies don't overeat... he may be eating a lot because babies like to suck. Talk to your Pedi and a lactation consultant.

I think that it is probally completely normal for your child. One thing that you don't want to do is limit a baby's feeding. When you limit the feedings, they will want to eat more often. Also remember that as they grow, their eating habits will slow down! Both of my kids ate a ton as infants and they are both pretty slender now!
Good luck!

Congratulations on your little one and all the power to you for choosing to breastfeed and give your child the best milk there is for a baby.

There is no silly question that you can ask a doctor or nurse, but I will warn you that they may give you a silly answer.

I would contact your lacation nurse at the hospital you delivered with and then I would find your local La Leche League group. http://www.lalecheleague.org/ La Leche is a wealth of information on breastfeeding. Never quit!

I would also buy the book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Seventh Revised Edition (La Leche League International Book) by La Leche League International (Paperback - May 25, 2004). This book answered my questions better then any ped could, especially in the middle of the night, when I would seem to worry the most.

Best of Mothering to you!
Michelle - Mother of 4

The hospital you delivered at most likely has a lactation consultant, and that would be free. All you have to do is call and leave a message, and they will call you back(call the main hospital line and ask to be transferred). Sometimes they will have you come in for a visit, to weigh the baby, check the latch, answer questions, offer suggestions, etc. I utilized the lactation consultant at the hospital where I delivered (St. Elizabeth in Edgewood, KY), and she was fabulous. Kudos to you for breastfeeding. Definitely call and get the assistance so you can be successful. You won't regret it. Best wishes.

hi S.,
first of all don't ever feel silly asking your doc for anything. i call them very often, they know me as the first time mom with twins. my boys are 5 months old now and at first we had no clue what we were doing. i nursed for the first 6 weeks and then they lost interest because i could not stay awake and comfort them. so we started formula. my boys are up to 5 ozs every 3 to 4 hours about 5 times a day. so a total of 25 ozs each. every child is differnt. like i said call your doc, there might be something they need to look at. i mean that is what they are getting paid for. thanks
K.

There is a company called Baby Beloved which gives really good help with breastfeeding moms. It's located on Burton by breton.

Well Congratulations Sondra!!

Sounds like you have a hungry baby! Well, what I can tell you is that when my son was born, I believe he started out at 2oz bottles. But since the day he was born, he was a picky eater. So maybe this is a sign that your son will be a good eater. Don't feel silly to call your doctor about anything. If your really concerned, I would call. I'm sure your not the first mother who had this question, and they would be happy to help. That's what their there for :)

honey just call his doctor when it comes to your child there is no silly question. as for if it's noraml for him to eat like that a lot of it depends on how often he is eating how big he was to begin with are there any medical problems is his weight gain to much or to little ect. so just make the call or bring it up at his next well baby visit. if it makes you feel any better i once called my son's ped. to ask if to many bananas could hurt him cause he was eating like 3 or 4 a day at age two. for weeks that is all he wanted to eat and i was worried. you wont be the first mom to call with such quesions beleive me. good luck.

A few red flags that come up immediately based on your description:

* "My son is eating 6 + oz at each feeding and he is not even a month old yet." What are you feeding him such that you can count the ounces -- are you supplementing w/ breastmilk or formula and using a bottle/artificial nipple to do so? or are you supplementing him at the breast using the SNS system? Far better to feed him at the breast and watch his output (how much/often he pees/poops) to determine if he's getting enough. Bottles w/ nipples that have too fast of a flow are going to overfeed your baby. It is *extremely* hard to overfeed if you're feeding at the breast!

* "I am tring to breastfeed and we are having some problems with that..." Good for you and your baby that you're trying to breastfeed - the first 6-8 weeks can be really tough! For me, both times, I've had a rough start breastfeeding. Remember that you're both learning a new skill! If you can stick it out for the first 6-8 weeks, the payoff is HUGE and breastfeeding becomes very automatic and super easy, natural, convenient (easier than bottles by far).

Do you have good breastfeeding support & accurate information? Please know that most pediatricians are NOT the best source of breastfeeding info since it's not their specialty (there are exceptions to this, but the vast majority of pediatricians are shockingly uneducated about breastfeeding, how to support a mom who wants to, etc.). A great site for accurate breastfeeding info is:
http://www.kellymom.com
I suggest using Kellymom to cross-check any breastfeeding advice your pediatrician gives you... and 99% of the time, I'd trust Kellymom advice over that of your typical pediatrician when it comes to breastfeeding.

So where can you get breastfeeding help? A good lactation consultant (Dee Keith, IBCLC at 513­724­3313 or email ____@____.com) is key, and staying in touch with other breastfeeding mothers (moms who have been through what you're going through!) is *really* helpful for support, encouragement, info. I see you're in West Chester (I'm in southwest Cincy), and you have several options for breastfeeding support/accurate information near you - run, don't walk, to the phone and immediately call a leader from one of the groups closest to you to ask these questions about how many ounces, supply questions, whatever breastfeeding difficulties you're facing, any questions, etc. I'd first try Eileen ###-###-####, Mary ###-###-####, or Angie ###-###-#### - but all of the leaders are good, have up-to-date breastfeeding information, have nursed their own babies successfully, are trained to support moms as they work through breastfeeding issues!

Mason/Montgomery La Leche League meetings
Meets the 2nd Thursday of every month, 10a
Chellie ###-###-####
Mary ###-###-####
Ruthanne ###-###-####

Blue Ash/Kenwood LLL meetings
Meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month, 10a
Pfeiffer Rd, Montgomery Assembly of God Church
Angie ###-###-####
Eileen ###-###-####
Jennifer ###-###-####
Mary ###-###-####

http://www.lllusa.org/web/CincinnatiOH.html

* "I am starting to think that even if he did breastfeed I wouldn't be able to supply the milk he needed at this point." Ack! Don't doubt your body's ability to make just the perfect amount of breastmilk for your baby, and don't doubt your baby's ability to regulate your milk supply. When the kinks are worked out and you're not supplementing (supplementing can be a very, very slippery slope - sometimes it is needed, but mostly it just screws up a mom's supply!), your baby, if allowed to nurse when he wants/needs, will tell your body how much milk to make. Breastfeeding is supply/demand based. If he stops nursing, you stop producing. If he slows down nursing, your body will slow down to his demand. If he increases nursing (and they do when they hit a growth spurt, and this is a good thing!), it signals to your body to make more. So please, please don't doubt your ability unless you have a real reason for concern like: you've had breast surgery, you have PCOS, you're taking medication that would affect your supply, you're supplementing with formula and not pumping every time.

I've gone on for far too long already, but from a mom who has been where you are, getting the breastfeeding relationship CAN be really hard work. I am one of those moms - it was difficult for me BOTH times, but I've gone on to nurse both of my babies - the first for well past 1 yr, and the 2nd is 7.5 months old and we're going strong. YOU CAN DO IT as long as you get the right help and support ASAP. The longer you wait, the harder it is to get back on track! Wishing you and your baby a quick resolution of whatever breastfeeding issues you're dealing with, and congrats on your new baby!!!

S.,

Never feel silly calling your Doctor. Remember, you are the customer! I call mine all the time! And called weekends, nights when my son was an infant. A call to your doctor can make you and your baby more comfortable and may save an unecessary trip to the ER at times. Anyway, babies have an amazing ability to stop eating when they are full. Plus, they will eat more when growing. If you are breastfeeding, your milk supply will probably keep up with him. If it doesn't (mine took awhile to catch up) give him some formula after you nurse.

My daughter is 7 months old. She started out with breastmilk. She at every 2 hours for about and hour. I felt I was always feeding her. The dr. told me breastmilk is better but formula is more filling. I felt i was not making enough milk, since she seemed to be always hungry, so I switched.
At six weeks she was eating six oz. She ate every three hours. At seven month she is still at 6 oz. but with baby food 3x a day.
My doctor is not concerned about it. If you don't want to talk to your doctor, call your local WIC department. They would know an approx. what a baby should eat. But your doctor or nurse would be the best to ask. To them there are NO stupid questions. It might be stupid not to ask.

i wouldn't worry too much about it. if he was a bigger baby i may have an explanation. my daughter weighed 9lb 3oz and her dr aid bigger babies feel like they need those extra calories and the baby will eventually balance out. babies that young will eat what they need, so don't worry, he's just a hungry little guy. when my daughter was only 2 weeks old or so she drank 7 ounces within an hour's time (sometimes she still drinks more than i feel she needs, but i let her because she wants it and she is the one feeling hungry). after that i learned she had colic and the idea with that was babies think if their tummies are full it will feel better. now at 4 months she is happy and healthy, so don't fret :)

Hi S.

You should feel comfortable calling your doctor with any questions you have especially if this is your first child. They should never make you feel silly for calling. If they do I say find a new doctor. You want to feel confident in your decisions and in how your baby is doing...........

I would like to concur with everything said below. I also love Dee Keith.

DELETED. I chose to delete all old messages I posted after they have been read for privacy purposes.

Hi! my son is 11 weeks old. when he was 5 weeks we were up to 5 oz. the doctor told me no more then 30-32 oz in a 24 hour period. so the doctor told me to put ceral in his bottles. but every doctor is different, so i would call yours!

This is normal. My 6 week old son is up to 5 oz. every 4 hours. This is normal in some babies. I have 3 boys and they all were different kind of eaters. My oldest would eat only when he had to, my middle he eats hardly anything, and my youngest eats a lot. The doctor has said that they are all normal and healthy children. By the way to a doctor no question is silly so ask them anything. If you have a concern please always talk to your childs doctor about it.