Don't know when he's had enough

[MackMum]

Hi, my DS2 is getting a combo of breast and bottle (issues with bad latch and cracked bleeding nipples meant I had to cut back the number of breastfeeds to let them heal and toughen up a bit). So  he gets 8 feeds in 24hrs on a 3hr easy:

7am breastfeed - feels like I have heaps of milk
10ish - 4oz formula
1ish - breastfeed and about 2oz topup formula
4ish - 4oz formula
6pm (1st cluster) - 4oz formula
8pm (2nd cluster) bedtime - breastfeed with 2oz topup formula

(not dreamfeeding until he goes longer at night)
midnight-1am - 4oz formula
3-4amish - 4oz formula

So he's probably getting a total of about 32oz of milk every 24hrs

My problem is that I don't know when he's had enough formula - he'll suck every bottle dry. He's a very sucky baby anyway - I haven't offered him a 5oz bottle cos I don't know if he'd stop drinking - he just loves to suck! And he's on a 1month old Avent bottle teat so it's not like it flows very slow. Breastfeeds are a bit the same - he'll keep on sucking (except perhaps the breakfast feed) until he falls asleep (and will look for the nipple again if i wake him) or I can't hear him swallowing much anymore and I take him off. He was 9lb7 when born, now just shy of 11lb.

Should I try and offer him a 5oz bottle?? How do I know when he's had enough, he doesn't seem to squirm either...??

[*Natasha*]

Is he happy after finishing the bottle or is he looking for more?
Is he happily making it 3hrs until his next feed?

At this age my DD2 was doing:


6.30am – Bottle 4ozs      

7am – Sleep            

9.30am – Bottle 4ozs   

10am - Sleep   

4ozs   

1pm - Sleep   

3.30pm – Bottle 4ozs   

4pm - Sleep   

6.30pm - Bath   

7pm – Bottle 4ozs   

7.30pm – Sleep   

12am – Bottle 4ozs   

Not long after we moved her up to 6oz bottles.

[MackMum]

Wow! That's a pretty awesome routine! Wish my LO would do 5 and then 6.5hrs overnight!

He seems to make it fine to the next feed in the mornings, but between about 5 and 8pm (bedtime) he roots constantly, even a few minutes after a 4oz bottle at 6pm (when he got 4oz at 4pm too) so I don't know if that's just his fussy time of day and he's looking for a comfort suck. He'll root for a comfort suck when he's OT too (which is very easy to do since he only handles such short A times).

I've been giving him a 4.5oz bottle at 10am and 4pm and he drinks them just like he did the 4oz bottle. I can stop and burp him and he'll happily take the teat back again if i touch it to his lips. I wish he'd give me clearer signs that he's full cos I worry about over feeding him!