4 month old snacker

[mysweetgirl]

My 4 month old is Bf and takes one bottle before bed of formula.  I think she doesnt get enough each feed but I am not positive.  When she eats from the bottle she usually only takes 4-5 ounces. When she Bf she only eats about 5 mins max. I try to get her to eat more and she just wont. She is now waking up a lot more at night. She was sleeping 6-7 hours straight at night but now she onlly goes 3 hours at most. So I try to get her to eat more in the day but she just wont.

I have tried both feeding her more often  (2.5-3 hours) and also increasing the time between feeds (every 4 hours) but neither is working.

Is there any tricks to getting her to eat more? How can I tell if she actually needs more cals during the day? She eats more at night than in the day time!! And she was sleeping so well at night. I know she could be having a growth spurt but I would rather give her the extra cals during the day if possible than in the middle of the night lol.

Thanks for reading this and I appreciate any advice you might have.

** I forgot to add that I have lots of milk, strong let down and no problem pumping 5-6 ounces off one side. I offer both sides but she just bites on my nipple and looks at me and smiles. When she is done there seems to be no way to get her to eat more!

Thanks again

[mysweetgirl]

Bump

[~ Vik ~]

I'm just on my iPod so difficult to post links but wanted to at least do a quick reply! Could you post what your days have been looking like?

A few thoughts...
- there is a HUGE growth spurt at 4mo. HUGE. It often leaves moms questioning their supply it's so big. That would account for the more frequent night feeds in addition to wanting to feed more frequently during the day. How long has this been going on?
- growth spurts aside (when it's important to feed more frequently to build supply) too-frequent feeds can cause snacking, leading to smaller, more frequent feeds throughout the day and night. Once you've ruled out a growth spurt, have you thought about stretching feeds out? By spacing feeds out more (even 3.5h could do it) you encourage fuller feeds rather than snacking.
- taking only 5m to feed is not really cause for concern - as babies get older they can take a full feed in a very short time. They really get quite efficient!
- could the frequent nws be caused by something else entirely? Teething, too hot/cold, etc?

[mysweetgirl]

Vikki, thanks! If you get a chance to direct me to some links that would be great!

I'm just on my iPod so difficult to post links but wanted to at least do a quick reply! Could you post what your days have been looking like?

A few thoughts...
- there is a HUGE growth spurt at 4mo. HUGE. It often leaves moms questioning their supply it's so big. That would account for the more frequent night feeds in addition to wanting to feed more frequently during the day. How long has this been going on?

This has been going on a week now. I seem to still have a good supply of milk though. I thought maybe this has gone on too long to be a growth spurt??

- growth spurts aside (when it's important to feed more frequently to build supply) too-frequent feeds can cause snacking, leading to smaller, more frequent feeds throughout the day and night. Once you've ruled out a growth spurt, have you thought about stretching feeds out? By spacing feeds out more (even 3.5h could do it) you encourage fuller feeds rather than snacking.

I have tried stretching feeds out by 3.5-4 hours. She is 16 weeks on Sunday. I have also fed more often. Neither seems to be working. I will try to day to stretch feeds out once again and see if she eats more. But the last few days I have tried this and she still eats the same length of time.


- taking only 5m to feed is not really cause for concern - as babies get older they can take a full feed in a very short time. They really get quite efficient!

I am glad to know she can eat enough in 5 mins because it is rare a feed lasts longer than that. I always question if she has eaten enough. But she will not eat anymore no matter what !!

- could the frequent nws be caused by something else entirely? Teething, too hot/cold, etc?

I wondered this too. but I cant really think of anything else it could be. She doesnt seem like she is in pain although she s chewing her hands a lot and droolling more. And I find it hard to tell if she is too hot/cold. I figure if the room feels ok to me then she must feel ok too. She doesnt feel too warm when I pick her up. Maybe too cold if anything. I put her in a sleeping bag and fleece sleepers. She hs a fan in the room for white noise.

What do you think? Thanks again!!

[story3girl]

Listening in.  I have an almost 5 month old who wants to eat every two hours and wakes 2-3 times a night (not counting DF, which I do unless she's already woken once by 10:30).

Her 4 month growth spurt did hit hard and seemed to last forever... I only recently realized I'm starting to have engorgement issues again which made me realize she'd been draining me dry on the 2 hour feedings.  But now that it seems to be over, she's still eating just as often.

[~ Vik ~]

Just checking in because I haven't forgotten you! On my iPod again (sorry ) but I'm off work tomorrow so will get on the computer properly during naptime to give you a couple of links

If this has been going on for over a week you're right that a growth spurt is less likely, though as I said the 4mo one is quite big so you might want to give it a couple more days to be sure. If she's just turning 16w tomorrow then I wouldn't go any longer than 3.5h between feeds at first. Many ebf babies can't make it 4h between feeds until solids are introduced. Breastmilk is so easily digested that it leaves their tummies empty very quickly! It sounds like you've got the temperature/comfort factors covered... If you think that teething is a possibility, you might want to try offering pain mess to see if that makes a difference. Ibuprofin (advil/motrin) worked the best for us (pain relaid and anti-inflammatory, plus it lasts longer). Teeth can cause pain well before they show any signs of cutting, and it can definitely have more of an impact at night. During A time there are so many more distractions, yk?

[mysweetgirl]

I will give her pain meds tonight and see how it goes. I will also try feeding her every 3.5 hours today. I am posting on the NW thread about how much she is up at night. She is up like crazy at night and eats more than the daytime. It has been over a week now of this.

I guess I was mostly concerned she wasnt getting enough to eat during the day because her feeds are so short. But if you say thaat she is probably an efficient eater then that makes me feel better. I try to get her to eat longer but it never works!

Thank you

[~ Vik ~]

I'm actually at the computer, so I can post the links I was thinking of!!

Here's the one on short feeds:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65904.0

Growth spurts:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=66001.0

And an outside link from kellymom.com (a fantastic online breastfeeding resource) with gentle ways to encourage less nursing at night:  http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning-night.html

Even during growth spurts, she shouldn't be eating *more* at night than during the day   I never actively weaned any night feeds myself (Dylan dropped them all in his own time, lost the last one just over 1yo) BUT that doesn't mean I fed him every time he woke, kwim?  My rule of thumb (except during growth spurts) was that I kept the same interval through the night as during the day.  So when Dylan was on a 3.5h routine, I wouldn't feed at less than 3.5h at night either.  So if the dream feed was at 1030pm, I wouldn't feed before 2am.  If he woke at 130, I settled another way, but if he woke at 215 then I fed.  You may find that if you stick to that kind of interval at night you get better feeds during the day, especially first thing in the morning.

hth