HELP!! So confused

[ballardlm]

My lo is 14 weeks and weighs approximately 16 pounds. I was letting him eat as much as he wanted. I was making up 6 oz bottles and if he drained them I offered him more. He was somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 hour EASY and was unfortunately still waking at night to eat every 3 to 4 hours. I was trying to get in more calories during the day hoping he would go a longer stretch at night which is why I was encouraging him to eat as much as he would. Well he would occasionally drain up to 8 oz and I started getting worried he was eating too much. He was also spitting up. I called my baby nurse and she said he was overeating big time and to limit him to 4.5 or 5 oz. If I do this he gets hungry again in 2.5 to 3 hours. My EASY is all messed up and now he's not napping good. Night is still problamatic. Last night he ate at 2 oz at 5, 2oz at 7, 5oz at 10:45, 5 oz at 3, and 5 oz at 5:30. He also woke up at 5:30!  Everything is all over the place and I dont know what to do.

[Lolly]

I think you need to do what you are comfortable doing. I don't think I know of anyone in the UK who has been told to limit feeds, they always say if they are draining bottles to add another oz. I have never limited my two, they took what they wanted even if it was a small feed.

If you want to stick with the BW way then go back to what you were doing before. I think a 6oz feed at 14 weeks is pretty average really, some babies are taking 9oz at this age some less. A lot of babies spit up it's only a cause for concern if it's large amounts and they are in pain or discomfort with it - remember too that a small amount of milk looks huge when it is spilled! How is he when he feeds?

What are naps like in the day? That can have an impact on night wakings and sleep is as much developmental as calorie driven.

Laura

[ballardlm]

He eats fast but doesn't seem to be in any discomfort. Naps are pretty rough the 45 min nap monster definetly lives at our house. Just now he woke up from his nap screaming. I tried everything to calm him down, including a pacifier, but nothing worked. I finally gave him a bottle even though it had only been 2 hours since his last feeding. He drained it and very obviously wanted more. I tried giving him the pacifier but he spit it back out. I then gave him more to eat. He ended up eating 7 oz all together. I am going to give him as much as he wants from now on. Now I just have to get our EASY back on track and figure out our nap problem. *sigh of frustration*