Dropping night feeds... do we "make up" the lost oz.?

[PuppyLuf]

LO dropped a feed last night.  Instead of waking him at 22:30 to feed, we let him go to see when he would naturally awaken for food.  He went from 18:30 to 1:45.  I'm uncertain as to whether or not this will reproduce itself, but I'm wondering, if a night feed is dropped (he usually asked for another feed around 3:30, then a smaller feed at 6:00), do the "lost" ounces need to be made up?  He is a very big eater (46 oz. a day, 13 lbs., 10 weeks), and his usual bottle is 7. oz.  His 6:00 bottle was shrinking to 4 oz. as he wasn't seeming so hungry.  Do we need to feed these 4 extra ounces somewhere else during the day time in order to preserve his night sleep?

He has been having 7 oz. bottles since he was 5 or 6 weeks old.  Minimal spit up, very hungry.  It seems counterintuitive that he would eat less as he gets older, but maybe that's how it works.    Thanks for your thoughts. 

[Lolly]

You really don't need to make up that feed unless he is hungry at other feeds. Formula fed babies don't really increase feed sizes that much as they get bigger - my DD took about 25oz a day for most of the first 6 months, what happens is they take bigger feeds but they get spaced further apart, the overall amount doesn't change a great deal.

He is getting a lot of formula in 24 hours - more than most babies do really so I wouldn't worry too much. If he is draining the 7oz bottles then you can add another oz which may shift the calories from the night a bit too. If you are guided by him and feed when he is hungry you won't go far wrong. His nights are great at the moment, there is a growth spurt at 12 weeks and 4 months which can have an impact on night sleep.

Laura

[PuppyLuf]

Thanks for the reply and the reminder on the growth spurts.  I'll keep an eye on him for that, and hopefully I won't forget and start worrying two weeks from now.  He's so big now... I think he must just be one large growth spurt.  I'm not sure why I put him down as 13 lbs. below... he's actually 15 now.  He's almost twice his birth weight in two months!  He's definitely not overweight; he's just a big boy.  Hopefully, this night trend continues.  One feed is so much easier than two!

[Lolly]

One feed is so much easier than two!

Totally! My two didn't take to the DF so we just fed them when they woke so they only had 1 feed for a long time.

You said you were waking him at 22.30 for a feed - did you realise that you don't wake for a feed that time, you feed them while they are asleep?

Laura

[PuppyLuf]

He always woke up   He usually had a poopy diaper, too, and because of his reflux, he needed to be burped and held upright too.  Funny he doesn't go from 10:30 to 5:30 but he'll go seven hours after his seven pm feed.  Must be that he's all stocked up from the day's feeds still. He can't do cluster feeds, either.

[PuppyLuf]

Well... now he dropped his last night feed and is going 18:30 to 6:30 of sleeping with no food.  He is a big baby, and at almost 16 lbs. at 3 months, he has just doubled his birth weight. 

This frightens me a little because he now down to about 2/3 of the amount of formula he used to drink.  Since he was drinking a lot (7 oz. bottles 6 times a day and one 4 oz. in the morning), dropping two bottles is 11 oz. lost.  He is long and big, but he is not overweight.  He cannot take in more oz. on his bottles during the day because he will spit up anything over 7.  He is already eating every 3 hours during the day and dreamfeeding him makes him wake up more in the night, oddly enough.

I suppose I could call the pediatrician and ask, but I'm sure many of you have been here before.  I'm sure we'll be one of those naughty families starting solids at 4 months.

[Lolly]

I suppose I could call the pediatrician and ask, but I'm sure many of you have been here before.  I'm sure we'll be one of those naughty families starting solids at 4 months.

If he is sleeping through the night, staying on his centile, meeting milestones and having plenty of wet/ dirty nappies then he is taking what he needs! You don't need to be starting solids because of dropping some formula, 3 hourly feeds during the day is just what he is supposed to do and if he needed more he would be waking at night for it! Follow his hunger cues and add another oz to the bottles when he is draining them. He is still taking plenty of formula, most babies take about 32oz a day and that doesn't really increase.

Even bigger babies don't always need more formula. My DD was 8lb 11oz born which was 75th centile, she jumped up to the 91st and stuck to it like glue taking 25oz a day - very, very rarely did she take more than 25oz a day!

Laura

[macsmum]

Hi there...
My dd was 10 lb 8 at birth and at 12 weeks is over 16 lb now 😛 she has dropped her night feed and goes from 9 till 6 without a bottle she currently has 6 bottles a day anything between 4 to 6 oz in a feed and also has reflux is on infant gaviscon and ranitidine....I really wouldn't worry get the rest whilst you can as it could all change next week 😊