BF Babies Eat More From Bottle?

[Jenifer]

Will BF babies eat more from a bottle than they will at the breast?

I really have no idea how much my daughter really eats - last I knew, she took 4 oz from a bottle about 6 weeks ago.  Well, she ate 6.5 oz a couple weekends ago with my mother, and I was shocked by that!  THEN she hit her 4 month growth spurt (last week) and downed 8 oz with my husband last night!  I store them in 4 oz bags in the freezer and told him to take two bags and just throw out what she doesn't eat.  Little did I know the little piglet would eat it all! 

She feeds 5 times a day - should be eating 5 - 6 oz per feeding according to kellymom.com.

So, my question is - is the amount she is taking from a bottle indicative of how much she's getting from me .. or is she gulping down the bottle because she doesn't get the bottle too often and so its a novelty?  Should we restrict how much we give her in the bottle - ie: only give her 6 oz?

[Samuel's mum]

When babies feed from a bottle there is a much faster flow of milk - unlike when breastfeeding and the milk varies in speed depending on the fat content and generally requires a lot more effort to get out!! It is possible to over feed from a bottle.

I would say that an 8 oz feed of breastmilk is a heck of a lot. I would wonder whether she was seeking to be comforted (as the breast provides) but unlike the breast the bottle just keeps on flowing (especially in the evening). Babies have such a strong suck=comfort assocation.


There is some interesting data here:
http://www.bfar.org/breastmilk.shtml

and some interesting stuff here about why a baby may overfeed:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html#toomuchlittle

I don't think it anything to worry about if she did drink that quantity but I would personallly think about offering less next time and then trying other methods to comfort before deciding she's genuinely still hungry.

[clh]

Looks like Samuel's mom beat me to the punch!

I can only answer part...  I don't know about restricting to 6 oz.  Hopefully someone else will come with some good advice about that soon.

As for "will they eat more?" the answer is yes, generally.  You're right:  they don't have to work for it as had from a bottle, and it's a novelty to your LO (since she doesn't get it often).  In addition, if she's trying to comfort suck, that means that she's taking input from the bottle simply because it's there.  If she's comfort sucking at the breast, she can regulate it such that she doesn't take in much but still gets to comfort herself.  HTH.

[beccarman]

i agree re:the bottle being easier however i would be tempted to think she wasn't overfeeding from the bottle if she kept it all down and wasn't sick. if she stops and you have to keep giving her the bottle to get her to finish that might be a sign she not wanting more milk just wanting more sucking. also you never really know how much milk they take when they feed from you, especially if you do both breats at a feeding its possible she might have 8oz if that what you do. you could try with differnt lower amounts and see how long she lasts till she next wants feeding, its it less then normal then she could have done with more in the bottle i suppsoe its an idea anyway.

[Jenifer]

Well, before her 4 month growth spurt (2 weeks ago) she was only eating from one side - when she was done that was it.  However, at the growth spurt I was offering both breasts because she was HUNGRY.  Well, now I find if I offer her the other breast (after 10 - 15 minutes on the first side) she'll eat more (for about 5 minutes).

You think I should be offering the other breast still?

I tihink I've read that BF babies won't overeat right?  Or will they?

[Samuel's mum]

I would say it sounds as though she is ready to move to two breasts.

There are a few reasons why breastfed babies are thought less likely to overeat. When breastfed babies have finished eating and move to 'comfort sucking' they suck in a slightly different way. With a bottle it's not possible to do this different sucking without still getting a mouthful of fluid. Babies signal the end of the feed and will not be feeding beyond their natural signals to stop. A bottlefed baby, due to the speed of the milk flow, may not respond to their hunger signals in the same way. My own experience would suggest that overeating could sometimes happen in the case of oversupply in which case it might come back up again!

I don't think by offering the other breast you are risking overeating. Just make sure that second breast starts the next time.

[beccarman]

in my opinion two boobs is the way to go !! obviously our boobs are never totally empty so from time to time (when shes finished properly eating) she'll still get some slurps of milk but like samuelsmummy said she won't be able to stuff herself to the point of being very ill...you're doing a fab job though, well done!

 

[Sam's mum]

Hi

just to jump in my lo starting taking both boobs around 4 months, just after a growth spurt.  Sometimes I have to be away from her for the day and she downs 8oz of b'milk every time (she's not really a chunk either).  I did overfeed her once with a bottle - offering 8oz at the df and her little tummy couldn't take it - boy did I know about it...she was so uncomfortable she couldn't sleep and could only doze being sat up over my shoulder   I think if she was taking too much you would know - but I also figure if dd takes a little less from me on that day, one day out of the month won't affect my supply so I don't worry too much. 

[Jenifer]

Thank you all for your responses.

Ok, so then if I'm feeding on both sides, how do I pump?  I used to feed on one side and then pump the other side an hour or two later.  But now my boobs are both "soft" an hour or two after her feed ... 

How do you do it so as not to jeopardize her next feed and still get a decent yield?

[Erin M]

I always pumped about an hour/hour and a half after the first AM feed as I was always "fullest" then (and sometimes would be so full that she'd only really take one side) -- when I did it every day at around the same time I definitely got more as well.