Overfeeding?

[marlisle]

I BF and give my five month old EBM while I'm at work.  I can get about 4-6 ounces at each pump.  She's on a the 4 hour EASY schedule. 

My problem is, when I BF her, I feed her, and then we're done.  When my husband feeds her, he feeds her 8+ ounces each time, which has depleted my frozen supply.  He says that she is still hungry, so he feeds her until shes "stuffed."  This has been going on for over a month now.  At first I thought it was just a growth spurt, but I think he's overfeeding her.  Every once in a while I'll feed her, and she'll still be a little fussy, so I'll give her a EBM bottle with about 2-3 ounces, and she's fine.

I cannot support this eating habit, and everytime I tell him to ease back amount, he gets defensive.  I really appreciate what he's doing, and perhaps she really is still hungry.  But then how come when I feed her she's fine, but when husband does she always needs more?

[Tuty]

Hey, I had the same problem. Unfortunately the pump isn't as efficient as your baby and also work isn't the most calming environment for pumping. When I feed my 6 month old DD, she's always full, but she'd always eat 8 ounces bottles, and I can pump this amount only early in the morning after a good night sleep. My frozen supply is over, so I'm started supplumenting too and I started pumping at work 3 times instead of 2 to get more milk, but it's hard.

I think as long as she's fed every ~4 hours she can't be overfed (especially with breast milk).
Does she sleep through the night? (If she's eating this much she probably doesn't need an extra night feed) Do you DF?

HTH,
Tuty

[bethann]

i don't know where the link is, but on kelly mom there is a "calculator" that will calculate how much breast milk your lo should have per feed depending on how many feeds per day.  what size nipple are you using?  Use the smallest one possible, because most likely your lo just wants to suck.  I went through the same situation. I had to only give her 6-7 ouces per feed because that was all I could pump at work. she is very happy though and seems very full after every feed.  maybe someone out there could post that link??

[RachelC]

Here's the link...

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html#calculator

Don't have time to write more right now.  Does she keep the ebm down, or does she spit up alot after the bottle?

[marlisle]

She sleeps from about 7pm to 6am, without a df.  She does not spit up anymore.  She's a big girl.  Her pediatrician's visit last month weighed her in at 16 lb. 9 oz. and  28 in long.  I'm wondering if starting her on solids would help quench her appetite.

[RachelC]

So, 4 feeds per day?  She shouldn't need more than 7.5 oz per feed (according to the calculator).  If she is sleeping through the night without topping off, I would let her go.  You are doing great!

I would advise against starting solids until 6 months.  Take a look here (from the solid food FAQ board):

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=68751.0

[Tuty]

I don't think there are specific rules as of feeding amounts. Every baby is different and if she doesn't spit much than she probably needs it all. It also depends on how active she is and how much she's burning.

My DD was taking 5oz bottles EBM at 2 months (being born early she had a lot of catching up to do) and then moved down to 4 oz at 3 months. Now I BF her in the morning and in the evening, and her other two meals are 8 oz bottles and she sleeps through with no DF. We're trying a little bit of solids, but not too much (she's not digesting it too well yet).

Our pediatrician said that 32oz of fluids a day is fine. I think that as long as she is doing well and sleeping through the night, there is no need to worry about overfeeding with BM.