Questions about weighing baby before and after feeds and how much milk a 7mo should be drinking...

[beckington]

I am going to be doing test feeds with my baby, weighing him before and after feeds for 24 or 48 hours to see about how much milk he is getting. He is 7.5 months old, weighs about 11lb 10, and I want to see if the trouble is that he's just not getting enough milk. I bought a scale online and it should be here in a few days. I'm wondering what the procedure for doing this is, other than weigh-feed-weigh again, or is that just basically it? The scale is accurate to 2 grams.

Also obviously I need to know about how much an average baby his age is supposed to be drinking to see if he's getting enough! Anyone know? Someone in another thread said she'd read 30 ounces. I assume there is a range though?

Thanks so much!

PS - I know some people don't think test weights/feeds are a good idea, but let's just assume it is a good idea, OK? I'm doing it!! :)

[KempsMama]

At that age my LO was taking in about 6 oz. per feed, feeding every two to three hours.  I don't know how typical he was though, just anecdotal. 

[Erin77]

When my son was that age he would take about 6 oz of pumped milk in a feed. He weighed around 16 lbs then too. I'd guess between 28-36 oz a day would be a good range for that age- check kellymom as well.

[gemasita]

I think there is a guideline of 2 - 2.5 oz per pound of body weight but I don't know if that applies to older babies because I thought at some point it gets less dependent on weight.  But I'm not sure about that.  I'm going to be doing before and after feeding weights on my 6 month old soon and I'm guessing he should be eating around 30'ish oz.  He's 15lbs 4oz.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by gemasita 

I think there is a guideline of 2 - 2.5 oz per pound of body weight but I don't know if that applies to older babies because I thought at some point it gets less dependent on weight.  But I'm not sure about that.  I'm going to be doing before and after feeding weights on my 6 month old soon and I'm guessing he should be eating around 30'ish oz.  He's 15lbs 4oz.

That guideline is for formula-fed babies.

Breastfed babies fed directly from the breast take in an average of 25 oz. over 24 hours, regardless of age or weight, with a range of about 19-30 oz. being "normal".  6 oz. at a feeding is NOT typical for a breastfed baby.

[beckington]

Thanks everyone! I found 25 ounces on kellymom.com to be what she considers average, with a range of 19-30 ounces - here's a link to more info on that in case anyone else is wondering:

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

I'm very curious now to see what ds2 is getting in 24 hours! Won't be weighing the night nursing in bed though!! :)

[Megan73]

Yes, according to Kellymom, 19-30 ounces is a typical range and 25 ounces average for babies between one and six months (unlike FF babes, BF babes don't drink more as they get bigger - that's why weight gain tapers down) but there was one study showing that 30 ounces was the average daily intake for a group of seven-month-old babies.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by beckington 

Thanks everyone! I found 25 ounces on kellymom.com to be what she considers average, with a range of 19-30 ounces - here's a link to more info on that in case anyone else is wondering:

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

I'm very curious now to see what ds2 is getting in 24 hours! Won't be weighing the night nursing in bed though!! :)

I really wouldn't skip the night feeds. I've seen research - I'll try to dig it up - that even older babies can get as much as 25% of their calories at night.

[beckington]

Originally Posted by Megan73 

I really wouldn't skip the night feeds. I've seen research - I'll try to dig it up - that even older babies can get as much as 25% of their calories at night.
 

If his daily intake is really low I might need to consider it but at night once he latches on he stays on for a long time, d and we both just sleep like that, so it would be difficult. He also nurses to sleep for naps.... hmmm this will be difficult!!

[beckington]

Originally Posted by Megan73 

Yes, according to Kellymom, 19-30 ounces is a typical range and 25 ounces average for babies between one and six months (unlike FF babes, BF babes don't drink more as they get bigger - that's why weight gain tapers down) but there was one study showing that 30 ounces was the average daily intake for a group of seven-month-old babies.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

Interesting - though kellymom also says that the level will stay the same after six months until it starts to decrease gradually (because of solids). So you'd think if the average before 6 months is 25 ounces then that's the average max after six months - at least that's how I read it. I expect I'll be happy if we get 19!!!

[foreverinbluejeans]

My 3 children and now my grandson have a genetic disease that involves slow weight gain as an older baby and toddler. Their doctors at impressive childrens hospitals haven't believed weighing a baby before and after feeding to be accurate in determining how much milk a baby gets. It seems like it would work that way but I guess at least some doctors think not. My son that had the most weight problems would have weight checks 3 times a week. Overall growth and blood checks for anemia are important in a slow to grow baby.

Babies should have up to 32 oz of formula from around 6 until 12 months.  I don't think we really know how much breastmilk is optimal at any given age. Babies have different needs and we can't experiment on breastfed babies. We know that people overfeed babies and that obesity can begin in infancy. You may want to check the WHO growth charts rather then the US growth charts since US babies are heavier.

A breastfed baby should gain at least a pound a month. If your baby is not gaining a pound a month you can suppliment with appropriate solids rather than worrying about how much breastmilk the baby is getting or supplimenting with formula. Of course it is important to nurse 8-12 times a day if you think you don't have a lot of milk and to make sure you don't let more than 3-4 hours go at night. Wake the baby if need be. Most foods people give babies are watered down and low in fat. Avocados are high in fat. You can make your own food using no water and adding butter or oil to everything you can. Sweet potato with butter is a good example. Meat is important because it is high in fat and iron. There are powders you can add to food to make it have more calories. I don't suggest doing that without the advice of specialists.

[Megan73]

How did the test feeds go?

[beckington]

Ah, the scale we ended up with wasn't accurate enough to do the test weights! So I've forgotten about it now, because he's actually gaining better all of a sudden!! Yay! :)

[Megan73]

Fantastic!