6 week old eating this already?

[boovert]

Hi ladies, My son Morgan is eating up to 6 to 8 ounces of formula 6/7 times a day. He's driving me crazy! Is anyone having this happen or has had this happened to them? He was 8 pds 4 ounces @ birth dropped down to 7 14 and now he's up to 9 pds 2 ounces. My Mw thinks he should have gained a lot more already.

He always seems hungry- I heard that maybe introducing rice cereal in his bottle might take the edge off? ~boovert

[stellimamo]

I wouldn't give him rice cereal. Rice cereal is not good for babes. It can raise their risks for having diabetes later in life if rice cereal is started before 6m. The Academy of Pediatrics recommends that solid foods be introduced, generally no earlier than four months of age. Don't start rice cereal before 6 months of age if there is a strong history of allergies in the family.
Babies do NOT have a strongly developed swallow and gag reflex, until 4 months of age, giving them cereal to early is a choking/ aspiration risk.

[alegna]

Do NOT give cereal. I don't have any clue on amounts as my dd was exclusively breastfed.

-Angela

[duckat]

Don't give cereal.
6wks is prime time for a growth spurt. I don't know anything about amounts, but you might want to offer a bit more at each feeding and see how your baby does.

[alegna]

I just wanted to encourage you to try to nurse again. That is what your baby really needs, and he's so young you still have a good chance of getting him back on the breast exclusively. Then you don't even have to think about how much he's eating.

-Angela

[boingo82]

Agreed, do not try rice cereal. Introducing solids this early can cause abrasions in the intestines because babies are just not set up to digest anything but formula or BM. And really, this is way, way WAY too early to introduce rice cereal.

[~member~]

Originally Posted by boovert

Hi ladies, My son Morgan is eating up to 6 to 8 ounces of formula 6/7 times a day. He's driving me crazy! Is anyone having this happen or has had this happened to them? He was 8 pds 4 ounces @ birth dropped down to 7 14 and now he's up to 9 pds 2 ounces. My Mw thinks he should have gained a lot more already.

Could he be slightly dehydrated? Formulas contain tons of sugars and cow's milk protein's that are difficult to digest.
If you are not going to try and breastfeed again, I would take him to the Doctors and have him assessed, maybe he needs a different formula?

[mamanurse]

I think that's a lot of formula for such a young babe to be eating at each feed. Is there formula in his poop (white stuff)? That would be an indication that you're overfeeding him and his body isn't absorbing the nutrients well. I'd talk to your ped about how much formula you should be feeding him.

[hairpin]

I think your midwife's concerns are valid. It might be that he's not absorbing the nutrients of the formula very well. Perhaps going to a doctor is the best thing. They can recommend maybe a new formula or get you started on supplemental breastfeeding, if it's at all possible.

Good luck. It sounds very stressful.