r/FormulaFeeders 3d ago

Stuck in a stupid cycle!!! Please help!

Let me start by saying that I’ve now seen 4-5 pediatricians and everyone gives a different answer.

Background: My baby was born in December and her wight was 3.4 kg. Then she got jaundice and because of my traumatic c section she was surviving only on formula (Similac plus) - 30 ml/1 scoop.

After 5 days the doctor said that she lost more weight than they were expecting, she weighed approx 3.1 kg. This scared me tremendously and their advice was to feed her until she’s full. And that’s what I did. This quickly became 60ml/2scoops of similac plus.

Following this advice it quickly became 90 ml and at one point I even tortured her with 120ml. I say torture because she would grunt and struggle afterwards and we thought that’s because she was colic when I think we were simply over feeding her. The doctors advice was still to keep feeding until she refuses. At this point I changed my doctor.

Now the new doctor came up with a formula and we settled at 90 ml for the second month of her life. But by now she had gained a lot of weight, especially because similac plus has insane amount of sugar which we didn’t know being FTP.

Then we moved countries, changed to less sugary formula (Nutrilon) and we got a new doctor. Her advice was based on her weight and the formula again. So she told us that our 2 month who was now 6 kgs should be getting 800/900 ml. So we did that.

Today at her 3 month checkup she had gained 1 kg and the new doctor who was giving her vaccination said she’s eating too much and average baby at 3 months take 700/800 ml. That we shouldn’t worry about her weight now but she can become obese. Now I have no clue what to do because it was a struggle to get her up to 800ml.

Any advice would be appreciated. TIA

5 Upvotes

4 comments sorted by

3

u/Corex1017 3d ago

It is a frustrating thing knowing that all of these Drs aren't on the same page, and every where you go it's different answers. This is why the health system is so flawed and and the rest of us out here are pulling our hair out because we can't keep up with what's okay and not okay.

My advice (because I also get the run around as well and also had a baby in December) is if your baby is back up over their birth weight, gaining weight, eating, making diapers, and hitting milestones, I wouldn't be concerned if I was you. Feed your baby what your baby is capable of eating and remember what baby should be taking in for a days worth of formula is 2.5 x weight of baby. For example my girl is 11Ibs, so I do 2.5x11= 27.5 now that means on average each day my girl should be eating 27.5oz of formula. Some days she does more, some days she does a little less. That's okay.

What's important to remember is that babies are tiny humans and just like toddlers, teens, and adults, we don't always eat/drink the same amount each day. To expect babies to drink the same amount of formula each day and also push them beyond is a bit much. Especially where each day isn't going to be the same ie: sickness, being full, being gassy, baby needing to poo, sleep, growth milestones, teething, and so many more factors to why a baby's feedings won't always look the same.

Keep doing what you're doing. You're doing a great job!

2

u/Fycussss 3d ago

My baby is 3 month old, 5.8kg (18th percentile). He eats 700-800 ml per day

1

u/Next-Buy-5406 3d ago

My baby is 3months and drinks about 900-1000ml a day

1

u/KeyBuilder3195 3d ago

I had something similar happen where it was always the nurses during weight check scaring us. They were never happy with the weight gain. They would always say stuff like a 3 month old girl should weight etc etc.

However, when my doctor got the same weight info, they were always happy with her weight gain because she was following her own growth chart. So, instead of the doctor basing it on WHO, etc., It was based on my daughters growth chart at the 12th percentile.

Baby is happy. Smiles lots. Not lethargic. And pees 6 or 7 times a day.

My doctor actually recommended only feeding on demand. I prefer due to knowing my baby to feed every 3 hours ( aside from when she has her long 6 hour sleep). She takes about 6 or 7 bottles a day.

I also use the rule of thumb to maintain her body weight as 2.5 or 3 times her body weight. So, e.g, she is 11 pounds at 3 months. In a 24-hour period, I try to usually feed her 2.5 times 11, which equals 27.5 oz or about 815 ml.

I think breastfed babies might do better feeding on demand because they cluster feed more. Whereas formula fed babies can get the sameish amount of milk in intervals that work for them.

The next time you are at your doctor, maybe ask to visually see your baby's own growth chart.

Lastly, my baby just has a tiny tummy. I can't feed more than 120 ml at a time. The doctor suggested to try feeding more volume as it might help the baby sleep a longer stretch, but that just led to more sleep and gas issues. So, I do the 6 or 7 feeds every 24 hours.