I have had lots of BF babies over the years but only 6 months and up so I have a few questions. I am temporarily taking care of an 8 week old and he is BF. He eats from bottle really well. So I have only had him one full day and during that day he ate alot! Mom brings frozen milk in 3.5 oz bags. He ate 3.5 oz and wanted more so I warmed another 3.5 bag and he ate that too. Burped great, pooped, and then napped for the next two hours. After sleeping he was hungry again. He ate 3.5 more oz. But still seems hungry.

Is there a normal amount for a BF baby to eat? I am assuming he will eat until he is no longer hungry or is that not correct? I feel like a new mom, but it has been a looooong time since I've had one this young in care and have never had a BF newborn.

I have read on here that BF babies eat more often than formula fed babies...is that true? Should he just eat until he doesn't want to anymore? It seems like 7 oz is a lot if he is eating every two hours or so but yet he acts like he wants more and cries if I stop after the first 3.5 oz. He is a normal size baby with a big appetite I guess....Is this normal? Any advice would be appreciated.

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Once a baby is done drinking at the breast, the suck changes and than it becomes like a pacifier. I BF all 5 of my own children adn this is what I have noticed. I have a BF baby now too and I would love if she took a pacifier. She drinks fine from a bottle but is awalys looking to suck! She is 4 months old and drinks 4 oz every 2 hours. Hope this helps!

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hahaha I'm having a brainfart kind of day today....

i was reading BF as boyfriend and I was like HUH? I get it now! yaya I know.

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Mom brought a paci but said the baby doesn't really use it...but you think I should be offering that instead of more breast milk? I don't want to over feed...kwim? 7 oz seems like alot for his age.

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If BF meant boyfriend, I think my DH would have ALOT of questions! LOL!! In your case BF means brain fart! LOL!!

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That's a LOT.

I have a ten week old who eats 3.25 oz every three hours here. BF babies do usually eat more often but they don't eat that much that young.

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haha see I do have BF because I didn't even realize BF could be brain fart lol someone must put me out of my misery, I'm so zonked today.

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Agreed. My son would non-nutritive suck for a long time so when we switched to bottled breast milk we all had a hard time knowing how much was too much. Can you take the nipple off the bottle and hold your finger in it and let him just suck the bottle nipple with no bottle attached?

No other real good advice here but follow his cues and talk to mom about it. She may be feeling the same thing or be worried about not producing enough and would probably like that you are going to support her in this effort.

I forgot to add that breast milk is easier digested and for some kids means more feedings. I would still look to mom for help but thought I should add that too.

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I would feed as much as he wants to eat. Babies know when it is enough food - he could be going through a bit of a growth spurt right now, and needs the extra calories. Ask Mom to pump more if she isn't sending enough - or get her to leave a little 'back-up' supply, in case you run out one day.

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i'm not very helpful when it comes to bf babies, but i'm wondering, if lets say mom didn't have the best dinner last night, or whenever, would the bm be less filling for baby? and so baby would need to drink more?

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I bf my babies for the first 6 months of thier lives. BF babies drink more because they poop more. The bf baby is prob use to bf every couple of hours when she is with her mom...mom has to release her milk or it will hurt. I was lucky that both of my kids took to the pacifier. The hospital gave it to them but it was a life saver. As the baby's tummy gets bigger they will drink more less often. You just have to get past the first few months or so. Hope this helps!

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Yeah, this is his first day here so I don't know his habits and schedule yet but mom did bring like twenty 3.5 oz bags of frozen milk so I do have enough. He has also pooped like every diaper change so far today so that is obviously normal too right? I just thought 7 oz every 2-3 hours was a bit much but he wants it. I will also try the paci just to be sure it isn't the suckling he is looking for....

thanks ladies!

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My DS is 7 weeks old and takes 5oz of breastmilk every 3-4 hours (I pump instead of bf). Sometimes he takes up to 7oz at a feeding, but not very often.

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No, the mom's body will take from her body's own reserves to make the breastmilk. If her body is lacking in a certain nutrient (say, calcium), her body will sap her sources of that before compromising the milk. Breastmilk doesn't depend on what she eats--but she does need to drink plenty of water or her supply could drop.

Normal poop, and probably normal eating, too--I've had bf'd babies that eat more at first with me, seemingly to make sure that there will be enough there when they need it. I very much agree with feeding him as much as he seems to want--he knows his own little body and 8 weeks is a normal age for a growth spurt. That's a common age for mama to feel like she's literally doing nothing but nursing the baby day in and day out!

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Everything Silver just said, and I'll add that sometimes BF babies will eat more if they are given a feeding from a bottle because getting milk from the bottle is so much easier than getting milk from the breast. So, the baby who is use to working hard at the breast will put the same effort into the bottle and get a ton more milk. They generally will learn to adjust the pressure, but overfeeding to start is common.

So long as it is staying down, I would let him eat what he wants.

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Breastfed babies only need average 1oz/hour they are away from their moms. It is REALLY easy to overfeed a breastfed baby. You should pace his feedings and try other ways to soothe him. 7oz at one feeding is WAY too much. Breastfed babies will eat frequently, my DD at that age was at least every 2 hours. When she started daycare (3 months) she got 3oz every 3 hours, on average. Overfeeding him and letting him drink too fast from the bottle will jeopardize the breastfeeding relationship with his mom.

Kelly mom is an awesome resource on breastfeeding, check out this page on bottle feeding a breastfed baby. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

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Yup. BF babies do tend to eat more from a bottle (at first) and more when they are in a new situation away from mommy that they need to get used to. My experience has been different from other posters', so just for perspective, the first time I left my son with a babysitter, he gulped his way through about 15 ounces of breast milk, and it stayed down! He never ate that much in a sitting again, but he did take 7-9 ounces frequently from a bottle...and he's 10th percentile weight. Same thing happened with the little girl I watch. She doubled the amount of food she took in when she started coming here, and her weight is pretty consistent as well.

I'm usually more concerned about overfeeding with formula since it's not as natural.

ETA: bottle feeding didn't change my breastfeeding relationship with my son --not at all. I'd feed him what he seems to need to eat for now. I'm sure his mom wouldn't want him to go hungry because she can't be there to nurse him!

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I would check with his Mom and go by what she thinks. I BF both my children and I have no idea whatsoever how much they consumed but it was every 2 hours until they were older. Also, breast milk metabolizes much quicker than formula so yes, you will have lots of dirty diapers.

How long are you watching him? If it's just a couple of days I wouldn't worry so long as he seems happy and content.

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The way overfeeding from a bottle can mess with a breastfeeding relationship has a couple ramifications -

- the mother won't be able to keep up with pumping the amount you're feeding, if you overfeed your baby
- the baby may start to expect (not NEED) the amounts being given and therefore get frustrated at the breast

When my DD started daycare I was told to send more milk. I only sent what she needed. Once she got used to not having the sucking for comfort after drinking her milk, she adjusted fine. She has gained weight and met her milestones perfectly. She gets 12 oz in 4 bottles of 3oz each while I'm at work.

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Duh! me too! I had to read the first three sentences twice?!

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This is my experience too. About an ounce per hour for newborns to three months.

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I'm not sure what type of bottle you're using but hopefully the nipple is a slow flow nipple. That might help pace things out. Also, let him suck on the bottle after it's gone, because BF babies continue to suck even after the breast is "empty."

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I talked with mom at pick up and she said sometimes he varies from anywhere from 3.5-7 oz per feeding. Average though is about 4 oz. She said if he does drink alot at one time it is usually in the morning and usually only once per day. For all other feedings yesterday he only drank the 3.5-4 oz offered to him which was about every 3.5 hours so that seems about right with what you guys have been saying right?

I am thinking that he is doing what Silversabre and a few other pp's said about eating more at first because today I fed him 4 oz at 6:30 this morning and then he burped and went to sleep. Now I just got done feeding him at about 9:45 and he only ate 3.5 oz. He has a pacifier but hasn't yet been interested.

Mom said sometimes he will eat alot and other times just an oz or two. He doesn't spit up and doesn't act like he has anything going on in the tummy area as far as gas or a tummy ache so I am just planning on offering his paci if necessary but sticking to the 3.5-4 oz bags for each feeding.

Mom said he will sometimes have a bigger appetite in the morning and level off during the day. The bottle she brought says Medela on it. The nipple seems to have a really tiny hole so I am assuming the flow is low.

It seems so weird to wonder what type of routine he has and say things like "What does he normally do?" or "What are his normal eating patterns?" because I'm thinking how does he have patterns at only 8 weeks old?

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He seems right to me! He probably does have some what of a pattern already, even at 8 weeks old. I know this will sound anal, but we keep a log of when and how much DS eats (he's 7 weeks old). After looking at his log, I've noticed within the last week that he does indeed have a pattern.

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