Feeding a newborn is an intricate dance of understanding cues and ensuring your baby is well-nourished. New parents often grapple with questions about the frequency and quantity of feeds, especially when dealing with issues like spit-up or fussiness. Here’s a comprehensive look at whether overfeeding is possible and how to discern your baby’s needs.
What Every Parent Should Know
When my daughter was just a few weeks old, anyone who held her quickly learned to grab a blanket first. She spat up constantly, unlike my two older children. I worried she was eating too much and then regurgitating most of it. Her pediatrician reassured me that her steady weight gain and content demeanor indicated she was getting enough nutrition and would likely outgrow the spitting-up phase. Thankfully, she did by the time she started solid foods.
Feeding a newborn, whether through breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, can raise numerous questions about the timing and quantity of feeds. New parents often worry about overfeeding or underfeeding their babies. Here are some common concerns about feeding newborns and ensuring they receive adequate nourishment.
Feeding Frequency and Amounts
A healthy, full-term newborn typically needs to breastfeed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours or take 2 to 3 ounces of expressed milk or formula every 3 to 4 hours. As your baby grows, they will need fewer feedings, but the amount of milk they consume at each feeding will increase. It’s essential to remember that every baby is unique, and their feeding requirements can differ. Don’t force your baby to finish every feed; it’s normal for them to leave some milk, as long as they remain hydrated and feed well.
Trisha Muldoon, a first-time mom from Hamilton, Ontario, found her son Bertie’s brief stay in the NICU helpful for learning to recognize his hunger and fullness cues. The NICU staff taught her to slow down his bottle feeding to prevent overconsumption. While initially anxious about breastfeeding, as she couldn’t measure the milk intake, she soon understood the importance of recognizing fullness signs over exact volumes.
Recognizing When Your Baby Is Full
Your baby will communicate their fullness through various cues. According to Andrea Firmani, a baby feeding coordinator at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, babies may push the bottle away, turn their head from the breast, fuss, squirm, or decrease sucking and swallowing with longer pauses. Signs of a satisfied baby include relaxed hands, closed eyes, extended limbs, and overall calmness.
Muldoon learned that Bertie was done feeding when he pushed his arms into her chest or squirmed. His eyes rolling back and tongue fluttering at her breast, signaling sleep, were also clear indicators of his contentment.
Can You Overfeed a Baby?
Babies are adept at self-regulating their intake, eating when hungry, and stopping when full. However, differences exist between breastfed and bottle-fed babies. Breastfed babies can better control their intake, pulling away when full, while bottle-fed babies may struggle with the flow rate and quantity. Caregivers might also inadvertently encourage bottle-fed babies to finish their bottles, disregarding fullness cues.
Signs of Overfeeding
Overfeeding can cause gassiness, burping, gagging, choking, fussiness, irritability, or vomiting (forceful, projectile vomiting as opposed to gentle spit-up). Firmani notes that breastfed babies generally self-regulate better than bottle-fed ones, reducing the risk of overfeeding.
Spit-up is common in both breastfed and bottle-fed babies during the first few months, usually due to an immature digestive system. As the baby’s muscles develop, the issue typically resolves. If you’re concerned about your baby’s weight gain, diaper output, or post-feed discomfort, consult your pediatrician.
Should You Feed Again After Spit Up?
If your baby spits up, it might seem like they’ve lost their entire feed, prompting the question of whether to feed again immediately. If your baby appears content, there’s usually no need to worry. Firmani advises taking a break to clean up and observe your baby for hunger cues. If they seem hungry, offer more milk; otherwise, wait until the next scheduled feed. Remember, spit-up often appears more substantial than it is because of the size of the resulting wet spot.
What Is Paced Bottle Feeding?
Paced bottle feeding mimics breastfeeding by controlling the bottle’s flow, allowing the baby to regulate their intake. This method helps babies gauge their fullness more effectively, which lowers the chances of overfeeding. Firmani recommends holding the baby upright against your body during bottle feeds, allowing them to control the sucking rate. Muldoon observed NICU nurses using this technique, learning to take breaks and burp Bertie throughout his bottle feeds.
Ensuring Your Baby Gets Enough
Regular pediatric check-ups will monitor your baby’s growth. In the meantime, monitor diaper output to gauge if your baby is feeding adequately. In the first four days, breastfed babies typically have one poopy diaper per day of life, increasing to about three to four stools daily after day four. Formula-fed babies may have fewer stools. Wet diapers should also increase, starting with one per day of life for the first four days, then five to six (or more) daily.
Newborns often wake up frequently to feed and connect with their parents. Watch for hunger cues, and if your baby isn’t getting at least eight active feeds with significant sucking and swallowing in 24 hours or lacks sufficient wet or poopy diapers, consult your pediatrician. Dehydration is rare but serious. Signs include no wet diaper for over six hours, dry mouth or eyes, and excessive sleepiness, or irritability. Weigh a sufficiently wet diaper by adding a couple of tablespoons of water to a dry one for comparison.
Conclusion
While feeding your newborn can seem daunting, understanding and responding to their hunger and fullness cues will ensure they get the nutrition they need. They usually eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full. Overfeeding is rare but more common with bottle-fed babies. They might have less control over the flow of milk compared to breastfeeding. So paced bottle feeding is recommended. Always consult your healthcare provider if you have concerns about your baby’s feeding patterns or health.
