What should be the baby’s feeding routine in the first month? The paed said it should be on demand. Since I am not producing much b- milk as yet (maybe because of excessive meds after cesarean or what) She is on formula milk mostly. I try to b feed her with whatever supply I can have but I feel she is never satiated until she has the bottle. So there is no routine basically. Like today she was given bottle in the morning about 6. Then I b fed her and again about 8 am she was given bottle which she didnt take except for a teeny weeny couple of sips. I did b feed her afterwards whenever she seemed like hungry and havent given her bottle since then, and now its 3 pm. Now my concern is, is this randomness okay or there should be some pattern between the b feed and formula? Also, how much feed, b feed or formula is normal for the baby in the first month? I observe mine doesnt take much. Or is it like the b feed is sufficient to fill her in, whatever much or less it be.
Re: the feeding routine
I would say bf first and then giver her formula. Formula is more filling so she will not bf much after formula.
It is possible that she is not taking much bm since she is already full and so your supply may not increase.
I do not correctly remember the age but after a while I think there should be a 3 to 4 hr gap between feedings.
Re: the feeding routine
no routine at first month atleast for my baby…
i was bf only and he would wake up after every 10-20minutes…then after a week he started sleeping for an hour or 1.5hours…
waisay its true that there is no routine…otherwise you have to feed them every 2 hours…roughly
i dont remember that i actually slept for more than an hour continuously at my baby’s first month…
you have to feed for 20mins from each breast…but time may exceed or decrease depending on supply…
for formula it must be written on milk powder’s can that how much you have to give
Re: the feeding routine
Breast feed first. And like akmoti said, the baby needs to be on each breast for at least 20 mins. Feed from both sides and then if she still seems hungry, then offer formula. Formula does make babies feel fuller longer cos it takes longer to digest. And the first month lol it does seem like baby is always hungry, but just keep bfeeding/supplementing. You both will fall into a routine soon enough, plus you’ll be able to determine when baby is hungry and whatnot. As a general rule though, you should feed baby every 2-3 hours when they’re newborns.
Also, don’t worry if it seems like baby only takes a little bit of formula…newborns have teeny tiny stomachs, she’ll take more formula/breastmilk as she grows bigger.
Re: the feeding routine
I didnt even know I have to feed her for 20 mins from each. Thats a great help. So must be fed every two to three hours? but what when she sleeps and continues to sleep like for hours and hours. babies this little are so unpredictable and scary in a way :hinna:
the feeding routine
Newborns need to be fed every two hours during the day and every three hours during the night. They have really tiny tummies so small frequent feedings are very important. I think this 2-3 hour interval is required up to 6-8 weeks after which you can extend the interval by an hour.
Yeah always breastfeed first before giving formula. Your supply is still building up so frequent feedings will help with that. Also most women do have enough milk to feed their newborn. Try frequent sessions of breastfeeding. I know breastfeeding is very frustrating in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually quite convenient for the most part!
the feeding routine
Oh and I was told to wake the baby up after the 2 hour interval. Some babies get up to eat but some keep sleeping in the beginning. You have to wake them up so that they receive frequent small feedings.
And they are often completely knocked out so you have to make quite an effort to wake them up!
Re: the feeding routine
Diaper change helps wake them up. So every two hours or so change the diaper and then feed.
Re: the feeding routine
I was told every 2-3 hours, but mine wakes up on time…like clock-work…
and B-feeding I was told that 20mins on each breast is good, but I don’t have enough b-milk too, so am giving him the bottle and normally for him 80ml is enough (1st month), now I give between 80-100ml and he seems happy with it. Only sometimes he requires a little bit more.
Re: the feeding routine
Doctors often say to wake up babies for feeds every 2-3 hours IF they are preemies or if they have lost too much weight or something. Otherwise if the baby seems to be drinking fine the rest of the day, you can let her sleep. Feel free to check with the pediatrician about this, but I don’t think I would wake a healthy sleeping baby!
And yes 20 minutes on the first breast (the milk that comes after the first 10 minutes usually has more fat and helps fill up the baby). It can be less on the second breast if she seems full.
Feeds should begin roughly every 2-3 hours. But I also know of moms who had supply issues who sometimes were feeding on and off for a couple hours straight in the afternoons b/c the baby would sleep/nurse and perhaps the constant suckling helped bring up the supply. Definitely nurse first, then offer formula if you think she’s still hungry. BUT note that this mixing of bf and formula in one feed is sometimes known to exacerbate tummy issues, so just see if she seems gassy or colicy and uncomfortable after feeds. Some moms with supply issues switch to designating 1-2 feeds a day as formula feeds to help supplement low supply.
As for number of oz, if she’s BFIng at all, you can’t really know. BFed babies usually need less. I think the formula for formula-fed babies is #months+2=#oz. But plenty of healthy babies drink more or less of than this. Each child’s appetite is different.
Also try methi, oatmeal, lots of fluids, nuts, dried fruits, and saunf to help with production. Good luck! You’re doing great!
Re: the feeding routine
how do we use methi? someone suggested zeere wali roti. But it rather gave me stomach pain
Re: the feeding routine
^it’s the seeds that are supposed to be helpful for production. You can brew them in an herbal tea (there’s even a mother’s milk tea that is very effective for some women: Amazon.com: Organic Mother’s Milk Tea 16 Bags: Health & Personal Care
But it doesn’t hurt to add the herb to your food. Try it in keema or omelettes. Yummy.
Re: the feeding routine
^ use fresh methi in parathas (its like spinach), or methi aloo salan…tastes so much better than trying to drink the seed stuff.