https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 05 Jul 2026 23:32:42 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975898 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:53:44 +0000 Adira 975898@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: THANK YOU!!!! I think reading what you wrote was exactly what I needed! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!</p> <p>@kiddosc: Yeah, my daycare just feeds on a schedule, though they told me that they'll feed earlier than the 3 hours if the baby is hungry. And they USED to do that. So... I'm not really sure what happened! Perhaps he's really not all that hungry? Or maybe with so many babies, they just stick to the schedule? I don't know. I do know that he's the only breastfed baby, so I think they get confused on what to do with him. And no, we don't have to fill out an infant sheet on him. That would be nice though - that's cool your daycare does that.</p> <p>@mewtill: You're right! He MUST be fine! He's always totally happy when I pick him up in the evening, so it's not like he's just crying all day starving or anything. And they fill out an activity sheet on him and everyday they say he's happy, smiley, and playful. So he's gotta be fine, right?</p> <p>And I completely agree about the percentiles! I just wish my husband would understand them better! I've EXPLAINED to him that a lower percentile doesn't mean he's hungry and that the pediatrician said it was TOTALLY NORMAL for him to decrease in growth now that he's sleeping through the night and that she wasn't concerned so I didn't understand why he was. He just kept saying "we should try six ounces - maybe he wants more - you don't know unless you try." And I'm like "But WHY do you even want to try it???" Ugh! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975879 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:48:13 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 975879@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: okay, yeah, ignore the daycare people. If they're doing every 3 hours, he must be fine. As for your husband, percentiles change all the time &amp; breastfed babies slow their growth rate as they get older. Plus, it's only saying how many kids are larger/smaller - it's not a score :) I hope you can put your mind at ease and get back to enjoying breastfeeding :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975865 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:44:17 +0000 kiddosc 975865@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Put on your mommy pants and tell them to feed him when he's hungry. With infants, the daycare really has no business telling you they'll only feed him every three hours. I would go in and reiterate that you want him fed when he shows signs of hunger and ask them specifically why they keep telling you that he's hungry early, but then they don't feed him... even after you've given them permission to. Do you need to fill out an info sheet for him every so often? We had to fill one out that specified his feeding/sleeping schedule every 30 days. This helped keep everyone current on the preferred care. I like the suggestion that you send smaller bottles to be fed more frequently. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975860 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:43:02 +0000 brownie 975860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: You will probably hate my advice. I think you should stop worrying about it. Your son is giving you no cues and your daycare is choosing not to deal with the problem (evidenced by your last post where they aren't feeding on demand and aren't really working with you or him). This is their problem NOT yours. Your baby is fine, he isn't hungry (I had a hungry baby and he was bees to honey on me. We nursed 3 -5 times a night). Tell everyone to back off or come up with a solution on their own that doesn't include more breast milk or formula. You aren't away from him long enough to starve him. Seriously, some babies don't eat any BM all day at daycare and reverse cycle at night.</p> <p>This thread just makes me so angry for you. We as mothers shouldn't have to sit and worry about all of this. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't. Obviously, no one has the answers because there is so much conflicting evidence and advice (on this thread and others). So, do what your instincts are telling you (which from what I can tell is that he isn't hungry). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975777 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:27:12 +0000 Adira 975777@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebittyhouse: Thanks for your advice! I'll definitely think about splitting up the bottles differently. My only concern is that the daycare has a set schedule that they USUALLY feed the babies every 3 hours. Even though they've told me (multiple times now) that he's getting hungry earlier and I've told them to just feed him whenever, they are STILL feeding him every 3 hours. I'm worried that even if I give 4 4oz bottles and tell them to feed him sooner, they won't, and then he'll only get 12oz for the day!</p> <p>@mewtill: Honestly, I have no idea how long it's been an issue. It was brought to my attention two weeks ago when the usual daycare teacher went on vacation. One of her subs told me Xander was getting hungry earlier and asked if they could feed him sooner. I basically said go for it, but then for the rest of the week, they continued to just feed him every 3 hours. I thought maybe it was just that one day... So then the next week (last week), the usual daycare teacher returned from vacation. I told her about what the other teacher had said, and she confirmed it! She said she also noticed that Xander was getting hungry earlier and suggested either feeding him more throughout the day or sending more ounces per bottle. I AGAIN told her to feed him whenever she thought he was hungry, but AGAIN, all that week, he was continued to be fed just every three hours.</p> <p>So now I have noooooooooo idea what's going on. Is he really hungry like they said? If so, why aren't they feeding him? Was it only those two days that I happened to talk to them that he seemed hungry? Both were Mondays and I had sent frozen milk instead of fresh - maybe that's the culprit? The frozen milk would've been 2 months old (roughly) and probably not as fatty as his current milk. Maybe that's why he was hungry. Maybe the rest of the week he was fine. But I don't really know!</p> <p>And my husband's opinion that Xander needs more BM is entirely based on his weight percentile and has nothing to do with what the daycare people are telling me. He doesn't even talk to the daycare people, so I'm not even sure he's aware they've told me that Xander's hungry early! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975357 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:45:11 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 975357@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: This has been an issue for how long? A week? My guy quit drinking milk for maybe 2 weeks and then went back to normal. Ask your husband to give it another week before you change anything - maybe X will get over whatever hump this is on his own. I always try to give breastfeeding issues at least a week-10 days to resolve before I freak.<br /> ETA: *try. I seriously miss the mark most times though :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975336 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:40:28 +0000 littlebittyhouse 975336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Mama! I know this is tough! Honestly - 5 months is the hardest time in the whoe nursing/pumping relationship because you are maxed out on how much you can pump and they are starting to be ready for solids.</p> <p>I don't think you need to do a bottle trial at home because nursing is so vastly different. My LO has always been on the higher level of consumption and we have had to tweak when he gets his bottles and how much.</p> <p>15oz a day is totally FINE and you shouldn't worry about not sending enough! I would maybe split it up into more feedings and see how he does. We were doing (4) 4 oz bottles at that age. Then for awhile he was getting a larger bottle in the morning with 3 smaller bottles. I think you're OK with the ounces and you jsut need to think about delivery.</p> <p>Maybe he does want a little more attention and 4 feedings would give him that.</p> <p>At 13mo we are now doing (2) 5oz bottles a day - it does get easier I promise! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975279 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:28:24 +0000 Adira 975279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mewtill: I think my mom is the same way! I think she just wants to be supportive, but doesn't realize how important breastfeeding has become to me! Especially because at six weeks, I was ready to QUIT and I talked to her about it and she was sooooo supportive of me quitting if I wanted to. But now I want to EBF as long as possible, but I don't think she knows how strongly I feel about it, so she's just trying to offer suggestions to help, but I find them hurtful now. Oh well.</p> <p>And thanks!!! I really do feel the same - if he was hungry he'd nurse more at home and he DOESN'T!!! But maybe I should talk to my pediatrician and hopefully she can back me up and then I can say to Hubs "I talked to our doctor and she said he's fine so stop bugging me." hahaha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975244 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:18:29 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 975244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: aw honey - he's not starving! I just know he isn't. Babies are so resilient, he really would reverse cycle if he needed more milk. He'd be all over you, cluster nursing when you got home if he was that hungry. Maybe a pediatrician visit or just getting him weighed will make you feel better?</p> <p>For what it's worth, my mom is exactly the same way. Anytime I express a worry or concern about breastfeeding, she suggests formula. I want to say "Stop trying to make formula happen, mom! It's not going to happen!" I asked her once if she didn't support me exclusively breastfeeding, and she was shocked. She said she only suggests formula because she wants things to be easier for me. So, I guess it's coming from a good place? But still not helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-975153 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:51:29 +0000 Adira 975153@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, I just explained this whole situation to my mom, hoping to get some support, and she was just like "send more milk" and when I told her I was struggling to pump what I was sending already, she was all "supplement with formula." UGH!</p> <p>I just wish SOMEONE would support me. Or am I being a total ass-hat and Xander really IS starving to death and needs more milk???? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm/page/2#post-974535 Tue, 30 Jul 2013 07:51:18 +0000 swedishfish 974535@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Baby Boy Mom: I have no idea...this was the first time we've met her. I'll have to do some research on my own because I've never heard that before. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-973210 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:52:59 +0000 Adira 973210@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swedishfish: I definitely agree that it's frustrating!!! It'll be nice when he's on cow's milk and I don't have to worry about this anymore, haha. Of course then there's whether he's getting enough food and nutrients...</p> <p>@Baby Boy Mom: Yeah, I'm wondering that too. I mean, sometimes he'll get fussy for me too before I think he's hungry, but I'll pick him up and play with him and he seems perfectly content with that, so I think he just wants some extra attention. Which I know is hard at daycare because there are so many of them with so many babies - they can't all get the attention they want when they want it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-973164 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:35:51 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 973164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Yeah I'm not sure about that. Maybe he just needs more of the "comfort" of BM since you're not there? Everything you've said makes me think that he doesn't actually need more BM in terms of quantity so I'm not sure. </p> <p>@swedishfish: I think your doc might be confusing BM and formula? My LO at 5 months is 9 kilos but there is no way he would drink 9oz a feeding...just doesn't make sense. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-973095 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:15:57 +0000 swedishfish 973095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: maybe if he had less bottles of 6-6.5 ounces during the day he'd hold over better? I feel like trying to figure out how much breast milk to give in a bottle is really frustrating! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-973074 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:11:08 +0000 Adira 973074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swedishfish: Hmm... that would imply that he needs like 6.5 oz, but that seems like a lot. If he has six 6.5oz bottles a day, that would be almost 40oz of breastmilk, which I think is maybe more than a breastfed baby would need?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-973055 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:06:21 +0000 swedishfish 973055@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: so my LO had her one month check up today and I mentioned we give her bottles of breast milk for some feedings. The doctor told me that she should approximately drink her weight in kilograms in each bottle. My LO is 9lb 13oz so that would be 4 kilograms or 4 ounces in a bottle. Maybe this could help you? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971401 Mon, 29 Jul 2013 05:03:33 +0000 Adira 971401@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mewtill: That's what I was thinking - that if he really wasn't getting enough during the day, he'd wake up hungry! But it probably would be a good idea for me to test giving him 5oz and seeing how long he lasts before he seems hungry again.</p> <p>@Smurfette: I wonder if Xander will take issue with them since he'll have to start working harder to get the milk now...</p> <p>@silver1: I was thinking that maybe he needed to be fed more with just less amounts, except he eats every 3 hours at home too, so I would think he'd be able to do that at daycare...?</p> <p>@brownie: I think I was using the newborn ones... or are those different than the "1" ones? Either way, the ones I were using were stretched out or something because they were definitely allowing milk to flow way too fast! I switched to the "2" ones because that's currently all I have, but the flow is slower!</p> <p>@Baby Boy Mom: I was thinking of sending more smaller bottles, except that he goes 3 hours at home, so I would think it should be able to work at daycare...?</p> <p>@dojo: Thanks! That's what I was thinking too! He would wake up in the MOTN if he was actually hungry, right???</p> <p>@lepamplemousse: WOW!!! 8oz bottles??? That seems like a LOT!!! But I know all babies are different, so who knows! Thanks for letting me know what your experience was like!</p> <p>@LaineysMom: Yes, I think I understood your suggestion. I'm thinking if I have a free bottle this weekend, I'll try it out and see how long he can go after he eats it. If he really is getting hungry early, then at least I'll know. But maybe he really just wants attention (or is tired even)! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971302 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 23:19:23 +0000 LaineysMom 971302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: just to clarify my suggestion.. the experiment is more for you to see for yourself whether or not he's truly hungry between feeds.. It won't work if daycare gives the bottles bc they're the ones saying he needs more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971287 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 22:45:14 +0000 ChelseaRose 971287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If the issue is him being hungry sooner you could try sending four 4oz bottle rather than three 5oz. It would only be one more ounce and would add in an extra feeding. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971275 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 22:35:51 +0000 lepamplemousse 971275@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had the same problem too! Everything I read said that babies eat the same amount of BM until 6 months, then it would go down when they started solids. From my experience this is not true. My son went from eating 4 oz when he started daycare at 4 months to 8 oz (3 bottles/day, nursed morning and at bedtime) at 5 months. I made them use a slow flow nipple but then it would take them over 30 min to feed him a bottle. He'd just get bored and frustrated. I think as babies get more active they just eat more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971232 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 21:54:30 +0000 dojo 971232@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>30oz should be plenty and if he is sleeping through the night he probably isn't starving for more! It is so hard to tell when you can't be there at daycare to tell them whether he seems hungry or wanting something else. Hopefully the change in nipples will help for him to take his time finishing the bottles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971114 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:49:57 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 971114@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with the suggestion to make sure they are feeding him slowly. It takes about 10 minutes for babies to realize they are full. Also, our LOs are about the same age and except for the morning Baby Brother wants to nurse every 2.5 even 2 hours. I might try sending 4 bottles- 3 with 4oz and the fourth with 3oz- so basically the same amount but split differently and then let them feed him more often. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971085 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:32:59 +0000 brownie 971085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Avent has a newborn flow you could try those. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971080 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:30:39 +0000 brownie 971080@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: absolutely!!! The baby doesn't get the full/empty feel. And the stomach will work harder to empty so it isn't too full. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971072 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:21:24 +0000 Smurfette 971072@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: let me know how day care says those do! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971069 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:19:46 +0000 silver1 971069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agree with pp my LO easily takes 10-15 min to finish 4 oz bottle! It is a challenge to get him to finish bottle and usually there is some leftover. Are they burping him at DC in middle of feeding? I would try PP's idea of 3 oz + 2 oz bottle so he gets break. If he is getting hungry earlier the 2 oz should tide him over and then after an hour they can try 3 oz. Perhaps he might need more frequent feedings with less amounts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971068 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:19:23 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 971068@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I agree that you could do a "tester" day with bottles over the weekend (but I would suggest taking a day off/away from the house with your pump and let someone else do the feedings). BUT I have to say that I don't think he's starving/needs more milk. If 30 oz isn't enough for him, he'd be waking more often at night to nurse. My pediatrician told me (when my son was drinking only 2 oz @ daycare a day) that babies will reverse cycle when they don't eat enough during the day. Since you say he's still sleeping, it makes me think something else is going on - not that he's actually hungry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971055 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 20:10:13 +0000 Adira 971055@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: Maybe I need to print out that kellymom article about how to feed breastfed babies. BUT I wouldn't think the length of the feed would cause him to get hungry early, would it?</p> <p>@Smurfette: Okay, so I was definitely using the slowest flow nipple that Avent makes, but I don't know what happened, because they are NOT slow flow. I just tested them with water and it just pours out in a stream! I don't have any new slow flow nipples to switch out, so I switched to the next ones up because they actually just DRIP, which I think is what it's supposed to do! So... hopefully that helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971034 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 19:58:08 +0000 Smurfette 971034@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Are you using the slowest flow nipple? I don't know if this is possible since he doesn't have teeth, but could the nipple hole gotten bigger over the use? 5 mins does seem really fast to finish a bottle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-know-if-you-need-to-give-lo-more-bm#post-971017 Sun, 28 Jul 2013 19:45:56 +0000 brownie 971017@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That's how long(ish) he should take to finish a bottle. Have your daycare try that before you send more milk. They can do the experiment (don't feed a bottle on the weekend. You should have the baby on the breast to stimulate for the next week and for bio feedback). </p>