From One Mother to Another—OK, I Have a Baby, Now What?

Feeding a Newborn through Four Month Old

When I was pregnant with my first child, I wasn’t afraid of giving birth. I knew I had no choice BUT to deliver so my thought was why worry about it. Plus, I was looking forward to the experience since I had no idea what to expect. What I was really concerned about was how to feed a newborn. The anxiety of feeding this child seemed much more frightening to me than the actual birth. I remember one particular time, talking to my sister and feeling so overwhelmed. I said how do you know how much to feed them, when to give them more, when they’ve had enough, when to burp them? All she said was it’s a gradual process. You don’t do everything at once. Well not until my son was born did I realize what she meant and I soon learned it WAS a lot easier than I stressed about. 

In the very beginning: When bottle feeding, a newborn baby generally only needs 2 ounces of formula every 3 to 4 hours and even that small amount may take a while to finish. Once they have mastered the skill of “sucking and swallowing," consumption won’t take that long. When breastfeeding, they will usually pull themselves away from your breast when they’ve had enough. You can also time them. It should only be approximately 20 minutes on each breast.

Signs to recognize when your baby is ready for a larger amount per feeding

1)       If they cry sooner than 3 hours and have had a nap.

2)       If they cry after they’ve finished feeding.

But, don’t immediately assume they want more. You don’t want to give them too much too soon, because they may spit it up and/or gain weight too quickly since they are so inactive. (They are just like adults—if there is food put in our faces, we will most likely eat it.)

A few ideas to try first 

A pacifier to see if it calms them down. They might just be tired or enjoyed the sucking reflex while feeding and still want to do it more.

Bathing 

Entertainment—Simple Stimulation

Rocking – Holding / Being Soothed by Mommy

***If you do find, after the process of elimination, that your baby does want to eat more, start by increasing their amount only a ½ an ounce each time.  If you see they can keep that down without a surplus of spit-up, then it is probably just what they needed. The goal is to eventually give between 24 and 32 ounces daily, which is usually 8 feedings over the course of a 24 hour period. With breastfeeding, it may be harder to judge but if they have fed on both breasts, then try other soothing methods first.***

Suggestions and FYIs to bottle feeding (with both breast milk and formula)

• Bottles from the refrigerator - Only heat bottles slightly, just enough to get the "chill" out.  If you can, get your child used to room temperature bottles, it will be easier when you are not at home and in the middle of the night.

• Never heat formula-filled bottles in the microwave. It may get too hot and burn your baby’s throat. Heat the water first, test it and then add the formula. You can always add or take water away to regulate the temperature, if necessary. With breast milk, it is said that microwaving damages the nutrients. It is best to fill a bottle and put it in a separate cup of hot water or run the bottle under hot water until warmed.

• Use powdered formula instead of liquid.  It may be a little bit of a hassle to mix and does make bubbles in the bottle but, again, it is easier when you are out because there is no refrigeration or heating necessary and it is a lot cheaper.  Also, when it comes time to mixing with cereal, the liquid formula creates too much fluid.

• If your child falls asleep while eating, try and wake them to finish their feeding. This way you can keep them on a schedule and, again, avoid binging. But if you don’t get to burp them, don’t fret. If they are in pain from an air bubble, they will wake up on their own.

• I am a BIG BELIEVER in making sure they finish the entire bottle or feed from both breasts in a feeding. This way you can identify easier whether they want more in each serving and regulate the frequency of feedings.

• As your child gets older, it is not good practice to put them to sleep with a bottle, whether it is formula, milk, juice or water. The formula, milk and juice can cause tooth decay and drinking at night can cause problems during potty training and/or become a HUGE crutch.

***And just so you know, it is absolutely fine to give newborns and little babies water to drink.  They generally don’t need it because breast milk and formula have enough in it but on a very, hot day definitely give them some if you are outside and you feel the need.***