Cluster feeding v. just off schedule

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, replying to PP and the poster above who assume the issue is my own eating disorder - incorrect.

We have been following the recommendation of the baby's pediatrician. Just last week we went over her growth, the total volume of food the baby eats which the Dr. said was appropriate. In discussing how much and when to give more milk she specifically suggested trying to give 1/2 to 1 ounce at a time and see if that satisfied the baby (which is why i tried 1 oz when she first woke from her nap). The doctor did say that overfeeding IS a possible outcome for babies who eat pumped breast milk.

Everything I have read says that its not too early to try to establish a schedule (esp. as she begins to sleep longer at night). For those who said 4 hour increments were long those were established by the baby and what we have been doing for weeks. We have been trying to reinforce specific times in hopes of establishing a schedule. But I get that needs change at this age.

did you tell the pediatrician that the baby seems hungry and is crying for more food?

you literally have one job right now, which is to feed your baby. aside from colic, a well fed baby eats their fill and is satisfied until the next feeding, repeat repeat repeat.

[Anonymous]

I do find it weird because when you breastfeed no one tells you to limit you much you feed when you nurse. Baby's acting hungry, you give them the boob.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, replying to PP and the poster above who assume the issue is my own eating disorder - incorrect.

We have been following the recommendation of the baby's pediatrician. Just last week we went over her growth, the total volume of food the baby eats which the Dr. said was appropriate. In discussing how much and when to give more milk she specifically suggested trying to give 1/2 to 1 ounce at a time and see if that satisfied the baby (which is why i tried 1 oz when she first woke from her nap). The doctor did say that overfeeding IS a possible outcome for babies who eat pumped breast milk.

Everything I have read says that its not too early to try to establish a schedule (esp. as she begins to sleep longer at night). For those who said 4 hour increments were long those were established by the baby and what we have been doing for weeks. We have been trying to reinforce specific times in hopes of establishing a schedule. But I get that needs change at this age.

did you tell the pediatrician that the baby seems hungry and is crying for more food?

you literally have one job right now, which is to feed your baby. aside from colic, a well fed baby eats their fill and is satisfied until the next feeding, repeat repeat repeat.

I did not bc when we saw the pediatrician she wasnt doing this; this is a yesterday evening and today thing (thats why the subject of this post was is this cluster feeding).

At the peds office they took the baby's measurements and we reviewed growth since last visit. She told me percentiles (h/w about 50th). I told her how much we were feeding and how often and she said it sounded great and "it wasnt too much or too little." I ask how/when we would know to increase or feed more; she said to do the 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you seeing enough fat in your pumped milk, OP? Are you shaking or mixing the bottle before giving it to her? If yes-Stop. The rich fatty milk should be the last she takes.

Yes i see fat in the milk. The bottles sometimes look like there are different viscosities floating in there together, esp. after it has had time to settle as opposed to eating right away. We dont shake the milk but good to know that we should not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, replying to PP and the poster above who assume the issue is my own eating disorder - incorrect.

We have been following the recommendation of the baby's pediatrician. Just last week we went over her growth, the total volume of food the baby eats which the Dr. said was appropriate. In discussing how much and when to give more milk she specifically suggested trying to give 1/2 to 1 ounce at a time and see if that satisfied the baby (which is why i tried 1 oz when she first woke from her nap). The doctor did say that overfeeding IS a possible outcome for babies who eat pumped breast milk.

Everything I have read says that its not too early to try to establish a schedule (esp. as she begins to sleep longer at night). For those who said 4 hour increments were long those were established by the baby and what we have been doing for weeks. We have been trying to reinforce specific times in hopes of establishing a schedule. But I get that needs change at this age.

did you tell the pediatrician that the baby seems hungry and is crying for more food?

you literally have one job right now, which is to feed your baby. aside from colic, a well fed baby eats their fill and is satisfied until the next feeding, repeat repeat repeat.

I did not bc when we saw the pediatrician she wasnt doing this; this is a yesterday evening and today thing (thats why the subject of this post was is this cluster feeding).

At the peds office they took the baby's measurements and we reviewed growth since last visit. She told me percentiles (h/w about 50th). I told her how much we were feeding and how often and she said it sounded great and "it wasnt too much or too little." I ask how/when we would know to increase or feed more; she said to do the 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce thing.

Doctor probably means adding 1/2 to 1oz to the 4oz bottles.

[Anonymous]

Please feed your baby. I promise you the risks of an over fed baby (though so rare it's almost impossible) are much less than the long term risks from depriving them of food in the first few months. And find a new ped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do find it weird because when you breastfeed no one tells you to limit you much you feed when you nurse. Baby's acting hungry, you give them the boob.

This. My kid EBF kid was 8th percentile for weight at birth, at 14 weeks he is now 86th percentile. If I were bottle feeding I'm sure people would say I'm over feeding, but obviously he is just meant to be a big kid and needs to eat. I really don't buy the idea that you can over feed ANY baby, bottle or breastfed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do find it weird because when you breastfeed no one tells you to limit you much you feed when you nurse. Baby's acting hungry, you give them the boob.

People do talk about similar issues, but the problem and advice are different because nursing is different. If you've ever been turned into a human pacifier, you can search and find advice about how to take baby off the boob when baby starts suckling for comfort, and how to tell the difference between the two (feeding vs comfort suckling). It's not directly about overfeeding because generally the baby is getting less milk by sucking quickly on the breast, but the root issue is the same.


There was also a post not too long ago on here about a woman who had an oversupply and didn't realize it. Baby was getting too much per feeding, waking up with an upset stomach, which she believed was a signal to feed again, and did. Consequently, the cycle continued until she saw a lactation consultant who did a weighted feed.

[Anonymous]

2.5-3 hours isn't a "cluster" feed, it's perfectly normal. 4-4.5 hours is really long for a baby that young. Just feed her when she's hungry. There is literally no reason why an infant needs to be on a rigid feeding schedule.

[Anonymous]

OP, like everyone else said, just stop with this schedule stuff. Feed your baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do find it weird because when you breastfeed no one tells you to limit you much you feed when you nurse. Baby's acting hungry, you give them the boob.

Because a breastfed baby won't guzzle more milk than they need. Even if they get really really fat at 2 months old, it'll balance out when they're older. Oversupply causes stomach problems not because of too much milk but because the baby is filling their stomach with foremilk instead of a good mix. The cure for oversupply is feeding the baby more on one breast only, not limiting feedings.