newborns eating

my baby is 9 days old and i find he is eating about 3-4oz  every 3 hours he was 8 pounds when born and know he is 8 pounds and 4 oz ..somtimes i find after i feed him a 4oz bottle at night an hour later he is wanting another 2 oz..and i try to rock him play with him change him burp him to try to wait another 3 hours to feed him again but he just seems to fuss and keeps suckin on everything he can get his mouth into to like his bib fingers my fingers  i evan try giving him a sookie but after a few minutes he notices theres no milk in it and spits it out and starts crying again..i just dont wnat to over feed him but it seems to be the only way he is happy is it safe to give him more??

[AndiJ78]

Yes, you feed a baby when they are hungry, not on a schedule. It is virtually impossible to "overfeed" a newborn as long as what they are getting is only breast milk or formula.

[Me2mommy2b]

I always fed my daughter on demand.  There were days she could eat all day long and there were days she didn't want to eat as much.  Your baby's only 9 days old.  Please, feed him as much as he wants.  Let him be your guide.  It's not like you're forcing him.  Is he a happy child after you feed him?

[quorkus]

I don't like telling people what to do but I always fed on demand.  I feel like at this age there is no real schedule.  If you can be flexible then I'd try to let the baby guide you and not be rigid on feeding/sleeping times.  Congratulations on you lil one!  :)

[misslollipop]

feed on demand they will soon establish a feeding pattern, i was feeding every 2 hrs and now at 9 weeks finally i get 4 hrs between every feed except when it's hot he wants more

[CYW]

i usually feed on demand too ut my son is now 13 weeks old and drinks 4 ounces in the day every 3-4 hours and 5 ounces at night and in the am but he goes from 9-4 or 5 and then till almost 12...sometimes i feel so bad.. the ped said he should drink 5 ounces every 4 hours but he wont take it....maybe someone has ideas??? if your baby is hungry he is hungry...they go through eating stages in the beginning especially..i found my son at some point in times all he wanted to do was eat...just pigging out..i found myself feeding him every 2 hours...speak to your dr maybe they would have some recommendations..ive heard of some babies needing to be on pablum that early so i dont know....

[K1990]

You can't overfeed a baby, they will let you know when they are no longer hungry, plus he is only 9 days old.  I watched a little boy whose parents said to only feed him 5oz. every 3 hours and he was always so hungry and he was so tiny.  His parents lied to me about the age of their baby when I started watching him, they said he was 4 weeks when he was really only 2 weeks.  He weighted only 6 pounds and 6 ounces when I started watching him and 2 weeks later he maybe only gained a pound.  I began to feed him when he wanted and how much he wanted and the first time I did he ate 8 oz. and was hungry again 3 hours later, he was not being fed enough at home and I told his parents that he needed to eat more because he is starving and they told me not to feed him anymore than 5oz because I was "overfeeding" him, I reported his parents and quit.  You can't overfeed a baby, definatly not at 9 days!

[tina678]

When my son was born he used to eat all the time. I fed him what he wanted when he wanted it, there were days when he would eat all day long. I did talk to his pediatrician about it and I talked to the other moms in my family and they all agreed that you should feed the baby when the baby is hungry even if it is all the time. my son is almost two years old now and him eating all the time has never really worn off but he isn't overweight. according to his doctor he is the right weight for his age  and height and he just has a high metabolism.So unless your doctor tells you different feed the baby when he is hungry. Please do. Be glad he has a healthy appetite, my daughter didn't when she was a newborn and she almost got put on a feeding tube. Also, if the baby is always hungry you might want to ask your doctor if he is on the right kind of formula,because different kinds have different consistincies and if you are you using breastmilk and the baby is always hungry find out if your milk is developing the right way because mine didn't and that's is what caused my daughters eating problems and her doctor had to tell me, because the hospital never looked at it as a possibility.

[tina678]

If your son is showing a lack of interest in eating talk to his pediatrician, monitor his weight gain, or loss and if he seems dehydrated or begins losing weight or stops gaining weight take him to the hospital because if he isn't getting the right amount of nutrition it can cause brain damage or other health problems.Good luck and God bless.

[CYW]

thanks...he was born weighing at 6lbs 15 oz, lost at the hospital..came home 6lbs 9oz..within 2 weeks he was at 7lbs 15 oz, 3 weeks 9lbs i believe 3 oz, 2 months old 11lbs and a half and now he is 3 months old and he's definately getting bigger..my mom said when i was a baby i never drank more than 5 ounces and it took me a little while...hes not losing weight which i good and loves to drink...i have given him water i believe maybe 4 times an ounces here and there and he loves his water more than his milk...he doesnt have a hard time keeping it down or digesting it..he loves drinking it too he just will not drink a 5 ounce bottle in the day.only before bed and in the am...ive told his ped about this too because i tried and he was like 5 is too much one week and the next 5 was good:S god