How Much Formula To Give Newborn

Baby Formula: 3 Forms To Choose From

Although breast milk offers newborns all the nutrition they need, not every mom can or chooses to breastfeed. And, moms who do breastfeed may find that supplementing with infant formula is a practical alternative if they go back to work or when someone else feeds the baby.

Commercially prepared baby formulas are FDA-regulated to provide babies all the nutrients they need. They come in three main forms:

• Powders. The least expensive option, these are usually mixed with water – one scoop to two ounces of water.
• Liquid concentrates. Pricier than powders, these are generally diluted with an equal part of water.
• Ready-to-use baby formulas. Often the most expensive and convenient, ready-to-use formulas can be poured straight into babys bottle.

What Is Formula Milk

Formula milk, also known as infant formula or sometimes just âformulaâ, is a substitute for breast milk that can be used either as an alternative to breastfeeding, or as a way of supplementing it.Formula is usually made from cowâs milk, which is specially processed to make it suitable for babies to drink. Remember: Children under 1 year old canât digest unprocessed cowâs milk.Formula milk contains all the nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop, but it does lack some of the additional health benefits of breast milk, such as protection from infection.How you decide to feed your little one is a personal choice that depends on many factors unique to you. If you do plan to use formula, however, you still might want to express your first milk â known as colostrum â and feed this to your baby for the first few days before introducing the formula.Colostrum is not only packed full of nutrients it has lots of other health benefits â such as boosting your babyâs immune system, improving digestion and helping regulate blood sugar.

Six To Seven Months :

This is an important phase since solids are introduced for most babies after they cross the 6 months mark. If thats the case with your baby too, scale down the amount of formula he is being fed a bit. Babies should not be dependent on solids in this phase. It should only be used as complementary foods and most of the childs nutrition should come from either breastmilk or formula milk.

They would be consuming around 180 to 240 ml of formula milk per bottle in a day depending on how well the baby is responding to solids.

Read more: 5 Best Formula Powders if You can not Breastfeed your Child

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Resources For Parents Families And Carers

Booklet: Child health information , Queensland Government

Growing StrongFormula feeding , Queensland Government

Raising Children NetworkNewborns nutrition, Australian Government

Raising Children NetworkBreastfeeding videos, Australian Government

Booklet: Breastfeeding and postnatal care, New South Wales Governmentavailable in English, Arabic, Chinese , Chinese ,Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Punjabi and Tamil languages

Signs Of Hunger And Fullness

Whether you’re using a formula, nursing, pumping, or a combination of all these feeding methods, tune in to your baby’s hunger and fullness cues before you start crunching numbers. While each baby is unique, these are are some common hunger cues to watch for:

• Crying or fussiness
• Opening of his mouth when touched on his chin or lips
• Smacking of lips or making small sounds with his mouth
• Sucking on fingers or placing fist in mouth

Fullness cues include:

• Stopping feeding or only taking a few sucks before pausing

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How Do You Feed Baby Both Formula And Breast Milk

When supplementing with formula, it can help to make the feeding experiences as similar as possible. If you want to give your baby formula and continue breastfeeding, the key is to make sure your baby likes both, and the easiest way to do that is to be consistent.

• Switch sides. As you would move from breast to breast, switch sides when you’re formula-feeding, and burp baby between sides.
• Have some skin-to-skin contact. Be sure to look into your baby’s eyes and give her lots of cuddles during each feeding session.
• Space out the formula-feeding sessions. Introduce a bottle of formula an hour or two after breastfeeding when your little one is ready to eat but not starving. Add in an additional daily bottle-feeding session a few days later. Taking a moderate approach can keep your milk supply up if youre trying to continue breastfeeding, and it can keep you from getting a clogged milk duct or breast infection if youre weaning baby off the breast.
• Allow your baby baby to eat until he’s not hungry anymore. Even though it’s easier to measure how much baby is eating when bottles are in the mix, try not to obsess about exactly how much baby is getting of either breast milk or formula. Your baby will eat more when he’s hungry and less when he’s not. Its better to make sure that your little one is gaining weight appropriately than to be fixated on whether hes eating a consistent amount of milk at every feeding.

Transporting And Storing A Made

Sometimes, transporting a made-up feed might be the only option . In this case, make up the formula at home, cool it in cold water and then cool it further in the back of the fridge for at least an hour before transporting it.

Made-up formula stored in a fridge should be used as soon as possible, but within a maximum of 24 hours.

Move the made-up formula from the fridge to a cool bag with ice packs just before leaving the house and use it within four hours .

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Strategies For Successful Supplementation

Now for the nitty-gritty: What exactly does a supplementation look like from one feeding to the next?

First off, you may have heard you should add breast milk to formula to give baby a taste of the familiar but Dr. Song says you can skip this.

I dont recommend mixing breast milk and formula in the same bottle, she says. This isnt dangerous for the baby, but if the baby doesnt drink the entire bottle, the breastmilk that youve worked hard to pump may go wasted. Good point that stuff is liquid gold!

Next up, what about keeping up your supply? One strategy is to nurse first, then give formula at the end of a feeding.

If you need to supplement after each or most feeds, nurse the baby first to completely empty your breasts, and then give supplemental formula, says Dr. Song. Doing that ensures that your baby still receives the maximum amount of breast milk possible, and reduces the chance that formula supplementation will lower your supply.

Beginning to supplement isnt always smooth sailing. There may be an adjustment period while your baby gets used to this new form of feeding. Here are three common problems you may encounter.

Involve Other Family Members And Friends

Sometimes the best strategy is actually to have the first bottle feed initiated by someone other than the babys mother. This may sound counterintuitive, but consider this: your baby is already attuned to the smell of breast milk, and they arent likely to accept a bottle if they can smell breast milk! They may get confused if their mother offers them a bottle instead of a breast.

On the other hand, if a bottle is introduced by the babys father or grandmother , for example, the baby may be more likely to try it, especially if theyre hungry, since there wont be any reminder of the breast milk scent associated with their mother. This could also be a very positive experience by helping your baby to bond with other family members and getting them accustomed to being fed by various people. This will also give mothers more flexibility and maybe even some free time, rather than being responsible for all of the babys feeds!

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Is My Baby Eating Enough

Babies grow at different rates, and at times you may wonder whether your baby is getting enough nutrients to develop properly. To help determine whether your baby is eating enough, follow the schedule of regular well-child checkups so that your little one can be weighed and measured.

In the meantime, your newborn’s diapers are a good indicator of whether your baby is getting enough to eat. You’ll probably be changing at least six wet and four dirty diapers each day at first.

Newborns’ poop is thick and tarry in the beginning and then becomes more yellow or green as they get older. Formula-fed babies often have firmer, less seedy stools than breast-fed babies.

Wet diapers should have clear or very pale urine. If you see orange crystals in a wet diaper, contact your baby’s doctor. Crystals are usually not a cause for concern, but sometimes they can be a sign of a baby not getting enough fluid or of dehydration. Other possible signs of underfeeding include:

• not gaining enough weight
• seeming unsatisfied, even after a complete feeding

If you’re concerned or notice any signs that your baby isn’t getting enough nutrition, call your doctor.

What Is Cluster Feeding

Cluster feeding is very common and normal in babies who are breastfed. Cluster feeding is when a baby wants to nurse more often than every 2 to 3 hours. When a baby is cluster feeding, they eat several, small meals in a short period of time. Cluster feeding tends to happen most often in the evenings and when your baby is experiencing growth spurts.

Cluster feeding helps your body boost your milk supply during a growth spurt so your baby gets exactly what they need. It also increases skin-to-skin time, which has emotional benefits for both baby and parent.

While cluster feeding can feel exhausting in the moment, it wont last forever.

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Tips To Feed The Right Amount Of Formula

Image Source: Contented Baby

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If you are still worried and not sure if your baby is having too much or too little of formula, consult with your doctor as they can check the babys weight and growth and advise you accordingly.

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Signs Your Baby Is Hungry

The guidelines above aren’t set in stone, and your infant’s formula needs may vary daily. That’s why Dr. Stockhausen recommends learning your baby’s hunger signals. “If a baby is born full-term at a healthy weight, it’s best to practice ‘on cue’ or responsive feeding,” she says. “Learning a baby’s hunger signals helps both parents and Baby realize and understand his individual needs.”

Here are some signs that Baby is hungry, according to Dr. Stockhausen:

• Moving his hands to his mouth
• Rooting
• Making sucking noises or licking lips
• Flexing his arms with clenched fists over his chest or tummy
• Crying

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Choose The Right Bottle

There are so many options when it comes to baby bottles! Glass or Plastic? It seems overwhelming when you consider all the possibilities, but remember youll find one that works for your baby, although it may take some trial and error. When your baby is breastfeeding, he or she is used to having to work for milk, rather than having the milk flow out freely, and they will be used to this.

For this reason, its a good idea to find a bottle with a slow-flow nipple, which is more similar for babies to the feeling of breastfeeding. Luckily, most bottles designed for young babies come equipped with this kind of nipple. You may need to experiment with a few different bottles until you find one that your baby likes.

How Much To Formula Feed

Here are the amounts of formula your baby needs:

• first day: 5 to 15 mL at each feeding
• second day: 15 to 30 mL at each feeding
• third day: 30 to 60 mL at each feeding
• fourth day: follow your baby’s weight:
• 8 pounds: 2 ounces at each feeding
• 9 pounds: 2 ¼ ounces at each feeding
• 10 pounds: 2 ½ ounces at each feeding

As your baby grows, continue to increase the amount of formula based on his appetite and hunger cues.

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Guide For Formula Feeding

• When breast milk is not available, standard infant formula is an appropriate alternative for most healthy full term infants, but there are some differences between brands. Do not hesitate to ask your health care provider for a recommendation if you are unsure which formula to use.
• Bottle-feeding should be interactive, with the caregiver holding both the bottle and the infant. Propping a bottle has been linked to an increased risk of ear infections and tooth decay.
• Formula feeding should be in response to the infants needs and not based on a predetermined schedule. Look for cues of hunger and fullness to determine both when to feed and how much. The number of wet diapers per day and your childs growth will reflect if he or she is getting enough formula. The chart below demonstrates common intakes for infants at various stages. However, ask your health care provider if you have any questions about how much formula your infant is taking.
• The amount of formula an infant takes will decrease as the baby increases intake of solid foods, but formula remains a significant source of calories, protein, calcium and vitamin D for the first year of life.
• Ask your health care provider before switching an infant less than 1 year of age from formula to cows milk or a cows milk alternative.

Feed Your Baby Safely

Powdered infant formula is not sterile, which means it may contain low levels of bacteria. These bacteria very rarely cause illness in babies when the formula is prepared and stored correctly.

Always follow the manufacturers instructions when preparing infant formula and the instructions in this booklet to safely:

• clean feeding equipment

• Bottles with straight sides and wide necks are the easiest to clean.
• Glass bottles are easier to clean than plastic but break more easily.

Teats

Choose teats that match your babys age.

• Newborn babies one hole in the tip of the teat gives a slow flow that is easier to manage.
• Older babies more than one hole gives a faster flow.

Formula should drip from the teat at about one drop per second when tipped. There are a range of teats available. Talk to your health professional or pharmacist about which type of teat is best for your baby.

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