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Being a parent to a newborn for the first time is one hell of a ride. You come home with a vulnerable baby who depends on you for every need. And the fact that their very survival depends on your ability to cater to these needs well can leave you feeling doubtful, unprepared, hesitant and worse, stuck. And unfortunately for us parents, the baby doesn’t come with a manual. Sure there are some facts and guidelines that you can follow, but at the end of the day every baby is different. So only time will tell how to care for your baby in the best possible way. But what about those first initial weeks and months when you are completely clueless? Well, you’re not the only one. Many parents find that the fourth trimester is filled with uncertainty and loads of questions, especially when it comes to keeping the baby fed. If you’ve been wondering if you’re feeding your baby too much or too little then this is the article for you. Read on to get some more insight and information!
A Newborn’s Appetite
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The fourth trimester is composed of the first three months right after the birth of your baby. This time is mostly filled with obsessing over your little one and trying to figure out how much they eat, sleep and how many diaper changes they need. This is the time when parents focus all their energy into figuring out how to care for their baby properly and learn what’s normal. And if this is their first newborn then they probably have a detailed account or a chart that shows how long the baby feeds, when they sleep and what kind of diapers they take to. Now this may seem excessive, but being new to parenting can cause you to be extra.
After all, they have no idea what to expect. And this often leads to overthinking feeds and nursing time. Mothers panic when their baby doesn’t drink as much as they did the previous day or try to establish a schedule. Let us save you the trouble and tell you that this won’t work. The only way you can feed your baby the right way is to feed on demand. Your little one will work up an appetite every couple of hours or so and they will let you know when they do. And then you just get to work and nurse or bottle feed them. There’s no need to overcomplicate things.
The First Three Months
Your newborn’s stomach is tiny, around 7ml. So you can imagine why they can’t consume a lot of milk at once. For this reason alone, you’ll end up feeding them1 or 2 ounces of milk every 2 hours or so (1). But as your baby grows bigger and bigger in the coming weeks and months, they will start to eat more. Even by the end of the first month, your baby will be able to eat 3 to 4 ounces every 3 to 4 hours, which means getting approximately 20 to 30 ounces per day (2). This also means that they will feed more longer but less frequently as time goes by. At the end of the second month your little one will be consuming around 4 to 5 ounces every 3 to 4 hours, around 5 to 6 times a day. At three months, a baby is eating 4 to 6 ounces of milk six to eight times a day (3). So there’s a gradual increase in their consumption of milk.
Cluster Feeding
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This is fairly common during the fourth trimester. Cluster Feeding is when the baby wants a lot of short feedings over a short period of time, like a few hours (4). Thai generally happens during the late afternoons or the early evenings. And this isn’t a bad thing. Oftentimes, your baby will cluster feed in order to boost the mother’s supply of breastmilk and to support their development and growth (5). Sometimes babies will cluster feed for weeks and then stop abruptly. This, too, is normal.
Can You Overfeed The Baby?
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There’s no real danger or possibility of this happening if you are exclusively breastfeeding. But if you are also bottle feeding your baby, then there might be a chance. Your baby might eat more than they want or need if they are only sucking on the bottle for comfort. Your best bet is to simply follow your baby’s hunger cues to gauge if they are hungry or full. And talk to your pediatrician if you’re worried that they are either over or undereating.
Taking care of a newborn is a learning curve. But until you figure things out, the initial months can be stressful. However, all you need to do is trust your instincts and observe your baby and you and your baby will be happy and healthy!
