Hi all
I am new to the forum and I am the mother of three girls age 4 months(2 months age adjusted) I am confused about the amount of formula the babies need. We feed on a three hour schedule, two of them will take betweeen 3.5 and 4 ozs max and the smallest will only take 3ozs and that is with difficulty. She weighs 11 lbs 4ozs and is just about 50th percentile on the premie chart. The Ped says she needs at least 22 ozs a day but it is so difficult to get her to take that. We are trying to give up the 2.30am feed but fear she will not get enough formula if we do. I read of babies the same age sleeping through the night but how do I ensure sufficient nutrition if they wiil not eat more during the day. They are on Neosure and tolerate it well. The other babies are 13 and 14 lbs and growing well.
I would be grateful for any advice

Are they on NeoSure 22 or 24? When mine were 4 months they were still on 24 cal. NeoSure and only took 2-3 ounces. They are almost 8 months and on 22 cal. NeoSure and take about 5 ounces (6-7 ounces for nighttime bottle). At their 4 month check up they were getting between 15-18 ounces a day. I figured that if they were getting regular 20 cal. formula that they would be eating more per bottle, my pediatrician confirmed this. I believe that as long as they are consistently gaining weight then what else can you do. When you give up the 2am feeding she may take more for her morning bottle. Mine did not sleep through the night until 6 months because I was giving them a 2am feeding in order to help them gain weight. I think you are doing great. Mine are only somewhere around 14 pounds. They are doing great. Sitting up…and my son is crawling and pulling up already.
Good Luck and don’t be afraid to try and give up nighttime feedings.

I also wanted to suggest moving to a Level 2 nipple if you have not already. I started using a #2 @ about 4 months….maybe 3, I can’t remember. But it did make a difference in how much they took because they are getting it faster. Be careful though because their little bellies need some time to get used to getting more formula faster, mine threw up a few times.

Thanks for your suggestions. I am going to start the level 2 nipple and I am not doing the night feed as often. I am happy to hear that your babies are doing so well.