what's wrong.?!

[Hoody]

Dont stress she will drink it if she's hungry. My DD1 was FF fed and would always leave 60ml's at every feed and she was on nan gold too.

[~Belinda~]

Haroula, don't stress too much hun, my health nurse told me that Madeleine should be drinking 180mL per feed now as she is 6.3kgs (based on 5 feeds within 24 hours [150mL per kilo]) but she has 180mL sometimes and other times she'll have 150mL and rarely only 100mL!! They go up and down a bit.

Sometimes, when Madeleine has not fed for 4 hours and she only has 100mL and stops, I burp her, change her nappy and then sit back down and try again. Most of the time, she'll then drink the extra 80mL!

Do you record her feeds? I do and find it really helpful.

[August]

hi haroula,

I found Gold formula to be alot thicker, so perhaps she is getting a full tummy quicker, or perhaps she is having to work harder at getting it out of the bottle and is tiring before she finishes?

I started DS on a gold formula, but changed on the advise of our doctor when it made him terribly constipated. I switched from karicare gold to karicare 1 from birth and the first thing I noticed was how much thinner it was, the gold one was thick like a milkshake, with all the extra bit and pieces in it.

To me its sounds like she is still getting a good amount and I'm sure she would let you know if it wasnt enough!

[Trillian]

Things that I have learnt from FF my babies is that they rarely, if ever drink the recommended amount for their age (in my case my eldest was having 180ml bottles at 6wks old and my other three were only having 120mls at that age - both over and under the 'recommended amount') and that just like BF they will only drink as much as they need. The beauty of the breast is that we have absolutely no idea how much they are taking in at each feed, but with a bottle we know exactly how much they've had and this can be both good and bad because yes we know how much they've had, but we also worry if we think it's not enough kwim?

And remember that formula sits heavier in their tummys and is harder for them to digest, so if they still have something in their tummy at the next feed, they aren't going to want as much. Sometimes they will, particularly when they are having a growth spurt and at these times they may well want more to drink, so you just have to adjust it according to their needs.

ATM with Alister he was 5mths old last week and averages 160ml in each feed BUT sometimes he will only take 100mls and other times he will want 220mls, but the daily average is about the same each day, because what he doesn't have at one feed he might catch up at another.

Also the Gold formulas are notorious for constipation and really are no better than a formula that isn't 'gold'. I personally think that the gold formulas are a waste of money and they have literally only been around the past few years - when I went to FF my eldest there were no gold formulas at all with all their added omega 3's, DHA's and probiotics. I'm also of the belief that the gold formulas are simply a marketing tool to get parents to part with more money by making them so much dearer than other non-gold ones on the belief that the gold is the best. (and that isn't meant to upset anyone, but these formula manufacturers are sneaky ba$tards who only think of their bottom line).

At the end of the day though switching formulas may not make a huge difference to the amount that she has because every baby will have a different size appetite and will take what they need, whether it be a little or a lot.

[Kazbah]

I find with Nan, Pip will drink more of the silver than he will of the gold. So in hot days I send to give him the silver, so he's drinking more liquid IYKWIM?

But his drinking goes up and down, and I really find his volume increases during a developmental leap and then decreases again after the leap/growth spurt. So it may be as "simple" as that?

[Harri]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!! will try and not let it worry me! she is sleeping well and generally a happy baby! So i know i shouldn't really worry about it!

xxx

[Enchanted]

It is very tough to not worry isn't it!? When I put Oscar on formula (he went onto S26) and he rarely drinks what the tin says. He usually drinks 60mls less than what is recommended, whereas my nephew who is the same age as Oscar has always drank the recommended amount and weighs less than Oscar!! So as long as your bub is happy and putting on weight I would try not to stress hun.

[~Belinda~]

Also the Gold formulas are notorious for constipation and really are no better than a formula that isn't 'gold'. I personally think that the gold formulas are a waste of money and they have literally only been around the past few years - when I went to FF my eldest there were no gold formulas at all with all their added omega 3's, DHA's and probiotics. I'm also of the belief that the gold formulas are simply a marketing tool to get parents to part with more money by making them so much dearer than other non-gold ones on the belief that the gold is the best.

I have been using Karicare Gold Plus for Madeleine since she was a few weeks old and she thrives on it and has had no constipation. I have heard some Bubs do get constipated on Karicare but not my little Bub. I agree with you on the marketing factor but I wouldn't switch brands now because she is fine on it and it's not too expensive, I just have to shop around for the cheaper price sometimes!

[Harri]

thanks Oshani.. am trying S-26 Gold today.. see how she goes..

Thanks Bindy, am going to try Karicare Gold too... my Bro had this one for his two kids and set it was great!

[Harri]

OK, the s26 is a no go!! she hated it!! didn't even drink 5ml!! lucky i had a sachet on Karicare in the cupboard!!

off to supermarket now!!