How many feedings a day is normal for a 3 month old - who has already doubled her birthweight?

[jerseygirl07067]

DD is continuing to grow rapidly and continues to be BF'd exclusively. She was 6 lbs. 14 oz at birth and now weighs a bit over 14 lbs so she has already doubled her birth weight. She will be 3 months 1 week tomorrow. She initially was a lazy, sleepy nurser but at about the 6-7 week mark would start sucking down a full side to side and half in 10 - 15 minutes or less. I usually would feed her every three hours or so during the day, and she would sleep pretty good at night (7-7 1/2hours) once she hit 12 pounds or so.

Now it seems that when I feed her every three hours, she is kind of snacking, sucking hard for not even 2 minutes. Then I have to try and get her to suck more, which she barely does. I can't seem to tell if she is just eating that quickly or if she is just not that hungry. She has not gotten to the phase yet where she stops to look around either. I do produce a lot so I can't always tell by feeling if she had a "full meal" , but I can tell that I am a bit softer. If I actually wait longer, like after 4-4 1/2 hours or so, then she WILL seem more hungry and eat a side and sometimes another half. Knowing how I feel before and after I pump, and based on the fact that I can pump out a pretty large amount, I'm assuming she's eating at least 6 oz or more during one of these "ravenous" feedings. But if I feed her only every 4-4 1/2 hours that's only like 5 feedings or so a day.

I know that my baby should be my guide but I need some guidance for peace of mind. She really isn't showing a lot of hunger signs until at least the four hour point.

I even tried pumping a bottle just to see how much she was eating but I don't feel that I could accurately tell this way. She will eat way more from a boob than she will from a bottle any day!

Any guidance on this?

Marcy

[lizajane]

i wouldn't worry too much. all babies are different, and while many still eat rather often at this age, many others don't! the growing will slow down around 3-5 months, so with the exception of the 3 month growth spurt, her eating will slow down, too.

schuyler started eating every 4 hours right around 3 or 4 months. i think he started going 4 hours, then hit the growth spurt and ate LIKE CRAZY for almost a week! then he went back to 4 hours, and only one side. he was much bigger that your babe, but had also doubled his birth weight around 3+ months.

so my advice is the same as always- feed her when she is hungry!! try a 4 hour routine. and DO NOT worry about the folks that tell you that you must have X number of feedings each day. schuyler only ate 5 or 6 times a day at 3 or 4 months. he slept 10 hours at night. he continued to grow like a champ and he is still a-ok at a year old. so even though he didn't eat like the "normal" 3 month old 7 or 8 times per day, he got exactly what HE needed.

HTH!!