How Much Should I Feed My 2 Month Old?

Doesn't sound like too much food. It could really be normal. Some babies just spit up. But it could be acid reflux in qhich she might need some meds for. It could also be a food allergy. She may not handle milk products well. Try switching her formula to a soy based and see if that helps. If not, then see a doctor because it could be acid reflux or nothing. Sounds like you are doing right. If she is growing, you are doing the right amount of feeding for her needs. Hope that helps and you get some answers as her spit up.

My daughter used to spit up a lot too. The only real difference is she was exclusively breastfed verses bottles or formula. As long as she is gaining weight and pooping/peeing the right amount she's fine. However if she's losing weight or has dry diapers then you are likely right that something is wrong.
Some spitting up is normal. Have you tried burping her part way through a feeding and then continuing? Is it possible she's taking in too much air and that's causing her to spit up? What about switching nipples on the bottle? It may have nothing to do with the food she's eating it could be more about air/gas.
Hope that helps.

I agree with Laura B. Also, often it seems like a LOT of spit up, but when mixed with saliva, it's not nearly as much as you think. Don't worry so much about the amount she's eating, just worry that she's satisfied after feedings and that she's having wet/poop diapers and growing. That's probably why your ped said everything is ok. Good luck. With the first, you always panic about everything, it's completely normal. I used to tell my husband that our doc probably hid when we came in with yet another problem!

You are doing fine Ms K.. I have 4 children and my fourth (a baby girl) was a "spewer". She didn't just spit up she spewed! When people asked to hold her, I would hand them a burp cloth (carried 4-5 in the diaper bag and one on my shoulder at all times) and warned them. She was happy and fun loving with a giant smile and a bald head. After every single feeding she would spew 3-4 times sometimes. But, she consistently gained weight, developed appropriately, and actually was the bigger of all of my children. We did go to a pediatric gastric dr. His name is Ben Elizondo (funny story- walked into our new church one day and there he was-Awesome) She stopped spitting up around 14 months and hasn't stopped eating since. One thing he told me was to take a tablespoon of formula and drop in from about chest level onto the floor- It looked like waaay more than just a tablespoon. The reality was that although it looked like she was spewing a ton - it wasn't as much as I thought. Because she continued to thrive in every area she was labeled (what they call) a Happy Spitter! As long as she is not crying after every feed and just spitting up (and I am not kidding - my princess could shoot it across the room- and down my shirt on more than one occasion at church) She should be just fine. As long as she is gaining weight and developing- she should be ok. If you are still concerned and I completely understand, San Antonio is not too far to drive to get to Dr. Ben. You can always contact me and I would be more than happy to provide you his number! Take care and squeeze that baby for me (not too hard though- you don't want puke down your boobs) tee- hee!

In my opinion you should feed your baby on demand and as much as she wants. Scheduling infants is so controversial because babies are like fingerprints. No 2 are alike. They may be similar that is where we get books about how people think babies should be fed, nursed, bottlefed, put to bed, scheduled or not, what food to eat, what milestones come around what age, etc. But think about it. If you are hungry you eat. If you are still hungry you eat more. Why should it be different for your baby?

Try giving her less formula more often. One common issue that causes spitting up is being oer fed. If that takes care of the problem thaen that answers the question.

We ended up having J put on reglan, it relaxes the bottom of the stomach and helps the food pass on through more quickly. We also put Mylacon drops in every bottle before we put the powder in. Shaking the bottle to mix the powder and water also causes bubbles to form in it and that causes so spitting up too. You baby may need to have tests done for Reflux. It's no big deal and they out grow it. Basically there isn't a good close on the top of the stomach and the food comes back up.

If the smaller meals and more frequent feedings don't work then talk to your DOC about doing the X-ray with contrast to test for reflux. If they still don't think there's a problem then go to a different Doc. Find out from your insurance who they have for Gastro in Pediatrics and call them about an appointment.

How is her weight gain? That is the best indicator of how she is eating. I think most pediatricians let you just come in any time to do a weight check. Mine said if I ever felt like he wasn't getting enough food to just walk in. You could do that once a week between appointments just to track it. But if there was something wrong with her weight the docs would be all over it at this point I think.

My sister's son spit up constantly. Like more than you would think possible. During and after every single feeding, and even after a while when you would think he wouldn't have anything left to spit up. They checked him for reflux and he didn't have it. The doctor told her that some babies don't have a completely closed valve between their stomachs and their esophagus. It's pretty common, and it can take up to a year to finish completely forming. It isn't anything to worry about as long as they dont show signs of dehydration and are gaining weight appropriately. It is just a big inconvenience because you are changing clothes all the time. My sister never left the house without at least 5 bibs. It freaked me out at first, but he was always fine. He wasn't even bothered by it like babies are that have reflux. It was almost like the food just fell out of his belly, not like vomiting at all. By the time he was 6 mos it was much better, almost gone by 9 and completely gone shortly after his first birthday.

If her weight and hydration are good, it is most likely this. Ask your doctor to give you information about what it could be at her next appointment instead of just saying "it's fine and normal". It probably is fine, but sometimes they forget we don't know everything that they do about how babies' bodies work. And don't hesistate to get a second opinion if your doctor is not able to address your concerns in a way that makes you feel better. Keep her upright after every feeding to give it a chance to settle. Try not to jostle her too much. And just take every feeding nice and slow, with lots of burping like you are doing. My sis was never able to switch to a fast flow nipple when he got older because that would do it, and she had to try a couple different bottles to find one that gave him the least air in the formula. Hope that helps, good luck.

K.,
After having one son with a ton of medical issues and a second one that seemed to always spit everything up I can tell you that as long as she is gaining weight she is fine. One thing you may need to talk to your doctor about is switching to a hypoallergenic formula, like Nutramegen. That is what I had to wind up doing with my second child. He is now 16 months old and in the 95% for height and weight but he still cannot tolerate cow's milk. I have to give him soy milk and add a little olive oil to it so he can get the fat content he needs. One thing I did do with him that seemed to work is I cut back his bottles by an ounce and if he still wanted more I would try to make him wait 20 or 30 minutes in between and then mix him up another ounce or two. Another thing you may want to try is switching the type of bottles you are using. I had to switch from Avent (which I had about 20 bottles from my first one) over to the Dr. Brown's and my pediatrician told me to add up to 1 tablespoon of rice cereal per ounce of formula to thicken it up. The cereal really helped with the reflux. I think we did well with 1 teaspoon per ounce and if he was having a rough day I would just add a little more cereal. I can promise you she will be ok and adding cereal to her bottle will not harm her. I had to do it with my first baby because he kept aspirating into his lungs and was having breathing issues. You can read as many books and get on the web and search like crazy but remember that no one knows your daughter the way you do and you have to just try different things until you find what works for her. My best advice is to try and get yourself to relax before you start her feedings and don't be afraid to ask your friends and family for help. It sounds like you are a great mom and you guys will figure all of it out!! Good luck!

Some spitting up is normal. As L. as she is gaining weight and is not dehydrated she's absorbing some of the feedings. You could try smaller feedings more often (3 oz every 3 hrs).

Also, keep her pretty still and somewhat elevated for abt 30 mins after a feeding. If at all possible, do not put her in the car seat after a feeding because the position that puts a baby in can cause spit up.

If you truly are worried that something is wrong, do not hesitate to get a second opinion from another doctor!

Spitting up in babies is not "getting sick" as you put it. As long as she is gaining adequately and has vitality- energy, bright eyes, ect she is most likely alright. My breast fed son spit up volumnes each feeding. And he was healthy and gained like crazy. Sometimes the valve at the top of the stomack just isn't strong enough to hold it all in. Handle her carefully after feedings and put her in a seat that allows her to be at an angle for about 20 minutes. Don't over burp her you could be jostling everything around. It seems like the amount you are feeding is about right.

I would try feeding her a little less formula a little more often. Go back to 3 oz every 3-4 hours and see if that makes a difference. If she continues to spit up then maybe it's something else. Maybe talk to your doctor about reflux there are medicines and techniques to help. However, if she is still gaining weight steadily reflux may not be the problem. Some babies are just "spitty".

Your doctor should also be able to give you some more information about how much your baby needs in a day to ease your mind. He or she can also give you a list of baby foods and how much to start feeding your daughter once she gets to be about 4 or 5 months old. When she's around 4 months old you can start giving her a TBS of rice cereal mixed with formula once a day and then go from there. Don't worry too much. I don't think you're doing anything necessarily wrong. Asking for advice and listening to your mommy instincts about your child is most definitely right! Good luck. It will get easier!

J. (mommy of five)

first let me say a mom knows when there is something wrong, so don't discount your feelings. it sounds like reflux (but could also be a milk allergy). ask your pedi if she has reflux. if after asking you questions, the dr isn't convinced you can have a barrium (upper gi) study done. i did this with my first child and found out she had severe silent reflux (meaning she had reflux but swallowed it back down instead of spitting up). if so, they will put her on medicine. it usually takes about 2 weeks to be fully effective.

check out this website from the mayo clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-acid-reflux/DS00787 and http://infantrefluxdisease.com. let me know if you have more questions. both of my children have had reflux so i'm pretty informed.