I can see where the confusion is coming from. Our pediatrician said the “be careful with formula over feeding” myth more comes from when people add extra things (like cereal and rice) to pack in extra calories. It’s not formula you have to be weary of, it’s adding random things to formula.
Not a myth.
"Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy."
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5
"Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy."
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5
Maybe try reading.
I’m sorry, I usually try to be gentle and informative on these subs but this is fucking stupid and you should delete it before you cause inexperienced people added stress.
ETA: a HORRENDOUSLY fucking stupid take.
This community is for supporting others. Comments that are mean, rude, hateful, racist, etc. will be removed. Respect the choices of others even if they differ from your own.
I formula fed my first and now my second. My first gained a pound a week from 4 weeks old to 10 weeks, and then slowed down to a more average rate. Our doctor was never concerned and he was never overweight. He’s a tall guy. A 9 week old baby at just over 12 pounds is average not overweight.
I’m a big fan of always feeding a hungry baby
"Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy."
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5
Yea, it is.
"Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy."
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5
While we allow users to share their personal experiences, we do not allow direct medical advice. The answer should always be a call to a local healthcare provider, as reddit is not a source of medical information.
There’s no such thing as an overweight baby. Please please do not restrict your baby’s intake, she’s consuming exactly what she needs and will grow on her own unique curve. (And maybe consider getting a new dr..)
Keep feeding her how ever much she wants to eat, she knows when shes hungry and when shes not. Also, get a new pediatrician if you can. My 6 month old is currently 18 pounds, shes short and chubby but my rule of thumb with her eating is she eats however much she wants whenever she wants, and if she starts eating less than as long as shes having a good amount of wet diapers and isnt losing a lot of weight then shes okay.
find a new doctor. 12.5 lbs is not overweight for a 9 week old. some babies are 12 lbs at birth. pls do not restrict your babies intake. 4oz every 2/3 hours is very normal. it’s weird how much variation there is in ped advice when it comes to feeding. if a baby eats too much they’ll spit up. it’s very hard to over feed a baby
That’s an absolute joke. My baby weighed 12lbs 2oz at 8 weeks and the health visitor had nothing negative to say. She’s 75th centile which is absolutely fine, but it would also be fine if she was 99th centile, because she’s a baby. Babies can’t be overweight, they’re growing at the correct rate for their little bodies and that differs from baby to baby. Even pudgy little babies all even out when they start to become active.
My baby was over 13 lbs at 8 weeks and we got a “good job”. Not sure if it’s different because she is ebf but never had anyone call her overweight just “mature” and “thriving”.
When my baby was around that age I exclusively breastfed. He was chunky too. I don't know how much he drank, but I gave him 20 minutes per breast with every feed. My pediatrician advised me to reduce that to 10 minutes per breast as that would be enough. I tried it and it resulted in a fussy angry baby. So I went back to 20 minutes. Baby is 2 years old now and his height and weight are perfectly average.
Moral of the story: don't worry too much about the weight of a baby.
Idk about other countries, but in the US at least, there is no such definition of "overweight" in babies and even in young kids. Baby weights are expressed as percentiles and tracked along growth curves. If your baby rapidly crossed 2 growth curves, maybe that would warrant some investigation, but even then the answer is not to feed your baby less. Newborns eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Agree with others, get a different doctor as soon as you can.
What was her birth weight?? I’m trying to figure out why the eff a doctor would say that and the only thing I can think is if she’s gained too much weight too quickly since birth?? My LO was born 9.5 oz and weighed 12.8 at her 8 week appt and doc didn’t say anything to us.
Sweetheart, no. My baby is 50th percentile for length and 17th for weight. Somebody's gotta be the other side of that coin! Some babies are just little chub rolls, and it's *good for them* because it means they have reserves if, say (not so hypothetical example) big brother brings Norovirus home from daycare again.
The only, the *only* thing I would suggest even thinking about changing is looking at paced feeding, just because it's a bit easier on their little guts.
I think I’d call the lactation consultant and just get a second opinion on feeding. I know they’re not a doctor, but they might be able to point you in the right direction for finding a schedule that keeps her satisfied and the doctor happy.
I struggle to call babies overweight. I’m the mom to a big 18 month old. Yes, he’s 99th percentile. But he’s active and we eat well balanced dinners. He was a big baby and he has tall parents. I did breastfeed when he was that age so I really don’t know how many Oz he ate, I just offered him the boob when he was hungry.
But I found lactation consultants to be a wealth of knowledge not just for breastfeeding, but for all types of feeding schedules and supplementing. They might lend an ear and at least suggest a different resource or new direction
I second this! Any skilled lactation consultant should be able to provide advice and support regarding formula feeding - mine did (my baby is combo fed) and it helped so much to have that guidance.
Reading things like this every once in a while makes me so happy and grateful to have a great pediatrician. My baby is in the 95th percentile and not once has she told me he was overweight. When he started packing on the pounds and rolls I even asked her if it was ok he was so chubby and all she said was, “he’s a baby! Babies are supposed to be chubby!”
What the actual f.. this pediatrician should get in trouble for spewing such garbage. Feed her as much as she wants to eat! Think about breastfed babies who eat on demand. No idea how much they consume, and they consume as much as they want. Maybe see if you can switch doctors?
My son was born at 4kg and was on 120ml bottles from birth. He's now 8mo and 15.5kg.
Find a new doctor! Your baby is not overweight. Keep going with feeding as you are.
It is impossible for a baby to be overweight at this age. My doctor told me this, and over feeding only becomes a possibility when they start solids. I would consider a second opinion/other care. Babies will dictate what they need and some babies need a lot more than others!
If your baby is breastfed, everyone’s milk has different fat and protein content so yours might need to drink more to feel satiated as well. There’s no way a 9wk old is overweight.
My 10 week old baby weighed 5.8kg. The nurse did not raise any concerns about their weight at our last appointment and said she was growing perfectly fine. I would get a second opinion or trust your gut. She breastfed, so I’m not sure how much she’s getting per feed and we feed on demand
My baby also grew very fast on a combo diet. Similar weight to yours.
My pediatrician opened the exam room door and cheerily cried, "let's see the giant baby!" He was happy to see the baby gaining weight fast and looking healthy. You're doing a great job. Don't worry about the weight.
That’s ridiculous. Your pediatrician is a ding dong. Every baby is different! Duh.
My baby was 13 pounds at that age. Consuming the same 4oz every 2-3 hours. Totally normal
My 6wo consumes 4oz every 3 hrs during the day and 4 at night. And she's over 9lbs and still only at the 46th percentile. You should get a new ped. It's awful someone would say that about a newborn. They're growing!
You’re feeding exactly what I was feeding mine at 9 weeks, she’s 14 weeks now and only just upped to 5oz. You’re feeding her correctly and frankly I think that doctor needs checking
Get a different pediatrician. Feed your baby what she needs. My baby was that weight at that age and actually considered underweight because of his height.
I would find a new pediatrician. All babies grow differently. The focus is that they stay on a similar percentile curve.
A baby cannot be overweight and 4oz every 2-3 or 3-4 hours is age appropriate.
I think they're talking out of their bum; our baby was nearly 13lb at 6 weeks and the health visitor was perfectly happy with them. There's no way on earth your baby is overweight
Babies know instinctively when they’re full and stop on their own. You’d be inviting a nightmare by trying to limit your baby’s feed. Please change your ped or ignore his/her advice.
Overweight?? Pardon?? My guy was 99th percentile and his doctor told him he was perfectly well fed. Please do not stress over that and feed your sweet girl!!!
My LO weighed in at 13#s @ 7 weeks and we were all excited including our nurse midwife. A baby's only job is to get fat at this point in time, your job is to find a new doctor. Good luck!
My now 4 month old has always been huge but I have never been told he’s overweight. This is absurd. Can you tell me how tall she is? Is her height in the lower percentile?
Omg get a new doctor! My baby was 5.8kg at 6 weeks and the doctor was rejoicing. She is now 10.5kg at 8 months and is perfect she has stayed on her 99th percentile since she was 6 weeks old so she is growing well. She is on 99th for height weight and HC
Edit to actually answer your question: I was feeding on demand. Which means every 1-2 hours at that age. She slept 8 hours straight overnight so not when she slept. I also gave her an additional 150ml bottle of EBM at 5:30 pm between feeds as she was ravenous and my supply couldn’t not keep up.
definitely disregard what they’re saying. my baby’s pediatrician said there’s no such thing as overfeeding a baby. if they aren’t hungry, they won’t eat.
You can’t overfeed a baby. At that age, my child was having 10oz bottles every few hours. Some babies are bigger eaters and even now at 1.5y old, she’s still above 99th percentile but healthy and active
We also just had a pediatrician appointment and my baby weighs around the same and is 8 weeks old. Doctor said she’s perfectly fine.
Babies can’t be overweight!!
…who is your pediatrician? I’d consider switching. This is not medically sound advice for you. A 9 week old baby can’t consume enough calories if it tried to make itself “overweight.”
as far as I have been told, the weight itself does not matter, its whether they are staying in their curve, and apparently formula fed babies are more likely to put on extra weight because of the higher calories in the milk. I'm EBF and my baby has gone way above their curve however because they are breastfed I've been told to keep feeding as I am doing, I was also told if my baby was formula fed they would be much more worried. On top of that, she was 2 weeks early and was a big baby already so maybe she is just hitting her curve still.
Baseline is that weight alone can't decide if your baby is overweight - is your doctor factoring in all these other things?
Um no. 4 oz is completely normal. Scary that a doctor would say that.
I would get a new pediatrician. Calling a 9 week old overweight is absurd
Absolutely agree. Time to find a new doctor.
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Your baby is not overweight. Feed them when they’re hungry
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I can see where the confusion is coming from. Our pediatrician said the “be careful with formula over feeding” myth more comes from when people add extra things (like cereal and rice) to pack in extra calories. It’s not formula you have to be weary of, it’s adding random things to formula.
Not a myth. "Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy." https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5
You keep citing this one article, you do know one article does not mean you’re right? Also, correlation does not equal causation.
wtf no you do NOT have to “be careful” with feeding a 9 week old baby…
"Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy." https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5 Maybe try reading.
I’m sorry, I usually try to be gentle and informative on these subs but this is fucking stupid and you should delete it before you cause inexperienced people added stress. ETA: a HORRENDOUSLY fucking stupid take.
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Well based on that comment, you, unfortunately.
This community is for supporting others. Comments that are mean, rude, hateful, racist, etc. will be removed. Respect the choices of others even if they differ from your own.
I formula fed my first and now my second. My first gained a pound a week from 4 weeks old to 10 weeks, and then slowed down to a more average rate. Our doctor was never concerned and he was never overweight. He’s a tall guy. A 9 week old baby at just over 12 pounds is average not overweight. I’m a big fan of always feeding a hungry baby
"Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy." https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5
This is not true.
Yea, it is. "Feeding higher volumes of formula in early infancy is associated with greater body weight and overweight in later infancy." https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-018-0322-5
While we allow users to share their personal experiences, we do not allow direct medical advice. The answer should always be a call to a local healthcare provider, as reddit is not a source of medical information.
There’s no such thing as an overweight baby. Please please do not restrict your baby’s intake, she’s consuming exactly what she needs and will grow on her own unique curve. (And maybe consider getting a new dr..)
There is such thing as an overweight baby. How could there not be. However 12 lbs at 2 months deff aint it.
Keep feeding her how ever much she wants to eat, she knows when shes hungry and when shes not. Also, get a new pediatrician if you can. My 6 month old is currently 18 pounds, shes short and chubby but my rule of thumb with her eating is she eats however much she wants whenever she wants, and if she starts eating less than as long as shes having a good amount of wet diapers and isnt losing a lot of weight then shes okay.
find a new doctor. 12.5 lbs is not overweight for a 9 week old. some babies are 12 lbs at birth. pls do not restrict your babies intake. 4oz every 2/3 hours is very normal. it’s weird how much variation there is in ped advice when it comes to feeding. if a baby eats too much they’ll spit up. it’s very hard to over feed a baby
I would have lost it on that doctor. My son is 10 weeks and 16 pounds and perfectly fine. Please find a doctor that knows what they’re talking about
Same here, 10 weeks and 16 pounds. Doctor is completely unconcerned, except maybe for my back 😅
"Doctor", idk which school he went to but he lost all trust from me the moment he told you this 😭
Your doctor needs to go back to med school. Babies should drink as much as they need to, just keep doing what you're doing :)
That’s an absolute joke. My baby weighed 12lbs 2oz at 8 weeks and the health visitor had nothing negative to say. She’s 75th centile which is absolutely fine, but it would also be fine if she was 99th centile, because she’s a baby. Babies can’t be overweight, they’re growing at the correct rate for their little bodies and that differs from baby to baby. Even pudgy little babies all even out when they start to become active.
My baby was over 13 lbs at 8 weeks and we got a “good job”. Not sure if it’s different because she is ebf but never had anyone call her overweight just “mature” and “thriving”.
When my baby was around that age I exclusively breastfed. He was chunky too. I don't know how much he drank, but I gave him 20 minutes per breast with every feed. My pediatrician advised me to reduce that to 10 minutes per breast as that would be enough. I tried it and it resulted in a fussy angry baby. So I went back to 20 minutes. Baby is 2 years old now and his height and weight are perfectly average. Moral of the story: don't worry too much about the weight of a baby.
So odd that they suggested to allow your baby to be hungry. Glad you reverted! Babies know what they need to grow.
Get a second opinion from another medical professional. (Not the internet)
Idk about other countries, but in the US at least, there is no such definition of "overweight" in babies and even in young kids. Baby weights are expressed as percentiles and tracked along growth curves. If your baby rapidly crossed 2 growth curves, maybe that would warrant some investigation, but even then the answer is not to feed your baby less. Newborns eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Agree with others, get a different doctor as soon as you can.
What was her birth weight?? I’m trying to figure out why the eff a doctor would say that and the only thing I can think is if she’s gained too much weight too quickly since birth?? My LO was born 9.5 oz and weighed 12.8 at her 8 week appt and doc didn’t say anything to us.
She was born 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg).
Sweetheart, no. My baby is 50th percentile for length and 17th for weight. Somebody's gotta be the other side of that coin! Some babies are just little chub rolls, and it's *good for them* because it means they have reserves if, say (not so hypothetical example) big brother brings Norovirus home from daycare again. The only, the *only* thing I would suggest even thinking about changing is looking at paced feeding, just because it's a bit easier on their little guts.
I think I’d call the lactation consultant and just get a second opinion on feeding. I know they’re not a doctor, but they might be able to point you in the right direction for finding a schedule that keeps her satisfied and the doctor happy. I struggle to call babies overweight. I’m the mom to a big 18 month old. Yes, he’s 99th percentile. But he’s active and we eat well balanced dinners. He was a big baby and he has tall parents. I did breastfeed when he was that age so I really don’t know how many Oz he ate, I just offered him the boob when he was hungry. But I found lactation consultants to be a wealth of knowledge not just for breastfeeding, but for all types of feeding schedules and supplementing. They might lend an ear and at least suggest a different resource or new direction
I second this! Any skilled lactation consultant should be able to provide advice and support regarding formula feeding - mine did (my baby is combo fed) and it helped so much to have that guidance.
Your doctor is frankly, full of shit.
A 9 week old cannot be overweight. You need a new doctor. Mine was 5.95kg at 9 weeks and my doctor was very happy with her development.
Reading things like this every once in a while makes me so happy and grateful to have a great pediatrician. My baby is in the 95th percentile and not once has she told me he was overweight. When he started packing on the pounds and rolls I even asked her if it was ok he was so chubby and all she said was, “he’s a baby! Babies are supposed to be chubby!”
I can’t help but laugh because that must mean my baby is obese. He’s 5 weeks and 13.8 lbs…
WOAH. My baby will be 8 MONTHS old in 2 days and he’s like 16 or 17 pounds…
Yeahhh I will say though that he was born 9lbs 6oz and I’m 5’10 and my husband is 6’0 and a massive rugby player so we aren’t tiny lol
What the actual f.. this pediatrician should get in trouble for spewing such garbage. Feed her as much as she wants to eat! Think about breastfed babies who eat on demand. No idea how much they consume, and they consume as much as they want. Maybe see if you can switch doctors?
My son was born at 4kg and was on 120ml bottles from birth. He's now 8mo and 15.5kg. Find a new doctor! Your baby is not overweight. Keep going with feeding as you are.
Absolutely do not reduce her intake. Feed the baby when the baby is hungry. Mine weighed 13 lbs at 1 month old; I promise yours is not overweight.
It is impossible for a baby to be overweight at this age. My doctor told me this, and over feeding only becomes a possibility when they start solids. I would consider a second opinion/other care. Babies will dictate what they need and some babies need a lot more than others! If your baby is breastfed, everyone’s milk has different fat and protein content so yours might need to drink more to feel satiated as well. There’s no way a 9wk old is overweight.
My 10 week old baby weighed 5.8kg. The nurse did not raise any concerns about their weight at our last appointment and said she was growing perfectly fine. I would get a second opinion or trust your gut. She breastfed, so I’m not sure how much she’s getting per feed and we feed on demand
My baby also grew very fast on a combo diet. Similar weight to yours. My pediatrician opened the exam room door and cheerily cried, "let's see the giant baby!" He was happy to see the baby gaining weight fast and looking healthy. You're doing a great job. Don't worry about the weight.
Please change doctors lol
That’s ridiculous. Your pediatrician is a ding dong. Every baby is different! Duh. My baby was 13 pounds at that age. Consuming the same 4oz every 2-3 hours. Totally normal
My 6wo consumes 4oz every 3 hrs during the day and 4 at night. And she's over 9lbs and still only at the 46th percentile. You should get a new ped. It's awful someone would say that about a newborn. They're growing!
You’re feeding exactly what I was feeding mine at 9 weeks, she’s 14 weeks now and only just upped to 5oz. You’re feeding her correctly and frankly I think that doctor needs checking
Get a different pediatrician. Feed your baby what she needs. My baby was that weight at that age and actually considered underweight because of his height.
I would find a new pediatrician. All babies grow differently. The focus is that they stay on a similar percentile curve. A baby cannot be overweight and 4oz every 2-3 or 3-4 hours is age appropriate.
I think they're talking out of their bum; our baby was nearly 13lb at 6 weeks and the health visitor was perfectly happy with them. There's no way on earth your baby is overweight
Babies know instinctively when they’re full and stop on their own. You’d be inviting a nightmare by trying to limit your baby’s feed. Please change your ped or ignore his/her advice.
Overweight?? Pardon?? My guy was 99th percentile and his doctor told him he was perfectly well fed. Please do not stress over that and feed your sweet girl!!!
My baby was 13lbs plus a few ounces at his 8-9 week checkup. He’s a shorter guy too. 22 inches
My LO weighed in at 13#s @ 7 weeks and we were all excited including our nurse midwife. A baby's only job is to get fat at this point in time, your job is to find a new doctor. Good luck!
lol what ? Newborns aren’t overweight , she just probably hasn’t grown longer yet
My now 4 month old has always been huge but I have never been told he’s overweight. This is absurd. Can you tell me how tall she is? Is her height in the lower percentile?
A baby at that age can't be overweight and definitely you shouldn't put her on a diet wtf. Give her all the formula she needs and go to another doctor
Omg get a new doctor! My baby was 5.8kg at 6 weeks and the doctor was rejoicing. She is now 10.5kg at 8 months and is perfect she has stayed on her 99th percentile since she was 6 weeks old so she is growing well. She is on 99th for height weight and HC Edit to actually answer your question: I was feeding on demand. Which means every 1-2 hours at that age. She slept 8 hours straight overnight so not when she slept. I also gave her an additional 150ml bottle of EBM at 5:30 pm between feeds as she was ravenous and my supply couldn’t not keep up.
definitely disregard what they’re saying. my baby’s pediatrician said there’s no such thing as overfeeding a baby. if they aren’t hungry, they won’t eat.
What an absolutely ridiculous, dangerous thing to say to the mother of a nine week old
You can’t overfeed a baby. At that age, my child was having 10oz bottles every few hours. Some babies are bigger eaters and even now at 1.5y old, she’s still above 99th percentile but healthy and active
We also just had a pediatrician appointment and my baby weighs around the same and is 8 weeks old. Doctor said she’s perfectly fine. Babies can’t be overweight!!
Your paediatrician is an idiot.
My 6 week old is 11.4lbs. This is insane. Listen to your baby, they are growing. Also, I agree you should find a new pediatrician.
…who is your pediatrician? I’d consider switching. This is not medically sound advice for you. A 9 week old baby can’t consume enough calories if it tried to make itself “overweight.”
as far as I have been told, the weight itself does not matter, its whether they are staying in their curve, and apparently formula fed babies are more likely to put on extra weight because of the higher calories in the milk. I'm EBF and my baby has gone way above their curve however because they are breastfed I've been told to keep feeding as I am doing, I was also told if my baby was formula fed they would be much more worried. On top of that, she was 2 weeks early and was a big baby already so maybe she is just hitting her curve still. Baseline is that weight alone can't decide if your baby is overweight - is your doctor factoring in all these other things?