Feeding and formula


You may offer 2 - 4 ounces of formula on demand to your newborn. Burp baby at least once during the feeding and at the end of the feeding. Always hold your baby and the bottle; never prop the bottle or use a bottle holder. Test the nipple before feeding the baby. The hole should be large enough to permit the formula to drip freely from the nipple when the bottle is held upside down without shaking the bottle. If the nipple hole is too small, enlarge it with a pin to increase it to the proper size. The bottle cap must be loosened so that air will enter the bottle freely. An alternative is the plastic liner type that decreases the amount of air a baby may swallow. Keep the nipple hole free from clogging with a tooth pick as needed. If these small precautions are not taken, the baby may tire before its hunger is satisfied and your baby will want to eat more frequently. It is not necessary to sterilize the formula or water. Bottles and nipples should be rinsed with hot sudsy water. Use at room temperature. When you use room temperature formula, set out another bottle so it can warm up for the next feeding. It will not harm the formula to warm it in water or the microwave. If you microwave the liquid, it can become hotter than the moment you stopped the oven. Let the bottle rest for two minutes and test it before using it.
How much formula?

The amount of formula your baby takes will vary. Just like you and I, babies have the right not to be hungry, but you can’t make a baby want to eat. Feeding schedules are best when they are roughly set and the baby is allowed to eat when he or she becomes hungry. Most babies will awaken for feeding every 2 - 4 hours; most will feed for 15 to 20 minutes. Babies may take all or just some formula. Don’t worry. This is normal. As your baby grows and gains weight, he or she will need more formula. When your baby takes the entire bottle regularly and sometimes cries for more... increase the amount of formula in each bottle. Wake your baby every 3 to 4 hours during the day (8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.) the first week or until you establish some feeding pattern where daytime feeding are more frequent. It is not necessary to feed this often, but the more the baby is awake during the day the better the baby will sleep at night.

 

Making Fortified Breast Milk

*Breast milk mixed with Similac or Enfamil powder to create 24 calories per ounce (normal formula or breast milk provides 20 calories per ounce)

Recipe to mix one bottle:

1 level teaspoon Similac or Enfamil powder

90 ml breast milk

 *If no breast milk

Recipe to mix a larger amount:

5 level scoops Enfamil powder

8 ounces water

 Mix well and refrigerate

 Special Instructions:

  1. Wash hands before making fortified breast milk
  2. Wash with warm sudsy water all bottles, nipples, rings and caps and dry well
  3. Mix well
  4. Refrigerate until ready to use

 To warm the bottle:

  1. Put bottle of fortified breast milk into pan of warm water for five minutes or until desired temperature is reached
  2. Test temperature of breast milk before feeding infant
  3. Room temperature fortified breast milk must be thrown away after one hour
  4. Refrigerated fortified breast milk must be thrown away after 24 hours
  5. Mix fortified breast milk daily