ok, so here's my story: my 1 month old daughter was recently diagosed with reflux. She's on Zantac and I'm not 100% positive that it's working. It worsens at night, with her struggling to breathe, sometimes. The worst part is when the formula comes up into her mouth and out of her nose. She gags on this which scares the poor little thing. I burp her every ounce or so, hold her for about 45 minutes before putting her down, and have her mattress elevated.

At our last pedi appt., the doc said she was overfed and that this could be a cause for her aggitation, as well. I honestly don't know what to do about this. She eats 4 ounces every 3 hours, BUT sometimes wants to eat every 1 1/2 hour. I try to put the pacifier in her mouth to soothe her, but she screams as if in pain. She wants to eat! What do I do? I could really use some help here..............

My first question for you would be, how you do you like your pediatrician? I have a really fantastic doctors office with a number of practioners - all who say that you can't overfeed an infant. They are instinct based eaters - and they stop when they are full. 4 ounces every three hours is my no means too much from everything I have seen or heard - and my daughter had days where she ate every 2 hours around the clock! If you have a diagnosis of reflux I would ask for a referral - either to a different pediatrician or to a specialist - reflux can be really tough in an infant. Just keep remembering that you know your baby best - you are the mom and you should never go against your instinct to do what is best for your baby - even if it is a doctor. Hang in there!

Hi, thanks for responding. Actually, I do like my pediatrician. We went in on a Friday and my daughter weighed 9 lbs. On Monday, she gained 6 oz. She likes to eat. Sometimes, she wants another 1 or 2 ounces an hour after she's eaten. After trying to console her with a pacifier that did not work, I decided I was going to feed her. Nighttimes are not the best, though, because she's waking every 2 hours for 2-3 ounces. Should I do the cereal thing? (she's 5 weeks old)

Hi again,

Some of the best advice I got when I first had my daughter was to try to make sure that each time that she fed, she got a full meal. I BF'd, so for me that meant making sure she ate on both sides every time. For you, I think that it would mean that each time your daughter eats that she gets as much as she wants. My understanding is that at this young age, they eat what they need. At night, if she took a little more than 2 or 3 ounces, she might stay asleep longer. I personally wouldn't do the cereal thing yet. I would probably make up a little more than I thought she would need and let her eat until she is done (she'll stop when she's full). You might need to do that until you get a really good idea for how much she will eat at each feeding (and it may be different at different times in the day). Once you are able to establish that she is really getting a full meal she will probably feed a little less often - more like every 3 hours. I was always told that the standard was that as long as they are eating about 8 times a day and peeing and pooping consistently, then they are doing well. I hope that this is helpful to you