Feeding Your Newborn

Does it seem like all your baby does is eat and sleep? If so, pat yourself on the back, mom and dad—that is exactly what your newborn should be doing right now. The fact is your baby is growing right before your eyes. 

Boys Town Pediatrics offers a few tips on what to expect while feeding:

• During the first few months, all your baby needs is breast milk or formula for food.
• If breast fed, your baby will feed for about 10 to 25 minutes at each breast for the first three to five days of life. As your baby gets older, and nurses more, feeding will become quicker as he or she becomes stronger.
• If formula fed, your newborn baby will eat one to two ounces of formula every two to three hours. He or she will gradually take more formula as time goes on and becomes stronger.
• Your baby may have the urge to spit up after every meal. This urge can last for several months after birth.

It is normal for babies to lose weight within the first three to five days after being born. If fed properly, they should be back to their birth weight by 2 weeks of age. If you find that your baby seems regularly unhappy, in pain or spitting up an entire feeding, contact your pediatrician.