12-week-old baby reduced food intake

Question

I have a lovely 12-week-old daughter who's doing really well. However I'm a bit puzzled with a change of attitude during feeding for the last week.

She used to drink about 6oz of formula milk at 7pm and a similar quantity at 12am. The feeding during the rest of the day is mainly breast milk with a little formula top up.

Since last week, she's having the first 3oz of formula without any issues until she needs to burp. After winding, she doesn't seem to be able to swallow anything anymore. She's interested in the tit of the baby bottle but doesn't suck on it. She's a bit agitated but not crying, just a bit of whinging.

I usually leave her 20 mins before trying again but it's very seldom that she would take more food.

Is it common for babies of that age to go through a stage of reduced food intake?

I'm more curious than worried for now as her weight is quite average and she's sleeping pretty much as usual, 4 to 5 hours each time.

Answer 1

A 6oz feeding for a baby at 12 weeks is not excessive, but it is on the large side to begin with (the usual guideline is 4-6 ounces at 4 months old). My son, a primarily breast fed baby who took bottles when I was working, took 3-4oz at that age. It is common, although by no means a rule, that breastfed babies tend to feed in smaller but more frequent meals. If your daughter seems to be healthy, happy, gaining well, I would advise to just follow her cues and offer 3-4oz at bottle time. It's normal for babies' appetites to vary as they go through growth spurts and periods of slower growth, and one of those 'lulls' does tend to hit right around 4 months old.

Also keep in mind that milk/formula intake over 24 hours is more important than how much is taken at each feeding. I think you should continue to not worry as long as her overall condition is good and she is eating enough each day (based on her behavior, weight gain and diaper output, since there's no simple way to measure nursing intake). She is still eating within 'normal' amounts for her age, and bit of a slowdown at approximately that age is expected. Of course consult a doctor if she begins to struggle with nursing as well, or any other sign of being unwell develops, but I think this is just the ordinary slight drop off that happens at 4 months hitting a little early.

This article on 12 week old development contains a section on feeding that briefly mentions the feeding decrease at 4 months.