The post which gave the mathematical formula to use to calculate amount of
formula for FTT babies, seemed to me to have a multiplication sign in one
place where it should have been division.
First, you figure how much formula is needed per kg of body weight per day.
Then you DIVIDE that amount (the total needs for one day) by the number of
feeds to see how much to give per feed.  If you multiply it, you will be
trying to get liters and liters (that is quarts and quarts) of stuff into
the baby, instead of cups or parts of cups.

It's important to remember when calculating these amounts that some
breastfeeding mothers will worry when they realize that their baby is not
getting an equally large volume of breastmilk.  The obligatory losses when
feeding artificially mean that the actual volume ingested is greater than a
baby would need if getting only breastmilk.  They lose more fluid in the
process of dealing with formula, they use more energy in digesting and
metabolizing it and they don't utilize it as fully, so more goes straight
through and out the other end.  The recommended amounts on the packages of
formula have no close relationship to what a breastfed baby will take at any
given feeding.

The bottom line is growth.  If the baby is growing normally, we should not
be at all concerned with measuring input.  I realize that in FTT growth is
the problem, but even there we should be more concerned with seeing to it
that the baby starts growing adequately than with getting a certain
pre-determined amount of food into them, no?  It helps to have approximate
figures, maybe, but a baby needing intervention and attention on a weekend
as has been described here in the examples of why we need guidelines,
warrants very close follow up, including accurate weight checks, possibly
even daily in the acute phase.

just my 300 ml worth,
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html