Vicky York asks for confirmation of the recommendation that "a baby should
get 2 1/2 times his body weight in ounces in 24 hours. I am wondering how
long this formula is in effect. 2 months, 5 months?"

I hope there is a typo in Vicky's post.  Two and a half times body weight in
24 hours?  That means a baby weighing 7 pounds should be getting 17.5 pounds
of food in 24 hours, or if ounces are preferred, a 112 ounce baby should get
280 ounces every day.  Has this formula ever been in effect for human
infants?  Calves, maybe, or baby Belugas, but homo sapiens?!

OTOH, even if there exist valid numbers for this, who is to do the checking,
and how?  Well-baby care provided by others should be informed by knowledge
of the range of normal growth for babies over time, much longer than 24
hours at a stretch.  If mother is expected to know the baby's weight each
day in order to calculate baby's intake, and then to be able to say that the
baby has had the right amount, she would be spending more time with scales
and calculators than she would if she just fed the baby on cue.  She might
not even have time to BF if she is carrying out all these measurements, and
daily variations are bound to cause confusion and threaten BF.  What do you
do if baby has taken more than its due?  Aspirate via a gavage tube?

Babies should get enough to keep them happy and promote growth.  We have
been supplying the perfect food for our offspring long before there were
scales, clocks, calendars, feeding devices or arithmetic.  Nothing in the
basic picture has changed.

bon appetit
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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