Do you have any suggestions for encouraging our baby to eat more at each feeding?

Our 12-week-old prem baby who we have just brought home is now 12 weeks old, or age 0 for practical purposes. In the last month at the hospital, she got used to a three-hour feeding schedule. Now, after a couple of weeks at home, as her weight approaches 5 1/2 pounds, she wants to feed more often, every one and a half to two hours, but is not interested in feeding more than 2 ounces at each feed. Do you have any suggestions for encouraging her to eat more at each feed but less frequently? She is getting pumped breast milk and direct breast milk and is now starting formula.

Congratulations on your little baby really getting going on the breastfeeding! And congratulations to Mum and Dad for the extra effort to give her breast milk over that long hospitalisation. Prem babies sometimes get tired out during feeds, both breast and bottle, and stop early. Give her a play break after 7 to 10 minutes of feeding on one side. Change sides after the break. Make sure she's not wrapped up too tightly as she'll get a bit lazy if she's too warm. Her feeding pattern is pretty typical for an age 0 baby: every one and a half to three hours. While she's catching up on growing and using extra energy because of her prematurity, she may know that she needs extra feeds. Follow her lead on this a bit and her schedule is likely to mature as she does. She's had to do a lot of new discovery and learning at home, and being more in charge of her sleep and wakefulness, as well as feeding, is part of that adjustment. Consult your local health visitor or breastfeeding counsellor if things don't begin to settle down. You've done all the investment in breastfeeding and it would be a shame to miss out on the reward now by switching over to formula at this point.