Hungry baby

Our little boy was also such a bottomless pit????. He drank a lot and often (every 2/2.5 hours until the next feed). And he grew fast.

We consciously never switched to formula because I personally felt he should indicate what he needed himself; more kcal to grow. A special diet formula doesn't provide that.

At one point we gave around 1200ml per day, in consultation with the GGD.

He's still a big eater now, but slim and strong.

Maybe he's crying because of colic or something like that, and you're mistaking it for hunger?

Hi Carola,
I just read your message. Could it be that you were very nauseous during your pregnancy? Or did you lose weight? Your baby probably got some extra mouth nutrition through the umbilical cord. That's why he's asking for so much food. In the womb he couldn't ask for it anymore, but now he can, and he does. Give him this! The health center won't give this advice. But he may learn that he gets full, that he doesn't have to be afraid of coming up short. So answer his need. He asks for food, give him that and prepare it together with him: oh boy, was there too little in the womb? (You don't do anything about it!) Give him the breast and you'll see that it stops! That he gets full and now gets used to the fact that there's always food. So he will also get full and satisfied.
I have a lot of experience with this and this is also scientifically researched as the reason for hungry babies. They are compensating for a feeling of shortage in the womb.
Give him this then. If you don't give it to him, they will keep asking. You're doing great and you see and hear your baby very well! Don't let them get to you, dear Carola!

Love, Romelia

I'm really curious to see the links with the scientific research that supports this, Romelia.

Unlike breastfeeding, where you can generally give as much and as often as needed, that doesn't apply to formula. I'd only increase the amount in consultation with a doctor or the pediatric health center. The maximum quantities aren't on the packaging for nothing.

Tucky, how much earlier do you give him the bottle? And are there also moments between bottles when he's a bit later? In that case, it's not such a big deal to give the bottle a bit earlier because he'll still get what he needs over 24 hours.

Is he greedy when drinking, maybe swallowing a lot of air? That could also cause cramps; massaging his tummy can help. See the link for more tips https://www.dekraamvogel.nl/info-advies/darmkrampjes-kenmerken-tips
At 2 months, he's right around the period when this can be at its worst, and switching formula can also cause this.

Hi Guest/anonymous,



Thanks for your reply and questions. Logical questions too! I base this on perinatal (birth) and prenatal (pregnancy) psychology. You're right about formula milk. It often has too many salts if you give more formula. You could dilute this with more water.
But the point is that a baby asking for more food is doing so for a reason. That can be a medical reason or also a psychological reason. The latter is something that is still quite unknown to many. Generally, people think, I also thought for a long time, that a baby only really understands things from one/two years old and can only indicate then. Like I need to pee, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, I'm scared. A child repeats this until they are helped in this. We adults still do this too.
Our body gives us signals and we fill that in. A baby is completely dependent on its mother in the womb from conception. So if not enough food gets through the umbilical cord, this can have various reasons where a mother often can't do anything about it, then the baby suffers from this. A baby has a sense/ability to experience from 33 days after conception. Only a baby can't indicate it yet. Not in the womb, not during and after birth. But they do indicate it through their body language, that's the only thing they can use. So showing that they are very hungry by making sucking sounds, or crying a lot while there actually seems to be no reason in our adult perception.
This mother also said her 8-week-old baby is so hungry. So he indicated it well and this mother understood her baby! And indeed, formula manufacturers don't write their advice about quantities on the packaging for nothing. But this is about something else. He asks for more food for a reason. If you accommodate that, it will really stop. If you've been somewhere for a few days where there was little food, your body also indicates I want food. It only stops when the body has really come to rest and has experienced that there is food again. That's why people stuff themselves so full at such times. Purely fulfilling the body's need.
But the most important thing is to map out the period when the baby was in the womb and the birth. That can be done! By the info parents have and by the info/behavior the child shows, I connect that to the scientific information about birth and pregnancy psychology and we find out what the baby experienced. Once you know that, you start to understand the behavior and can fulfill the needs.
So it's about realizing that the baby also experienced everything. So if a mother was very sick during pregnancy due to nausea and suffered a lot, you can assume the baby did too and thus continues to ask for food after birth.
I map out the birth using the method "map out your birth". That's still quite new and unknown. Made by two Dutch women. I did the study with them.
Mapping out the birth story, also called the start story, is very important. It gives so much information about the child. And it's so important because the first and earliest experiences of a human have the greatest impact on our behavior. Birth is the most stressful moment a baby/human experiences in their life. So if you know how it was for the baby, you start to understand their behavior. Also, the tantrums of a toddler come from here. A child who still has the fear of not getting enough food and the mother says no, then that toddler really goes off. It's logical actually, only the mother doesn't know that the child experienced it like that and the child can't tell it any other way in terms of behavior.
If you don't fulfill the child's need, they will keep asking for years and years. Behavioral problems also arise from this and often stamps and diagnoses too. While if you know, you as a parent can help your child. Then you react differently to it if you know it comes from an experience of lack of food in the womb. Then you give it and talk to your child, comfort them and tell them over and over again that there is enough now.
If your child is helped in this way, their needs are fulfilled and then it stops. It's looking further into behavior.
Such a birth mapping takes only 1 session. I give it online. If anyone has questions, call or text me at 0657250929 or go to www.coachinghetgoudenhart.nl
[email protected]
My name is Romelia Simon, I am a coach, helper, former nurse.
I want every parent to know that children's behavior really has a logical explanation so that parents' helplessness disappears and they know again what their child needs and they can help their child themselves.
I'm happy to answer questions here too. You can also sign up for my newsletter by sending me your email address. Then I'll regularly send you free information about this interesting and scientific subject.
Kind regards, Romelia

Don't get me wrong. Your comment initially came across as a bit woo-woo to me. But I looked up the terms you used and read your website, and now I understand what you mean better. It does sound pretty logical that what happens during pregnancy can have more influence on a baby's psyche than previously thought. Thanks for your explanation.

Hi anonymous,
Thanks again for your response!
When I first heard about it, I also found it quite shocking. So it's a completely normal reaction! We're not used to looking at babies this way, even though it's realistic and scientifically grounded. I've just updated my site.

Greetings, Romelia Simon
Coaching Het Gouden Hart