World's Sleepiest Baby -- Should I Be Worried?

[BEAUTlFUL]

Sorry -- badly written post...

I have a divine, bottlefed, 6-week-old son who sleeps ALL the time. He wakes up for feeds (every 3 hours), but then only has 3oz or so before dropping off to sleep again.

According to the HV, he should be having 5oz every feed by now, as he weighs 10lbs. He rarely finishes a 5oz bottle. He averages a total daily intake of 21oz, feeding at 6am, 9:30am, 12pm, 4pm, 7pm, 10pm.

He was on the 75th percentile when born (8lb 5oz), then dropped to the 50th. He has just started to drop off that.

I try everything to keep him awake during feeds, but he just zonks out. Could wind be filling him up? I sometimes struggle to get a burp out of him, despite using Dentinox (colic drops) before feeds.

Any tips? I read things about sleepy feeders and they all say, as long as they're gaining weight, they're OK. He has put on 8oz in the past 11 days - is that enough?

Should I try a different formula (he's on Aptimil)? Maybe he just doesn't like the taste?

Should I make him wait 4 hours between feeds to ensure he's hungry enough to drink the whole lot? (That goes against my instincts a bit.) Or feed him every 3 hours like I have been doing?

Sorry for rambling. I never know when to worry and seem to go from complacent to neurotic.

[BEAUTlFUL]

I forgot to add the night feeds to the list above. He feeds at 2am and is hungry again by 5:30am.

[fingerwoman]

i would go with what he wants. he knows if he is hungry, and as long as he is gaining weight then he's ok.
when I stopped breastfeeding ds1 at around 4 and a half months he never took more than 4oz at a time. some babies just don't

[Heated]

Sounds ok to me. HVs can become a bit weight obsessed.

DD was a sleepy but very content baby for a good 3 months and then became more alert.

[chloemegjess]

My DD was exactly the same for the first 3 weeks then suddenly decided she wants to be awake during the day and then hardly slept!

If he is putting on weight I would say it's fine. As said above, if he is hungry, he will feed.

I wouldn't bother with the dentinox unless he seems to have colic pain to be honest, but thats just my opinion.

[catzy]

It sounds fine to me. As long as he is putting weight on then I wouldn't worry.

I know thats easier said than done. x

[BEAUTlFUL]

Thanks so much, all of you!

I am using the Dentinox because without it he seems very discontented. Well, he had one very VERY bad day and DH said it might be colic. He seems happier on it than off it, though I do think it seems like you have to give them a lot of it (the syringe says it's 2.5ml but it seems to hold gallons).

We just gave him his 10pm feed, he had 2oz. That is so not enough, but then he is asleep again and seems "full". I gave him a top-up at 8pm and he had 1oz then, so maybe he just wasn't hungry yet.

Should I wait 4 hours between feeds tomorrow? Maybe I'm misinterpreting his cries and feeding him when all he wants is a cuddle?

He loves his dummy... Perhaps he just wants to suck and not feed sometimes?

God i wish I had £££ and could get Gina Ford round to live with us.

[LedodgyCheapEasterEggsAreASin]

My ds2 was the same. He's now ten weeks and in the last two weeks has been much more alert during the day which has lead to him sleeping through of a night. I dreamfeed him at 11 ish every night and he stays asleep/sleepy when I feed him I love this feed (he's bottlefed) as he sucks so much more efficiently while asleep, normally drinks the whole 5 oz and hardly takes any winding at all.

That said he only takes 5 oz or less (is on aptimil easy digest) at each feed apart from the last feed before he goes to bed at around 7.30-8.30pm for this one he usually finishes the bottle and demands more and normally has 1 or 2 oz more. He weighed 11 pounds 13 oz a few weeks ago and is bigger now so I wouldn't worry about how much your ds is drinking as long as he is putting on weight the guidlines on the bottle are just that, some will want more others less.

[LedodgyCheapEasterEggsAreASin]

*I mean the guidelines on the formula carton

[BEAUTlFUL]

Again, I'm sorry for these rambling posts. I'm sleep-deprived. Another reason for wanting to sort this out -- until he statts eating enough in the daytime, I'm going to be doing night feeds. I don't relish the thought of 2am feeds when he's starting school!

I do wish I could calm down a bit with the worrying. All I hear from the HVs is, "Is this your first baby?" like I'm neurotic. He's my second child...

[BEAUTlFUL]

It is so soothing reading all your replies. You'll never know. Thank you!

LedodgyCheapEasterEggsAreASin, thanks for replying. Is that Aptimil formula a good one? Why are you using that -- did your ds2 have a reaction to the normal Aptimil or do you just like it? (Sorry for nosiness...)

[Anchovy]

Disclaimer - am not a health professional etc. And check out jaundice, as I think that makes them sleepy.

However my second child really hardly woke up at all for about 3 weeks after birth and only occasionally for the next 6 weeks. People used to come round to see her and she would just lie there - it was a bit like having one of those creepy real life dolls. She was born at term, no jaundice etc. She also did not feed very much.

She is now 4.5 years old and never stops talking.

[LedodgyCheapEasterEggsAreASin]

normal formula made him projectile vomit , think he has a touch of reflux like his brother had but the easy digest has stopped it.

[LedodgyCheapEasterEggsAreASin]

normal formula made him projectile vomit , think he has a touch of reflux like his brother had but the easy digest has stopped it.