Sleep - What am I doing wrong or is this just normal for a 14 week old?

[milkyman]

Hi,
I would be interested i n people's views (apoligies if this has been dicsussed elsewhere). My 14 week old doesn't seem to do what he should do according the books and online research!!

I appreciate thatall babies are different but have read that at '3 months old you baby should be able to go 4 hrs without a feed and sleep at a 5 hr stretch at night'. Well, my baby never has. He was forceps delivery, had a traumatic birth and chiropractic work is currently being done for his neck. He had colic and has reflux (baby gaviscon prescribied). He used to cry all the time but has calmed down. He is Formula Fed.

He usually can't go without a feed for longer that 2 to 2.5hrs (unless he is sleeping). The longest stretch at night was 4.5 hrs but this is very rare. I am trying to put him down for naps during the day in his cot but he usually wakes up soon after. He will then only sleep on a lap or car seat during the day but I'm aware this isn't a good habit to get into. He is fed approx. 11pm, wakes up at 2pm and then again at 5pm, then at 6:30am. He sleeps in a cot in our room. He will co-sleep after 6:30am for an extra hour. I try ignoring his cry at night for a bit to see if he will settle again but never does and always drains his bottle.

He is a big, strong baby (15lbs at last weigh-in) and wiggles a lot! These are all good things but I would like to see him sleep more and feed less. A bath doesn't settle him and only makes him hyper. He doesn't have a routine as such as he feeds on demand but I have been writing down what he does during the day and it is all at similar times. All the babies at the under-1s group I attend seem to sleep through the night and seem docile compared to my fiesty baby! He's gorgeous and obviously curious about the world but it would be nice to settle him a bit. I've tried putting him down when he's awake (as recommended) after a feed, cuddle etc... but he just goes bonkers!!

Any help appreciate, sorry for rambling... thank you.

[Debs3013]

Don't know if this would work but could you try increasing his bottles a little at a time and stretch out his mealtimes slightly each time. If he's draining bottles then I'd guess he may want a little more, if not the worst that happens is you throw a bit of formula away.
What size bottles is he drinking at the mo?

[stargirl1701]

My LO (19 weeks) was the same. She has silent reflux and is seeing a chiropractor. We are FF on demand. I found it took her much longer than her peers to stretch time between feeds and sleep longer. I dreaded going to mum and baby groups as she was the most unsettled baby - always.

She is much better recently. She tends to sleep 11pm - 8am most nights. We were prescribed Ranitidine and it made a huge difference to feeds. She now takes 5-7oz at most feeds. The change in sleep has meant she eats loads in the evening. She goes 3 hours between feeds in the morning but eats every 90 min in the evening.

It will pass. But, it's really hard. My LO doesn't really nap much at all during the day and fights every nap. She screams her way to sleep and upon wakening. She is also awake in the evenings so DH and I don't get much time together at all.

I didn't think having a baby would be like this.