How do you cluster feed a bottle/formula fed baby?

[Bex174]

Hi all, I'm the proud mummy of 5wk identical twin boys who are today 39wks corrected age (born at 33wks).

They had a months stay in ICU and have been home with me for just over a week now. I mostly formula feed as my milk volumes just never came in, I do still express and manage to get just enough for one breast milk feed which I give by a bottle once a day each.

Since coming home I've had problems with the twins literally screaming the house down from midnight for a good few hours after being fantastically contented all day long. When they do this they proper belly wail, go bright red, occasionally breath hold, draw their legs to their chests, ball their fists, bat at their faces, suck on their hands and if held, they continuously seek for food and wail if none arrives.

It sounds like one of two thing to me - colic or potentially cluster feeding?

I tried giving them another full feed of formula when this is happening but they just vomited the extra back up (and then wailed!), I've tried water but that didn't go down well, I tried water with a bit of formula but that didn't sate them for long, I tried just a small amount of formula but they just asked for more.

So just wondering if I need to adjust night time feed volumes to allow for this cluster feeding without over feeding? Or any other suggestions/advice would be gratefully received!

Currently the larger twin is on 75ml Nutriprem 2 formula 6 times a day (tend to try for 2, 6, 10 feed times but give when demanded around this time)

[Loiterer]

Hello, congratulations on your twins! I don't have loads of advice as such but wanted to say this sounds like cluster feeding to me. My 10 day old baby does exactly the same, and though he is EBF I have the same issues with knowing what to do (as you describe). My midwife says the crying and frantic searching for food is because of your increased hormone levels at night. When are you expressing and giving your expressed bottles to them both? You could try altering this. Otherwise, I try to give DS to his dad if i'm not feeding him during this time as DH doesn't smell of food to him! It is just a phase I think.

[stargirl1701]

DD1 was eff from 3 weeks until 11 weeks. A dummy.

[Roseybee10]

My dd tended to graze on milk at that age. A formula bottle is good for about 1.5 hours -2 max, so I would let her have an Oz or two every hour in the evening and this settled her. Feeding little and often suited her better than big feeds.

[spillyobeans]

Not sure about formula as im breastfeeding but thats how mine acts when we are in for a long cluster feed! Maybe some gas as well? Im trying infacol atm to some effect