3 week old baby crying in every 2 hours

[Funnyfits]

Hello everyone, I hope someone would be able to help me. I have a 3 week old baby. I breast / formula feed baby in every 3 hours. I keep him on my breast for 25 minutes and then top up with 45 ml formula. So far baby was content and happy but past two days baby is crying, looking for feed. I increased the formula to 60 ml per feed. I am not producing huge amount of milk so I assume baby must be taking 10 - 15 ml max from my breast in every 3 hours. Does my baby need more ? Or is he drinking too much already. Helpppppp

if he’s crying for more give him more.

The more you put the baby to the breast the more milk you’ll make.

Exactly what Legallypinkish said. I only breastfed, so I’m afraid I can’t comment on formula, but I always fed mine on demand. Legallypinkish is correct that breasts make more milk for the next feed if baby sucks for more than there is - a bit like placing an order I suppose! The frequency of the feeds of totes for their age sounds extremely normal too. Babies that age only have tiny tummies, so a little bit every few hours on demand is responsive to what they actually need, rather than trying to guess. It’s tiring - really tiring - mine were every 1.5 hours, but that’s the nature of newborns, isn’t it? Good luck!

breastfed babies don’t over feed.
put back on the breast after the top up - your supply will catch up.
speak to your healthy visitor.
are they gaining weight? Lots of wet nappies?

Also to add try to stop click watching. Feed when they want feeding and for as long as they want. 😊

Clock watching not click 😂

You really should be feeding on demand at this age not on a schedule. My 13 week old EBF baby still feeds more often than every three hours.

3 hours is quite a long time between feeds. It’s fine for some babies, but others need much more frequently, especially so young. Mine probably feed every hour at that age.

If you’re trying to increase your supply, you need to breastfeed as much as possible.

Also, some babies just do cry a lot unfortunately. It’s not always hunger, but you can only rule that out by offering a feed.

You should feed on demand, babies aren’t meant to feed to a schedule every few hours. And also speak to a lactation consultant or breastfeeding supporter, your supply will keep dropping if the formula top ups increase, maybe get some help with that if breastfeeding is something you want to continue doing.

It’s supply and demand, the more baby feeds from the breast the more milk you will make, it’s hard in the early days, but important to get your milk established, if you can!just take to your bed with a boxed set for a few days, rest and feed.

Just feed on demand. If you’re clock watching and delaying a feed then yeah they will cry - he’s hungry.

As everyone says, feed more frequently at only 3 weeks old. If your baby cries every two hours then feed every two hours.

If you'd like to produce more breast milk then feeding on demand will help massively and it would be a good idea only to offer formula every second feed, but to breastfeed on demand. There are lots of growth spurts which you need to feed more frequently through.

Thing is, the only way your breasts get the message to make more milk is by nursing. If you top up it'll interfere with establishing breastfeeding. At the beginning it's just feed feed feed with plenty snack, drinks and the telly remote.

If you want such a ridged routine it might be easier just to switch to formula.

Feed on demand not on a 3 hourly schedule. You’ll only produce more milk yourself if you have your baby on the breast a lot more often than you are currently, the more formula top up the more your milk will decrease. If your aim is to keep breastfeeding then I’d highly recommend allocating 2-3 days of doing nothing at all except breastfeeding and skin to skin. And as little formula top up as possible. After that your supply will likely be boosted as baby will have been on the breast lots and told your body to make more milk.

But whether bottle or breast still scrap the 3 hour thinking and just feed whenever they want it, whether it’s been 2 hours or 20 minutes! They need a lot of milk at this age. It will spread out more as they get older.

thanks for all your wonderful advice but 50 ml formula and 25 minutes of breastfeed in 1and half hour. Isn’t it enough ? and still looking for breasts and sleeping while sucking on it. Is baby really hungry or just want to be carried or suckle on breasts ? After feeding baby must sleep peacefully for an hour at least but not doing so. :(

Completely normal for a newborn to not want to be put down, look up 4th trimester.

Non-feeding suckling increases supply and is comforting

Why are you leaving him 3 hours? AS he is such a small baby if he spends a lot of time suckling thats fine. It could be thirst, it could be comfort or it could be to help you make more milk! Its so clever. Relax and curl up on a sofa for a bit with a box set and let him have what he needs.

Don’t beat yourself, my milk dried up at 5 weeks, just had formula

Although have you had the latch checked? We had tongue tie which meant the latch wasn't so good and was much better when it was sorted.

Babies (especially in the first 6 weeks) are feeding to tell your body they will need more milk tomorrow. If you don’t respond to this then you won’t produce enough milk. Your baby is growing rapidly and needs and increasing amount of milk. During the evenings your baby will cluster feed and will literally feed for hours at a time. This is normal.

Can I ask why you are topping up with formula?

This is normal behaviour. Newborns haven’t read the book that states they should feed every 3h and sleep peacefully, out of arms in between. Only a tiny percentage of newborns actually do that. They want to be near the boob all the time when tiny as they have an innate drive to stimulate your supply. Yours will be lower than would be expected due to all the formula top ups. If you want to breastfeed expect baby to sleep on you and want to feed incredibly regularly.

Yes talk to health visitor and breastfeeding clinic about it to check latch and tongue tie. If you do want to stick to being able to breastfeed, you do need to cut back on the formula as others have said as it affects your supply. You could also try expressing to push it up as well.

Baby is trying to increase your milk supply, newborns cluster feed its perfectly normal.

My babies both were bottle fed as I didn’t have an adequate supply. They fed all the time.

100ml is absolutely nothing every 3 hours. Just feed your baby and stop thinking they’ve not had enough. The baby sounds hungry.

The baby is probably having a growth spurt and is crying and feeding more to stimulate supply. Keep feeding on the breast until they come off on their own - it can take up to 45 minutes per side! I know it seems ages...... they will get quicker!!! if you increase formula your breast milk supply won't be stimulated and it will gradually drop away as baby will take more and more formula. Depends what you want to do going forward.

Also babies DO want to be carried all the time, how can this surprise you?