How to stretch out feeds

[Fishpond]

Hi haven't read whole thread yet (intend to!) but I am fully FF my 4-week-old DS. He had breastmilk for the first 10 days but due to various issues moved onto formula.

I'm wondering how long your babies go between feeds at this age? I'd thought it was 3-4 hours for FF babies by 4 weeks. He is a 2.5-3 hourly feeder, always has been. He gradually upped his ounces and was taking 4 every 3 hours, but over the last 2 days he has been "snacking", waking every 2-2.5 hours and acting positively starving, but only taking 2-2.5 oz at each feed, then falling extremely asleep and refuses to suck or swallow anymore, so it perpetuates the cycle as he hasn't had a full feed and wakes up earlier for the next one.

I'm a single mother and bloody exhausted from this, he has to spend 30 mins upright each time he eats due to reflux so I'm getting a max of about 1-1.5 hrs between start of each feed (he takes at least 30 mins to eat and fully get wind out).

Sorry for mammoth post, but any ideas on getting him to stretch out his feeds longer and take more like he used to?? I really don't want to let him scream for an hour as a relative suggested as if he did that, he would then be too exhausted to feed properly. I also dont want to put cereal in his bottle as a friend suggested!

I'd really like him to go about 4 hrs between feeds (his paed said he needs to at this age) but to be honest I'd be happy going back to the 3 hours he was doing prior.

(sorry this is a copy and paste from another thread as I'm on phone and couldn't scroll up to edit)

Sleepy bump

Why are they saying he needs 4 hours between feeds?

My HV tried to force me to spin out DS's feeds as he was feeding loads at that age and younger, she told me to give water but I believe too much water can cause a sodium inbalance?

DS grew out of it by about 8 weeks, now at 10 months he only has 2 bottles a day.

It wont last forever but I know that hearing this wont help.

Is it possible he is feeding like this from pain from reflux?

Sorry I couldn't help more, just didn't want you to go un-answered.

I think they advise demand feeding for FF now as well, rather than trying to stretch feeds out.

Have you tried a dummy?

Also worth looking at cows' milk allergy perhaps?

Yy to demand feeding. Also google wonder weeks (book) for the growth spurt schedule. There is a killer spurt at 4/5 weeks where they are constantly ravenous and grouchy.

My dd is ff and shes only got out of her 3 hourly routine at 6mo. I fed at 7/10/1/4/7 then bed. Dreamfeed at 10pm, then more milk whenever she woke in the night.

I found that as she started to go less than 3 hours, I upped her bottle size.

Could you try nice bright feeds in the day, one trick I had was gently blowing in dds face if she started to doze on the bottle or chamge her bum halfway through a feed to wake her enough for the rest of the bottle.

Friend of mine with a nearly 6 week baby ff is having lots of success with baby gaviscon and Infacol for keeping it down and less wind etc.
I wouldn't advise trying to stretch out the feeds

Fishpond, my DD is 7 weeks and feeds in a very similar way to your DS - 2-3 hourly, with an occasional 4 hour thrown in.

a couple of days ago she did the snacking, not sleeping properly thing for 48 hours. It takes 45 minutes to do the feed/change bum/finish feed thing, then she needs to be upright for a bit afterwards, then it feels like I've hardly gone back to sleep before she needs feeding again. It is relentless and I'm KNACKERED.

But, I would also question why the feeds need to be stretched? other than making life easier for you I suppose?

This is my 3rd DC and Im finding that, psychologically it's better to accept the frequent feeding, rather than try and fight it and search for solutions. It's just what babies do. Their stomachs are tiny - the size of their fist - so they can't fit much in anyway.

If your DS is gaining weight as he should and is otherwise healthy, I can't see that there is any medical need for a different feeding pattern, and it could just be adding to how stressed you feel. I know with my first baby, I was really anxious about monitoring his feeds, searching for a pattern and the key to making it easier, but I don't think this was useful for either of us.

Having said that, my HV suggested getting different teats for the bottles to try and make the feeding quicker. She said that the silicone teats (we have avent bottles) are harder for them to suck, so they get tired and doze off before they are fully satiated. She suggested buying the cheapie bottles with the softer brown rubbery teats that you can get in chemists because they are easier to suck and not as tiring.

Another thing you could try is graduating to a faster flow teat than what you are using. I'm not sure about these teat suggestions for my DD myself as I think she would just bring it back up if she eats too fast.

Don't leave him to scream, and don't put cereal in his milk. Just go with the flow and know that it does get easier, it really does.

You can also get Hungry Baby milk which we would switch to during growth spurts.

having written that last post, I've just looked at the clock and realised DD has gone 5 hours since her last feed! miracles can happen

Fishpond, if your baby has reflux then milk is soothing where the stomach acid has made his tummy and throat sore and so it isn't surprising he wants to feed often. Little and often is much better for reflux than bigger feeds more infrequently and anyway I think it is fairly rare for babies as young as yours to go 4 hours between feeds on a regular basis.

Appreciate how hard this must be for you as you are on your own. Do you have family or a friend who could take him for a few hours one afternoon and let you sleep?