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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Hungry baby or feed more often??

38 replies

BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 10:22

Hello - my nearly 6 week old lo is feeding 4 hourly thru the nite at the minute, however during the day he is still wanting a feed every two hours. I'm feeding him 4 hourly in the day but as I say he wants one every 2 hours so I spend 2 hours between his day feeds trying to pacify him and feel really cruel :( my hv told me tho to start stretching out his feeds to get him in a routine, which has worked at nite.
Should I just feed him more often in the day? Would this mess up his nite time routine or should I put him on hungrier milk to satisfy him during the day? Any advice would be much appreciated :)

OP posts:
tiktok · 09/09/2013 10:27

HV very unhelpful :(

Your baby is tiny - only 6 weeks. Why would you want to distress him by 'making' him go longer between feeds than he is 'asking' to? If he was a toddler/pre-schooler, and able to say 'please can I have a drink?' would you say 'no, it's less than 4 hours since you had one'? Do many adults always leave four hours between having something to eat and drink?

2 hours of pacifying to refuse a feed is a long time for a tiny baby. It's fine to feed in response to his needs. I can't see why this would make him ask more often at night. He is feeding relatively infrequently at night - it's not surprising he wants to feed more often in the day :)

Do what you know your baby needs and feed him when he asks :)

HorryIsUpduffed · 09/09/2013 10:32

Hungry baby milk only fills him up more, and isn't more nutritionally dense. More normal stage 1 milk is the right stuff.

Would he take another ounce or so at each feed? Or smaller bottles more often if you're worried about overfeeding?

And ignore the hv who isn't helping you with the two-hour screaming sessions. What an unhelpful bag.

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 10:36

My hv advised this when I mentioned that he was being feeding little and often and she said at this age he should start getting into more of a routine (I too thought too early/tiny surely) anyway she advised to top up his formula by an oz and as I say stretch to four hourly - sometimes in the day he will go 3 hours and I always end up giving him a feed half hour before 'I'm supposed to' just because I feel so sorry for him crying! Is it too early to expect him to be in a routine yet? He only sleeps approx half hour to 45 mins in the day after each feed (silent refluxer and trapped wind) so as you can imagine he is awake along time between feeds in the day and so needs alot of pacifying/entertaining!

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Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 10:42

HorryIsUpduffed he is on 6oz at the min on comfort milk (also has colic/constipation) does this seem a lot? As u can tell i am a ftm lol! He won't take anymore in the day than this due to falling asleep / trapped wind / reflux! Poor little thing as everything at the minute :( hv is coming on Thursday so i will ask again about stretching out his feeds - a relative told me they thought her baby was colicky/refluxer but she then found out she was just a hungrier baby by changing her milk, think I'm just hoping it could be the miracle cure :/

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HorryIsUpduffed · 09/09/2013 10:47

I don't know about quantities per feed. What does he get in a whole day? Check that against the chart on the tin for a guideline.

Six weeks old is no age at all. And he is in a routine, just not the one the hv prefers. He may just be having a grow.

I am really against hungry baby milk as I think it is a con. Hungry babies need more milk, not less!

dingledongle · 09/09/2013 10:48

I would feed him more often, he may be going through a growth spurt. I would trust your instinct on this one.

Clearly the HV does not have to sit and listen to darling baby cry! Would you refuse food to a two year old if they were hungry I think not!

I FF both my children and moved them on to hungrier baby when we could no longer fit the amount of formula needed in bottle( 9 oz I think from memory!). One used to drink an entire bottle and then cry for more! I fed my children on demand even though they were FF. When they were hungry I feed them. They are both at school now and very healthy weight and height, fit and active so do not be afraid or bow to the pressure of others......Trust your instinct

You can expect a loose routine to start appearing at this age but to be honest babies are ever changing- could be growing, teething or a little under the weather. Difficult to know for sure.

Hope that helps.....

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 11:11

Well it advises for his age 6 feeds per 24hrs and around 5-6ozs, so he is doing that but only because I feel I'm forcing him to wait till the 4th hour each time! It is a lot of pressure u get so much conflicting advice - hardcore mums saying get them in a routine n then others saying to feed on demand?? So confusing lol! I think he is doing well sleeping for four hours at nite, he'll av his last feed at half 10pm then wake around 3am then again at 7am, and obv my dp is really pleased with this coz he gets more sleep (typical man) and tells me if I change his day feeds now to when lo wants them it will mean he'll start doing that thru the nite too :/

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tiktok · 09/09/2013 11:15

Does your dh seriously think your baby is capable of working out 'hmmmm....mummy fed me after only 2 hours today, I have got her where I want her! Bwahahahaha! I will start waking up after 2 hours at night now! teeheehee!'

Babies cannot tell the time. They cannot judge time. They cannot plan. They cannot manipulate. They cannot think ahead.

They are babies. At 6 weeks old, your baby only knows something is not right, and he cries because of this.

Theas18 · 09/09/2013 11:16

Just feed him as he needs. He's small and still very new. If he was breast fed there wouldn't be this worry. 6 weeks is classic growth spurt territory. Some babies just need a lot of feeds. You might find his " colic/unsettled" problem is really that he'd rather be fed more often and not be so very hungry he feeds too fast and maybe gets " over filled" .

You might, if things don't settle down in a few weeks just keep weather eye on his weight but don't worry about it now.

I wouldn't be too concerned about sleep- on the whole as they get older babies sleep better ( with the exception of some 4 month olds that regress a bit) and being less hungry in the day might help him settle better at night if anything

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 11:25

Yes I thought it could be a growth spurt - but I've been trying this for a week and he is still wanting his day feed every two hours, part of me thinks if he slept better/longer in the day then he prob would go four hours but he is so unsettled during the day.
Don't worry tiktok as soon as he starts crying for his night feed at 3am I hold him as close to my dp's ear as possible ;)
I think he will get in more of a routine once he (fingers crossed) grows out of this colic/reflux stage! It's also hard to recognise if it is actual hunger as he is a big comfort sucker too and also he must be uncomfortable with his trapped wind, I know some mums can distinguish the different cries but I really can't :(

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armsandtheman · 09/09/2013 11:32

My DD was on 8 smaller bottles a day at that age I think. My HV advised not to use the hungry baby milk as it has the same calories as the normal one and so they are getting less than they need iyswim. I was quite worried as I wasn't in 6 bottle routine at this age but she wasn't at all. Hang in there!

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 11:56

I remember my MW telling me to not use it unless it was to prevent early weaning. As she said it can give them constipation, which he already has so dont want to make it any worse!
Think I will just feed him when he wants it - it really does sound cruel if I say it otherwise - 'no I'll make him wait'
If it means he is up more in the nite then so be it, this us what we all sign up for when having babies right?

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kalidasa · 09/09/2013 12:17

My baby is 9 months now but in the early months I kept a log of feeds and I've just had a look at it. When he was six weeks old he was feeding every two hours, with perhaps one three hour gap in the afternoon! Admittedly this was breastfeeding but there's no way I could have got him to go four hours at that stage, would have been torture for everyone! DS didn't nap for long either, I think being awake more does make them hungrier!

kalidasa · 09/09/2013 12:19

Oh and don't worry about finding it hard to tell the difference between different cries, I found this takes a while but you do get the hang of it in the end. 6 weeks is a really hard point, the baby is so demanding and you are really exhausted. It does get easier and less baffling/relentless soon.

DS was also a 'sucky' baby and we found a dummy a HUGE help.

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 12:28

Thank Kalidasa I agree I think that's why he sleeps well at nite as he is awake more during the day! I was also tld by hv he shouldn't b awake anymore than an hour but I would of thought that was in his very early weeks! It's mainly his constipation that stops him from sleeping any longer he wakes himself up crying trying to push, it is heartbreaking :( he can't/won't poo unless I take his nappy off and push his legs towards his belly, in asking doctor about that this afternoon, however she wasn't too helpful last time either!

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rockybalboa · 09/09/2013 13:08

He's 6 weeks and doing 4 hours at night and 2 hours during the day? What the actual fuck is your HV on about, this is totally and absolutely fine and you do NOT need to artificially try and stretch out his feeds. What a load of guff.

TallulahBetty · 09/09/2013 13:16

Feed more often and up the oz. Hungry baby milk should be a last resort.

kalidasa · 09/09/2013 13:37

Well DS has NEVER slept more than 12 hours out of 24 unless he is ill. He was like that immediately and is still the same at 9 months old. Some babies are just not so sleepy I think. I felt a bit cheated out of all those newborn naps though!

I think you should ignore the HV and feed him when he seems hungry. You could always give smaller bottles more often perhaps? If anything he'll probably feed less at night if he is getting as much as he wants/needs during the day.

Artandco · 09/09/2013 14:04

I would say 2-3 hrs in day, and put back to sleep 90 mins after he last woke

Ie:
7am- wake
8.30- nap
9- wake
10.30 -nap
11.30 wake
1pm nap

Around 3 months old I would try and move to 3 naps a day with the eventual aim of after Lunch being the longest nap

Poppet45 · 09/09/2013 14:32

If your LO is refluxy lots of small feeds is much easier on their tummies than massive bottles few and far betwwen. Reflux is basically like the worst sort of heartburn and LO is using milk to ease their sore throat and tummy. Last thing they need is that sort of advice from a hv. Never mind a routine, if lo isnt settling in a week or so I'd be looking at ways to ease their pain. Most silent reflux and colic is now thought to be an immune response/intolerance to cows milk. A change in formula to a prescription one suitable for allergies and or meds may be much more use.

GoingUpInTheWorld · 09/09/2013 14:38

Op

My daughter whos now 11 months had silent reflux and colic.

Bont bother with special milk like comfort milk for colic as it makes no different, neither do the anti colic bottles i spent a fortune on.

I wouldnt give a colic baby hungry baby milk as its harder to digest and will make his windy tummy worse!

Plus hungry baby milk should only been given when a baby is draining a full 9oz bottle every 2 hours.

My dd was fed every 3 hours. Never every 4 hours.

If he/she is hungry, feed them. I wouldnt stretch the feeds out if baby is hungry.

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 15:00

He is currently on gaviscon but it makes his milk thick and he struggles with the next size up teat so ends up covered in most of it! I'm going to ask gp if there is anything else he can have. I didn't think it was cows milk allergy or intolerance as he refluxes when drinking water too? Has a little water inbetween feeds for his constipation. So I assumed it wasn't an allergy if it happens with water too??
He's just gone 3 hours since last feed and had 5ozs n that's not me stretching him out so he's sleeping now and will do till about 4 max!
I did also read somewhere an oz equals an hour?? I'm guessing this isn't right?

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Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 15:02

GoingUpInTheWorld did your lo just grow out of their colic/reflux? Everyone keeps telling me he will grow out of his colic by 8-10 weeks but reflux could be here to stay for a while longer?

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GoingUpInTheWorld · 09/09/2013 15:17

Doctors say that they grow out of colic by 13 weeks. However my daughter didnt grow out of it until around 6 months. Same for the silent reflux.

It does get better though, its just very stressful waiting for it to go as nothing really works.

The gaviscon didnt really work either, but i still persisted with it. I think dd had the gaviscon for about 3 months. But she didnt start the gaviscon till 3 months old.

Between 6 and 7 months old was a real turning point for dd as she settled really well, no more crying for hours and hours.

I remeber crying at the health visitor centre were they are weighed because she just screamed constantly, and everyone was looking at me and commenting about whats wrong with her.

Now its a different story!

The colic milk sets in the bottom of the bottles, smells horrid and give baby stinky nappies that used to leak everywhere.

She was much better on aptimal first milk. It didnt solve the problem but it was much nicer milk that the comfort one.

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 09/09/2013 15:35

Tell me about it the aptimal comfort absolute reeks and his bibs end up stinking after one use! I keep thinking about changing back to the first milk but I don't want to make his constipation worse, so hard to know what to do for the best. I can completely relate to the crying in public - I'm scared to take him anywhere in case he has a crying fit or he needs feeding whilst out, really hard feeding him in public when he has reflux! I swapped to the comfort because I thought he was gagging/choking/arching his back because of colic but now I 'know' it's silent reflux, aptimal do a reflux milk too but I've heard it's like sma staydown n again is bad for constipation. I didn't know if he was too young for ranitidine? But gp's reluctant to prescribe I think!

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