Four week old going long time between feeds

[timeforgin]

This is going to be a bit long and rambly..

My four week old son was 10lb11 / 4.8kg at birth, and is now 5.3kg / 11lb 11. He was slow to gain for the first week, then put on almost 10oz days 10-14 and has been gaining well since. During the day I wake him 3-3.5 hrly for feeds but he will also have the odd 'snack' between feeds. He has been v sleepy but is starting to wake up more now. Plenty of wet nappies, one or two big poos a day.

For the last few nights he has done 5 / 5.5hr stretches from 8pm ish til 1 when he will have a full feed (he is very quick on the boob, as was his older brother). I did not get this with son #1 so it is amazing but also new! Tonight he woke at 1am after settling at 9 after being on the boob on and off for an hour but took hardly anything, then woke at 3:30 where I managed to get about ten minutes into him.

He suffers from bad wind (I have a fast let down) and is often unsettled from 4-6am, writhing and squirming and will often poo at this time.

Is this normal? Should I be waking him in the night? When he is sleepy after a feed it is very hard, nay impossible, to keep him awake - nappy changes etc have no real effect! I am also worried about the effect on my supply. Though I always try to get him to take both sides, If he only takes one side at 1am (or whenever time in the night ) the other side is going a long time with no feeding. Is having such long gaps so early on going to be detrimental? My son was a lot older when he had 5 hours of straight sleep consistently (probs 10+ weeks) and supply was well established. Even tonight when waking at 1am to feed him I noticed my boobs aren't super full / sore which I would expect, though maybe they are already adjusting..

Freaking out a bit - I should know better, I EBF my older son for 16 months!

Was older brother a smaller baby? I remember reading that they physically can't sleep through (5 hrs plus) regularly until they weigh a certain amount. The nappies sound good. Would you take him into bed around 4 just in case it would settle him better and he could snack if needed? Sounds like you're doing what you can anyway. Congrats :)

I am combine feeding ds2 and when he was that age hewould go round aabout the same. Hv said dont worry about it as long as hes having wet n dirty nappies. They get most during day.
Ds is 10weeks now and goes from 8 til 4 which is not too bad. Currently on me then will have a bottle after.

Yes, older brother was 8lb3 at birth.

He usually ends up in bed with me some time after 4am in his unsettled period as won't settle otherwise. He will have a little nibble during this time but doesn't take a full feed. I am nervous of co sleeping with such a little one, though we have a bednest, and when he stays in bed with me I put him under the crook of my arm and he sleeps well.

He has just woken again but doesn't seem interested in food / it seems like his standard windy period.

He just startled himself with a massive fart

isitme1 was your supply ok?

I was ill after having ds2. In hospital 2weeks. Because I was ill supply was crap. Ds first feed was a bottle as the surgeons and drs were working on me so supply has been bad from start and from around 2 days old he was topped up with formula.

Hes a proper chunky monkey lol
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