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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Impatient baby screaming for bottle

30 replies

FrangipanFlower · 25/01/2022 21:21

I have a gorgeous 13 week old baby who feeds beautifully. The only problem is she screams bloody murder when it’s time for a feed, she’s barely going 3 hours between feeds and screams as if she’s not been fed in days. She’s formula fed and we’re using colief drops as she was mega colicky and they seem to be helping. As soon as the bottle comes she’s happy and will often fall asleep before finishing the full 6oz, so it’s not a case or simply giving her more milk. Has anyone else experienced this? DD1 had horrendous reflux for a year so feeding was a completely different (traumatic) experience altogether.

OP posts:
FlibbertyGiblets · 25/01/2022 21:22

Can you try pre empting by offering milk sooner?

cheekychaplin · 25/01/2022 21:24

Yes babies cry when hungry. It's absolutely normal. I would also be preparing the bottle slightly ahead of when you would expect baby to need one.

Original poster
FrangipanFlower · 25/01/2022 21:25

I could certainly try - but had hoped she would start going for longer stints by now instead of shorter…

OP posts:
WheelieBinPrincess · 25/01/2022 21:26

3 or less hours between feeds is surely totally normal!

My 4.5 month old is only going about 3 hours between now.

cheekychaplin · 25/01/2022 21:28

@FrangipanFlower

I could certainly try - but had hoped she would start going for longer stints by now instead of shorter…

She is growing and feeding (including the crying) sounds completely normal.

MiniTheMinx · 25/01/2022 21:29

I had this with the first. Would wake screaming for food, then doze off feeding. So I used to give him half the feed, then wake him up a bit changing him, then give the second half. That way he took all the feed and slept longer between feeds. Might work.

Original poster
FrangipanFlower · 25/01/2022 21:30

Ok good to know it’s normal and I’m not losing my mind/missing something glaringly obvious! I did try dream feeding her last night and it was a complete disaster, she seemed even more affronted to have been disturbed and ended up being sick which isn’t like her at all.

OP posts:
Original poster
FrangipanFlower · 25/01/2022 21:31

Thanks @MiniTheMinx that’s a good tip.

OP posts:
Ducksurprise · 25/01/2022 21:32

That amount of screaming uses a lot of energy and will shorten the time between feeds, plus male her fall asleep before she is full.
Preempt the feeding so no screaming, happier for everyone.

SeaToSki · 25/01/2022 21:32

I would try and keep her awake to have a longer feed and see where that gets you. When mine went through sleepy phases, i would do half a feed, then burp and nappy change before the other half. If would usually wake them up enough to finish

ivfbabymomma1 · 25/01/2022 21:33

My son was every 2 hours for the first 6 months! It feels like you never get a break doesnt it 🤣

WheelieBinPrincess · 25/01/2022 21:33

Yeah on the advice of my health visitor Hmm

I tried to ‘load up’ DS with more volume of milk during the day so he goes longer at night. It doesn’t work. He won’t ever take more than 180ml. I really tried once and he was just sick everywhere and I felt shit about it.

So it’s just him. Mostly he does 150m, roughly every three hours.

FlamingRoses · 25/01/2022 21:35

So you eat and drink to a schedule created by your husband or parent? I eat and drink as needed, I don’t look at the clock.

itwasntaparty · 25/01/2022 21:37

Feed her more often then she won't be screaming the place down.

Original poster
FrangipanFlower · 25/01/2022 21:42

@WheelieBinPrincess I’ve had questionable advice from health visitors over the years too…

@ivfbabymomma1 every 2 hours for 6 months! That’s crazy, you have my sympathy! I’ll definitely try and pre-emptively feed more during the day.

OP posts:
Tdcp · 25/01/2022 21:49

Yeah try not to worry, I had one of those babies too... In fact she's 7 now and she's still 'wasting away' everytime it's nearly dinnertime 😂.

JenniferAlisonPhilippaSue · 25/01/2022 21:49

A baby is not impatient

WheelieBinPrincess · 25/01/2022 21:50

@JenniferAlisonPhilippaSue

A baby is not impatient
WTF 😂
Tdcp · 25/01/2022 21:51

A baby is not impatient

Alrighty then 😂

WheelieBinPrincess · 25/01/2022 21:57

A Baby is Not Impatient
She doth wait sweetly for her feed
No piecing cry, her eyes are dry,
‘Tis nowt to do with greed
A Baby is not impatient
She’s content to wait all day
She’ll never starve or find it hard
To slowly waste away

JustWonderingIfYou · 25/01/2022 22:00

At 3 months mine was still feeding every hour!

Crying is a late hunger cue, you need to make her bottle earlier. Stop making her wait so long.

Kinko · 25/01/2022 22:25

Yes it's completely normal.

We got a tommee tippee prep machine because it takes minutes to put a bottle together, rather than standing with one under a cold tap.

Total game changer.

Look for the hunger cues too - have a Google.

Original poster
FrangipanFlower · 25/01/2022 22:51

Oh yes we have the perfect prep machine so I’m definitely not “making her wait so long”. Christ, some of the replies on this thread! I don’t know why I’m surprised though, I’ve used Mumsnet for ages…

OP posts:
Garman · 25/01/2022 22:57

@JustWonderingIfYou

At 3 months mine was still feeding every hour!

Crying is a late hunger cue, you need to make her bottle earlier. Stop making her wait so long.

Yup, this second part.
LosingAtHumanBopIt · 25/01/2022 23:01

I could have written this exact post 4 months ago. It's so tough isn't it, I kept beating myself up for not preempting quick enough and clearly unrealistically expecting her to do longer than 2.5/3 hrs.

Then there's the other soul destroying times when you're prepared early ready for a 2.5hr feed and they decide its 1hr this time.