Should I give bottles aswell? 2 week old feeding constantly

[Foxaroo]

hi this is my first post so pls be kind

im just wondering if i should be giving bottles aswell as breastfeeding? my little boy is exactly 2 weeks today. he was 6lb 4oz when he was born and he lost 4.5% after but we got him weighed yesterday and hes 7lb 4oz now so they said hes doing really well.

but he literally feeds every 2 to 3 hours and sometimes its more like 2. he wakes up for a feed and then hes on me for agessss. like he will suck, then pause, then start again and if i try take him off he cries and roots around.

i dont mind feeding him but im so tired. i feel like im just sat here all day with him on me. my mum says maybe give him a bottle at night so he might sleep longer but i dont know if that will mess up my milk or confuse him.

hes really alert for a newborn aswell. he looks around loads and holds eye contact and doesnt seem sleepy much in the day. sometimes i worry hes not getting enough even though hes put on weight.

is this normal at 2 weeks? should i just keep going or would a bottle help him settle more? i dont want to do the wrong thing.

Normal to be feeding all the time (or at least it feels that way) at this stage. Hopefully it will space out a bit after a while but it’s a real slog, I know.

Every 2 or 3 hours is completely normal and average for a newborn. There's also no evidence that bottle feeding/formula makes babies sleep longer at night.

Having said that, it's completely your choice as to whether you try introducing formula. It does sound very normal for a two week old though.

Completely normal, albeit exhausting! If he’s gaining weight and is having wet and dirty nappies then he’s getting plenty.
if you want to give him a bottle then its absolutely fine to do so. Assuming you mean formula, then keep in mind that it’s perhaps worth pumping while he has the bottle, especially in these first 6 weeks, to help establish breast milk supply.
i was told sooo often that bottles and/or formula would help my little ones sleep better, give them a bottle, they’re feeding too often etc etc. On and on and on people went. Low and behold, it made no difference whatsoever. That’s not to say it won’t help your little one OP; but it’s also not guaranteed to be a magic sleep cure.

Absolutely normal!! It will settle down. They basically just feed feed feed in the newborn days. I found it slowed about 3-4 months. His weight suggests he's getting plenty of milk and no need for a bottle. You might make yourself more exhausted having to sterilise bottles and make up feeds if you go the formula route. It is exhausting and a bit of a shock with your first.

thank you both for replying

i think im just worrying hes not getting enough cos even after a long feed he can still seem hungry and a bit grumpy? he doesnt really cry much he just kind of fusses and roots again like he wants more.

i just always thought newborns slept constantly and were really sleepy but he isnt like that. hes awake loads in the day and looking around and then wants feeding again.

i dont know whats normal really so i think i overthink everything 😩 i just dont want him to be hungry and me not realise x

He will be getting comfort from sucking too. Don’t let anyone tell you ‘he’s using you as a dummy!’ - yes that’s entirely normal! Some babies need to suck for comfort more than others. BF isn’t always just about milk. Think yourself as having an amazing superpower!

Sounds normal. My son fed every 2-2.5 hours until 6 months (except night time, he was doing 5-6 hours stretches by 6 weeks at night).

Please try not to worry OP, it is hard but I promise you this is all completely normal! I breastfed my first baby and currently breastfeeding my nearly 4 month old- those first few weeks they are on the boob constantly and that doesn’t mean you have an issue with supply, it doesn’t mean they aren’t getting enough, it is how they tell your body how much milk they need and “put their order in” for the next day and the day after etc!! As long as you are having plenty of wet nappies, don’t worry. Cluster feeding is so so normal in the early weeks while your supply gets established, while they figure out how to feed effectively, while they adjust to being outside of you, it is all so so normal. Accept all the help you possibly can and accept that for the next few weeks this is what life looks like, it is a short stage and it will be over soon! My son is nearly 4 months now and feeds for more like 10-15 mins every 3 hours compared to pretty much 24/7 at 2 weeks old. Good luck, keep hydrated, lots of snacks, find a good show or book to keep you entertained, you are doing amazing!

Are you offering at least both sides each feed? When he slows down or pauses you can put him on the second side, if he finishes that one go back to the first.
Swapping sides frequently will get more milk into him and is good to increase your supply.

Sounds completely normal from what I’ve heard as much as it’s exhausting!

it’s a myth about bottle fed babies sleeping more. My two were bottle fed and slept like shit for at least two years…

Sounds almost exactly like my dd was! Very awake and always wanting to be on the boob. They just like to suck for comfort at this age too.

The first couple of months definitely are just spent sat on the sofa feeding the baby constantly. Find a good series to watch and some snacks and try and enjoy it! It's not forever.

thank you everyone honestly its helped reading these

i didnt even think about the comfort thing properly. i think cos he doesnt full on cry i assume hes still hungry but maybe he just wants to suck and be close.

the wet nappies are good. hes having loads and theyre heavy so i guess that means hes getting milk. i just panic cos im new to this and everything feels like a test im going to fail.

im not with his dad but he comes over and stays at weekends and he brought some dummies today. i havent given one yet cos i didnt know if its too early? part of me thinks if some of it is comfort sucking then maybe he could have a dummy and be cuddled by his dad so im not the only one he settles on. at the minute if hes not feeding hes basically on me.

but then i worry will a dummy mess up breastfeeding or make him confused or affect my supply or something. i dont want to mess it up when its actually going ok weight wise.

i just feel like i dont really know what im doing half the time 😅 but thank you for being nice about it x

This all sounds very normal. At this age babies do cluster feed (lots of feeding close together) and it’s all part of establishing your milk supply.

Sounds like he’s doing amazingly and no reason to give a bottle as formula won’t make him sleep or help your milk supply.

If others want to help have them do the house work while you feed. In one of his alert moments let them watch the baby while you sleep. Take a nap when dad is there.

Have a look for your local breastfeeding group. It can really help to meet some other breastfeeding mums and speak to someone qualified in lactation.

well done and congrats on your new baby.

I’m afraid that’s how it is at this age-it truly on’t last long. You’re doing so well for him to be putting on weight like that! If you can avoid it-don’t give him a bottle-your milk supply is still settling in-you don’t want to confuse your body! Just hang in there!

That’s completely normal. The rooting behaviour etc helps to keep your milk coming in. He doesn’t need bottles if he’s gaining weight - he’s doing exactly what is expected.

Completely normal and no I wouldn’t give a bottle at this stage because it will mess with your supply.
I found that my two went longer between feeds and didn’t feed for as long by about 3 months old.
I introduced a dummy with both my DDs because they wanted to comfort feed for hours and it’s so tiring.

Mine both fed every 2 hours as babies... and they still do at 9 and 12 years old! Both on the skinny side.
I got in a massive stress at the time about what they 'should' be doing. My mum didnt help by muttering about feeding every 4 hrs. Turns out she used to stick us in the pram at the end of the garden when we screamed between feeds (1970s parenting).
If you need to get stuff done and not be stuck on the sofa feeding try carrying baby very soft sling.

If you want to be able to give bottles I would try now as most of the people i know who waited until 4-6 weeks were never able to use bottles but very occasionally and protect overnight and ensure that they pace feed. With my daughter we gave her 1-2 bottles a week from 2-3 weeks old until she developed a bottle and feeding in general aversion due to reflux and allergies.

My son has had bottles on and off since day 1. The day he was born he was too sleepy to wake for feeds due to low blood sugars. He was sleeping for 12h at a time. Once we were home we continue with one bottle every other night whilst I did bedtime with my daughter until about 4 weeks then it dropped to once a week and now he is 5 months once every 2-3 weeks. From about 4 weeks it got more reliable that I could feed him and him to be satisfied for an hour or so to be passed to someone else whilst I got some rest or a shower - except between the hours of 5-9pm.

With both we didn't treat the expressed bottle feeds as a full feed more like an emergency chocolate bar that you keep in your bag to satisfy you until you get home for dinner. It just gave me half an hours grace should I need it. You could see if you could leave baby with dad or your mum with a back up expressed bottle whilst you get a nap? If baby really needs you they can bring him up to you?

With my daughter we held off giving a dummy until she was 12 weeks and struggling massively with silent reflux but was having feeding aversions because of the reflux so didn't want to feed as that hurt but did want to comfort suckle. This was too late and she never took to the dummy. I have a fast letdown and a good supply so that didn't help either. My son has times when he was getting overwhelmed with my milk when he was just wanting comfort so we started him with dummies around 2-3 weeks. I tried him on the breast first but if he wasn't showing signs of active feeding and was struggling with the milk I swapped out the nipple for a dumny for a minute or two break and then swapped him back once my milk flow eased off.

Was baby born at term or overdue? My daughter was born 8 days early and my son at 37 weeks, they were both super sleepy until their due dates and then became more alert