Hungry baby formula at 4 weeks?

[memoo]

I have a very hungry 4 week old DD who just wants to feed constantly.

I am bottle feeding using cow and gate first milk but a friend has suggested trying the hungry baby one.

I know it says suitable from birth but I am a bit reluctant to give it to such a young baby as I've heard it is harder to digest and can cause constipation.

Really not sure what to do, anybody got any ideas??

There's no really good independent info on this, memoo.

The main difference between normal and 'hungry' is that the protein in 'hungry' is casein-dominant (as opposed to whey) which is (supposedly) harder for the baby's system to break down. It is, however, permitted to be sold as suitable from birth, and so using it is really a matter of preference. HCPs may say first milks are more suitable because whey is the dominant protein in breastmilk, but as I say, there is no good evidence that this makes it 'better'.

Many babies of this age feed a lot. How 'constant' is constant? What does your HV say?

my hv said not before 8 weeks my dd was nearly 4 months when she went on to it (cow and gate as well) and it caused her problems, she was constipated and when she did go it stank!

It settled down in the end but it still stinks like nothing Ive ever smelt before.

how much is she having?

4 weeks old feed constantly, it's what they do

i would say hungry baby milk is for babies draining a full 8oz bottle every hour or so

how many ounces is DD taking?

This last few days she has been hungry again within an hour of finishing a feed.

I spoke the HV yesterday and she said to try and leave her longer between feeds so she will take more at each feed but I just can't leave her crying.

She is taking about 3/4 ounces at each feed

I remember my dds growth spurt at 3/4 weeks it made me cry more than once

how many ounces is she taking?
have you tried adding an ounce more to the bottle?

do not leave her to cry, IME, that is wrong advice, and i;m glad you are not taking it !!

a baby who is hungry and left to cry, will get so upset and cross and tired from crying they won't feed properly and it makes the situation worse

4 weeks old don't need feeds spacing out or being left to cry!

She has put on a lot of weight this week pippel so maybe DD is having a growth spurt too.

x post

that is a normal amount for her age !

if she is draining her feeds, make up 5 oz bottles and see if that helps

I have tried making up larger bottles but she doesn't take more than 3/4 ounces. I do wonder if actually I am just being a bit unrealistic about how long a baby of her age should go between feeds.

There is no way I would ever leave her to cry, it would break my heart!

she is not a hungry baby in need of something more filling, she is a regular 4 week old going through a growth spurt!

just have to ride it out and remind yourself, this too shall pass!

it's still early days, she;s a teeny tiny newborn.

I think you're right and I just need to ride it out.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

I had this with DD#2 - I contacted the manufacturer for advice at the time as to what to do and was told not to change to the hungry baby milk. Instead I changed the teat size I was using and it made a huge difference - DD was getting frustrated trying to get the milk out of the smaller teat holes and giving up eating enough in a feed - then she would of course be hungry again really quickly. I did end up using teats that were advertised as for older babies than she was at the time, but we had no problems with them - but obviously do take care.
Hope that helps.