7 week old am I doing something wrong

[Laylor]

Okay long post please bare with me and be kind.

I have a just turned 7 week old and every day is completely different to the day before. He was first diagnosed with reflux and given omeprazole but I wasbt convinced as he wasnt having much of the symptoms. Was then diagnosed with colic and taken off omeprazole and improved lots. Still very windy, arches back and is grouchy and grumpy. Yesterday I purchased colief after using infacol and gripe water for 2 weeks and not really noticing a difference. My husband thinks hes seen a slight improvement since using colief. Hes less grumpy and passing wind much easier

Up until 5 weeks he was having 5oz a bottle as 4oz wasnt enough so the midwife and HV advised to up it. We saw a paediatric nurse who bollocked us for over feeding saying we should be giving him 150ml per kg of his weight. I worked it out and it's about 3oz. We weaned him back to 4 which was very difficult but have since gone back up to 5 because hes just so unsettled. Please give me your experience on this as sometimes he still dosent seem satisfied with just 5oz. The odd time he will have about 4 but more often than not he will finish the whole thing and still chew his hand.

His sleeping is so erratic. Some days we get 3 hours out of him some days hes stirring all night. His napping in the day has improved lots I'm just struggling to read the tired cues until it's too late.

I feel like I'm doing something wrong. My friends have babies around the same age and they say their babies sleep all flipping night.

So my question is the feeding and sleeping. Does it sound normal to you all?

Sorry first time mum and clueless. Hes feeding every 3hours. Some days he may go a further half hour but some days he can barely reach 3 hours without kicking off.

Thanks guys xx

I feel like I'm doing something wrong. My friends have babies around the same age and they say their babies sleep all flipping night They really aren't, unless you happen to have the most unbelievably lucky group of friends ever known. According to a recent study around half of parents lie about their baby's sleeping habits. Sad, but true. I've had firsthand experience of this.

Can you tell us a bit more about the symptoms he's a big too?

At this age, colic, reflux, tongue tie and Cow's Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA) can all present with very similar problems.

As for coping right now, I'd give him the 5floz is he wants it. As a guide he should be having roughly 2.5 floz of formula per pound in weight in 24 hours. So if he's say 10 lb, that's roughly 25 floz a day. If you know his weight, and work it out like this, does the amount seem right?

He sounds pretty much the same as my 7 week old; we often have to stretch him to 3 hours and has only gone longer on the odd occasion. He’s also on 5oz although mostly only takes 4oz. I don’t know anyone with such a young baby who sleeps all night, some I know can manage 4-5 hours but not more than that and my DD at this age was similar.
We’re using anti colic bottles after struggling with wind and it’s helped.

You're doing fine.

Small babies change very quickly, it's often the case that no two days are the same.

Babies differ massively. Feeding your hungry baby is the only correct choice. If he's had too much, he'll bring it up again.

How many feeds is he having in 24 hours? How much total milk? Where is he percentile wise for length/weight?

He got weighed about 2 weeks ago end weighed 10lb 4. Born 6lbs 14

His symptoms are - very windy, pulls legs up to tummy quite a lot. Hes very noisy in bed. Straining and grunting. I showed the nurse a recording and they wasnt concerned. He also seems sad more times than he is happy. He whinges a lot but when hes happy he melts my heart. We can be playing on his Mat where he is smiling and moving lots and then within minutes hes grumpy and whinging.

As if people lie about that. What's the point x

Can you tell us a bit more about the symptoms he's a big too.

Sorry, meant symptoms he's got

This article called bore your baby to sleepp* might help too

Hes having 7 feeds in 24 hours. Roughly every 3 hours day and night. His height and weight is fine.

Hes never sick. Just spits up the odd time. X

Its a hard age, peak crying or something I used to Google to find out when it would stop!

Lots of what you've said just sounds like absolutely normal baby behaviour. Things like "The Tiger in the Tree Hold" or anti colic bottles may help but none of what you are saying sounds unusual for such a young baby.

Congratulations too

Thanks so much for being kind

We had the Philip's avent bottles but just switched to dr browns

I think I might just be expecting too much too soon. I initially tried to do routine but it was too overwhelming so now I just led him guide us. He dosent have set bath or bed routine. Normally I get a few hours in the night while my husband keeps him downstairs for last feed before bringing him up. Just wish he would sleep that little bit more in the night. It's very hard xx

Can I ask how your making the bottles up?

My DD was very unsettled in the early weeks and I read somewhere that 1 in 100 babies get like this after bottles made from a perfect prep machine (apparently it's to do with the perfect prep only kills like 99% of bacteria so for 99 babies it's perfectly fine but for more sensitive tummies it can cause an issue) we toom DD off the perfect prep and began making bottles from boiled kettle and noticed a huge difference on a few days

I always fed to appetite so would want them to stop with a small amount left in the bottle. I wouldn’t let him go more than three hours between feeds in the day, this can help them sleep longer atnight. It is possible for babies this age to sleep through the night (one of mine did) but this means a stretch of 6 hours sleep. This doesn’t mean all will though and any feeding problems will interfere with this.
I don’t want to tell you how to suck eggs for are winding him regularly and using the slowest teats available. If ai remember correctly I used to wind about four times mid bottle.

Also sorry one more thing. When he naps he might have 30 mins here and there. So he will be fed then doze for 30 mins then wake up. I try to keep him occupied. Talk to him. Play with him on the mat or put him in his rocker and then he will doze again until feed - is that normal. You read online people say 2 to 3 hour full sleep

Also I was originally timing 3 hours from the last mouthful to get a rough time when his next one was due but a few of my friends start from his first mouthful. So if he feeds at 1 till 130 then he will. Be due again in like 2 hours x

You won't believe me.

But I PROMISE YOU it gets easier.

You've actually got past the 'hardest' bit. You will really soon get into a rhythm.

Then at 3 months it will be easier again

Don't worry about routine, just feed him when he's hungry, do paced feeding.

Keep on keeping on!

We got told about the pre prep machine. We have one so stopped using it but disnt notice any difference. We now just use it for bed time only and during the day we boil the kettle. It's just hard at night time when hes kicking off and I have ti wait for the kettle to boil then cool down. By the time I'm done he has tired himself out by crying. We wind every 2oz. That's tricky aswel cause it can take anything between 10 to 30mins. I've tried all the way people suggested x

I wouldn’t worry about napping in the day, they are all different and he will change a lot over the next few months. I would time feed from the start not end to try to fill him up in the day so he can go a bit longer at night. Again probably stating the obvious but are you keeping everything as dark and quiet as possible during the evening and night, only changing him if dirty etc.

Haven't read the whole thread.
My baby had awful reflux and seemed to confuse his tummy gripes with hunger and would feed and feed (depending on how he was feeling), often way beyond how much he needed. So if you can find ways to make him comfortable (having him upright in a baby carrier a lot, raise his mattress at one end so he is sleeping tilted head up slightly, massage) you might find his appetite centres back to what it really is.

Yes, like others have said it's 3 hours from the beginning of the last feed.

Whilst I'm not a huge fan of strict routines, you could get DH to get up at 6.30 and get him to get ready and have a bottle ready to give at 7am. If he could feed him whilst you have a shower, even better.

I'd take him outside after the first bottle, just for a while as the daylight helps them to sleep at night. It was also help to set his internal clock and help him distinguish day from night.

If you do the 3 hours from the beginning of the last feed, you could aim to have the next bottle ready by 10 am and this may cut out a bit of the frustration.

@EasterBuns yes at bed times everything Is dark and quiet. It's so hard to want to interact with him but i dont.

He can barely go 3 hours in the day time. I do stretch it to 3 and feed him exactly at the right time. Its just hard work trying to work out what is best. Should I feed every 2.5 maybe? The back of the formula tin says he should be only feeding 5 times a day! Not a chance x

@JiltedJohnsJulie these are today's feeds

Wednesday 15th april
0245 - 5oz
0530 - 4.5oz
0830 - 5oz
1130 - 4.5oz
1445 - 5oz
1740 - 5oz
2040 -

I've been making a note of his feeds since mid March

Hey,

My boy is 4 months today and was drinking 6oz by the time he was 8 weeks. He wound scream and scream until we gave him more, but he already weighs 22lbs and is very long! The advice I got was that he is a big boy, if he cries for food, feed him.

He is still now only drinking 6oz per feed, so you might find his feeding is more normal when he gets a bit older.

Also, sleeping sounds perfectly normal. Most people lie about their children sleeping through.

He is going six hours between last feed and first the next day which does count as sleeping through. Are you getting to bed at 9 o clock to make the most of that longer stretch? Also if he struggles to go 3 hours between feeds in the day I would feed closer together, I think mine had about 8 feeds a day at that stage. It only reduced once they had solids. Mine both had reflux and feeding little and often helps.

Are you still on cows milk formula?

@EasterBuns sorry I didnt explain myself. I mark the feeds as I go along so he fed at 2040 and he will feed again around midnight. He never goes more that 3 hours at night time. How often would you feed during the day and how much? I'm so worried incase I over feed him and get told off again. I just feel so silly asking all the questions. I feel like I should know this.

Restaurant - yes hes on cow and gate first milk.

Should I feed every 2.5 maybe? The back of the formula tin says he should be only feeding 5 times a day! ignore the carton. It's just a guide and I'd take a bet that your LO hadn't event read it

If he wants a feed after 2.5 hours I would just give it. Current advice is to go by your baby's hunger cues, so if he want a bottle, just give it

Hi OP. Sorry to hear that you're having a tough time despite doing what sounds like a great job.

Your baby sounds 100% normal. What he needs milk and sleep-wise will change from week to week and the best way to deal with this is to follow his cues.

The 'experts' you've listened to have contradicted each other and undermined your confidence in knowing what your baby needs - because you are THE expert on your baby.

If I was going to advise you (and none of us here know your baby as well as you do) just follow your baby's cues. If he wants more to feed, he'll take it. If he wants to nap he will.

Oh, and it is not true that your friends' babies are all sleeping through the night. There might be one outlier but it's just not possible that they're all doing that. People fib, put on a brave face or say 'sleep through' when they mean a few hours.

You're doing a great job x