Routine for two week old

[lockdownpregnancy]

Hi ladies! FTM so I'm pretty much winging being a Mommy, so please be nice 🥰🤪

DS is currently having 5oz every 2 1/2 hours!!! It takes him a while to drink it but once he's finished within the hour or so he wants more!! So night time is absolutely brutal at the minute, as he only sleeps for an hour/hour and a half at a time before he wants another feed.
I was under no illusion that sleep deprivation would be brutal but it's definitely him being hungry, (as I go through the usual process of elimination as well (nappy change, winding etc) )
as he only settles once he's drank his bottle. The thing that gets me is that it's such short space of time between feeds?
He can go a good 2-3 hours during the day so why is night time different?

Now whilst I know that there is no routine for a two week old baby I just want to know when they do start to get into one, or their feeds start to spread out more?

(He's bottle fed btw)

Any advice or just to share tour own personal experience would be much appreciated!

TIA

Firstly, congratulations!

My DS started to get into a routine around 6 months, until then it really was a case of winging it and going along with the baby's needs. I remember weeks where I felt like he was constantly attached to my boob and I hardly moved from the sofa, then it would calm down again. I think it was usually to do with growth spurts, they have a lot going on in their little lives!

I think feeds started to space out more around 3/4 months but it didn't feel like a routine at that point. Just fewer and bigger feeds. At this stage I would suggest just keeping on with whatever you're doing. 2 weeks is so tiny and new, the bottle and milk is probably quite comforting too. And I'm not sure whether it's different for bottle feeding, but my DS always drank more at nighttime.

In the womb they are more active at night than daytime. It can take a few weeks to get out of this habit.
They are quite sleepy during the day at this stage too. Give it a week or two and they will start to stay awake a bit more. I'm breastfeeding so it's slightly different but at 8 weeks we get a 3h sleep before the first night feed then 1 1/2-2 h after that.

When I'm starting to struggle with the sleep deprivation my partner and I share duties - I will feed but he does the nappy so I get an extra 15 minutes sleep in that gap. The difference between 90 and 105 minutes sleep is more than you would think!

5oz that often seems a lot for a 2 week old, have you discussed with midwife/HV?

I only ask as feeding has been my biggest struggle with my baby; first time mom here too. I found it so difficult to know how much to feed, how often etc in those first few weeks and my baby has always seemed to be slightly ahead of the ‘recommended’ feeding charts but even then he wasn’t drinking 5oz consistently until about 6/7 weeks. And then it was every 3-4 hours.

He’s 3 months old now and has 6oz 3-4 hours, and sometimes goes 5-6 hours at night. So yes, it does get more spread out!

Have you tried a dummy? As he may be drinking for comfort rather than hunger.

Sounds completely normal. I know you are ff but babies are suppose to feed lots over night as this is when Mum produce the right hormone to produce more bm. It does get better for but the first 6 to 8 weeks is survival.

2 weeks old is very early to be thinking about routine! Newborns often have day/night reversal and feed much more often at night than during the day. It’s totally normal and they grow out of it in a few weeks. I’m afraid for the first 6 weeks it’s pretty typical to be a slave to your baby’s needs!

All very normal for a 2 week old. Actually, mine only ever went about 1.5 hours, maybe 2 at a stretch at that point. It will start to even out sometime between 6-10 weeks probably.

In the meantime, assuming you have a partner, your partner can easily do half of the night feeds. You can go to bed at 8pm, and sleep through until 2am and then take over or vice versa. Even with mine who were bf, I only did the feeding. I handed the baby off when they were done and went back to sleep. Dh walked around the lounge for hours to keep them sleeping so I could sleep. Then once I'd had 4-5 hours of sleep for the night, I took over and he went to bed until the morning. If you are ff, then you could each feasibly get 6 hours a night if you time it well. This only lasts for a few weeks though and then it does get easier.

Thank you ladies. I know he won't be in a routine just yet and DH is brilliant but it's his first week back at work and he has to be up at 4am so I'm trying to do this week without disrupting him too much as he works so hard bless him!
He's off work next week so he's promised me on Sunday night he will take over and I can have a full nights sleep! I'm keeping him to it! Haha!
DS will get there eventually bless him!
His little face makes it all worth it, but as we all know sleep deprivation just does you over! 😫😫😫

I feel for you my partner needs to be up at 5.30 4 days a week so sleeps in the spare room those nights so I'm on my own.

Hold him to any night he is able to give you!

Are you able to sleep during the day? I've only managed it a couple of times but it does help when I am able too. Alternatively I have to make sure I have sensible plans for days after a difficult night. If that means the day with Netflix for company that's what you do.

@Superscientist I have managed to get in the odd nap but not every day unfortunately.
With it being DH's first week back at work I've had visitors every day just to ease my anxiety of being by myself.
With him being off work next week I'll be getting in daily naps that's for sure! 😝