6 week old feeding little and often/not sleeping

[KO045]

Hi all, FTM so I’m not sure if I’m becoming too hung up on what the ‘norm’ should be but our little one is almost 7 weeks old (is putting weight on) but rarely has over 60ml per feed.

I thought he was maybe exhausting himself with the first stage teats but trying medium flow ones he just wasn’t ready.

He’s also barely sleeping during the day unless held or in a sling. At night he’s great between feeds (we do follow responsive feeding) but during the day he’ll feed, fall asleep in my arms and as soon as I put him down he’s either awake again right away or sleeps for less than an hour/half an hour then wants fed more.

He had been fine and going every 2/2.5 hours between feeds but it’s sometimes more regular.

Any advice is welcome as I feel chained to the house at the moment and don’t want to constantly be in the car to the shops just to get him to sleep until we’re home.

Sounds normal to me! One thing that really helped me was getting a sling/carrier so you can put him in that in the daytime and get on with things in the house while he naps, otherwise you are stuck holding him. In my experience it will be a while before you are able to put him down for naps without him waking.

About being chained to the house, time and practice will help but you really don't need to be - can you take your bottles with you and feed when he needs it, plus at that age he will likely sleep for a good chunk of time in a pram/carrier allowing you to have a chat with a friend etc. Id suggest meeting someone understanding for a walk - someone who you won't feel pressured with and who won't mind if you need to stop to feed or even if for some reason you want to call it a day early and go home. And the more you do it the more confident you'll get. 6 weeks is still so tiny, you're both learning and I'm sure you're doing great

2 to 2.5 hours between feeds is normal at this age. Often 4 hours is suggested as the norm between feeds but this was based on a study into how often baby birds feeds not human. From your post is sounds like your baby just wants to be held when sleeping, you can try a sling or moving pram to help with naps.

I think you’ve got a normal 6 week old. Have you heard about the 4th trimester? Have a Google, it basically explains why they refuse to be put down. I found understanding why made it easier to cope with as it helped realign my expectations.

A sling / carrier was a game changer for us.

I did four hourly feeds so I knew where I was. Otherwise I was feeding every time he cried but that probably wasn't hunger. He took a much better feed every four hours and was much more settled. I also gave boiled water in between

My babe is the save age as yours. It's like you have described her exactly!

Must be fairly normal then x

Sounds normal to me. My eldest never went more than 2 hours between feeds during the day until he was about 3mo.

Agree with the sling - second baby lived in one for the first 3 months and now at 5mo I can usually get her into her cot for a nap more often than not.

I can’t remember what their intake is supposed to be at that age but the rest sounds totally normal.

Have you got a carrier/sling?

Sounds like mine was so I'm guessing normal! A baby carrier will help if you can manage it.