Very hungry 8 week old still feeding every two and half hours every night...tired mum, any suggestions to help drop feeds?(would be very gratefully received)

[SamiadsTiredMummy]

My lovely 8 and half week old DS is seemingly a very hungry little man.He takes on average 200mls every 3hours now (sometimes up to 240mls)-we were demand feeding but now making sure he has more regular feeds in day in attempt to reduce need for night feeds.However this doesn't seem to make much difference and he generally feeds at 10pm,1,3.30 and now started waking at 5am-try to settle him until 6ish before next feed.He was 12lb9oz at 7weeks so is a good size. I am wondering whether we could be overfeeding him and if he could be waking up more as habit now rather than needing the feeds?(although he takes about 100-180mls so is having good feed not just insignificant comfort feed). I am finding the night feeds hard work now and would love to at least extend the intervals in between feeds for DS. A less sleep deprived mummy i would like to be!Any help,suggestions,guidance would be very much appreciated.

I realise this thread should perhaps have gone on feeding section but i see it more as a sleeping issue IYSWIM?!perhaps not! Would still really appreciate help!

I realise this thread should perhaps have gone on feeding section but i see it more as a sleeping issue IYSWIM?!perhaps not! Would still really appreciate help!

Could well be a growth spurt, in which case you really have to just sit it out. Every 2-3 hours isn't unusual for an 8 week old anyway.

As you know how much he's taking, I assume he's FF, and you do say 'we' which I take to mean you have a DP available to help out - do you alternate night feeds or even have one night on and one night off feeding so that you get at least more than 2 hours sleep at once?

My DS (bf) is the same - 9 weeks old and feeding every 2-3 hours overnight. Probably doesn't help, but you are not alone!

I get through by gritting my teeth and repeating "it's just a phase...just a phase...just a phase..."

Thanks,yes ff now,stopped breast feeding this week,long story involving weeks of cracked nipples and expressing and difficult decision but ultimately feels like right one.and yes luckily have a brilliant DH,currently i'm going to bed about 9 and DH looking after DS until midnight ish so usually i'm up from 1am doing the rest of feeds.DS is getting slightly chubby and i do worry that he takes so much milk,but i have been told you can't overfeed babies?i also feel DS is over tired. the feeds generally take 40-90mins due to difficulty of getting DS to wind-if doesn't will be uncomfortable in moses basket grunting,need to be picked up and after few attempts he will eventually produce a burp (using infacol,who knows if helps).so as a result DS isn't obviously getting huge amount of sleep overnight which worries me.argh its difficult, would love to get constructive advice (or magic quick fix) but realise that i probably just need to ride it out.

Have you tried the Dr Brown's bottles, they are really good for reducing wind. I also put the Infacol in the bottle. Have a chat with the Health Visitor about trying Hungry baby milk, we eventually changed him at 12 weeks and he was a happier baby, good luck.

Ok, then what I would suggest is this:

Your DH is caring for DS from 9pm - 12am. That's only the length between a feed anyway if DS is feeding every 2-3 hours.

If you're doing every night feed from 1am, then why not either do alternate feeds (eg you do 1am, DH does 4am) and then you both share the burden at night. Alternatively, you could take turns doing a night each (eg you do Monday, DH does Tuesday and so on) and then you both get a full night's sleep each. Just because you are on maternity leave doesn't mean you don't need to sleep :)

At least if you're a bit more rested, it can help you see the wood for the trees and you might be able to work out whether there is something to sort out re DS's feeding times, or whether he's actually being a normal 8 week old baby. I think it's too early to be thinking he's waking out of habit - he's still little enough to need feeding at VERY frequent intervals.

You can't overfeed a breastfed baby, but with a bottle you can. Babies are not meant to be skinny though, many are chubby and as along as he's not leaping up and down the centile charts I wouldn't worry about that.

Little babies grunt anyway when they're lying down and sleeping, so it might be that he's doing that rather than needing to be winded, in which case you trying to bring up wind might not be what he needs - he might just be a noisy one!

DD's feeds when she was tiny could take half an hour or more so again, it's not necessarily a problem that needs to be sorted. Have you tried going up a teat size? The milk flows more easily out of a larger sized teat (most bottles start on a size 1 or newborn teat, then go up to a size 2 or whatever) and that did make a difference to the length of feeds (still long though!)

Just my two pence worth anyway :)

Thank you for taking time to comment, i appreciate it. Think perhaps i am reluctant for DH to do more night feeds as when i was exclusively expressing for few weeks whilst nipples recovered he was up every feed with me feeding DS whilst i expressed,he was then shattered going to work. Regarding over feeding and centiles DS started on 50th but has gone up to 75th in last few weeks?! he is on 75th for length so i wonder whether he has just gone up to where he will stay-HV not commented on this weight gain other than to say he is 'growing beautifully'! We are using comfort formula and because of this are also using level 2 teats on dr brown bottles, am sure they make a difference. Thanks again, will take in to account your comments on sharing feeds and grunting babies :)

He might be shattered going to work, but you are also shattered and in sole charge of a tiny baby all day - it's bloody hard work for all concerned! :)

Very true, point taken!

This kind of comes at it from a different angle, but I fed DD every 2-3 hours for months and found it easier when I was able to do less during the day. Either resting, sleeping or at least not going out every day. Lack of sleep is so hard so remember to be nice to yourself.

And remember although it feels like forever it will pass!

Although my DS is sleeping well at night we have the same problem re: feeding he takes 210mls 6 or 7 times a day at 8 wks, stopped mixed feeding him on sunday as couldnt see him getting anything worthwhile from me, was starting to refuse to latch etc. he cries for food seemingly constantly. I tried to speak to HV about overfeeding but they just say cant overfeed a ff baby and he will stop but he NEVER has not finished a bottle. He was 91st centile at 9lbs 4oz when born he's now 13lbs with a chubby little face but again the HV not worried, typical was worried he wasnt getting enough when BFing, which turned out to be the case, and now I'm worried he's getting too much. We experimenting now with hungry baby milk at nights as he literally wakes up screaming for feeds.

I hope you manage to crack the sleeping issue i dont envy you at all with that!!

Not go

Thanks guys. That is true soandsosmum i do think i forget how tired i actually am sometimes,it just becomes the norm and so then functioning at a lesser level becomes the norm.i had an emergency section and last few weeks i've been able to drive again and so have made the most of this,perhaps doing too much which like you say isn't necessarily sensible every day! figgygal its reassuring to hear you have a similar issue with feeding your DS, would be interested to hear what you think of hungry baby formula as have heard mixed opinions?