Awake every 2 hours... Getting too exhausted to function

[IRBJan17]

My ds is 18 days old and I know will most certainly not be sleeping for massive periods but he wakes for a feed (bottle fed) every 2 hours and normally drinks around 2-3oz. I'm wondering if this is normal? It's literally consistent 24 hours a day, the only longer stint I get is at this time of day when hell sleep for 3 hours. If he doesn't have a feed every 2 hours he's starting. I don't feel like I'm really getting any sleep at all as by the time iv fed him changed nappy if necessary and settled him again I maybe have an hour n a quarter before he's waking up again

It's very normal .
Exhausting but normal .
It will get better . Keep on going

Totally normal. Their tummies are tiny. Congratulations and keep going.

Completely normal. It's horrific. You just need to power through. Survival is all you aim for at this stage!

Yes it is normal. Totally normal. Expect the first 6 weeks to be like this. Then I started getting one slightly longer stretch.

We're at 8 months and still every 2 hours. Somehow you just survive and then adjust. It feels totally normal now 😴

Some things that may help:

• feed more frequently during the day. If baby seems to be asking for a feed every 2h, try offering a feed every 90 minutes.

By "daytime" I mean your daytime, so 7am to 10pm for example. This will by no means stop night feeds, but calorie loading during the day means less is needed at night.

• introduce a dummy. Baby has no means to comfort suck when bottle feeding, so a dummy becomes almost vital. You may need to help baby by holding the dummy in while baby is so tiny. Tapping on he outside encourages sucking.

• Have sleeping arrangements that mean you can lean in to settle baby with a dummy without getting up. A cosleeper for example (you can remove one side off the side off any cotbed and it will be stable 3-sided).

• wind baby well. Wind can wake baby uo hours after a feed is finished.

Thankyou all for the replies!!

He does have a dummy already!!

I will keep powering through!!!

Just checking if he has jaundice - I assumed waking every hour was completely normal for a newborn but in fact ds was still jaundiced, losing weight and it wasn't. Assuming no jaundice, as you were.

No the me has cleared him for Jaundice!

Unfortunately it is normal. My son at that stage was drinking every hour on the hour! He is 15 weeks now and he has just started going 3-4 hours between feeds! Before that, he was feeding every 2 hours, 3 if I'm lucky! Hang in there hun. It will get better, I promise! ((hugs)) xxx

First few weeks are hard. Nothing prepares you for it.

Your baby sounds just like my DS who is a pretty decent sleeper now and I'm back to feeling like a person again! He slept for a five hour stretch for the first time at six weeks.

Another one saying totally normal. Do you have any support? My DH used to do all feeds from 8pm-midnight so that I could get a solid block of sleep. If you're bottle feeding something like this might be an option.

I have my dh but he works different shifts all the time so there's no consistency!! He had him for a few hours last night whilst I slept so I don't feel as bad this morning but he's working evenings/nights this week so will go to work about 3pm and get home about 3am by which time he's shattered from work so is no use to help me out for a couple of hours! It gives me hope to know it does get better though!!