How to space out feeds for 5week old?

[1NuDad]

Hi all.

My son is five weeks old and generally feeding well, putting on weight, not crying much etc.

But!

He is still feeding very regularly. Like every hour. And it's really having an impact on my partner's sleep. She gets about five hours of broken sleep in the night but can't nap in the day because he's restless and wants regular feeds. The feeds are also short; maybe 20 minutes before he pulls off and then he's hungry again an hour later.

The week-by-week book we have suggested he should be feeding every three hours or so at the moment and to encourage him to do so if he isn't.

How can we do this? How can we lengthen the time between feeds more at five weeks?

Thanks.

It's so so hard the first few weeks! They have growth spurts like all the time! They do tend to feed very often in the early days, and also fall asleep mid-feeding! Maybe winding him/nappy change (to wake him up a bit) and putting him
back on might be worth a try?
My DD2 still feeds every 2hrs day and night and she's nearly 6 months! Hope you all get more sleep soon

Feed on demand. Newborns don't feed every three hours, the books are bollocks. Honestly, it's totally normal. My second fed every 2-2.5 hours until he was 6 months old. It's really, really hard (no one tells you this before you have a baby and you wouldn't understand even if they did) but you WILL come out the other side. There's a big growth spurt at 6 weeks and once that's over you might see an improvement... but equally you may not!

I found feeding on both sides at every feed helped a bit. Also make sure you don't turn on the light during night time feeds. Otherwise there's not much you can do really but it will get better as he grows.

Normal I’m afraid! Far too young to space feeds and feeding on demand is the most natural (and kinder) option.

He is cluster feeding which is encouraging her supply, very important. For desperate times though I’d suggest a dummy.

5 weeks is too early to veer from feed on demand. By 12 weeks it should be better. That book sounds rubbish - 3 hours would be too long for most 5 week olds.

Mine fed every hour for months! I always figured babies don’t just bf for food, they may be drinking for thirst too. So I just went with the flow.

This is totally normal.
Research cluster feeding too- no one told me to expect this!

Your DP will get used to it, and remember your baby is still tiny.

Would she consider co-sleeping?

I think youre expecting a bit too much for such a little baby. At 5 weeks you should be feeding on demand. Ditch the books- your baby is an individual and they are all so different.

Cluster feeding is very very very normal for the age and is essential to establish supply. Nightfeeds are also really important for this. Babies tummy is also tiny and BM digests quickly.

Although undeniably exhausting it’s part and parcel of the course I’m afraid. This is the part no one warms you about before hand. However, it will get better and easier with time. In the mean time I’d just do whatever you can to make life easier for her at the moment. Letting her sit on the couch and do nothing but feed- so you do the chores, make meals etc when you can. Take baby out for a walk or drive for an hour. Cuddle baby while she has a bath. Have you thought about maybe trying a bottle of expressed milk so you can do a couple of feeds possibly? At about 5/6 weeks it would be okay to start this. I’d also look into safe co-sleeping. It makes night feeds so much easier on the early days when it’s constant. Make sure you also let her know she’s doing a fantastic job.

It will get easier and baby will space the feeds out in his own time! I found by 12 weeks we were feeding every 2 1/2 hours and possibly more if we were out and about and he was distracted more.

3 hours is unrealistic but you might find that after an hour hunger is actually tiredness. 5wo you'd expect to be awake for an hour max before needing another nap.

Try to get full feeds during the day, stripping down or nappy change if sleepy, offering both sides etc might help nightime.

Dd2 didn't movecmuch beyond 2 hourly in the day and 3-4 mac at night til weaned.

Agree with pps, as exhausting as it is , what you are experiencing is completely normal.

You can't make a baby feed at longer intervals and it's appropriate to feed on demand so you just have to go with it. For example, my almost 5 month old still feeds every 2 hours during the day , I suspect (as pp said) that he won't space out until he's having solids and taking water from a cup.

All I can suggest is that you give her a chance to rest between feeds by settling and changing your baby.

It gets easier as time goes on.