DS eating every 2-3 hours still - sleeping question

Artslvr

DS still eats every 3 hours.  Either 4 oz. or 5 oz.  He's still getting up 2-3 times a night.  Maybe that's normal?  All I have to compare him to is the girls, who slept 5-6 hour stretches at this age.  And that damn Baby Center email update that informs me my baby should be sleeping 4-5 hour stretches.

Is it the soy formula?  Maybe that's not as satisfying as milk-based or my BM (which is what the girls ate)?

Every once in a while he sleeps a four hour stretch but invariably it's the stretch at the beginning of the night - like 7:00 - 11:00 pm, which does not help. 

He starts his sleeping around 7 or 7:30, DH feeds him when he goes to bed at 10:00 or 10:30, he's up at 1:00 or 2:00 and I feed him, then he's up at 4:00 or 4:30 and DH feeds him.   

I don't know why he always needs to eat so close together in the middle of the night.  I know sleep begets sleep and the fact is his napping schedule is not regular at all, esp. since starting daycare a month ago.

Since DH and I are both getting up at least once each in the night we're exhausted.  My patience is very low when I'm tired and I hate feeling annoyed all the time, especially with my girls.  I also feel like I make really basic mistakes at work because I'm in a fog.

Suggestions?  He has his four month appt. this week and I can ask there too.

Sofka

no suggestions, just commiserations. stop those baby center emails:)

DD was up every 3hrs around the clock, eating or nursing til we Ferberized at 9.5mo. DH never got up with her.

DS is an even more horrible sleeper than she is

He's 9mo old and we'll be Ferberizing soon; I got tired of falling asleep in the glider (dangerous and uncomfortable) so now we co-sleep. Which means now only does he have to learn how to fall asleep on his own, but how to do that in his own crib.

in my experience, boys eat a lot more than girls. Can you up his daytime bottles?

 

Artslvr

Thanks - I know you can commiserate Sofka! 

He only eats about 4 oz., and sometimes 5 oz.  But yes, maybe if I add a bottle in there somewhere - so instead of more in the bottle I can try giving him the bottle more frequently during the day.  Good idea.

As I was re-reading my post I was thinking it sounded like I want him to STTN, which I know it's too early for that - just trying to get him to sleep some longer stretches at night, so that maybe he only gets up once between 10:00 and 6:00 - that way DH and I can trade off getting up with him every other night.  As we all know you don't even really STTN when you're in that third trimester, so this mommy hasn't had a good night's sleep since about September. 

Amy&Steve0421

Not what you want to hear - but if he has reflux (I seem to think he does) - according to my pediatrician - eating frequently can be one way they manage it.  Ben - when he was at his worst w/reflex - was eating every hour and a half - around the clock - even w/prevacid.  It was a lot to handle - but his feeding has stretched out as he has aged.  He only got up twice last night - down from five to six times a night about two months ago...

He is still on prevacid - we tried to wean him off and it was a gigantic failure - so I will wait a while before trying again.

Could you and your husband switch off nights - so one of you gets a full night's sleep every other night?  I know that is not ideal...but it may help in the short term...

mommmyz

Well I have absolutely no advice except seeing if he'll take more during the day, but just wanted to commiserate as well! DS was an awful sleeper at 4 months, right when I went back to work. It did get better around 5 months, by just a little (every 4 hours or so) so maybe at least there is a little bit of relief coming? Can you get a little catch up sleep on the weekends, maybe have your parents come over for a bit to keep everyone entertained? Not a permanent solution, but maybe a band-aid for a few days?

This is the one reason I'm glad DS is such a cruddy sleeper - at least if the hopeful next one is a bad sleeper I'll know what I'm in for...although Sofka has me worried now that it could even get worse... 

tracy042206

At 4 or 5 oz they were both still eating every 3-4 hours.  Right around 4.5-5 mo it changed and they started going longer and eating more.  I remember with both though when I went back to work they were still getting up 2-3 times per night. It was really all of sudden they would drop a night time feeding by pushing it back more and more.