2 week old wanting to eat every hour?

JulySpark05

DD2 had been doing great with breastfeeding until about a week ago. Prior to this, she was eating every 3 hours which was great. At about a week old, she started wanting to eat every 2 hours. She is now a little over 2 weeks old and for the past 2-3days, she wants to eat every hour and will eat anywhere's from 30-45minutes instead of her typical 10-20 minutes. Basically, if she is not sleeping, all she wants to do is nurse.

I know that they go through growth spurts so I'm wondering if this is what she is going through or if this is going to be our new "normal" since it just keeps getting lower and lower time wise for her wanting to eat. It just seems like it's getting worse and worse as the time progresses and I'm starting to consider quitting bfing and going straight to formula. I know with DD1, she would barely ever make it to 2 hours even at 3 months old so I went to formula (I did have supply issues with her so that was a big part of the decision) and she would do at least 3 hours which was a major improvement. Any tips/advice would be great! TIA! 

twoitalians

When my DS was 2 weeks I was camped out on my couch for 2 days cuz he wanted to do nothing but nurse during his growth spurt. Sounds like a growth spurt you're having.

acbfreire

Sounds like a growth spurt. My LO had 2 on a row at that age.

twoitalians

PS

He's back at feeding every 2.53 hours now so just hang in there. I've heard that even on formula, they eat that often during growth spurts.

Mike_Patti

Hang in there! It's totally normal. It's also normal to have supply issues when your LO starts a growth spurt while your body adjusts to the increased demand. We're having our 6 week growth spurt right now and she's eating like a pig, but now I feel better knowing that it will even out again with time.

bridein08

Very normal. I still have a 9 month old who nurses every 2 hours, so I get the exhaustion. For me, the benefits of breastmilk greatly outweigh the exhaustion of needing to nurse as often as we do. Even when he is sometimes up every hour at night.

Candace52309

Def sounds like a growth spurt to me. Hang in there. Make sure she does stay awake and contuines to nurse... as in taking in enough to swallow. My DD sometimes gets lazy and just sucks, but not enough to get milk and swallow. Your LO could just be using you as a passy. Good luck and dont give up!

retallica

Definitely sounds normal! Those first weeks are rough, hang in there! My son is almost 6 months old and still eats every 2-3 hours usually. 

Lotsofloveandkids

Sounds like a growth spurt, hang in there!

JulySpark05

Thanks everyone! Glad to know this will probably phase out and we'll be back to every 2hours at least! lol It just makes it tough where I stay home with both kids all day during the week. Poor DD1 isn't getting as much attention these days..

GoldenPeaches

This is very normal for a baby her age. My best advice is to camp out on the couch with a water bottle and a bf'ing pillow and nurse nurse nurse. If you are exhausted from the lack of sleep, you could try learning how to side lay nurse so you can sleep while she suckles.

The very BEST advice I got about breastfeeding is that it gets so much easier after 6-8 weeks. Consider these early weeks "boobie boot camp" and it gets so much better after that. There were so many times I wanted to quit during the first two months but I am so glad I stuck it out.