Formula Fed BAbies

rockinmommy

My little one is one month old. He is currently drinking 4oz every 2.5-3 hours. He is like clock work, and will wake and want to be fed. He won't sleep longer than 2 hours, 2.5 if I am lucky.

How much is your little one getting? Are they going longer between feedings? The doctor said by one month he should be able to get at least one four hour stretch of sleep. It normally takes 30 min to feed, some time to get him back to sleep, then he's up and ready to eat again right at the 2.5 to 3 hour mark.

TheEditor

Your LO and mine are on the EXACT same schedule.  Like clockwork.  I did stretch out his morning sleep after the 5am bottle to 9am by soothing him while in bed next to me.  That got him (and me!) an extra hour of rest, and did show me he can go 4 hours sometimes without a bottle.

How to do this more frequently?  I don't know that it can be trained.  I'm looking forward to others' feedback! 

rockinmommy

I think I will start soothing him to see if we can extend it. I have been hesitant because he was born early, and we had to get him back to his birth weight, then he was hospitalized with the flu. And by extend I mean so I don't confuse wanting to be soothed as fed.

magnoliablossom00

Ladies, I am not trying to sound "judgey" or "second time mommy-y" (ha) in any way, but please don't withhold food from your baby for an extra hour of sleep. LOs still have very small stomachs at this point, so they need to eat more frequently, which I'm sure you already know.

I remember thinking that I would NEVER sleep again after I had LO1, but I promise, they do figure out their own sleep cycle and stop eating so often.

Again, I am not trying to sound critical in any way (although I'm sure it will come off as such anyway since there isn't really a delicate way to put this), but please allow them to eat on demand for a few more weeks. My pedi told me with LO1 that babies can't over-eat until they're much, much, older, so any time that LO is fussing now for food, it's because their body is actually needing it. 

Do you think LO isn't getting as much as he/she could at one feeding and that's why he is waking? Maybe try increasing the amount of formula per feeding instead of prolonging the feedings, kwim?

GL and I'm sorry you're so tired! I know it sucks!

TheEditor

magnoliablossom00:

Ladies, I am not trying to sound "judgey" or "second time mommy-y" (ha) in any way, but please don't withhold food from your baby for an extra hour of sleep. LOs still have very small stomachs at this point, so they need to eat more frequently, which I'm sure you already know.

I remember thinking that I would NEVER sleep again after I had LO1, but I promise, they do figure out their own sleep cycle and stop eating so often.

Again, I am not trying to sound critical in any way (although I'm sure it will come off as such anyway since there isn't really a delicate way to put this), but please allow them to eat on demand for a few more weeks. My pedi told me with LO1 that babies can't over-eat until they're much, much, older, so any time that LO is fussing now for food, it's because their body is actually needing it. 

Do you think LO isn't getting as much as he/she could at one feeding and that's why he is waking? Maybe try increasing the amount of formula per feeding instead of prolonging the feedings, kwim?

GL and I'm sorry you're so tired! I know it sucks!

I should have added that my baby is at the top level of formula that his stomach can handle right now and that extending his feeding schedule and soothing with things other than food was under the direction of our pediatrician.

I agree with you that food deprivation for sleep is not advisable, but I think that's also common sense and went without saying.  :-/

TheEditor

peanutrach1:

TheEditor:

magnoliablossom00:

Ladies, I am not trying to sound "judgey" or "second time mommy-y" (ha) in any way, but please don't withhold food from your baby for an extra hour of sleep. LOs still have very small stomachs at this point, so they need to eat more frequently, which I'm sure you already know.

I remember thinking that I would NEVER sleep again after I had LO1, but I promise, they do figure out their own sleep cycle and stop eating so often.

Again, I am not trying to sound critical in any way (although I'm sure it will come off as such anyway since there isn't really a delicate way to put this), but please allow them to eat on demand for a few more weeks. My pedi told me with LO1 that babies can't over-eat until they're much, much, older, so any time that LO is fussing now for food, it's because their body is actually needing it. 

Do you think LO isn't getting as much as he/she could at one feeding and that's why he is waking? Maybe try increasing the amount of formula per feeding instead of prolonging the feedings, kwim?

GL and I'm sorry you're so tired! I know it sucks!

I should have added that my baby is at the top level of formula that his stomach can handle right now and that extending his feeding schedule and soothing with things other than food was under the direction of our pediatrician.

I agree with you that food deprivation for sleep is not advisable, but I think that's also common sense and went without saying.  :-/

I don't think anyone was stating that they were going to deprive their child of food. When LO wakes up we feed her period. I also set my alarm for every 4 hours so that if she doesn't wake up on her own I do to ensure she gets a diaper check and food. Currently she is eating more than the pediatrician was hoping so we are good.

How else do you read magnoliablossom00's quote "please don't withhold food from your baby for an extra hour of sleep"?  Her implication was clear.

rockinmommy

TheEditor:

peanutrach1:

TheEditor:

magnoliablossom00:

Ladies, I am not trying to sound "judgey" or "second time mommy-y" (ha) in any way, but please don't withhold food from your baby for an extra hour of sleep. LOs still have very small stomachs at this point, so they need to eat more frequently, which I'm sure you already know.

I remember thinking that I would NEVER sleep again after I had LO1, but I promise, they do figure out their own sleep cycle and stop eating so often.

Again, I am not trying to sound critical in any way (although I'm sure it will come off as such anyway since there isn't really a delicate way to put this), but please allow them to eat on demand for a few more weeks. My pedi told me with LO1 that babies can't over-eat until they're much, much, older, so any time that LO is fussing now for food, it's because their body is actually needing it. 

Do you think LO isn't getting as much as he/she could at one feeding and that's why he is waking? Maybe try increasing the amount of formula per feeding instead of prolonging the feedings, kwim?

GL and I'm sorry you're so tired! I know it sucks!

I should have added that my baby is at the top level of formula that his stomach can handle right now and that extending his feeding schedule and soothing with things other than food was under the direction of our pediatrician.

I agree with you that food deprivation for sleep is not advisable, but I think that's also common sense and went without saying.  :-/

I don't think anyone was stating that they were going to deprive their child of food. When LO wakes up we feed her period. I also set my alarm for every 4 hours so that if she doesn't wake up on her own I do to ensure she gets a diaper check and food. Currently she is eating more than the pediatrician was hoping so we are good.

How else do you read magnoliablossom00's quote "please don't withhold food from your baby for an extra hour of sleep"?  Her implication was clear.

well you know, that's what a mom would do, withhold food to get extra sleep.  *eyeroll* When the baby is hungry.  I never said I was tired and wanted him to sleep more.....I was asking for other's input to see what they did since the pedi said one month olds sleep at least one long stretch.

TiaS16

My son is almost 3 weeks old...and he is on a similiar schedule. He usually eats 3oz every 3 hours. I've been feeding him a little more late in the evening, about a half oz or so more...making sure hes very full, but not enough to be spit it up. That feeding usually takes the longest, since he has some reflux and I donit want him to spit up too much. He usually keeps is down and we can get about 4 hours between 11pm & 3am. 

He's also awake a little more during the day since we have some reconstruction going on...poor baby has loud noises going all day!!

ddub09

You may have to go by you babies adjusted age. My twins were born four weeks early and didn't do a longer stretch until six weeks. They were up every three hours around the clock before that.

I highly recommend the book Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It gives you an excellent guide to when and how long kids sleep according to age. I know it mentions that kids start consolidating night sleep around six weeks.

Ab42187

LO drinks about 3 oz. every two hours during the day. At night it varies more. Some nights we are up every two hours others we can go about four between feedings. There are times LO eats an extra ounce as well. We've just been filling bottles up to 4 oz. and letting her eat the whole thing if she wants too. Another thing I did that one my of friends did with her LO was to start cluster feeding closer to bedtime. I basically just make sure from 8-10pm that she eats every hour even if it is only a little bit. LO then typically wants to eat again at midnight and then most the times will last until 3:30-4:00 am.

I don't know if you have tried that but maybe that would work for you. I am a night owl and I only need about 4 hours of sleep so that schedule works perfect for me.  

Ashley5704

My LO is 5 weeks old. We just now moved her up to 3.5-4oz and during the day she goes every 2.5-3 hours between feedings. At night she usually will go anywhere between 4-6 hours between feedings.

ambrlynn8

You should go by the adjusted age, however, I second what a pp said, cluster feed. My LO cluster feeds on his own between 5 and 730. He usually naps between 630 and 7 and we wake him with a bath, then he's hungry again. He sleeps about 4 to 6 hrs then. Unless he's having a growth spurt... then its every 2 to 3 hours he's up to eat. But there's nothing you can do about that.