3 week old feeding every 1.5 hours!

A question about : 3 week old feeding every 1.5 hours!

Please help. I am a new mum my boy is 4 weeks old and since he has been born he feeds every 1.5 hours or if I am very lucky, every 2 hours. At night each feed can take in excess of 2 hours, today one feed took 3.5 hours and only ended because we had to go out. This is day and night. He is gaining weight very well but this constant feeding is exhausting me. We tried him on one formula bottle but it made him unwell so he is completely breast fed. I haven't had more than 4 hours sleep in any 24 hour period since he was born. Is this normal? Does anyone else have this trouble? Does anyone have any advice please?

Best answers:

• Very very normal. There is a massive growth spurt at 3 weeks and anything up to 20 hours a day of feeding is to be expected. It's very hard I know but if at all possible stick with it mamma, it will get easier.
  If you can take baby to bed, stick on a box set, relax and let him feed feed feed he is putting in his order for all the growing he is about to do.
  Have you had his latch checked just to make sure he is getting all the milk he can get when he is feeding?
• 20 hours a day! We had some trouble with feeding during the first week which led to lots of tearful calls to the midwife and visits to a breastfeeding group but yes he is latching properly. I find that if he does go maybe 2.5 hours (for example if he has been in the car) my boobs are enormous and engorged. I could understand if it was 'spurts' but this is everyday and has been everyday from day 1 xxx
• I don't know what to say I had a baby who fed on formula every 2 hours until 6 months old, some feed frequently others are able to go longer.
  3 weeks is a particularly bad time for cluster feeding though. He is very little still so it's hard to say and hopefully someone else will come along with some better advice than I can give. The fact he is gaining beautifully is really good though.
  Do take my sympathies though, as sleep deprivation is evil, there's a reason why they use it as a form of torture.
  If you can maybe learn to feed laying down so at least you can be resting while he is feeding so frequently
• Thank you Gillyx, it's nice to know that it's not abnormal. I was starting to wonder what was going on xxx
• Take it from me I have a 2 year old and still don't know what's going on half the time. Welcome to motherhood, but it's also the most rewarding and amazing journey ever. The first few months feel like you've been knocked down and every time you try to get back onto your feet, someone knocks you down again but eventually it gets easier.
  Congratulations again on your little bundle.
• Hi there
  Could you try expressing some milk and see if he will take some from a bottle? especially helpful if you have someone to help out with feeding the little one whilst you get a nap
  I feel for you -we had real problems with breast feeding in the beginning too, many tears -mainly mine , and then the feeling of "is he getting enough", from the outset we had issues -he was born by c-section under a general -so he was sleepy and I was a space cadet for a good few hours -then I had flat nipples... in the hospital we lunged from boob, syringe and cup feeding before I put my foot down and expressed into a bottle (20ml max at a time was all I could manage to start with ) but we made it... I did a mix of boob and expressed for quite a while then once we were up n running he decided that the bottle wasn't acceptable any more -so it was all badooby feeds from then..
  Don't lose heart -I just kept telling myself "if I can just get to the end of the day then it's another one under our belts" -something must have worked eventually as my little boy is now 22 months and still breast fed...
  If you have a hubby/partner and you decide to try expressing (check with your HV first for extra support) could they help out with night feeds? My hubby used to get me to express so he could do the night feed or if I felt upto feeding him myself then hubby would use the expressed milk for the early morning feed so I could have a lie in
  Make sure you are eating well to keep yourself going and (even though I didn't do this to start with I really should have) please try and get a nap when your little one does... the cleaning will still be there when yo wake up-unless you have cleaning fairies
  finally congratulations on your new little bundle...
• I have a small baby too so I totally understand what you're going though. She's 5 months old now. Feeding every 1.5 hours, whilst normal, is a lot and you must be exhausted.
  I found that laying down to feed was helpful, as I could doze a bit while she fed.
  If the formula made you LO poorly, try a different one. I combine feed, I give Aptamil first milk, but some people like the comfort milk if baby has been ill, try some different types if you want to introduce formula.
  Also, have you tried giving a dummy? Some babies like sucking and use the breast as a dummy. I gave my baby a dummy and this really helped - no more human dummy!
  Lastly, well done for persevering with the breastfeeding. It's totally worth it, especially for making things less of a faff when getting up in the night to feed. I'm sure you're doing great, everything is a phase and things will definitely improve very soon. x
• If he's gaining well then there's probably a fair amount of comfort sucking there. If you are a new mum I'm assuming there is no other child to look after, so just rest/sleep when they do. Forget the cooking/housework etc that isn't your priority.
  Have you tried co-sleeping, look at the guidelines on doing it safely - you may find its a lifeline. As for getting out or even around the house a sling is invaluable as they can still feed while you do other things.
  Although it seems endless at the moment, they really are only like this for a short period of time. You might also (if you have time) want to read a bit about the "fourth trimester" theories. It explains a lot.
• Hi, this is perfectly normal, and while it's exhausting I promise it does get easier. Breastfeeding isn't always easy at first, but if you can get to six weeks something just 'clicks' and you and baby will be a couple of professionals!
  If you can, try and avoid expressing for at least a couple of weeks, your body and your baby are working it out between them as to how much milk your boobs need to make. If you express you are telling your boobs to make more, if you top up with formula you are telling your boobs to make less.
  Is baby having plenty of wet nappies, at least a couple of chicken korma poor in 24 hours? If so then he's getting enough milk from you. Trust yourself, you're doing a fabulous job and it really does get easier.
  Shell (breastfeeding peer supporter) x
• Thank you everyone xxxx
• If he's gaining weight he's getting enough.
  You on the other hand? The advice we used to be given (20 years ago!) was if at all possible clear the decks, get someone else to do the housework/shopping/cooking and go to bed for a couple of days with the baby, a large jug of water, some nutritious snacks and a pile of books. Stay there and rest for 48 hours and do nothing but feed and sleep. The theory was that it gave your body a chance to catch up with the milk demand, far too many new mothers think they should be able to do a full day of normal activities during this period while really their bodies are having to get used to a whole new thing and that takes huge amounts of energy. Obviously it's more difficult if you have other kids to look after but this is a time to really prioritise getting breast feeding established.
  If you're getting badly engorged then think about getting a battery or electric breast pump. Madela/Mandela (sp?) used to be the best. It's useful in many ways, you can relieve engorgement pain and build up a small stock of frozen milk for when you want some time off later on, or for emergencies. Also if you're engorged the baby may not get a good latch straight away, it helps to take a tiny bit off with the pump just to soften the nipple area. Once you've got breast feeding back on an even keel again and want to pump for the freezer then give the baby the first breast, wait until he's on the second side then pump from the first, then from the second once he's entirely finished. And you always have more milk in the morning when your body is rested, I could never get a spare drop off in the evening!
  All of what you're going through is perfectly normal though so don't worry, you're doing fine. Don't try to do too much though and remember to keep hydrated.
• Hi hun, every 2 hours was normal for my DS to start with and he wouldn't take a bottle full stop. I found 6 weeks was the turning point when things started to get easier and he went longer between feeds.
  I remember being so sleep deprived that I was in tears most the time! I must be crazy to be doing it again
  You are doing wonderful ss3n08
• Thank you smlsave. Here's hoping for the magic 6 weeks. 2 weeks to go xxx
• Not much helpful advice I'm afraid (mine are both lovely big teenagers now) but felt I just had to comment to let you know you're doing GREAT!
  It doesn't last forever, each feed is one less. Try to live TOTALLY in the present, don't think back to yesterday or worry about tomorrow. Just focus on the brilliant work you're doing, creating your lovely new family.
  I remember that total exhaustion like it was yesterday!
• As a very new Grandma (baby is 4 weeks old) please listen to the advice about damn the housework, cooking etc just rest and look after yourself.
  I can't get my DD to listen, she seems to think she should be superwoman and it's worrying me that she is expecting too much of herself.
  Those of you with modern partners willing to step up and give a night feed if poss or take tiddler off for a break for mum - LET THEM!
  It's a very draining and emotional time getting used to being a mum, be kind to yourself and the baby will be more settled. They're amazing creatures with one hell of an ability to suss if you're anxious!
  Good luck to you all.
• If you are happy breastfeeding that is great, but if you think it is not for you or just too hard, that is not a failure. Whatever gets you through as a happy new mum is what is best for baby. If one formula doesn't suit, there are others.
• Not much to add from me as I only fed my kids for the first couple of months of their lives but one thing I learned was if I didn't have enough fat in my diet my babies were always hungry and crying to be fed all the time.
  The midwife advised me to go on at least semi skimmed milk from skimmed milk and my babies went longer between feeds.
• From an exclusively breasted baby what you are saying is normal.