6 weeks and still 2 hourly!

[Trix]

Is it "normal" for a 6 week old to still need to feed 2 hourly (or sometimes less!!).

Could he not be getting enough?? he's definitely healthy!! 75th percentile.

I'm exhausted!!

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

:hair:

[Milk_Monkey]

Rule out supply first, but it could be a few different things.

How long is he feeding for at a time? if its only a couple of minutes, he may just be wanting a 'drink' instead of a 'feed'.

When he is feeding, is he feeding for long enough? DD only feeds for about 5mins at a time, but if i can get her to feed for a bit longer she lasts longer.

Have you tried a dummy? (if you arent against them, of course) It could be more of a comfort thing. My DS would have done nothing but feed if he'd been allowed. He's 2.5yrs and is still a kid who loves his cuddles and reassurance.

[Milk_Monkey]

Just re-read your post about him being in the 75th percentile.

If you arent worried about his growth, you could try distracting him a little bit longer between each feed and build up the time.

Is he sleeping for longer than 2hrs at a time?

When DS was a bub, he would feed for around an hour at a time, then fall asleep, but wake up as soon as he was in his own cot. We ended up doing a lot of co-sleeping, because otherwise I just would never have slept. Also, he had a dummy that i would offer first, along with a cuddle/rocking.

DP used to feed him with a bottle too, he would usually do it for a whole night at least one of the nights on the weekend so i could have a decent nights sleep, although i still had to get up to express a bit to be comfortable.

I really hope it gets better :hugs: i remember how exhausted i was with DS, I dont know how i would have coped if DD had been the same.

[Miss_Vicki]

I think its normal , my girl is just over 7 wks an doese this an puttin on the weight great , about 500grams a week ?

mind u she is starting to now have a 3-4 hr sleep an goes down around 7ish an its heaven !

I found expressin after a few feeds helped bring up the arvo supply a lil , an i Co feed from her 3am feed so she can munch while a sleep ;)

last time i cheacked i think mine was either 75th or 95 percentile , I just know how u feel !!

make sure your snack after feedin an lots of water to keep up :)

[AM]

Completely totally absolutely normal!! For the first 6 - 8 weeks it is really important to simply demand feed, as that is when your milk supply is being established, so frequent sucking/nipple stimulation is a must. Also about 6 weeks babies tend to have a growth spurt, so that could be part of it.

Simply trust your baby to know when he/she is hungry, and go with the flow.

Do you have a sling at all? It can be really useful to simply pop bub in there to feed as much/often as bub wants, and you can get on with your day.

All the best :)

[Oblena]

It's completely normal - which is good and bad. Bad because you are utterly exhausted. That is very, very hard.

I was in your situation 2 years ago as my DD is 11/11/06 :D

This is how I coped:

Thankfully DH was on holiday as it was Christmas time, so go back to bed after the morning feed - Do not take bubs, go on your own and have extra sleep, every day you can.

If you have an abundant supply, express a little bit so that you can sleep through one of the later night ones every so often.

I did use a dummy. Never wanted to, but I couldn't get DD off and Iwas going downhill fast. She certainly didn't have it all the time, just enough to give me a break. It did not affect our BF relationship as she is still feeding.

Try not to let little 5 min snacks happen here and there - they are exhausting.

Know that this will pass, you will survive, you are doing a great thing for your child and it will get easier - little by little.

Big :hugs::hugs::hugs: for you

[Trix]

Thanks ladies, nice to know its normal - just wish I could have more than an hour sleep at a time :sleeping:

Hoping he'll start to stretch out soon. Been expressing the last couple of days successfully now thank goodness - so hopefully DH can do a bottle to give me a break at least some nights during the week when i need it.

It's amazing how we can survive on such little sleep!

[MountainGirl]

normal,..normal,..normal! though exhausting:hugs:

firstly,...dont question your supply!

My 6month old would spend all day on the boob if he could!:o

When he was smaller, I popped him in a sling (a maya wrap),...put the boob in his mouth and went about my day,.. he would suck and sleep for hours and I would shop,...tidy the house,..play with the other kids etc,..

this too shall pass!

[84zsazsa]

It's completely normal - which is good and bad. Bad because you are utterly exhausted. That is very, very hard.

I was in your situation 2 years ago as my DD is 11/11/06 :D

This is how I coped:

Thankfully DH was on holiday as it was Christmas time, so go back to bed after the morning feed - Do not take bubs, go on your own and have extra sleep, every day you can.

If you have an abundant supply, express a little bit so that you can sleep through one of the later night ones every so often.

I did use a dummy. Never wanted to, but I couldn't get DD off and Iwas going downhill fast. She certainly didn't have it all the time, just enough to give me a break. It did not affect our BF relationship as she is still feeding.

Try not to let little 5 min snacks happen here and there - they are exhausting.

Know that this will pass, you will survive, you are doing a great thing for your child and it will get easier - little by little.

Big :hugs::hugs::hugs: for you

:iagree: My boy is 11wks now and the last 2wks I have finally been getting a tiny sleep in here and there....and a huge nap during the day. He power feed until about 8wks...non-stop. He is entering another growth spurt now Im guessing as he is starting to occasionly feed 2hrly again. Keep at it....it does get better!!

Danni