Whats wrong with my infant?

Question

My 7 week old baby girl is awake all day and asleep at night. When she is awake during the day all she wants to do is eat. I feed her about 4 ozs. every hour and a half. Then she cries all the time, unless she is eating. We are not heavy parents, infact we are healty and average, but it seems like she eats a lot, is she really that hungry?

Answer 1

a baby grows very fast the first year of life so the food intact does increase as long as she is gaining weight but not overweight i wouldn't worry about it discuss your concerns about her weight and appetite with your pediatrician and he can help guide you on what to do and tell you where she needs to be on her growth chart if she isn't that hungry she may just want to gnaw on the nipple so you might consider a pacifier to relieve some of that and she is sleeping through the night so be proud of that my youngest one had his days and night mixed up til he was 3 months old

Answer 2

Well, if you were nursing that would sound normal for some babies. I have had 6 children that are all different when it comes to this subject. I currently have a 5 1/2 month old that has been like that from the beginning. I tried giving him formula to make it longer in between feedings, but nothing worked. You could try to give the baby more than 4 oz., I assume you have tried that though. Another thing to try is to deal with the crying for a little longer between each feeding, and then she may eat a little more, and get in the habit of waiting longer, too. Some people will tell you to try giving cereal, but they say it can cause food allergies later on, and you don't want that.

The best answer I can give you, unfortunately, is empathy. My experience has told me that some babies have little tummies, and big appetites. That equals more feeding time. Best of luck, and congrats on a new baby girl :)

Answer 3

You just have to keep in mind that infants don't eat more than they need - especially the really little guys. My dr. always stressed not to worry about it (i.e. overeating) until after they are two. Also, babies DO go through huge growth spurts when they are young - my kids often gained a pound a week. I recall there's one around 8 weeks so your baby might just be having one early! Our public health unit was really helpful with this information - if you have access to "well baby clinics" or something like that locally, the public health nurses there can answer a lot of questions. For now, I'd just feed her when she's hungry. You could also try feeding her more at one sitting if she'll take it but I'd recommend against trying cereal this young. Four months is about as early as you want to try the cereal. They just generally aren't ready for the texture, etc.

Good luck!

Answer 4

New babies eat, cry and sleep. New borns cry, that is what they do, however if she has a high pitch cry lasting for more than 2 hours at a time she may have colic. Keep feeding her, if you are breastfeeding she is establishing your milk supply. If you are bottle feeding maybe she needs more? A baby that gets enough it satisfied when they are done - if she finishes a bottle and is not satisfied, she is still hungry. Don't take her off the breast until she stops sucking or feed her for at least 30 minutes on one breast.
Newborns do eat often, and you are probably in a bit of a haze from lack of sleep if she is not sleeping through the night (most aren't at this age). Keep feeding her, but if the crying is concerning you talk to a doctor or read up on babies and colic.

Answer 5

She is not eating too much. She is going through a bit of a growth spurt (there is one about 2 months). Some people I see have said put cereal in her bottles. You will be doing her NO favor. She is 2 months old almost and she has no way to digest the cereal. It can really cause her a lot of cramps and pains. And if she is having the pains she will NOT be a happy camper. Not only that but giving babies "food" too soon can lead to childhood diabetes, obesity, and even asthma.

You also dont mention how her bowels are moving, if she breast or formula fed. I bottle fed my son breastmilk for 3 months because of latching issues so that is why I ask.

I suggest you put her on the floor (on her stomach). and just lay next to her with bright toys for her to look at. They also have those arch toys for babies to lay under.

Maybe you should be talking to your doctor to see if there is some thing they would recommend. We don't know how much she weighs, was she full term or premiee, etc.

My son was awake for up to 8 hours from week one so I know how it feels. He wasn't a fussy baby but sometimes he would just have bad days (had serious bowel troubles). I got one of those front packs and would just carry him around while I did my housework.

Answer 6

I really have to say I don't agree with giving her cereal yet. Their little intestines are not ready for it and even though a lot do, they have found that in later years it has effects and one being overeating. As long as is suggested by your doctor, you should only give her formula. I would sometimes substitute with bottled water or boiled water for 20 minutes and let it cool. Remember to use a new nipple with a very small hole as your baby will choke if she gets too much water at once. This will also be new to her and she may gag until she becomes use to it. (may take a week or so)
Also another tactic to get her mind off eating, They seem to like the sound of a vacuum. I suppose if you compare the swooshing sounds in your belly would be similar. They say to make a shushing sound in their ears and the warmth and loudness settles them. As long as you are sure she is fed adequately, dry diaper , and not being over clothed, if you are hot, she will be too, same goes for cool.
Another thing is a nice tight wrap in a receiving blanket. They probably showed you this at the hospital. They like to be restricted in movement like when they were in your belly. I didn't learn these tactic first thing either, but you learn as the days go by and now I have a grand baby it worked on too! Good luck.....

Answer 7

If she is sleeping for a long period at night she must make up for those feeding during the day. It is relatively normal for babies to eat 8-12 times per day (or more). So if she isn't eating for 8 or 9 hours at night that only leaves 16 hours for eating, which averages out to every 1-2 hours.

Also her stomach is still very small and babies grow very very quickly at this age. And it can take awhile to get into a routine that works for you. With not napping at all that is probably making her cranky.

When my baby was that age I found a rule that helped me a lot. Never keep a baby up for more than 2 hours under three months, or 3 hours under 6 months without at least attempting to get them to sleep.

Another thing, and you probably don't want to hear this. Try waking her at night to feed her. Assuming your schedule is like most people I know. Put her to bed, and you probably go to bed 2-4 hours later. Just before you go to bed, give her a bottle, she won't even full wake most likely. Then set your alarm for 5 or 6 hours later and get up and feed her again. Then don't let her go longer than 4 hours. Babies that age *generally* don't go for more than one long stretch at night.

This may help with her hunger during the day. When she is less hungry less often during the day she may be more able to nap.

You also may want to try "tanking her up" in the morning (whereas most parents do this before bed) for the first bit in the morning feed her every hour. Don't worry about how much, just let her snack. This may help keep her full for the day. Just do this until she goes down for a nap or 4 hours whichever is shorter.

Another thing make sure you are using a nipple with the smallest hole possible. She may be drinking too quickly which causes stomach upset.

This may help you figure out if she is getting enough formula in total, if she isn't eating at night:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/formulafeed/9136.html

Best of luck! And if she is crying she is probably hungry, babies don't really fake needs.

Answer 8

Infants sometimes confuse gas and other pains with hunger. She may also just want to suck. Try giving a pacifier instead of food. Actually if she's eating 4 oz every hour and 1/2 that's pretty norm. See if you can just stretch it to 2 hours. Babies don't eat for pleasure or social reasons like we do. If she is honestly hungry feed her.

Answer 9

My little one was a hungry baby too, drinking way over the "normal" suggested amount for babies her age. It wasn't until 4 months that she started consuming average amounts of milk and food. The pediatrician said if she's hungry, feed her. She grew quickly and was a slightly heavy baby, but as a toddler she is the perfect size. I wouldn't worry too much about making an infant overweight. Once they start crawling, walking, and eventually running around everywhere, they will slim down.

Answer 10

She might have colic. Colic is basically a gassy tummy and it will make her feel hungry. Make sure she is burping good and keep tract of her bowel movements. If it keeps happening, take her to the doctor. There might be something wrong. As far as when she sleeps . . . she is just turned around. Try to keep her awake as much as possible during the day. She will still need to sleep some but its not unusual for a baby that age to not sleep completely through the night.

Answer 11

That seems quite abite for 7 wks. & a long time for her to be awake. Maybe she has figured out if she cries she gets picked up. You may have to establish a routine. Put her down after feeding & let her fuss on her own till she sleeps. They are pretty wise little munchcans. If she is on formula though is there a chance it is just not enough for her. Sometimes a change of formula is needed. Just not getting enough of something. Maybe check that out. One to the other they can be so different. Your Dr. could probably answer you questions.