I have a newborn (5 weeks), he eats every hour. Is somethng wrong?

Question

My newborn consistently eats every hour during the day. At night, he's able to sleep 3 hours before crying for the next feeding. After he wakes up in the morning, he would eat every 2 hour at first. And after his first nap of the day, he would get hungry every hour. I'm still not sure if I'm comfort nursing him, but I always try the rest of the 5 s before nursing him. I check his diaper, I put him on the swing, I run the blowdryer. And he is usually sticking out his tongue like he is licking something before I nurse him. Also I try to put him down for naps (although not always successful) before he's been up for 2 hours to make sure he's not cranky from being overtired.

I know I have enough milk supply because he's gone from 7 lb 5 oz, to 10 lb in 5 weeks. I don't think he's having a growth spurt because he's been like this for a while. Is this normal? What else could be causing him to eat so often??

Thanks.

uh he's not going to be obese. 10 lbs at 5 weeks is still smaller than some babies when they're born.

oh and i would like to mention that he was 21 inches long at birth....

he's only been fussy the last few days, usually he's not too bad. And I don't think he has a reflux problem because he rarely spits up....

i have tried the pacificier. Usually he sucks 5 times and realizes nothing is coming out, he spits it right backout....

Answer 1

My doctor told me in the first month they should double their weight so your baby should be around 14lbs. While your doctor may not be concerned because is is still in his growth chart, he still may not be getting enough to eat. My personal advice would be to bottle feed at least once a day and put just a little rice cereal in it. I started the cereal with my son 1 week after we came home and he never had a sleeping problem. If this is what you choose to do, DO NOT make it thick! Just a little will do. Other than that ask your doctor

Answer 2

THIS IS NORMAL!!

Actually it probably IS a growth spurt. I have a newborn also (born 11/17) and from about 2 1/2 weeks until yesterday he was nursing just about every hour during the day. Babies usually have 2-3 growth spurts in the 1st 6 weeks (wether it's 2 or 3 and exactly what weeks they occur at depends ont he source)

As long as he's having 6-8 wet dipers a day In addition, most young babies will have at least two to five bowel movements every 24 hours for the first several months, although some babies will switch to less frequent but large bowel movements at about 6 weeks.You LO is gaining weight you're doing fine! Sounds to me like you just need a little encouragement!

Breastmilk can be fully digested in about 90 minutes, and baby's tummy is about the size of his fist. So you can see why your little one needs to nurse so often. In fact a baby that is sleeping rather than feeding every 2-3 hours or is generally lethargic may need to be assessed by a health care provider to make sure that he is adequately hydrated! Sounds o me like you are doing great mom!!

The problem may be that your baby is not nursing long enough at each breast and therfore getting too much watery foremilk and not getting enough fat rich hindmilk (does baby have green stools or stools with lots of mucus?) If this is the case, increase the length of the feeding on the 1st breast, which may be 10 to 20 minutes per breast or longer. If baby only takes one breast per feeding session that is fine.


If you would like to talk or have more questions feel free to email me at [e-mail]

And please excuse my typos I'm NAK!

Answer 3

First, someone told you that a baby should double their weight in a MONTH..that is a farce, please don't listen to that. The "rule of thumb" is that a baby should have doubled their weight by 4 months and tripled it by a year.
My youngest nursed all the time too. He got plenty, but seemed to eat all the time. He was also very fussy, and a high needs baby. For my son, I think the nursing was more of a comfort for him. He had reflux and I think he was just uncomfortable, and nursing made him feel a little better. I don't know if that is the case with your little guy or not. As you stated he is getting enough to eat, and is probably not having a growth spurt, which was how mine was too. Is your baby generally fussy ? They gave my son some medicine for reflux and it did help a little bit? Good luck. :-)

Answer 4

My daughter would nurse every hour as well when until she was a few months old. My nipples were so cracked and sore I finally resorted to giving her a pacifier between feedings. It turned out she wasn't really hungry so much as she wanted to suck, ( she would nurse for 30-40 minutes at a time ). Babies generally get the majority of the milk during letdown, and more than 5 minutes after that I've found it's just comfort sucking. I like that you metioned using the hairdryer to assist in sleeping, I do that too! No one else I know of has tried it, but for my kids it knocks them right out! Sounds like your doing a great job, keep up the good work! By the way, my friends son is the same age as yours, and weighs nearly 11 pounds. I don't know why some say he's overweight, he seems just right to me.

Answer 5

Trust your baby. He knows what he needs best. You can't nurse too often.

Remember that breastmilk digests in about 90 minutes and his tummy is just the size of his fist. Remember that in the first 6 weeks there are so many growth spurts so close together that they practically all blend together.

It's possible he has a really strong urge to suck. But you are NOT a "human pacifier." Remember that a pacifier was invented to be a substitute for mom, not the other way around.

Answer 6

Babies go through a growth spurt around 6 weeks, and it sounds like your baby is simply gearing up for it. The more stimulation on your breasts, the more milk you'll have for that spurt. You're doing everything right- doing the 5's ahead of time is a great idea. This should subside a bit in a few days, and you'll notice a huge weight gain with him in a week or so.

Answer 7

Check with your doctor. even though he is still so young it might be time for some cereal. I know it sounds crazy but my daughter was the same way. By 6 weeks I had started her on cereal because she was drinking way too many ounces during the day. Seeing as how your breast feeding try pumping until you save up about 30 ounces. Bottle feed your baby your breastmilk for one day and see how many oz you baby is taking in. The other possibility of what may be happening is he just isnt drinking enough in a sitting. You may think he is drinking a lot but he may be a slow drinker. I hope that this helps. Good luck!

Answer 8

Yes, I would say it's normal. I have a 2 week old and she eat's about every 2 hours during the day and about every 31/2 at night,her doctor said it's perfectly normal for newborns to eat very often, and that as long as their getting fed 8 to 12 times a day they sould be fine.

Congratulations on your little boy and wishing u the best!!

Answer 9

He's hit a progress spurt. You will have to be grateful he is healthful, and feed him extra. Of path, you do not say how giant he's, and so as to make a change too. higher toddlers want extra energy. After the progress spurt is over, he's going to sluggish down once more, for now, make a six ouncesbottle, see how a lot he eats, and monitor how lengthy it takes for him to be hungry once more. Seriously maintain a chart, so you realize precisely how lengthy it's, regularly it simply turns out love it's shorter than it's, and time from commencing of feeding to commencing of subsequent feeding. He's nonetheless too younger for cereal, a few toddlers who're fed this younger increase meals allergic reactions...sure, to rice! Stick with the formulation for now. Your ped might quite often let you know the equal factor, cereal is for toddlers 4 months and up.

Answer 10

Breast fed babies do eat A LOT more often than bottle fed babies. My son was doing the same thing. He is now 3 months old & things have slowed down a bit. Breast milk is easiest for babies to digest. You may need to feed him every 2 hours. I promise you it won't last forever. yes this is very normal for breastfed babies. If he's been fed, diaper changed, and burped, you may want to try Mylicon drops to help with gas. They work wonderful!! Don't sweat it.... he's gaining weight & is healthy, he will outgrow this & you will wonder where it went! (my oldest is 17!! )