My two week old baby is eating every two hours?

Question

I am breastfeeding my two week old baby boy and he eats every two hours i started giving him formula at night about two to three bottles and he is still waking up after the formula every two hours is this normal i thought formula fed babies slept longer i was hoping for at least three full hours of sleep but no such luck also at what age do breastfed babies start to go longer in between feedings thank you

Answer 1

A 2 week old baby should not be expected to sleep through the night. Most babies don't until they're 5-6 months old, if even then.
It is normal what he is doing. He's hungry b/c his stomach is so small.
It is just a myth that formula keeps them full longer. He is breastfed and should only be. He'll be pretty much nursing constantly the first month or two - it's perfectly normal. My daughter camped out there for her first 2 months!!!
Usually between 2-3 months, he'll probably start going 3 hours in between feedings. It is frustrating b/c you feel like you can't get anything done. But stick with it! You are giving him the best start!!

Answer 2

First of all Congratulations on breastfeeding this long. You are doing amazing. As a first time mom and a breastfeeding mom I have to tell you that the first 4 weeks are pure hell. Feedings every 2-4 hours. Painful nipples. Lack of sleep. Its awful but it is totally worth it. I would say that around 4-6 weeks my baby started sleeping for like 4-6 hours. A trick that we used was that we'd turn the lights down low at night time and make the house really bright during the daytime. My baby started sleeping 6 hours followed by 4 hours at 6 weeks old.
As sad as this sounds the first 4 weeks you are going to feel like all you do is have your boobs out. I have been breastfeeding my baby for almost 9 months now and it is such a great bonding time and my baby is rarely ill.
Good luck and stick with it!

Answer 3

at 2 weeks it is normal for your baby to eat every 2 hours. Giving formula sometimes helps your baby sleep but babies don't have schedules and just listen to there belly. Once your baby gets alittle older the feedings will spread out more..about every 3-4 hours but for now it will be every 2 hours. Call your doctor if you think there is a problem!

Don't put rice or oatmeal in your baby's bottle when giving formula because your baby is too young for this and this also poses a risk for choking!

Answer 4

Its normal. babies go thru a growth spurt at abt 2-3 weeks of age. It wil last for a week. Keep on nursing. Don't introduce a bottle if you want to continue nursing.

Common times for growth spurts are during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less). Babies don't read calendars, however, so your baby may do things differently.

Growth spurts don't stop after the first year - most moms notice growth spurts every few months during the toddler years and periodically thereafter on through the teenage years.

Check these out:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html
http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/parents/story/data/6071.xml&catref=prt32
http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/growthspurts.html
http://www.pinky-mychild.com/features/baby/hungry.html

Good Luck

Answer 5

Was he full term? My son was 3 weeks early and responded more like a preemie. He ate every 2 hours and it took about 45 min. The doctor said part of the problem was he was working so hard to suck ('cause it takes more energy to nurse than to bottle feed) that he wasn't eating enough to last him. He was just burning it off as he was eating.

I don't know any cure but just give him some time and he should start growing out of it. He just must need it. One thing to take notice of...is he emptying you out? Sometimes new babies won't stay awake long enough to eat to fill them up. If that happens, they have to eat more often 'cause they don't get full.

Congrats and good luck!

Answer 6

Crazyslick is right, and a couple weeks later (we're on 9), it is much better.

Little Sami is still drinking a lot when awake, but sleeping form 9pm to 5am :)

However, we HAD to switch off breasts around 2-3 weeks b/c of lactose intolerance.

The good news is, if Daddy's around, HE can give her a bottle in the middle of the night, while you and your breasts can sleep!

Answer 7

Introducing the bottle is a REALLY bad idea if you want to continue nursing. It si completely normal at 2 weeks old for the baby to nurse, or even bottle feed, more often. It is a time of HIGH growth and will slack back off in a week or so.

Answer 8

i dint know you can mix the two can you pump