18 weeks bottle feeding every 3 hours

I am a friend

As per the title my baby is still waking to feed every 3 hours and I am now at the point where I am beginning to lose my marbles (OH does as much as he can).

He is on medicine for reflux and has a touch of colic. He is on bland purees as well but nothing seems to work. He wont drink more than 4 / 5 ounces per time so he is getting enough daily but I really am beginning to go loco...

Any ideas how to get some sleep (asking others to help is not an option). Is a sleep coach a good plan?

Thanks

littlefriend

I was just going to post something similar! My baby is the same age and I'm in the same situation though it she stretches for around 4 hours during the night. Very interested to hear any suggestions.

In her case she doesn't have colic or anything like that and easily drinks 6 x 6oz a day. Tried her on a bit of baby rice a couple of mornings but she cried a lot later on in the day so I thought maybe that didn't suit her (very unlike her as she is generally very content). Gave her a bit of pureed apple and the same thing happened so i'm going to leave it a few weeks before trying to introduce food again.

Sorry to hijack, I just don't know if I should ride it out or should be trying other things.

I am a friend

littlefriend wrote: »

Sorry to hijack

Its grand strength in numbers

Moonbeam

Did you try giving them more milk at the feeds?

I am a friend

Yep and after the first burp, the colic/ reflux seems to kick in and he is constantly pulling his legs up and cant concentrate on eating...

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Mine were on 3 hourly feeds up till 6/7 months. Only started to reduce when we went full force with solids, 3 meals a day breakfast lunch & dinner. And 3 bottles, morning, afternoon & bedtime. Took a week or so to come together, gave water in the night too if they woke. Eventually stopped waking for bottles.

wmpdd3

my little girl was on hourly feeds till she was 12 weeks and about every 3 hours at 18 weeks, she also had reflux and colic. if i got more than 3 oz per feed she would puke it all back up. but she always slept from 12am to 5am...

i have no other advice other than, she was on aptamil and everyone advised me to try sma as it could be more filling, but with all the trouble with her belly i couldn't face changing milk.

I am a friend

Yeah he is on aptamil and didn't do well on the puree with a small bit fruit in it this week so I gave it a total rest yesterday. He seemed to do a bit better and went from 10.15 p.m. to 3.15 a.m but then woke at 5.15 (thats why I am up)... He had 100ml at 3.15 and 5.15. Am going to reintroduce the veg puree today.

I normally give him some puree 3 times per day just before a bottle. Would you recommend I spread the time out between the food and the bottles?

Am back to the Paediatrician tomorrow and I know she will just say its a baby thing.. Doesnt make it any easier though

lynchieboy

Our fella had bad reflux and projectile vomoting at the start untill we changed his formula to HiPP organic formula from Boots and also put a gaviscon sachet into one of his night bottles. It made all the differance and he was fine almost straight away. Also whem making the bottles I boil kettle, leave to cool for about 30 mins, put water and formula in bottle with the cover on and shake, then loosen the top and you will hear some air coming out then tighten again and cool It gets a lot of the air out of the bottle like when you open a jam jar and the lid pops up (I havent proved this scientifically but it worked for our two lads)

ceadaoin.

Have you tried cluster feeding in the evenings before you put him to bed? So say feed him every 2 hours from 5pm or so? Maybe then he will be full enough to go a bit longer at night. It must be terrible for you I think at that age he should be more than able to sleep at least 6 hours at a time.

I can't offer any advice about the colic. My daughter has been on the Hipp Organic formula since she was a few weeks old and has been fine with that. I see someone else has recommended that..maybe its worth a try? They do a hungry baby formula too

littlefriend

Going to try 8oz in the last two bottles today. Hopefully that'll work.

pwurple

3 hours is a lot alright. Even if you could stretch it to 4 it would be a massive difference. An adults sleep cycle is about 4 hours.

4/5 ounces at that age seems ok in one go. I switched to SMA at about week 10. It has the same calories, but a slightly different protein, so it can make them feel fuller apparantly. No clue if that is actually the case, she couldn't tell me!

Mine didn't extend the sleeps on fruit purees and things... I think at that age those are for getting tastes of things rather than filling them up. It was a few weeks after we went to proteins that she dropped the night feeds completely. 18 weeks is way too early for meat though. It's very hard work doing the puree AND bottles at the same time, especially if you're not sleeping. so I'd say drop the puree for a while. Loads of people don't start solids until after 24 weeks.

I second cluster feeding, that helped for us, small bits often.

Maybe also trying to make the middle of the night feeds a little smaller in stages. I used to split the feed into two bottles, a 3 and a 2 ouncer. I'd give her the 3 ounces, then swap in dummy... if she didn't settle give her the second bottle. After 3 or 4 days of that she would settle on the 3 ounces. Then I went to 2 ounces and repeat. Then just dummy, with backup bottle. Sometimes she needed the backup bottle if there was a growth spurt or something.

pwurple

ps, I have a little one with a small tummy as well. She is 13 months and has never managed in her whole life to keep 8 ounces down. 6 ounces max from a beaker now even.

She sleeps fine on 6.

Abi

I am a friend wrote: »

As per the title my baby is still waking to feed every 3 hours and I am now at the point where I am beginning to lose my marbles (OH does as much as he can).

He is on medicine for reflux and has a touch of colic. He is on bland purees as well but nothing seems to work. He wont drink more than 4 / 5 ounces per time so he is getting enough daily but I really am beginning to go loco...

Any ideas how to get some sleep (asking others to help is not an option). Is a sleep coach a good plan?

Thanks

I didn't cop you had been pregnant, congratulations

Have you tried a heavier / hungrier milk with him? If he can only take so much, maybe he needs something more satisfying. In which case I'd almost stall the weaning till you get a good gauge of what he needs here. The pulling up of the legs is very much so a sign of colic, but normally that tends to phase out after 12 weeks or so. The next thing to consider is his milk and food. Each child is different, some are ready for weaning sooner than others. Another reason for distress could be constipation, how are his poo's?

When you introduce food or heavier feeds it would help them to introduce luke warm bottles of pre-boiled water to help break up what they've consumed.

Hope he feels better soon, and you get more sleep! Congrats again

I am a friend

Thanks Abi he is doing his business ok thank god.

Well things improved last night. Gave him small bits of puree between bottles yesterday and it seemed to stretch them out. Then in the evening he was starving and had a bottle at 5, 7 and 9. Then 00:30, 05.15 and 9 am which was great!!!

He seems more settled today so will just stick to the veg puree and hold off on giving him fruit in the purees for a while. I asked the doc yesterday if fruit would upset his tummy and she said no.. Dunno... Pwurple I see the point about holding off on the purees but I do think his stomach is more settled on them...

pwurple

Oh if it's improving the sleep go for it! I just remember thinking at the time, it's gone from milk 6 times a day, to 6 milk feeds plus 3 or 4 puree feeds. So that was 10 of those half hour feed slots a day. It comes to 5 full hours of actually putting things in their mouth. That's before the prep (I was trying to be superwoman with making the food fresh everytime), nappies, tummy time and all the other things you need to be doing. If you aren't sleeping on top of all that, you'd be a shadow of your former self.

ZX7R

Hi all i am am a father of newborn twins a boy and girl:D:D they were 4 weeks premature ,i just wonder do the babies start to sleep a whole night them selves with out a feed or does it happen as the feed amounts get bigger,
also my little boy nearly always brings up some feed only when he is asleep usely 20 minets after falling asleep is this colic,he burps very well

newbie2

@ ZX7R. Congrats on the new arrivals. In my experienvce every baby is different. Our daughter was sleeping throught he night (from 8.00-8.00) from 6 weeks. The most recent edition however wakes every three hours looking for a feed. He was 6 weeks premature, so his stomach and osophegus etc aren't developed properly so he sometimes throws up his feeds. We're also having the same issues as the OP - ie there is a touch of reflux etc, but this is to be expected as he was so small. It could be a while beforfe your two are sleeping throught the night. Sorry.

ZX7R

newbie2 wrote: »

@ ZX7R. Congrats on the new arrivals. In my experienvce every baby is different. Our daughter was sleeping throught he night (from 8.00-8.00) from 6 weeks. The most recent edition however wakes every three hours looking for a feed. He was 6 weeks premature, so his stomach and osophegus etc aren't developed properly so he sometimes throws up his feeds. We're also having the same issues as the OP - ie there is a touch of reflux etc, but this is to be expected as he was so small. It could be a while beforfe your two are sleeping throught the night. Sorry.

Thanks newbe2 best of luck with your family:)

littlefriend

Just an update on this in case anyone is searching for advice in future.

I started giving my baby a small bit of rice in the morning at about 11am for a few days and at the same time reduced the bottle she was waking for to 4 oz (in 5oz water). Then I started giving her a little bit of pureed carrot at that time and moved the rice forward to 4.30ish. In a few days I'll started giving some pureed pear or apple. The amounts are very small - probably an egg cup size.

Since starting (the rice and carrot) three days ago she has slept from around 7.30pm to 8ish in the morning. She is still asleep now!! I can hardly believe it! Delighted. A contributing factor to this is probably the fact that she has started sucking her thumb (never had any interest in soothers).

dublinlady

ZX7R wrote: »

Hi all i am am a father of newborn twins a boy and girl:D:D they were 4 weeks premature ,i just wonder do the babies start to sleep a whole night them selves with out a feed or does it happen as the feed amounts get bigger,
also my little boy nearly always brings up some feed only when he is asleep usely 20 minets after falling asleep is this colic,he burps very well

My little one is ten week at still wakes at 4 for a feed.... Actually can't imagine her ever sleeping through!!!! Her last feed is 9.30-10 pm!

I am a friend

Tried him on the rice and it didnt agree with him

Anniebell

dublinlady wrote: »

ZX7R wrote: »

Hi all i am am a father of newborn twins a boy and girl:D:D they were 4 weeks premature ,i just wonder do the babies start to sleep a whole night them selves with out a feed or does it happen as the feed amounts get bigger,
also my little boy nearly always brings up some feed only when he is asleep usely 20 minets after falling asleep is this colic,he burps very well

My little one is ten week at still wakes at 4 for a feed.... Actually can't imagine her ever sleeping through!!!! Her last feed is 9.30-10 pm!

My guy is 18 weeks & still wakes at least twice for a feed so I know how you feel!!

edellc

tiz the joys of being a parent...each child is an individual and will drink/eat the amount they want and wake up when they want dispite your best efforts...they day it gets easier hahahaha

i have a 20mth old who still doesnt sleep the night despite how much food i give him during the day so he wont wake due to hunger, and no he doesnt wake due to being over fed either he just has bags of energy and there is nowt i can do about it, other than drink lots of water and go to bed early that way i try not look so haggard all the time