Help! Ten week old is still eating every 1-3 hours.

[Anonymous]

Third baby but I don't remember it being this hard with the first two, or I've blocked it out.

Baby is 10.5 weeks but was 4 weeks early. Already doubled birth weight and is 11 lbs. She eats literally nonstop durning the day and every 2-3 hours at night. By ear I mean she'll cry, I'll offer the breast and she will eat off and on until she falls asleep. This is very hard at night because she's taking 30 minutes to eat, 15 minutes to put down and then up again 1-2 hours later. I'm losing my mind from lack of sleep. It's like the newborn days of round the clock feeding aren't getting any better.

I've always fed on demand, but I feel like I need to get on some sort of schedule. What am I doing wrong? I do think she has some reflux, is she eating to self soothe? Should I see a lactation consultant? Anyone have any ideas or tips? Thanks...I am so exhausted and also have two toddlers.

[Anonymous]

She is a needy baby of 6.5 weeks of biological age. You need help overnight so you have get a 4 or 5 hour block of sleep.

You can try "milking" your breast to hurry her up so she doesn't take 30 minutes. She will probably be a more efficient nurser in a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She is a needy baby of 6.5 weeks of biological age. You need help overnight so you have get a 4 or 5 hour block of sleep.

You can try "milking" your breast to hurry her up so she doesn't take 30 minutes. She will probably be a more efficient nurser in a month.

Maybe I'm describing it poorly. The issue isn't how long she takes to eat, it's that she doesn't seem to stop eating. It's like she's snacking all day rather than taking in full feeds.

[Anonymous]

Can you try pumping, and a full bottle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She is a needy baby of 6.5 weeks of biological age. You need help overnight so you have get a 4 or 5 hour block of sleep.

You can try "milking" your breast to hurry her up so she doesn't take 30 minutes. She will probably be a more efficient nurser in a month.

Maybe I'm describing it poorly. The issue isn't how long she takes to eat, it's that she doesn't seem to stop eating. It's like she's snacking all day rather than taking in full feeds.

That's what I mean by needy. She wants mom and for a BF baby this age that means breast. She might be low average sleep needs so you might have a better quality of life not fighting so hard to put her down for naps. Try pushing out her awake windows a bit. Try pacifier, baby wearing, swaddling, swings, etc. These were invented for needy babies. Try a daily walk in the late morning to help her sleep better a night.

If you can get a 4-5 hour block of sleep at night + crappy naps you will be cranky but functioning. My husband worked late so he had baby from 6am to 10am.

My first was like this and it was exhausting. I'm sure it is 10x worse with toddlers. If you can have somebody take the toddlers off your hands for a couple hours a day, take them outdoors so you have one less thing to do and give you a chance of a mid day nap that would help a lot. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

You could switch to formula or combo feeding, but I think you just blocked the memories of this period.

[Anonymous]

Super hard but normal. My 3rd was a 33 weeker and the newborn feeding stage seemed to last forever.

Can you get more support from family or friends in the meantime? Hire any help?

[Anonymous]

https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/fussy-baby/high-need-baby/12-features-high-need-baby/

This article made me feel less crazy. It's not you, it's her. lol

[Anonymous]

This is totally normal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Third baby but I don't remember it being this hard with the first two, or I've blocked it out.

Baby is 10.5 weeks but was 4 weeks early. Already doubled birth weight and is 11 lbs. She eats literally nonstop durning the day and every 2-3 hours at night. By ear I mean she'll cry, I'll offer the breast and she will eat off and on until she falls asleep. This is very hard at night because she's taking 30 minutes to eat, 15 minutes to put down and then up again 1-2 hours later. I'm losing my mind from lack of sleep. It's like the newborn days of round the clock feeding aren't getting any better.

I've always fed on demand, but I feel like I need to get on some sort of schedule. What am I doing wrong? I do think she has some reflux, is she eating to self soothe? Should I see a lactation consultant? Anyone have any ideas or tips? Thanks...I am so exhausted and also have two toddlers.

Yes you should do a weighted feed so ensure she is getting a "full" feeding but I will let you know that a snacker is sometimes just an inherent part of their temperament/eating style. My son eats until he is just shy of full. No amount of candy or sweets or anything will get him to "full" if he doesnt want to. During growth spurts, he still wakes up in the middle of the night and wants a snack. He will be FIVE in January. He was just as you describe except unhappy because of reflux but once we got that under control the "snacking" remained the same. He would get 3-4oz and then was done but that meant to meet his caloric requirements, he needed to eat more often, which he did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is totally normal

Not sleeping for more than 1-2 hours at a time at 11 weeks is normal?

[Anonymous]

The details of went I went through with my second were a bit different, but the bottom line was the same - my baby was doing fine, but I was not getting nearly enough sleep, had another very young toddler to care for, and was starting to lose my mind. While everything with my baby was “normal” and I was troubleshooting, and all that, I realized way too late that my mental health and well-being were slipping. Never to a super scary place, but white-knuckling it through essentially four months was a huge mistake, and one that in some ways I’m still paying for now, 15 months postpartum, with my physical and mental health.

I wish, wish, wish I’d thrown up my hands and said “this isn’t tenable” earlier than I did.

So that’s my advice. This isn’t tenable. Yup, plenty of people handle it. Good for them. But for me, and it sounds like for you, and for others, it’s just not manageable while also caring for yourself in even the most basic way.

So, I implore you to make a change so that you start immediately getting significantly longer chunks of sleep, regularly and frequently. Either pump, or combo feed, or just wean to formula. A sane mother is dramatically better for a baby than breast milk. Then either have your husband do a long stretch each night (when you wear earplugs or go to another part of the house where you can’t hear the baby) or hire a night nurse, or bring in family or friends to help.

Yes, a night nurse is pricey. But having not slept more than 2 hours at a time in 10 weeks is an emergency, so if you have an emergency fund, use it. That’s what it’s there for.

Congrats on the baby, and good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The details of went I went through with my second were a bit different, but the bottom line was the same - my baby was doing fine, but I was not getting nearly enough sleep, had another very young toddler to care for, and was starting to lose my mind. While everything with my baby was “normal” and I was troubleshooting, and all that, I realized way too late that my mental health and well-being were slipping. Never to a super scary place, but white-knuckling it through essentially four months was a huge mistake, and one that in some ways I’m still paying for now, 15 months postpartum, with my physical and mental health.

I wish, wish, wish I’d thrown up my hands and said “this isn’t tenable” earlier than I did.

So that’s my advice. This isn’t tenable. Yup, plenty of people handle it. Good for them. But for me, and it sounds like for you, and for others, it’s just not manageable while also caring for yourself in even the most basic way.

So, I implore you to make a change so that you start immediately getting significantly longer chunks of sleep, regularly and frequently. Either pump, or combo feed, or just wean to formula. A sane mother is dramatically better for a baby than breast milk. Then either have your husband do a long stretch each night (when you wear earplugs or go to another part of the house where you can’t hear the baby) or hire a night nurse, or bring in family or friends to help.

Yes, a night nurse is pricey. But having not slept more than 2 hours at a time in 10 weeks is an emergency, so if you have an emergency fund, use it. That’s what it’s there for.

Congrats on the baby, and good luck!

A baby who has doubled birth weight can go 4-5 hours during daddy time w/o a feed. I wouldn't bother with pumping and only bother with formula if dad finds it easier to manage baby during his shift. My DH managed with holding and bouncing on an exercise ball.

[Anonymous]

It's normal but it's on the crappy end of normal. I'd switch to formula or supplement heavily in your situation. I know people say it's a myth that formula is more filling, but for my baby, it was, and it did make her sleep more.

[Anonymous]

Totally normal. Especially for adjusted age.