23 Days Old, and Eating 4Oz plus Almost Every Hour/two Hours at a time...HELP

Your baby is 23 days old. Enjoy him. HOld him when he wants to eat and love your time together. He will sleep better in time. He isn't even a month old yet. Rice cereal has very, very, very little nutritional value. Adding rice cereal that young is just not a good choice. His little body is not made to handle that kind of food yet. Feed him as much as he wants when he wants it. He is growing and changing fast and it will calm down soon.

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You can get nipples made for rice in the bottles. Dr. Brown's brand has them. That being said, I think it's pretty early to be giving rice. The digestive system is so new. I had a 10 lb. baby boy that left the hospital eating 4 oz. bottles. He soon graduated to 6, then 8 oz. He ate like clockwork, every 3 hours.

Trust me I know how exhausting it is and I feel for you, but at just 23 days old, it's normal for a baby to eat every 2 hours for a few days. It's healthy for them to do so. If he doesn't start to stretch out his feedings soon, you may consider the possibility that he's not really hungry. All of my children have had acid reflux and it makes them cry. They would take a bottle because it temporarily soothed them. You can also try to stretch out feedings yourself by putting him off for 15-30 minutes by soothing him other ways, like with a pacifier. He might figure out that it's ok to go longer between feedings. Gradually stretch him out to 3 hours.

BUT PLEASE consult your pediatrician. He/She will be able to tell you what is normal and what's appropriate for his size, growth rate and age.

Wishing you rest : ) OH, AND YOU HAVE TO TRY THE MIRACLE BLANKET FOR BETTER SLEEP! www.miracleblanket.com

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Both of my babies were good eaters. After I would walk them and change diapaers...I would feed them. My son nursed every two hours for about the first six weeks, and my daughter ate every hour and a half for about 3 weeks. After that it was about every three hours. We never had a feeding schedule, I just fed them when they were hungry. Yes, I was tired but I would try to sleep while the baby was napping. I breastfed, so my hubby slept at night and I would sleep when he got up in the morning with her and when he got home from work for a little while.

I think that if you are worried, you should talk to your doctor. Maybe the doc will have some recommendations. Just remember that while in the womb the baby is normally rocked to sleep a lot during the day because of mom's movement. Nighttime is when mom is normally relaxed and the baby is more active. A newborn will be on the schedule for awhile. Your sleep will still be disrupted for a little while. It will get better though. Good Luck and Congrats on your new baby.

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Hello!
Congratulations to your new baby!
I would check any of the questions with the pediatrician, they should have a nurse line to help.
Otherwise, when we just lived through this with our daughter, we tried to make sure that we were not responding to every need with food as the first response since there is also too hot, too cold, bored (though that may be when he is older), lonely, gassy, needs a diaper change. After we ruled at least most of them out, we got the bottle to be sure that we would not overfeed her and use the bottle as a mute button.... We also kept a log what was happening when so we had a good reference and not just gut-feeling for what was needed.

Good luck : )
D.

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Honey, I had the same problem- guess what. We cut tiny slits into the nipple to allow for the cereal to go through it. Trust me it works. He just wants more substinance in his food. Try it out on one bottle and see how it goes.

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Hi G.,

Does your newborn create good output to match the input or does it seem excessive or not enough? Either way it could point to a problem that you would want to check out with your doctor. If the plumbing is working well then I would say they go through growth spurts where they just demand more and every baby will endure it at different times. When my daughter started to need to eat more frequently I knew it was time to increase the oz. per feeding. Try 5 oz. at a time and see if that sustains him longer or if it gets spit up right away. If he spits it up then I would try adding rice cereal with the special nipple as suggested by another mom. Swaddling and laying them on their side with a pacifier was our saving grace to get through the night in full.

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I am the office manager for a great Pediatric office. I spoke with one of my doctors. First of all...your baby is WAAAAAY too young to be fed rice cereal. There is definitely a choking hazzard and the baby's system isn't mature enough to handle cereal until about 4 months of age. You need to take the baby to your Pediatrician and discuss this with him/her. Your baby could need help with colic. There are other ways to console a fussy baby...pacifiers, soothing, rocking etc. You don't want to over feed a young baby. You need to see your pediatrician.
J. F.

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I know some people disagree about giving newborns rice in their cereal that young, but I know that my mom's pediatrician did it with me and I did with my own kiddos. Maybe make the whole a little larger in the nipple, just remember to keep it seperate from the regular nipples or you'll have a mess!

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Hi G.,

My second was also an eater. Like yours she ate a lot constantly! She was 8lbs 14oz at birth, we always joked that she just came out hungry.

My "adivce" will differ from most you have gotten. I started giving Lilly cereal at 2 weeks. I used advent bottles and they have a cereal nipple. I talked to my dr. about it and he was fine with it. She started sleeping through the night at four weeks. She is a wonderful healthy 19 month old who has never been sick. Although she is still very hungry!

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Hi G.,

Is your son crying right after he eats, he is extremely fussy as well and does he have a lot of spit up?

I breastfed my son for the first three months. He was nursing every two hours, a big boy as well. However, we also found out that he had acid reflux. He wouldn't cry all the time but he just needed to eat. He became very fussy around two months and was having more than normal spit ups. I found out that they would eat to soothe the pain.

Just a thought.

D.

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I hear desperation in your note and want you to know that I can empathize. I had a very fussy first child and truly believed I would never sleep more than 90 minutes straight again. First, I would say that although 4 ounces (I'm assuming formula) is not excessive if fed every 2-3 hours, if fed that much hourly, it could be. You may be overfeeding which could cause the little guy to be uncomfortable and sleep shorter intervals. I discourage you strongly from feeding rice or any other type of cereal as research has shown time and time again that it DOES NOT help babies to sleep longer. At 3 weeks of age, his digestive system is not able to digest it anyway and it is just getting excreted. There is a choking risk with feeding solids this early as well.
I would recommend either checking out "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey from the library or purchasing it online to help you learn ways to soothe your newborn naturally. It really works and it is safe.
Please know that this very difficult first 3 months will pass and life will get easier. Everyone struggles, just some moms have a harder time (and more difficult kid) than others. Babies require a lot so make sure you remember to eat healthy meals/snacks, get a little exercise (babies even this young usually love a stroller ride)and try to sleep/rest whenever you have a minute. Hang in there. R., midwife mom of 2.

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I had the same problem with my son. My doctor recommended during the day to try to put him off for a little while trying to sooth him in different ways like trying a pacifier, walking him around....so he was REALLY hungry when I fed him. Immediately he ate more. He would then last longer in-between feedings. I don't recommend giving the rice since your baby is still so young.

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a 23 day old baby does NOT have the digestive functions to process cereal and that is why they are designed to drink liquids until about 5 or 6 months of age. you have to be very careful with cutting holes in nipples because your baby is very new to the whole swallow/breathe process. He could very easily aspirate the milk and get pneumonia, which could be fatal in a child as young as he is. If you are concerned with the quantity that he is consuming, call your doctor.

Parent's of newborns are sleep deprived! Because the baby's stomach is very small, they need to eat every 2-4 hours. Since they are growing so fast they burn everything they consume and need to refuel often. If you need more hours of sleep, take turns with night-time feedings. That way each of you could get 4 hours of continuous sleep each, instead of 2.

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Talk to your doctor, I think it is pretty average for a baby to not sleep past 2 hours at that age. I know it is rough with the sleeping situation but I wouldn't go trying to give the baby cereal unless your doctor says so. Good luck and you will eventually get some sleep. I didn't start getting full nights of sleep until after 7 months and I was ok with that because all babies are different.

It is hard, especially if you are nursing. Hang in there. It is normal for the baby to eat (repeating what everyone else said) every 90 minutes. It is true. Mine ate 11 oz,at 5 days old, for one meal, only the meal before her longest stretch of sleep around 11 pm. The rest were normal meals 2-4 oz, at that age, but at night, she freaked me out. If nursing, and you feel like you are giving all you've got, but it is not enough, supplement with fomula. that's what I did until the milk really kicked in, and mine needed 5 times more than normal at that one meal. Solids are a mistake at this early age. Read up on the long term effects on their digestive system, if they get started too early on solids. I would never feed the baby solids before the age of 4 months. Remember, if you can manage to feed, keep baby safe, and clean during the first 6 months of life, you have accomplished a LOT.

He's probably too young to feed him cereal mixed with formula on a spoon..those Advent Bottles are good for mixing the cereal with formula...that's what I heard some people have tried, I never did that. Hope you'll find some answers from someone...and get some sleep. My 1 year old sleeps better than my 3 yr. old she is a light sleeper. the 1yr old has always slept good. I have a 11 year old who always sleeps great now, but as a single Mom when I had her, she was tuff, had colick and was so fussy I would have to drive her around to get her to calm down and give her gas med. for her tummy. Or run the dryer and put her in her car seat and let her sleep there...she felt comfortable confined she felt safe. Hope you find your answers. K.

G.,
My son also ate and ate and ate! He was eating 4 oz every hour and a half to two hours. He is now very big (tall) for his age and still growing (buying new wardrobe every 6 months!). We started adding cereal to his bottle as well but with the doctors okay. We found that Avent disposable liner bottles with the 4 hole nipples worked best when adding cereal to the bottle. This eliminates the air and allows for good flow of the thickened liquid. I don't think it is necessarily bad that he is eating so much but Tyler didn't sleep through the night until he was 3 months old. My husband and I would take turns getting up at night so I could sleep at least 4 hours straight and I would nap when he did. Good luck.

Hugs to you, G.! Try to remember that you're not alone. All mamas with newborns need sleep! ;-) New babies have a job and that is to eat and grow. They sleep, too, but they don't sleep like adults. They need to wake frequently to eat. Having him close to you during the night to make feedings easier might help. And remember to sleep during the day, too. It will get better! Soon, he will take more each feeding and will need to eat less frequently. He doesn't have the digestive system to eat solids right now. If he sleeps longer because he is full, it is because his tummy is having trouble digesting the food he's got in there. Hang in there, and enjoy that sweet little baby. :)

I understand- i have a 4 week old and nursing round the clock. He nurses every hour to every 2 hours. I just try to sleep when he sleeps during the day and we have been doing fine. They all have growth spurts- I think it is harder with a bottle since we get hung up on the amount- with nursing you just let them nurse until they are full, not worrying about the amount. I too agree that rice cereal is not good for such a young baby.
I had to tell myself that sleep is not necessary right now- and I NEED sleep so bad to function- but I sleep when I can and also have another child to take care of.
I would recommend you have someone help rock your baby after you feed him so you can get some rest- at least you can do that:) I cannot take off my breast and ask someone to help- hee hee Wish I could though.
I promise we will all get through it- babies are not meant to sleep long spurts right now, they are growing and need lots of tiny little moments to eat since their bellies are so tiny. I have heard it is not even about filling up their tummy so much it is that they are growing and need so much more than we can imagine.
Best wishes and know you are not alone- it will be ok
Do you have a good relationship with your pediatrician?

We had our son on July 22 so I am also sleep deprived! He came out weighing 8.5 and eats everything we just took him into his month apt and he now weighs close to 12 pounds! I was concerned that we were feeding him too much, but he is happy and growing. What I would do is chart his sleep and food intake and as long as he's getting what he needs then it shall pass in another month. I think they dont start sleeping through the night until they weigh 10 or more pounds. My son is sleeping 5-6 hours stretches at night but during the day I feed him every 2-3 hours and I have a 2 year old, and my husband travels, so I really do feel for you.

I have to agree with a few others, the cereal in the bottle thing is just a mess all around...I'm amazed doctors still tell parents this. Babies have a hard time digesting this stuff this early. Just because someone's parents did it or their grandparents did it or the doctor said to do it doesn't mean it's ok to do...there's a lot known more about babies and their digestive system (and less known about choking hazards) then there was back then. Please also NOT cut nipples to give cereal (most nipples have this warning on the package). I used to set up my little guy on a play area and let him play, look around while I rested...or I'd hold him while leaning back in a chair, sort of dozing. Sometimes it's all you need you re-charge your batteries. And in the early days, the best you can do with sleep is sleep when the baby sleeps (forget chores), co sleep if you can (Ignore the people who say you'll never get them out of your bed...it's complete nonsense as I've never seen a collge-age kid in a parents bed), have enough bottles ready for him to eat so you don't have to waste time getting things warmed up and ready. The condensed stuff is more expensive, but a big time saver.

Well, you might be expecting a little too much from a 23 day old. Honestly, I wouldn't be worried about over-feeding him (as someone else mentioned). If you were breast-feeding every two hours, you wouldn't be worried about the amount because you couldn't TELL how much he was getting. Since he's on the bottle, you can tell the exact amount and sometimes that's easy to get hung up on...worrying about too much or too little.

If he's not vomitting up the excess formula, he's not being over-fed. Newborns will usually take in exactly what they need. No more, no less. He probably needs every single ounce he gets because he's growing like mad right now. It will eventually slow down in time, you just need to hang in there and be patient. And remember...when you have a baby under a month old, you're not SUPPOSED to be able to sleep! ;-)

Hi G.,

I do understand you need and want for sleep:) But I'm going to tell you something that is going to sound a bit like a "mother". Please understand that I have the highest compassion for parents...I have 4 kiddos myself and work with parents, so please take this "advice" with my best intentions at heart for you.
I know what it's like to be tired. So tired that you would do almost anything for sleep! However I want you to answer something for yourself. "what is your belief and expectations about babies and sleep?" "Is your belief true? Why or why not?" "where did you get this belief from?" "Who is part of your village (support system)?" "ARe they giving you correct information?" "Is their info RIGHT for you?" "How much reading have you done on what is normal and best for babies and feeding/sleep and development?"

The bottom line right now is this. Please please please stop trying to make your baby sleep more by putting rice cereal in his bottle. First it gets stuck in the nipple because the whole is way to small for "food" to pass through..it HAS TO BE THAT WAY. Newborns systems are not ready for solids yet. Even watered down rice cereal. Not only is his system not ready for it, his sucking and swallowing relex aren't strong enough and he can choke.
Also, find different ways of getting sleep or rest. Sleep when he sleeps. Ask a trusted friend/family member to watch your kiddos for a couple of hours so you can sleep. Let go of your expectations of how much he "should" be sleeping. Since he is so young, it is very normal for him to wake every couple of hours to want to nurse or just be held by you. Some babies sleep longer, some not as much. But typically newborns need to eat every few hours because their tummy's are little and can only hold so much food. You know your baby best, so if he really seems hungry then feed him. Are you just feeding him because you want him to sleep more? Read his cues. Maybe he needs something else.
Though you already have been through the baby phase and have your own maternal wisdom, remember that this is a different baby with different needs and a different tempermant. Though you absolutely need to take care of yourself, you also need to respond to your son to what he is needing. Be patient during this early part of postpartum. Someday you will get more sleep:)

I wish you all the best in your parenting journey.

In peace and joy,
A.
mom of 4. Birth and Parenting Mentor
www.birthingfromwithin.com

WHOA! I thought you didn't feed your baby any food (just milk/formula) until at least 4 months old.
I tried feeding my son at 4 mo but he wasn't ready till closer to 5-6mo. Yours may be ready at 4mo tho, but NOT 23 days! I'd talk to your pediatrician and see what's right for him & you.

Also, it might be a growth spurt (babies do that, often, as you very well know!) and it'll subside soon (till the next growth spurt, that is).

Hope you get some sleep :)