Father of a Six Week Old. Feeding volume question & inquiry with regards to a dramatic behavior change

[godisking27]

Context:​

• First time parents, so teach us the way.
• Breastfed 90% of the time, bottle-fed with breast milk otherwise.
• At six weeks old and a pretty average size, he is pulling 100mL (plus) in breast milk in a 20-30 min feeding
  • Usually wants about 120mL from a bottle when bottle-fed for the past week or so.
• We implemented a sleep schedule based on "Mom's On Call", he was a tad premature so he has been tracking in sleep length and feeding frequency about as expected according to the books age & due date matrix.
• So at this point he is feeding, having some wake/activity time and then sleeping about 2 hours until his next feeding.
• At night, he feeds at 9-9:30, wakes up around 1-2am, and then anywhere from 5:30-6:30am.

Question 1:

Should we be concerned about the amount of volume he eats? It seems off the charts compared to what I have read.

Over the past 48 hours, his sleep schedule has changed, he still wants the same volume of milk in a feeding it seems, but now he is up every hour and a half or less. He is very grunty. He doesn't seem to have a gas issue, his stomach will get harder after a feeding and then ease up soon after, doesn't stay hard. He is going #1, #2, and burping. Not spitting up. I just am concerned about the volume and frequency right now. Selfishly, I want to help him sleep again so I can sleep again & more importantly my wife can sleep again.

Question 2:

Anything I can do to help him out? Would it be wise (or dumb) to mix some formula in there in the night?

Signed,

First time poster, long time reader.

 

[mozes]

@godisking27 First of all, if you have questions like these no matter how simple they sound your first stop should be your doctor office/midwife/local healthcare clinic etc.

Sounds like your newborn has come out of the sleepy phase and is now into the hi imma newborn phase.

Everything you’re saying seems normal newborn to me? It’s super messy at this early stage. I don’t think you can expect a schedule at this point.

 

[providenciaet]

@mozes

come out of the sleepy phase and is now into the hi imma newborn phase

Lol perfect description

 

[godisking27]

@mozes Of course we have brought these questions up with the pediatrician and we like our pediatrician thus far, but Ill say I will always seek sources to validate their feedback or seek other explanations so I can provide more context / questions to the doctors when we see them. I am a typical nervous first time parent.

 

[cyril1953]

@godisking27 It sounds like you're doing great!

 

[godwhispers]

@godisking27 Sounds like a normal 6 week old being right on time for their 6 week growth spurt. Which is what it seems like with the cluster feeding And broken sleep. If you are doing paced feedings with a slow flow nipple, then those 120 ml are fine as well. Research does not indicate that breastmilk intake changes with baby’s age or weight between one and six months. You can also calculate a ballpark of how much expressed milk they can take here. Mixing Formula at this stage is your call, but there hasnt been a proven link between feeding type and total sleep duration, in infants under 6 months ( here. ) Although implementing formula without mitigating for the missed time the baby spends on the breast can impact milk supply.
Also, a 6 week old sleeping for 5 hours (taking the longest time from your example of 9-9:30, wake up around 1-2am) is already very good. Growth spurts pass within a week or 2. It gets better, but right when you feel that you got it down pat, circa 2-4 months, their circadian rhythm starts kicking in, and you're back to square one.

As for the Moms on Call, if it works for you, then do what's best for you and your family.
Although they do have some good info like swaddling, which is a GODSEND, and the like. Personally I think their philosophy is a tad outdated.The authors of the book suggest that babies sleep in their own crib in their own room, which goes against current recommendations for SIDS safety that advise babies to sleep in their parents' room for the first six months of life. The book provides schedules for feeding and sleeping for babies at different stages, but the strict sleep schedule suggested for newborns is too rigid, as newborns have irregular sleep patterns. The suggested nap and bedtime times are on the later side and could be too late for some babies and may lead to overtiredness or difficulty falling/ staying asleep. The book lacks information on how sleep works for babies, when they develop their circadian rhythm, and troubleshooting sleep problems such as night wakings or early awakenings, which is important for new parents seeking sleep success. To top off, their overly strict feeding schedule isn't really EBF friendly, as scheduled BF can mess with supply. Personally, I watch wake windows and track sleep via the huckleberry app . It allows me to see my child's trends and habits.

But you'll find that when it comes to sleep, everyone has opinions. And everyone thinks their ways are the best. And everyone is wrong. Babies are individuals, and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other. Find the way that works for your baby, and don't worry about fitting him into what the average baby is doing. There is a wide range for normal, and sometimes, as parents, we forget that the average is just the average.

 

[godisking27]

@godwhispers When I posted on here, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wanted someone to read my post and politely challenge where they saw fit with researched arguments.

Everyone who replied has been great, but this reply in particular [now I just need to identify the down-voters of the OP because "why?"]

Everything you said was great. Too respond to your bit on Mom's On Call. I read it, liked it, but really only implemented the schedule and more so as a framework / goal, but not gospel as we can't control the outcomes and every baby will be unique in their challenges.

Either way, thank you!

 

[providenciaet]

@godisking27 Yeah that all seems pretty normal for 6 weeks! You had a dreamy sleep schedule there for a minute but, most unfortunately, it’s more normal than not for that not to last. 6 weeks is often a very disrupted time and hits right around big developmental changes with baby. It’s a big time for cluster feeding for this reason too - which means lots of frequent feeds and generally eating a little more over 24 hours. Eating every 1-1.5 hours is definitely not uncommon.

Those amounts in the bottle sound ok too. Keep in mind there’s really no way to know how much he takes at the breast, but it sounds like he’s having a lot of diapers and doing well. Are you paced feeding when he gets a bottle? https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/

Sounds like you’re doing a great job!! 6 weeks is a tough age, but things change again quickly soon enough (even if it doesn’t feel that way now!)

 

[godisking27]

@providenciaet So we have measured the intake from the breast through a 1g sensitive scale. So dry diaper before feeding weight vs. after feeding weight. Ill say the intake is only slightly more through the bottle than the breast. Timewise he usually takes the same amount, however I have had to pace the feeding since the new round of cluster feeding started.

It has been great and we do know that everyone gets a different experience and ours has been fortunate thus far, it was just such a sharp change that I was alarmed.

Thank you for your response.

 

[notworthconsideration]

@godisking27 My guy fed every 3ish hours between 100 and 120mls. Volume and frequency would fluctuate. If he was having a growth spurt, he eats more often not necessarily more volume.

My guys is 4.5 months (2.5 corrected as born prematurely). He is still eating between 120 and 180mls per feed. He has a 5 to 6 hour stretch overnight, and then all his other feeds are 3 to 4 hours apart.

Formula can fill baby up for longer but given my guy has been strictly formula feed (supply never came in), he still has the same schedule as my friends breathed only baby.

Another thing to look at is what your wife is eating. There may be something she added to her diet thay baby isn't tolerating.