my 2 week old has been very fussy the last couple of days. Her doctor told us that if we feed her at 9,10,11 at night that she will through the night. Well she still wakes up every 2-3 hours to eat. Is she overeating? Could this be why she screams? Also, I noticed today that when she was screaming that she was sucking on her hand pretty good, so I fed her and she drank some and calmed down and fell asleeep. I'm so confused! She was very quiet baby the first week. We alsoswitched her to Enfamil Gentlease today and I haven't noticed a huge difference yet. Help! ↓
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Name: Crystal83 | Date: Jul 1st, 2008 5:51 PM
It sounds like your Dr. has recommended cluster feeding. This is supposed to help a baby sleep through the night, but IMO I think a baby at 2 weeks old is too young to be expected to sleep through the night. Their stomaches are about the size of a walnut, which is why feeding every 2-4 hours is a must for a newborn. You may be over feeding her, but she would probably be spitting up. I think you should let your LO set the schedule for feeding times. When she is a little older, maybe around 2-4 months old cluster feeding is something that she and you could really benefit from, and it may help her to sleep more than 6 hours at a time, but for now maybe you could try and just feed her whenever she needs it, without letting her go more than 4 hours on her own. ↑
Name: Malica | Date: Jul 1st, 2008 11:47 PM
Babies cannot overeat (without throwing up, that is). If she was crying and sucking on her hand she was either hungry or wanted the soothing feeling of sucking on something. If you're using a soother, then try offering it. Otherwise, try feeding her whenever she wants. Like crystal says, their tummies are absolutely tiny at this point so expect to be feeding them quite often (every 2-4 hours, even more often when they're going through a growth spurt -- which there are usually a few at that age) ↑
Name: ACG | Date: Jul 2nd, 2008 3:12 PM
I concur. It's VERY normal for a 2 week old to eat every 2-3 hours around the clock. It's healthy. At this age, feed her whenever she wants to eat, even if that's every hour. I know it's exhausting, but remember the parent mantra: "This too shall pass." - April ↑
