Hungry baby milk? Advice please

[chezababy]

My baby is 3 weeks old and feeds every 2 to 2 and a half hours and has between 90ml and 120 ml each feed. This is really tiring during the night especially as my OH works so i end up doing the night feeds on my own most nights. my health visitor said she is probably feeding too much but you can hear her tummy groan when she feeds so she must be hungry. She weighed 8.9lb last time she was weighed and that was 6 days ago so she'll weigh more now. I'm considering trying hungry baby milk, she currently has a mix of breast milk and sma gold, but i don't know if its good for babies. My LO cries when she poos and I'm concerned it may make it harder for her to go. Has anyone had any experience of hungry baby milk. Does it work. Is it good for babies. And could it cause constipation. I'd really appreciate any advice x

 

[LynseyPynsey]

Hungry baby milk made absolutely no difference to the time my LO went between feeds. Weve recently taken him off it to go down Stay Down and he doesn't act any hungrier now.

 

[kat2504]

Hungry baby milk is harder to digest so it could lead to colic and constipation in such a young baby. I'm afraid frequent feeding is very normal at her young age but it gets better soon. Get your OH to help at night - you are working hard in the day too. Doing one night feed will not prevent him from doing his job.

 

[detterose]

What I've learned is that babies that young feed on demand, whether its breast milk or formula. My LO had a huge jump in weight gain, he was 2.8kg at birth and by 3 and a half weeks he was 3.5kg. He too was feeding that much. You'll find a few weeks it'll regulate, if she is still really hungry by 3 months, I'd consider it. But I think babies younger then that should feed on demand. You might find it won't even make a difference. My LO is on Karicare AR for his reflux, so it's a thicker formula and 80% casein and he still feeds every 3-4 hours, though now at night he will last maybe 6 hours without, which is great but we've waited a long time to get here. So fear not! You're not alone and it does get better. Hope that helps

 

[chezababy]

Thank you for the advice. One of my main concerns was it causing constipation so I think we will stay clear of it for now especially if it doesn't always work. My OH normally does the first feed after I go to bed as he is still awake but then I do the rest, he has a physical job and does long hours so I do think that's fair when he's working. LO was weighed yesterday and is 9.6lb so all that feeding must be working. Hopefully she will start to slow down soon but for now we will stick to feeding on demand as I don't agree with 'training' them at this age.

 

[xLaura]

If your LO is having trouble with constipation I'd look into changing to a comfort milk rather than a hungry baby milk. They help with constipation and colic. However if she's not too bad I'd stick to what your doing and see how she goes, she's still very young so she might just be getting into her own routine still.

 

[detterose]

Thank you for the advice. One of my main concerns was it causing constipation so I think we will stay clear of it for now especially if it doesn't always work. My OH normally does the first feed after I go to bed as he is still awake but then I do the rest, he has a physical job and does long hours so I do think that's fair when he's working. LO was weighed yesterday and is 9.6lb so all that feeding must be working. Hopefully she will start to slow down soon but for now we will stick to feeding on demand as I don't agree with 'training' them at this age.

Yes, the AR formula has constipated my LO. I've found adding some drops of Infants Friend has helped though. Unfortunately if we changed back to a thinner formula, we'd be back to the huge projectile vomiting. Never seem to win. My OH does the same, he works afternoon to nights so I am with LO all day, put him to bed at 7 and my OH will do his next feed which is usually now around 1-2am, so by the next time he wakes, I've had close to a full nights sleep. It feels like the sleep deprivation and constant feeding lasts for an eternity. But soon enough, they will be 4 months old and you'll look back thinking where did all the time go?!?

 

[MindUtopia]

Just wanted to add that it's normal for babies to cry when pooing or passing gas at that age. It's not because they're constipated or in any discomfort. It's just them getting used to what the sensation feels like and it can be very startling and upsetting. If she is going 5+ days between poos and they are hard rather than soft, then it's worth mentioning it to your HV or GP, but otherwise sounds normal. And yes, feed on demand. All that eating is what she's supposed to be doing. She's hungry because she's growing.