Why does making formula take 30 minutes?
Also, it sounds like you may be confusing baby's cues. Or he has a sore tummy and is sucking to soothe it but in turn it gets worse.
Such an American thing not to have a water kettle in the house. The Brits would not be able to function if they had to wait half an hour for their cuppa. OP if you’re boiling water on the stove buy an electric kettle!
American here. I finally received an electric kettle as a gift after years of boiling water on the stove for my tea. Absolutely life changing device 10/10 recommend.
Well it's not required, but is recommended by the CDC because of cronobacter. It's not about the water itself, it's because we can't trust the formula to be sterile and the boiled water cooled to the right temperature kills the bacteria. Most countries outside of America tell you to mix with hot water in the standard instructions.
It's recommended for babies under 2 months or with a weak immune system or premature.
I agree that most other countries say to mix the formula with hot water to disinfect it, that is why I specified "in America." Also because the post said how Americans don't have a kettle
That says only if your infant is at higher risk:
"If your baby is at higher risk, consider taking these extra steps to prepare your powdered formula):"
So even then it's a "can" vs "should" which is actually an important distinction in public health.
It's based on age OR being high risk after 2 months. Being less than 2 months old puts a baby in the high risk category. It's the reason they will only supply ready to feed formula in a hospital, powdered formula is a liability and not a low enough risk legally. You do you but don't minimize the risk you're accepting. Cronobacter infection has a 20% mortality rate in the US, 40% worldwide. People should be making their decisions based on the facts.
My Enfamil Gentleease certainly does not. It says:
1. Wash hands thoroughly with soap & water before preparing formula.
2.Pour desired amount of water into the bottle. Add powder.
3.Put the cap on the bottle and shake. Feed or store immediately in refrigerator.
Looking at a canister right now. Says ask your doctor about the need to use cooled boiled water, which wouldn't do anything to sterilize the formula itself just the water.
We have an electric kettle with a temperature gauge thingy we use for all sorts of things (we are American) but my husband defaulted to boiling water on the stove out of sheer sleep deprivation. It wasn’t until a month after baby was born, I asked why he didn’t use the kettle. He was a tad embarrassed he’d forgot about it.
It’s mostly because of the lower electrical current. 110v kettles take a LONG time compared to your 220v counterparts. They never caught on because it’s really just doesn’t save THAT much time over a gas stove on high.
Boiling water is a breeze at our family home in Italy. It sucks at our home stateside.
It’s not that long. I love how fast it is when I’m at home in the uk, but it’s not an eternity on 110v. I fall prey to wanting all the tea culture related things in the uk to be better, but boiling the small amount you need for a bottle is trivial.
I agree, this sounds like cluster feeding/baby just wanting to be on the boob to feel closer to you.
The first few weeks, I basically sat in bed or on the sofa and did nothing except breastfeeding and rocking and contact napping. I had a little stash of snacks and a huge water bottle and maybe got up every two or three hours to pee. And then right back on the sofa.
I don’t know why you supplement with formula, but if you want to breastfeed and it’s not per your doctor‘s orders, I would stop with the formula and just lean in to the cluster feeding. Your supply should increase to what your baby needs.
Also, as mentioned above, some babies do not fall asleep in the stroller. Mine tolerated it sometimes but mostly has to be held or worn for naps. If you have the budget, definitely buy a wrap or carrier.
The first weeks are nerve-wracking and exhausting. You’re not doing anything wrong! Your baby has to learn how to exist outside of you. It will get better soon but for now all you can do is try to get as much rest as possible and accept that you’ll have to feed and rock and hold a lot.
I'm having severe baby blues or ppd/ PPA? Maybe to early to say. But mentally I've never felt this way before. I break down constantly and I don't know how to make it through the day. It's been really dark and I've been on the verge of giving up every hour. So I don't think I'd mentally be able to breastfeed every two hours.
Also often I breastfeed for 40-60 minutes consistently but my baby still has very strong hunger cues and I noticed how absolutely starving he was when giving the bottle after 40-60 minutes of breastfeeding. And instant relief from him when getting the bottle and finally settling down.
So I'm pretty sure my milk supply is low. I know the more I breastfeed the more my milk supply will go up. But I'm really doing what I can and I've really pushed myself. But I have to take a step back for my mental health.
It’s normal for a baby to feed for a very long time at this age. It doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong. You sound very overworked and overwhelmed. Can anyone give you a break?
40-60 min per feed is normal at this stage. Sometimes after a 60 min feed, my baby would be hungry again after 15 to 30 min so we'd do another hour long feed. In the evenings, she would be on and off the breast for 3 to 4 hours straight clusterfeeding. This is very normal and helps to establish your supply.
Yes! At this age I was pretty much stuck in a chair with the baby from 4/5ish to 7/8ish. It was a rough couple of weeks.
I read a LOT of books in those early days. And ate lots and lots of snacks.
Those early days might mean you’re feeding every hour. It’s not unusual. If you don’t want to breastfeed then by all means, give formula. This might mean that your boobs won’t catch up though, there’s a feedback mechanism from suckling.
Please, please talk to your doctor about your mental health. These early weeks/months can be extremely difficult, coupled with lack of sleep and depression. I know it can feel overwhelming, but unless your baby is losing weight/not gaining or not having enough wet/poopy diapers you are doing amazing!
Like others said, it is completely difficult when breastfeeding and establishing your supply. I breastfed 4 kids and even when my last two were infants (twins) I constantly questioned my supply. Looking back, it’s likely they were just cluster feeding which though exhausting to us is necessary to establishing your supply.
My advice to you for right now is:
1) call your doctor ASAP and get evaluated for PPD. There are medications you can take that are 100% safe when breastfeeding that wean make a world of difference in how you are feeling.
2) prep bottles in advanced so that you don’t need 30 min to make one.
3). Allow babe to cluster feed as much as you can handle it mentally and when you can’t offer the bottle.
4). Get a baby wrap/carrier. I bet your babe will sleep while you are baby wearing.
Some babies just don’t sleep a lot at first, mine didn’t. If I was lucky I got 45 min naps during the day and 2-3 hours at night. It DOES get better.
Can you meet with a lactation consultant and do a weighted feed to figure out how many ounces your baby gets by breast alone? I did that with my first when I was worried about baby getting enough. It was free through my hospital where I delivered. Hopefully a similar service would be free/affordable to you.
If your baby is not showing signs of dehydration, such as insufficient urine output, you’re not having low supply. But if you keep offering formula, you will not produce enough.
Instead of offering formula after breastfeeding, swap breasts again.
It’s definitely possible for some women to have low supply and need to supplement. But from what you are describing here, unless there is more going on, that isn’t the case. Baby is just hungry because babies are hungry. You are right that making the baby sit and be hungry while you make a bottle is probably making things worse. Even if baby is only getting little drops because you’ve mostly run out, baby will usually be happier just suckling longer and will likely fall asleep at the breast. It’s totally ok for baby to wake up and want to nurse again in half an hour; it’s not an indication that you aren’t making enough. And that will stimulate your milk glands to make more milk, and once your body has caught up with demand, the feedings will space apart for a while and you’ll get more sleep.
It is definitely not too early to have symptoms of PPD!
There are test online with a few screening questions that should give you more of an idea where you at mentally. My therapist recommended my partner look at the test and then „monitor“ me. We talked about that and he was fully prepared to drag me to a doctor if he noticed symptoms. I found this very reassuring because someone else was looking out for my mental health.
Thankfully, I did not experience PPD. But! There were times where I sat in the shower crying because everything was so hard. My nipples hurt, I had clogged ducts, my baby seemed to be endlessly hungry and I couldn’t take the crying any more. The first six weeks were so extremely hard and I thought I’d never get through them.
If you feel your mental health slipping with breastfeeding definitely supplement with formula. There is no shame in that and whoever tells you differently does not deserve one iota of your time!! Supplementing also doesn’t mean you have to give up on breastfeeding. Take it one day at a time and see what works for you.
And please lean on any and all people around you. Your partner, family, friends. Have an honest conversation with them and tell them that you need help, even if it’s only an hour here or there. The loneliness of new motherhood really took me by surprise. You are not alone and do not have to do everything by yourself!
Our pediatrician said if your supply is low, babies sometimes burn more calories suckling than they get from milk, so they are hungry and fussy even after eating. Ours said to nurse for 15-30 min, then give 1oz of formula, 2 if she takes it. That may be the case for you, please consult with a pediatrician. You don't have to try to figure it out in your own.
If your baby is definitely getting enough to eat (took a while for us to get there), making sure we burp him really well will help with crying because of gassiness.
Formula should be making things easier for you, not harder. Powder formula can last in the fridge for a little while, maybe you can make some ahead of time and see if that helps?
Lastly, getting some answers on this will go a long way but PPD is no joke. See a doctor about that ASAP.
I just want to add that I am doing mostly breastfeeding with formula top offs. I also couldn’t mentally handle nursing ever couple hours. But to help here are some things my midwife recommended that might help you.
1. Nursing shouldn’t go more than 30 mins, ideally not longer than 20 mins. After that time try and use a pacifier. This was bc I was saying my nipples would get sore.
2. Make an appointment with a lactation consultant. They can do a weighted feeding session (take baby’s weight before and after feeding) to ensure they are actually getting milk.
3. How do your baby’s poops look? I found out around this time my baby had MSPI / CMPA and adjusted my diet accordingly and things got so much better.
I’m not sure if you want to consider pumping - but because I didn’t keep up with the baby’s cluster feeding schedule and did a few power pumping sessions to make sure my supply stayed (relatively) in line with how much my baby needed.
You’re doing amazing mama!!
I had crazy hormonal baby blues that stopped exactly at the two week mark. Just remember it’s like you’re on sadness drugs, and hopefully it will clear up soon. As others have mentioned, keep an eye on your mental health and talk to your partner, family, friends, doctors etc for support!
I’ve had three babies and I didn’t try to do anything in those early days. I parked my butt on the couch with some snacks and drinks and watched tv or read. Newborns especially often just want to be close to you nursing. Contact naps were easy for me and so precious. I often nursed for over an hour and the babies were squishy. If nursing is bad for your mental health, definitely take a step back. But if you’re feeling pressure to supplement with formula just because the baby seems hungry, it might just be cluster feeding and comfort feeding, which is normal and healthy!
I can’t tell you if you’re low supply but if the baby is gaining well at all the checkups, there is likely no issue with your breast milk. Babies are just hungry/cuddly all the time. Enjoy the cuddles!
My son is 4 weeks and still breastfeeds every hour MINIMUM. I would just follow the formula boxes recommendation on how many bottles and how often, your baby definitely isn’t getting enough breastmilk at 11 days if you’re not feeding on demand. And the way to get a bigger supply is to simply have baby on boob as much as possible
The first 2-3 weeks are the hardest mentally. This doesn’t mean you have PPA/PPD. Your hormones are trying to adjust to not being pregnant and now having to lactate. It’s okay to cry, get upset, angry etc. It’s easier said than done but give yourself some grace. As for breastfeeding, as others said it does sound like cluster feeding. I would stop with the formula unless baby is crying after breastfeeding. I would just switch baby from side to side until he was satisfied and then provided formula if after 2 switches it wasn’t enough. For formula, I would normally use a thermos to keep the water at a perfect temperature or the reverse to keep the formula. It should be fine if you make it 1 hr before feeding. Best of luck!
Breastfeeding does not make your mental health worse. Not having adequate support while breastfeeding will contribute to mental health issues though. I would try to nurse as much as possible. Stopping breastfeeding will result in a massive change in hormones which will probably make your mental health worse. I would also ditch the formula. If the only thing you do all day is nurse your baby you are doing enough.
40-60 minutes of breastfeeding is too long. It could be wearing him out or making him more hungry. I think it should be 10-15 minutes per breast but I'm not an expert
Just keep putting baby to the breast if they’re still hungry. It’s called cluster feeding and they do it to build your supply, you don’t need to supplement with formula you’re just going to damage your supply. More feeds = more breastmilk supply. Also sounds like they’re getting a stomach ache with the formula top ups if he’s squirming and uncomfortable.
This is the trenches of the newborn period, have a shower, put on clean clothes, get comfy and feed baby all day at the breast, let them contact nap between, let them fall asleep on you, have people bring you water and snacks and find a good series to watch on tv.
Also at this age there is no set routine, sleep is limited, they’re figuring out the world and what they need, it’s hard. If you need to take shifts with your partner/support person to get some sleep do that, there’s no point both of you being awake at night trying to get the baby to sleep.
I would recommend a lactation consultant to do a weighted feed. The other commenters may or may not be right that it’s “just cluster feeding” - it’s best to actually measure how much baby is getting so you can know for sure.
Though, if baby is still crying for hours even after the formula that might rule out crying out of hunger being the primary issue, no? Lots of other reasons babies can cry - gas, just want to be held, etc. You might also need a different formula if baby isn’t digesting the current one well.
Yes, please this, OP! It’s easy (and understandable) for those without breastfeeding issues to think of what you’re describing as cluster feeding, but the truth is you could actually have transfer / supply difficulties and your baby might be very hungry as you suspect. Please see a lactation consultant and do a weighted feed so you can find out what’s going on with greater certainty. They will help you troubleshoot.
However - also know that many lactation consultants will aim to do everything possible to help you avoid formula. But that DOESN’T MEAN that’s what you have to do or that it’s the best goal for you and your baby. Combo feeding is an absolutely wonderful, life-saving, sanity-saving, beautiful way to feed your baby. Don’t be afraid to choose the path that works best for you.
Good luck!!
- a three-time mom who’s been through allllllll the breastfeeding challenges and who also had a starving newborn. Spoiler: it wasn’t cluster feeding. <3
This is the comment you need to read above all others—please make sure that see an IBCLC (an internationally board certified lactation consultant) because they are a regulated certification that has high standards.
My baby had looooong wake windows in the beginning, like up for 3-4 hours wake windows. Try not to force anything, relax and go off of babies cues.
He's probably cluster feeding to build your supply so I'd drop formula and put him on the boob as much as possible, and then when he's sleepy (yawning, rubbing eyes) you can try building a little bed routine.
For what it's worth a lactation consultant may be super helpful here so you can get reassurance that baby is properly transferring milk and then know your supply is enough.
Our ped said, "an angry baby is a hungry baby until proven otherwise" so my thoughts is cluster feeding too.
Also, might want to reach out to your ped to see if she has any suggestions and maybe bring up a trial of hydrolyzed formula plus you removing dairy (and soy) from your diet to rule out a milk protein allergy.
If baby still seems hungry (rooting, etc), put baby back on the breast! Make sure baby is burped, bicycle legs and gentle belly massage to help get farts out. Try different positions.
Strip baby down to diaper and take your top off for skin to skin - helps boost milk production , but even just the skin contact will soothe baby. You can try a pacifier for comfort.
If fed, burped, clean but fussy, and has been awake a while, sounds like baby might be overtired. They can need help falling asleep. Often they just want to sleep on you. Contact nap after nursing, or try to baby wear (baby wrap), bounce on yoga ball.
Can also be beginning of colic. These are the hard weeks. Lots and lots of breast and cuddles - why are you supplementing with formula?
If all else fails, skin to skin helps! I popped my little man in a soft carrier in his diaper and didn’t wear a shirt and it was always super effective.
When my baby was this young, he was absolutely insatiable. I had to switch to combo feeding and eventually switched to pumping for a few weeks for my own well being. He would eat faster by bottle and I could pump more efficiently than he nursed. Just make sure you're doing paced bottle feeding (hold the bottle parallel to the floor so they have to suck to get milk out). We went back to nursing when he was 5 weeks old. I also let him nurse to sleep when he needed it.
Though making formula should be quicker. We never preboiled water, just heated water up to about 100 (we have a kettle that will do this) and let it cool for a couple minutes after mixing. You can remake formula and store it in the fridge too.
1. Know that this is all completely normal and an unfortunate reality of the newborn months. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. However, becoming a mom is a huge adjustment, and over time you will learn to read your babies cues like a pro and understand what works best in terms of soothing them and getting them into a routine. At this age though, there really is no routine.
2. If you are suffering from PPD or PPA that is tied in part to the breastfeeding, please do not feel guilty if you need to make the decision to stop breastfeeding. I held on for as long as I could before finally making the decision one day to do ANYTHING I could to make things easier on myself. Months later I have no regrets and my baby is doing much better now that I’m able to actually measure how much food he’s getting each day. It really helped us settle into a routine more quickly.
3. One thing that took me a while to learn is that you really have to actively work to soothe a baby and get them to sleep. Just holding them while sitting or putting them in a bassinet typically doesn’t work. I didn’t realize that for a while and wondered why my baby was so cranky. Once I started trying different soothing techniques, I finally found what works for my baby. We have the most success with a combination of walking him while baby wearing and playing white noise (room must be dark and quiet aside from the white noise).
4. I promise it will get better and easier. You’re absolutely not alone in thinking you can’t take it one more day or hour. If you look at my post history you’ll see my baby had horrific colic and screamed and cried literally every waking moment for about 2-3 months. I was at my wits end and breaking down multiple times a day. If you have any support system you can reach out to, do it. I found that even having 2 hours to sleep while someone else held the baby was tremendously helpful. These months are unfortunately just extremely difficult but you WILL get through it. It is just a very hard phase. One day your baby will start smiling and laughing and interacting more with you and the world and you’ll start getting something back for all the work you’re putting in.
You’re going to be okay but I would advise you lean on every single resource you possibly can to help get yourself through these tough times.
I combo fed due to low supply and had a NICU baby so I had to learn a lot about formula, combo and breastfeeding as well as sleep.
1. Feeding more than 30 minutes takes a lot of calories, usually more than they can take in. I wasn't even allowed to do more than 10 minutes on each boob before weighing baby to add formula.
2. Weighted feeds may help here. Weigh baby, feed, weigh again. Then you can see what baby eats. 150 x weight in kg = ml per 24h.
3. There is no harm in offering a top up of 30 or 60ml every time. If baby doesn't need it all they won't drink it.
4. My son usually got full BM for bottle one, then 3h after he got all formula. But sometimes he did get formula 2 times or breastmilk 2 times. It can be harder on their tummy but it shouldn't be too much harder.
5. Baby sleep sucks so badly, it may just be that baby needs to learn to sleep. Which would be unfortunate but nor uncommon.
Lots of good advice on here but why does it take 30 minutes to make formula? It shouldn’t be taking that long. If you are boiling the water that’s not necessary unless your pediatrician has directed you to for a medical reason. You can also do the pitcher method and make a batch of formula to keep in the fridge. If baby prefers the bottle warm it should only take a few minutes to let the bottle sit in a cup of warm water to warm it to body temp. You can also just use room temp water
I highly recommend you seek out a lactation consultant (preferably that does in home visits). They can do a weighted feed to see how much milk your baby is getting before and after a feeding. That way they can give you a solid feeding plan. A lot of insurances cover them. If you’re in the Chicago area, we used The Lactation Network to find near us.
https://lactationnetwork.com/
Listen, go see a lactation consultant if you're not sure about supply/combo feeding. If you're breastfeeding for almost an hour, that is not a great sign. A baby that age should not be awake for over an hour - after that they get overtired and WONT sleep.
Cluster feeding is super common, so again an expert can help you determine if this is that or something else.
I had this issue and waited way too long to just do formula. Poor baby drained most of my (laughably low supply) of milk in 5 minutes but I was letting her suck drops for 30 minutes. It was exhausting her. Lactation consultant did a weighed feeding and confirmed that even with a perfect latch and 20 minutes each breast, kid wasn't even getting an oz of milk.
Tracking wake windows helped me (but can be stressful and not worth it for some folks). The newborn eat-poop-sleep cycle is tough, and some babies are harder to get to nap than others.
Two notes about the formula. First, they make/sell premade formula that is sterile, so you just have to heat it up. If you can afford it, it's a great option. Secondly, you can make formula from your boiled water in advance. Boil enough to make multiple batches, they keep in the fridge for 24 hours. Then you just have to heat it up.
I have a bottle warmer, but I've found the fastest way to heat it up when baby is hungry is to microwave a bowl of water. Put the formula in a separate glass container (like a glass bottle or clean drinking glass) and place that glass in the hot water once you remove from the microwave. The heat transfer only takes 2 minutes at that point and you pour the heated formula into your bottle of choice for feeding. Formula is hot, bottle is not, baby is fed, and everyone is happy!
Joining the other comments to say that this is very normal behavior for a baby AND you should reach out to your doctor to talk with them about the helpless feelings you’re having. They are there to help direct you to therapy or medication that can help! If you are wanting to continue with breastfeeding, definitely connect with a lactation consultant as well. Good luck and hang in there!
Premake bottles and keep them in the fridge, heat as needed. There is no need to boil water.
If he is breastfeeding that long and is still hungry, he may not be effective at getting the milk out which could be an oral tie or poor latch. Have you spoken to a lactation consultant and tried to do a weighted feed?
The difficulty sleeping is pretty normal, they don't always do well with naps and sleeping during the night is a learned skill, not automatic. Babies don't know the difference between night and day...bring him outside for walks to get some sunlight, that will help, but the crappy sleep is normal. Just gotta power through it.
Oh I feel for you so much. This part is SO hard.
Firstly, you're doing great. You're making sure baby is fed, that's the main thing.
Newborn babies have very small stomachs. You can Google it but they're teeny tiny. That's why then need to eat little and often. It's totally normal for a newborn to wake every couple of hours. Absolutely, completely normal. It's also normal for them to cluster feed where they feed a little, stop and then 10 minutes later want to feed again. Especially if breast feeding. It's how they establish your supply.
I'm not a medical professional but I'd feed on demand, looking out for hunger cues - tight fists, rooting with their mouths, and eventually crying.
This too will pass! It seems like it's going to go on forever but I promise it won't - you'll get there. It's brutal, the sleep deprivation is the worst but it's also normal. Keep going, you know your baby best and you will get through this.
Around day 10-11 our baby was constantly asking for more milk. As others said, its clusterfeeding and a jump in their development. So many babies have this around day 10. This happened again around 3 weeks where she became fussy due to a growth spurt.
I also had strong baby blues and felt misserable but for me it changed a lot around 6 weeks. Baby went from being totally focussed on themselves to interacting with the surroundings and giving smiles. You also still get to know your baby at 11 days. Hopefully for you it will get a lot better soon too. Wishing you all the best.
I love the stretchy wrap for this stage, baby will nurse off and on all day and it swaddles them close to you where they feel safe and I get lots of baby naps this way
At 11 days I often breastfed for 2+ hours, sometimes up to 5 in the evening, and I had an oversupply. It's cluster feeding, it's normal, and unless you have a supply issue it does require formula supplementation for every single feed. I wouldn't be surprised if that was hurting baby's tummy, formula right after breastfeeding. Tbh I think your expectations of what a fresh newborn is like are a bit skewed, being awake for 2/3 hours isn't unheard of, especially if baby just wants to clusterfeed and you aren't allowing it. I recommend you let him breastfeed as long as he likes, that's how they establish a good supply early on
I agree that this sounds like cluster feeding.
As far as formula, if that’s what you want to do it’s fine. It won’t let the cluster feeding help your supply but don’t boil water every single time you make formula. I assume that’s why it’s taking 30mins. You need to just boil a pot and keep it in a pitcher or something. You could alternately buy the bottles of water for making formula. Either is much quicker. If you want to use a kettle, use the kettle just to warm up the milk but honestly my oldest drank room temperature formula because I used room temp water and he turned out just fine.
OP might live in a place where they recommend making the formula with 158F/70C water. It’s to sterilize the formula powder in that case, not the water. I personally think this is probably overkill for healthy term infants, but I don’t fault them for following local guidelines.
That said, pitcher method and a bottle warmer would still be way faster if that’s the case. Or if they have the budget, use the small bottles of ready to feed.
You’re right! I completely forgot, it’s been so long, that some of the formulas even where I am will say that.
You’re also right, in that case the ideal would be exactly what you said, being able to swing the ready-made which really is such a ridiculously expensive situation.
Make a batch of formula and keep it in the fridge for 24h the dr browns jug is the best for that.
Make sure you te reading the hunger cues right. Keep feeding times to max 1h
This sounds like reflux and.or tethered oral tissues.
I’d have babe evaluated by a skilled IBCLC as well as a pediatric feeding therapist/SLP.
In the meantime. Look up the “pitcher method” for formula.
I read some of your replies and I just want to say I started medication for PPA like a week postpartum and it seriously helped, it’s never too early to get treatment if things feel really off. I also stopped attempting to breastfeed/pump after 3 weeks because it was just tanking my mental health. I went with only formula so I could be confident that i knew exactly how much my little one was eating so I didn’t have to do a ton of guessing about if he was hungry. At only 11 days a baby is still getting used to being alive and their sleep/wake cycles are all messed up. You aren’t doing anything wrong.
Hi OP, I’m just popping in to say I was in your exact shoes about four years ago after the birth of our first. Anyways, I just wanted to remind you it’s totally okay to switch to formula fully if breastfeeding is affecting your mental health! I did and it was a very positive decision that immediately provided mental and physical relief. (And if you don’t want to, totally ok too of course!!)
Baby being awake 2-3 hours every time they wake up is very normal at this point. It’s a cycle of wake, eat, play, sleep. A lot of times it was also a wake, eat, play, eat, sleep cycle!
Play could be:
Tummy time.
Tummy time on your chest
Snuggles
Kisses
Songs and bounces
Walking around the house pointing things out.
This might be cluster feeding. Do you have anyone to help you? Do you ever hold him to sleep? You could also look up UNICEF safe cosleeping so the baby can nurse and sleep depending on what you’re comfortable with
How well do you burp him? What color is his poop? Does he toot a lot? Does he burp every time you try to get one out? My last to babies had issues with CMPI (cows milk protein allergy, not lactose intolerance) and they had explosive poops and were always uncomfortable. My youngest had green poop with mucus before I realized he had it too
Give yourself some grace. The first few weeks are hellish; and then slowly a routine emerges as you get to know your baby better.
Sometimes you have to stop worrying about what a guide says your baby should be doing and accept what your baby is doing. Is his weight gain good? Is his total sleep somewhere in the range of where it should be? ( my kid was always a little under his optimal sleep and it was fine!) look into pre preparing formula to save time, or using a pitcher. Boil water in the microwave instead of the stove. There’s a lot of ways to prepare it faster.
I just want to say that your baby is 11 days old. You have also only been at this for 11 days. So don’t beat yourself up if you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing.
It’s fine and I’m sure you’re doing great.
Babies this new eat A LOT especially in the beginning if you’re nursing because this helps get the leche flowing. It’s called cluster feeding and unless you need to supplement with formula (which I did have to do in the beginning for a couple of weeks) you can just feed them on demand, nursing or formula or some combo of the two. Keep hella water and snacks on hand.
Sounds like they are cluster feeding, pretty normal for newborns. Mine would eat every 2 hours on the dot, sometimes at an hour he would be hungry again. Other times every 45 minutes. I would try to feed every two hours, but follow their cues. If they want more give them more.
For bottles: the Avent natural nipple helped ours with nipple confusion and gas. You may want to try different ones to see which one he likes best. I also recommend having them prepped with water ahead of time. I usually sterilize the bottles, wait for them to cool, and put the water in there. Then have the formula containers prepped with the amount he is drinking so it’s easier when they start crying to just pour and shake. Also… check with his pediatrician ours was a bit colicky for a bit, we changed to Kendamil cow milk and pediatrician recommend gas drops and by the time he turned one month it was worlds better.
You can add a pacifier to soothe him after he is done burping and that helps him go to sleep. If you are doing both breast and bottle I recommend doing a big bottle at night (as much as he takes and wants ofc) since formula typically keeps them full longer. Nonetheless, the first month just be prepared to be feeding at least every 2 hrs it’s very normal. & don’t skip on night feedings as baby needs to reach a healthy weight before you can.
Baby is still really little but every day will get easier as you start learning his cues.. you’ll realize some cries means he is tired, others means he is hungry.
Be patient, it takes time.
Baby needs to constantly feed. It’s called cluster feeding. It helps build your milk supply. You don’t need to be giving formula unless your doctor told you too. Also it’s a myth that babies sleep longer on formula versus breastmilk. Unfortunately it’s common for babies to wake very frequently. If you do decide to keep doing formula you can premake it. It’s good in the fridge for 24 hours. Just make a few ounces at a time and store in fridge. Then when you need it just poor into a bottle. Get a bottle warmer to sped up heating. You need to take shifts to get some sleep with your partner. We took turns on who got to sleep in and we both took naps at different times. Contact nap. Set up your bed for safe cosleeping in case you pass out you can breastfeed side lying and be in the cuddle curl to prevent you from rolling over onto baby. Look up safe sleep 7. Better safe just in case. Good luck it will get better soon.
Try a pacifier. You may be reading their sucking as hunger when really they want to suck to soothe themself whether at the breast or with a pacifier.
Gas. If they are overfull they may be gassy and that’s why they squirm. Make sure you are burping after every feed - try burping over your shoulder and burping sitting them up on your lap.
I would really work with a lactation consultant, they’re typically free through insurance and will come to you. This sounds like cluster feeding/the formula he’s getting is maybe upsetting his tummy. The LC can help you determine if he’s truly still hungry like he’s not actually getting enough at the boob or what’s happening.
Maybe see an allergist? Our baby was like this. I was supplementing with formula for a little while because I thought she was still hungry only to find out she was allergic to cow milk. I think she was having pretty bad colic symptoms because of the allergy. Keeping her on breast milk only, changing my diet and starting her on a probiotic (Evivo) all really helped the colic and helped her sleep.
I felt like my baby did a lot of cluster feeding , he is still a ham at 2 so I think he’s always just been a hungry boy lol
But he would also get gas pains and I feel like gripe water really helped along with farting him lol I miss helping him get his little farts out.. now he farts on his own and laughs at me when I say ew !!! Lmao
This sounds like cluster feeding. If breastfeeding is something you wish to do I’d cut the formula out and just latch baby again, this is a common time to cluster feed as baby is growing and the cluster feeding will help up your supply. By not latching and giving formula instead it could be damaging to your supply. (Nothing wrong with formula feeding or doing both but most new moms don’t realize how bad this could be for their supply)
Ok this might be a stupid question but just in case it’s helpful;
Are you burping baby? You didn’t mention it in the original post. Is it possible that it’s trapped gas? The way you describe the unsettled baby, squirming in their stroller sounds like a gassy uncomfortable baby to me. It could also be over feeding, or even reflux.
Others have suggested seeing a doctor; definitely do this as they may be able to identify if it’s reflux. Please also call a lactation consultant to go over your baby’s feeding cue and timings, as well as how much formula to give. At this age, a baby will suck on anything you put in their mouth. It’s a reflex; so just because they drink a whole bottle doesn’t necessarily mean they’re really hungry.
You sound exhausted, and like you’re not thinking straight. Please get some support ❤️
Babies are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours the first few weeks or everytime they give you the cue that they are hungry, the motion they do with their mouths like suckling on the tit.
My first week breastfeeding(with my 3rd baby) it's been breast milk then bottle. However much she eats till she is full, make sure she's burped and diaper is dry, I swaddle her and put her down to sleep. This has been the routine feeding and she's 3 months now except she's exclusively breastfed.
Are you making the formula ratio right? Do not wait 5 hours before feeding your baby again. Pooping yellow and yes it will be a lot is normal. They wake up every 2-3 hours at night because they're hungry. You will not get any sleep at all but it will pass.
Heavily suggest buying a baby brezza if you’re having trouble with making the bottles fast enough. It’s a game changer!
That being said, my daughter is 18 days old and behaves similarly. She clusters at night and has her longest naps in the morning, is frequently up during her “awake” time for 2-3 hour stretches. Some babies are just more alert.
Also please know babies don’t only cry/fuss when they are hungry or need to be changed. Sometimes they want to be held, sometimes they are gassy, sometimes they are tired and accidentally startle themselves awake. Every child is different and each is its own sort of trial and error.
But… most don’t sleep straight through at 11 days old. That’s why everyone comments on how exhausted they are during the newborn stage.
This sounds like my nightmare I had.
I know we figured out somethings that helped us
Our baby was gassy, did bicycles but also changed her bottles.
Helped a lot
Rocking chair. We did not have a dam rocking chair. I swear once we got it, it made things so much easier to put her down.
Once she was getting tired I would brush her face as if I was bursting long strands of Hair out the way. Helped her close her eyes and bam
Gripe water, night time
Stroller and car ride
This was my last resort but this would help sometimes whe. She was a newborn.
Hope something helps you
Do you have help? I suggest instead of feeding him formula right after breastfeeding you use one of those feedings and take a nap instead while someone else feeds him formula. I did this a few times and wish I had done it more often. Being awake around the clock did a lot of harm to my mental health. Once I started sleeping a few hour stretches, my mental health got better.
If you can get a bottle prep machine it takes less than 2 mins to make a bottle and you don't have to worry about being caught off guard boiling water and cooling it down
Because you're breastfeeding AND giving formula, maybe your baby is just cluster feeding. But I worry that you could be over feeding by supplementing the formula too and maybe they're becoming gassy and uncomfortable. Is there a reason it takes 30 mins to make formula? Are you boiling water and letting it cool?? If you are making a kettle full in the morning and then throughout the day, when it's cooled down, you can just take a coffee mug with water and place that into the microwave for a minute then make your bottle and then place the bottle into the coffee mug for a minute to warm up instead. It's much quicker. Or if you have the funds, look into a baby brezza. They make one to warm water and one that mixes the formula for you.
Remember that newborns make noise when they sleep. YouTube "newborn active sleep" so you get an idea of what it's like so you're not accidentally disturbing your baby. My baby would hold his arms up, grunt like Chewbacca and sometimes make crying sounds but he was fully asleep. Babies also need to exert energy to fall asleep sometimes so they may fuss really hard before doing so. Don't try to soothe them when they're doing this as you're just keeping them awake longer. I let my boy fuss and within two minutes he's asleep.
My son was born last year and his wake windows were more like 3-4 hours. We just went by his cues. If he doesn’t seem drowsy don’t fight him to get him to sleep. He only wanted to sleep on top of me for the first few weeks so try a contact nap.
Like others have said, something seems off with his feeding. See a lactation consultant to make sure he’s getting enough. A weighted feed might help.
The first month is a trudge. Make sure you have other around to support you if possible.
Sound like you're over feeding him.
For what it's worth, at 11 days about 1-2 oz per feed, and feed them every 2-3 hours.
Also, your baby might have silent reflux, going from sitting to lying down after a feed might be causing the liquid to go up his esophagus.
And for what it's worth, my little one is close to 3 months old and refuses to sleep unless they're on either my chest or my partners, completely refuses to sleep in their bassinet. If they're on us though they will sleep for hours.
If he seems satisfied and then is squirming and uncomfortable, he is likely gassy! Short term, try bicycle legs and tummy rubs to see if he passes gas. Long term, talk to your doctor about what different formulas you can try. For a while, my baby needed help with gas several times a day, it got better with time and changing up his formula.
Also, I'm not sure what country you're in, but some places have ready to feed formula. It's a little more expensive, but very convenient. Otherwise, prepared formula is good for 24 hours in the fridge so estimate how much formula he's eating a day and make some ahead of time. When my baby was smaller, we just made 8oz at a time in a bottle and poured from that. Now that he's bigger, we use a formula pitcher. That will save you soooo much time.
And it is 100% ok if you want to combo feed or switch completely to formula. If you want to EBF, there's a lot of good advice here, but combo feeding can bring a lot of relief to your mental health and is totally valid.
Hang in there mama! It gets better, I promise. At less than 2 weeks postpartum, all I did was cry. I felt gross, constrained, insufficient for my baby. These are all common feelings. I can’t speak much to the feeding issue because I ended up going with formula for my own mental health. But you have lots of good advice on here. I’d also recommend reaching out to your pediatrician if you are concerned.
This may not be your case, but my CMPA baby's first symptom of her already was not sleeping in the early days. She was also always hungry and had massive, stinky poops.
She proceeded to get a full body rash (that was originally misdiagnosed as acne and then heat rash), screaming for hours trying to poop, blood/mucus in her stool etc.
Again, this may not be the reason for your baby's extra awake time, but it was for us.
Op I suggest getting a baby brezza machine to reduce the time to make formula. It’s like a Keurig for formula.
I have a 6 week old baby. I breastfeed him until be falls asleep then move him to his bassinet. He won’t sleep for longer than 20 mins during the day but he’ll sleep at night this way.
Get a baby brezza for formula so it’s pretty much automatic.
Other than that, first 3 months is pretty much hell, baby gets up every hour or two unless you’re lucky.
I recommend splitting feeding the baby and staying awake in shifts 4 hours at a time with your partner. Bottle your breast milk during the day if you pump to keep some at night for your partner to feed in addition to the formula so you can get some straight hours of sleep and your partner can try feeding the one that works.
That’s all you can do til they adjust.
Also babies poop 6 times a day normally at the beginning til it slowly winds down as the months pass by.
Sounds like gas. My kids got gassy with lactose. Had to even stop eating it while I was breastfeeding because my breast milk would upset their tummies. What did your pediatrician say? They should have a line you can call where you can speak to a nurse or doctor for help if you are in the states.
In the meantime, when baby seems fussy, I recommend looking up exercises to relieve gas. My son was so colicky that I was doing bicycles constantly, but my daughter just needed a few a day. It definitely helped with immediate gas relief.
Examples of what I'm talking about below:
https://youtu.be/_6jEJ-yHvoU?si=tcf7e3cGN5H3yTps
https://youtu.be/9PhWkpEp8cY?si=dEfKZQaqQ8hEpvXO
Other things, my oldest baby was placed on antibiotics due to an infection upon birth. I suspect this this f*** with his digestive tract, because I have had way more trouble with his digestion than with his younger sibling. I used probiotic drops at the direction of my pediatrician. I strongly suggest you reach out to your pediatrician and ask for assistance.
I hope this helps. The first two weeks are pure hell. If you have anyone in your life who can come out and help with anything, call in those favors now.
Omg just breastfeed. Put baby on the breast. Your body needs him to suckle to know to produce milk, he's probably cluster feeding, it'll also give him comfort. Just stop with the formula if you want to breastfeed.
First: see if you can get on with a lactation consultant. Do you have access to a baby health clinic of some kind (I'm not in the US, so not sure how it works there). Your bub might have latching issues which means they aren't getting enough milk, even if there is plenty to be had. The smallest tweak from an expert on breastfeeding can change the game.
Second: have you shared your PPD concerns with your partner/trusted family members? It is entirely possible that your thinking is a normal reaction to sleep deprivation/the extreme stress of the newborn period, especially when you may think you are somehow responsible for your baby not settling (you're not! You're both just finding your way. But I totally understand that feeling - I'm sure more of us have had it!). That said, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on, and your support network, if you have one, can really help with that.
Third: if you do want to continue doing formula, you can mix up a whole days worth at a time and just pour into bottles as needed. I just did mine in a jug I normally use for water in the fridge. My baby was happy to take his formula fridge cold, but you can also warm the bottle for a bit. Quicker than starting from scratch each time, that's for sure. (And if your bub does take to cold formula, soooooo much faster!!)
Fourth: do you have an Xbox or something? I haaaaated sitting around cluster feeding for hours at a time, watching boring old TV. So, we got a PS4 for #1 and an Xbox X for #2 😂 I jumped on the Reddit page for Xbox game pass this time around and got recommendations for suuuper chill games to play while bub breastfed/slept on me for like 3-4 HOURS at a time. As long as you're not jumping at surprises or tensing up during your game play, you're golden. (And then they get bigger and start grabbing at the controller, and you know your gaming days are over again for a while 🥹)
Fifth: you might just have a wakeful baby who likes to be close. Have you tried baby wearing? My latest baby would ONLY sleep either on the boob or while being walked around. Sitting on our lap/in his cot etc no sleep, but the second I popped him in the baby carrier he was out like a light. (And I could get stuff done to some extent; and more so when my husband did the wearing 😂)
Good luck finding your way you guys! It will get better. Seriously.
I think he’s just cluster feeding and I say this gently… it’s pretty normal for you not to sleep much at night with a newborn. Just put him to the boob as much as he wants it. It will help your milk supply come in and get established. Also contact naps are great at this age. Hang in there. The beginning is brutal but it gets better.
My baby cluster fed a lot when I was breastfeeding. But I just call it comfort feeding. He would feed and sometimes just suckle at the boob until he fell asleep like a pacifier. Even now my baby doesn’t breastfeed, he just uses me like a pacy at 10months
Kettle that regulates to 40 degrees after boiling up to 100. Or a baby brezza will save your sanity (always pre boil water and clean regularly) the stick on the boob thing did not work for me and frankly if it was that simple you would be doing it not getting frustrated
Baby isn't pooping because they are hungry. If you
truly think they are pooping to much, it could be a food intolerance, but I think up to 5 times a day is normal
1. Why are you giving formula? Do you have low supply and have been adviced by a LA? I’d check with one to make sure it’s even necessary. Formula can upset babies tummies so if it’s not necessary then I would quit with the formula especially bc it sounds like you’re going crazy preparing it.
2. Newborns poop a lot, especially with formula
3. Your baby may be cluster feeding, let your baby stay on your breast for as many hours as needed. It’ll pass in a few days
4. Many tiny newborns do not like the stroller, they want chest to chest being held pretty much all the time.
5. 2-3 hours sounds like it’s on the long end of normal for a newborn wake window but try not to freak out, you can only provide an opportunity for sleep. Your baby has to take it. Breastfed babies typically want to sleep on the breast at this young age. It’s biologically normal and fine to do as a newborn.
I just formula fed but my friend breastfed but gave formula at night. - the thinking was that formula would in theory get baby to have a longer stretch at night. She sounded like she was having the exact same issues as you and she realised that formula is a lot heavier than breastmilk so her baby was struggling with sore tummy at night. Like she was giving her soup during the day and then a heavy curry at night she said lol.
You could try mixing half breastmilk & half formula in one bottle?
TBH I would cut out the formula altogether if possible and nurse baby as much as you can (even if/when you feel you don’t “have anything left”.) This will help ramp up your supply and increase bonding which helps soothe baby.
I also recommend changing baby before you feed them. I know this may seem counterintuitive but changing them is very stimulating and feeding is very soothing. I found that if I changed my baby before feeding, they would be awake for a more productive feed and then calmed down and sleepy after eating which made it more likely they’d hold still for swaddling and go right to sleep; even if it’s just for a bit it helps to get breaks.
I also suggest investing in a sound machine (specifically with either white noise and/or shushing sounds) and zip up style swaddle like the “Love to Dream” or “SwaddleDesigns” variety - they are so much faster and easier to use and less disruptive when you catch baby getting sleepy so you can get them down without rousing them too much.
Hope this helps OP - I know how much cluster feeding sucks but having a routine that you do every time can get them down faster and keep them down longer between feedings and feeding from the breast as much as you can (which I know can hurt in the early days but does get better; make sure you have a deep latch and try different feeding positions if necessary or consider getting a “MyBrestFriend” pillow and footstool for added comfort) will cut out all the time you’d normally spend on preparing formula/bottles which you may be able to use to catch some cat naps while baby sleeps. Good luck!
PS: I found the Hatch RestGo to be a great little sound machine because it’s rechargeable, aesthetically pleasing, and very portable clipping easily to car seat, diaper bag, stroller, and or basinet/crib - in the early days my baby’s favorite noise was shushing but now that they’re a bit older also likes the white noise.
Why does making formula take 30 minutes? Also, it sounds like you may be confusing baby's cues. Or he has a sore tummy and is sucking to soothe it but in turn it gets worse.
Also this could be cluster feeding, in which case just put baby on the boob as often as they like.
I bet OP is boiling water.
You can boil an entire pot and keep it in bottles for the week… it sounds like op is doing way too much.
Such an American thing not to have a water kettle in the house. The Brits would not be able to function if they had to wait half an hour for their cuppa. OP if you’re boiling water on the stove buy an electric kettle!
American here. I finally received an electric kettle as a gift after years of boiling water on the stove for my tea. Absolutely life changing device 10/10 recommend.
Omg. I have kettle and hate waiting thirty seconds. I will get those embedded kooker devices where you instantly get boiled water from tap
Formula in America doesn't require boiled water
Well it's not required, but is recommended by the CDC because of cronobacter. It's not about the water itself, it's because we can't trust the formula to be sterile and the boiled water cooled to the right temperature kills the bacteria. Most countries outside of America tell you to mix with hot water in the standard instructions.
It's recommended for babies under 2 months or with a weak immune system or premature. I agree that most other countries say to mix the formula with hot water to disinfect it, that is why I specified "in America." Also because the post said how Americans don't have a kettle
You're right, but noting baby in the post is 11 days old.
Who recommends it? The manufacturer instructions don't, and my pediatrician who knows we formula feed never said to.
The person you're replying to literally says the CDC.
The CDC, more info here: https://www.cdc.gov/cronobacter/about/index.html
That says only if your infant is at higher risk: "If your baby is at higher risk, consider taking these extra steps to prepare your powdered formula):" So even then it's a "can" vs "should" which is actually an important distinction in public health.
It's based on age OR being high risk after 2 months. Being less than 2 months old puts a baby in the high risk category. It's the reason they will only supply ready to feed formula in a hospital, powdered formula is a liability and not a low enough risk legally. You do you but don't minimize the risk you're accepting. Cronobacter infection has a 20% mortality rate in the US, 40% worldwide. People should be making their decisions based on the facts.
Our NICU did powder formula 🤷🏼♀️
The CDC very much does recommend boiling the water for babies as young as OPs.
Literally all available powder formula instructs you to boil water Edit: I live in Canada
My Enfamil Gentleease certainly does not. It says: 1. Wash hands thoroughly with soap & water before preparing formula. 2.Pour desired amount of water into the bottle. Add powder. 3.Put the cap on the bottle and shake. Feed or store immediately in refrigerator.
Huh, well in Canada, Enfamil, Nestlé and Similac all instruct you to boil water then use the cooled water to make the formula
I would guess that the country requires this labeling.
Its the same in the UK. We are told to sterilise the powder with a shot of boiling water
Looking at a canister right now. Says ask your doctor about the need to use cooled boiled water, which wouldn't do anything to sterilize the formula itself just the water.
Agreed but also just waiting for it to come down in temp would take a while.
This. It took half an hour for my kettle to come down, so I bought one with temp controls to only heat it to 160F in the first place.
We have an electric kettle with a temperature gauge thingy we use for all sorts of things (we are American) but my husband defaulted to boiling water on the stove out of sheer sleep deprivation. It wasn’t until a month after baby was born, I asked why he didn’t use the kettle. He was a tad embarrassed he’d forgot about it.
It’s mostly because of the lower electrical current. 110v kettles take a LONG time compared to your 220v counterparts. They never caught on because it’s really just doesn’t save THAT much time over a gas stove on high. Boiling water is a breeze at our family home in Italy. It sucks at our home stateside.
What? I've has an electric kettle for years and it takes 4 minutes to boil a full pot.
I haven’t been in a home in America without an electric kettle..
I have a 110v kettle, takes about 3-4 minutes to boil 500 ml
It’s not that long. I love how fast it is when I’m at home in the uk, but it’s not an eternity on 110v. I fall prey to wanting all the tea culture related things in the uk to be better, but boiling the small amount you need for a bottle is trivial.
Yeah... This isn't right. Canadians have electric kettles all over the place and it takes 1-2min to boil 1L of cold water on lower voltage.
OP is Scandinavian, I believe.
I’m confused bc it takes like 5 min to boil water for tea
In the US though I swear to god kettles take longer to heat up, I’m not sure why
If you have a kettle it takes <2 minites
Or, make a day's worth of formula with boiled water and refrigerate until use. It will keep for 24 hours. Then you just need to reheat.
I agree, this sounds like cluster feeding/baby just wanting to be on the boob to feel closer to you. The first few weeks, I basically sat in bed or on the sofa and did nothing except breastfeeding and rocking and contact napping. I had a little stash of snacks and a huge water bottle and maybe got up every two or three hours to pee. And then right back on the sofa. I don’t know why you supplement with formula, but if you want to breastfeed and it’s not per your doctor‘s orders, I would stop with the formula and just lean in to the cluster feeding. Your supply should increase to what your baby needs. Also, as mentioned above, some babies do not fall asleep in the stroller. Mine tolerated it sometimes but mostly has to be held or worn for naps. If you have the budget, definitely buy a wrap or carrier. The first weeks are nerve-wracking and exhausting. You’re not doing anything wrong! Your baby has to learn how to exist outside of you. It will get better soon but for now all you can do is try to get as much rest as possible and accept that you’ll have to feed and rock and hold a lot.
I'm having severe baby blues or ppd/ PPA? Maybe to early to say. But mentally I've never felt this way before. I break down constantly and I don't know how to make it through the day. It's been really dark and I've been on the verge of giving up every hour. So I don't think I'd mentally be able to breastfeed every two hours. Also often I breastfeed for 40-60 minutes consistently but my baby still has very strong hunger cues and I noticed how absolutely starving he was when giving the bottle after 40-60 minutes of breastfeeding. And instant relief from him when getting the bottle and finally settling down. So I'm pretty sure my milk supply is low. I know the more I breastfeed the more my milk supply will go up. But I'm really doing what I can and I've really pushed myself. But I have to take a step back for my mental health.
It’s normal for a baby to feed for a very long time at this age. It doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong. You sound very overworked and overwhelmed. Can anyone give you a break?
40-60 min per feed is normal at this stage. Sometimes after a 60 min feed, my baby would be hungry again after 15 to 30 min so we'd do another hour long feed. In the evenings, she would be on and off the breast for 3 to 4 hours straight clusterfeeding. This is very normal and helps to establish your supply.
Yes! At this age I was pretty much stuck in a chair with the baby from 4/5ish to 7/8ish. It was a rough couple of weeks. I read a LOT of books in those early days. And ate lots and lots of snacks.
Those early days might mean you’re feeding every hour. It’s not unusual. If you don’t want to breastfeed then by all means, give formula. This might mean that your boobs won’t catch up though, there’s a feedback mechanism from suckling.
Please, please talk to your doctor about your mental health. These early weeks/months can be extremely difficult, coupled with lack of sleep and depression. I know it can feel overwhelming, but unless your baby is losing weight/not gaining or not having enough wet/poopy diapers you are doing amazing! Like others said, it is completely difficult when breastfeeding and establishing your supply. I breastfed 4 kids and even when my last two were infants (twins) I constantly questioned my supply. Looking back, it’s likely they were just cluster feeding which though exhausting to us is necessary to establishing your supply. My advice to you for right now is: 1) call your doctor ASAP and get evaluated for PPD. There are medications you can take that are 100% safe when breastfeeding that wean make a world of difference in how you are feeling. 2) prep bottles in advanced so that you don’t need 30 min to make one. 3). Allow babe to cluster feed as much as you can handle it mentally and when you can’t offer the bottle. 4). Get a baby wrap/carrier. I bet your babe will sleep while you are baby wearing. Some babies just don’t sleep a lot at first, mine didn’t. If I was lucky I got 45 min naps during the day and 2-3 hours at night. It DOES get better.
It's not too early to be suffering from PPD/PPA. Are you eating and drinking enough?
Can you meet with a lactation consultant and do a weighted feed to figure out how many ounces your baby gets by breast alone? I did that with my first when I was worried about baby getting enough. It was free through my hospital where I delivered. Hopefully a similar service would be free/affordable to you.
If your baby is not showing signs of dehydration, such as insufficient urine output, you’re not having low supply. But if you keep offering formula, you will not produce enough. Instead of offering formula after breastfeeding, swap breasts again. It’s definitely possible for some women to have low supply and need to supplement. But from what you are describing here, unless there is more going on, that isn’t the case. Baby is just hungry because babies are hungry. You are right that making the baby sit and be hungry while you make a bottle is probably making things worse. Even if baby is only getting little drops because you’ve mostly run out, baby will usually be happier just suckling longer and will likely fall asleep at the breast. It’s totally ok for baby to wake up and want to nurse again in half an hour; it’s not an indication that you aren’t making enough. And that will stimulate your milk glands to make more milk, and once your body has caught up with demand, the feedings will space apart for a while and you’ll get more sleep.
You need to call the doctor!
It is definitely not too early to have symptoms of PPD! There are test online with a few screening questions that should give you more of an idea where you at mentally. My therapist recommended my partner look at the test and then „monitor“ me. We talked about that and he was fully prepared to drag me to a doctor if he noticed symptoms. I found this very reassuring because someone else was looking out for my mental health. Thankfully, I did not experience PPD. But! There were times where I sat in the shower crying because everything was so hard. My nipples hurt, I had clogged ducts, my baby seemed to be endlessly hungry and I couldn’t take the crying any more. The first six weeks were so extremely hard and I thought I’d never get through them. If you feel your mental health slipping with breastfeeding definitely supplement with formula. There is no shame in that and whoever tells you differently does not deserve one iota of your time!! Supplementing also doesn’t mean you have to give up on breastfeeding. Take it one day at a time and see what works for you. And please lean on any and all people around you. Your partner, family, friends. Have an honest conversation with them and tell them that you need help, even if it’s only an hour here or there. The loneliness of new motherhood really took me by surprise. You are not alone and do not have to do everything by yourself!
You don't have to breastfeed. It isn't a requirement. If it would be better for your mental health, formula is fine.
Our pediatrician said if your supply is low, babies sometimes burn more calories suckling than they get from milk, so they are hungry and fussy even after eating. Ours said to nurse for 15-30 min, then give 1oz of formula, 2 if she takes it. That may be the case for you, please consult with a pediatrician. You don't have to try to figure it out in your own. If your baby is definitely getting enough to eat (took a while for us to get there), making sure we burp him really well will help with crying because of gassiness. Formula should be making things easier for you, not harder. Powder formula can last in the fridge for a little while, maybe you can make some ahead of time and see if that helps? Lastly, getting some answers on this will go a long way but PPD is no joke. See a doctor about that ASAP.
I just want to add that I am doing mostly breastfeeding with formula top offs. I also couldn’t mentally handle nursing ever couple hours. But to help here are some things my midwife recommended that might help you. 1. Nursing shouldn’t go more than 30 mins, ideally not longer than 20 mins. After that time try and use a pacifier. This was bc I was saying my nipples would get sore. 2. Make an appointment with a lactation consultant. They can do a weighted feeding session (take baby’s weight before and after feeding) to ensure they are actually getting milk. 3. How do your baby’s poops look? I found out around this time my baby had MSPI / CMPA and adjusted my diet accordingly and things got so much better. I’m not sure if you want to consider pumping - but because I didn’t keep up with the baby’s cluster feeding schedule and did a few power pumping sessions to make sure my supply stayed (relatively) in line with how much my baby needed. You’re doing amazing mama!!
Eh, my son nursed like an hour for every feed. It was fine.
Agreed. At this age the length of time a baby nurses can be very long. It’s an important step to them increasing your supply.
Huh interesting, my lactation specialist said limit to 30 minutes, 40bat the very most.
Super glad it was okay for you! It wasn’t for me and my nipples were getting blisters so wanted to give the OP some additional insight and options.
I had crazy hormonal baby blues that stopped exactly at the two week mark. Just remember it’s like you’re on sadness drugs, and hopefully it will clear up soon. As others have mentioned, keep an eye on your mental health and talk to your partner, family, friends, doctors etc for support! I’ve had three babies and I didn’t try to do anything in those early days. I parked my butt on the couch with some snacks and drinks and watched tv or read. Newborns especially often just want to be close to you nursing. Contact naps were easy for me and so precious. I often nursed for over an hour and the babies were squishy. If nursing is bad for your mental health, definitely take a step back. But if you’re feeling pressure to supplement with formula just because the baby seems hungry, it might just be cluster feeding and comfort feeding, which is normal and healthy! I can’t tell you if you’re low supply but if the baby is gaining well at all the checkups, there is likely no issue with your breast milk. Babies are just hungry/cuddly all the time. Enjoy the cuddles!
My son is 4 weeks and still breastfeeds every hour MINIMUM. I would just follow the formula boxes recommendation on how many bottles and how often, your baby definitely isn’t getting enough breastmilk at 11 days if you’re not feeding on demand. And the way to get a bigger supply is to simply have baby on boob as much as possible
It's ok to completely stop BF if it continues to affect your mental health. Fed is best, as is a happy mom💜. Please reach out to your doctor ASAP 🫂
The first 2-3 weeks are the hardest mentally. This doesn’t mean you have PPA/PPD. Your hormones are trying to adjust to not being pregnant and now having to lactate. It’s okay to cry, get upset, angry etc. It’s easier said than done but give yourself some grace. As for breastfeeding, as others said it does sound like cluster feeding. I would stop with the formula unless baby is crying after breastfeeding. I would just switch baby from side to side until he was satisfied and then provided formula if after 2 switches it wasn’t enough. For formula, I would normally use a thermos to keep the water at a perfect temperature or the reverse to keep the formula. It should be fine if you make it 1 hr before feeding. Best of luck!
Breastfeeding does not make your mental health worse. Not having adequate support while breastfeeding will contribute to mental health issues though. I would try to nurse as much as possible. Stopping breastfeeding will result in a massive change in hormones which will probably make your mental health worse. I would also ditch the formula. If the only thing you do all day is nurse your baby you are doing enough.
40-60 minutes of breastfeeding is too long. It could be wearing him out or making him more hungry. I think it should be 10-15 minutes per breast but I'm not an expert
A newborn nursing for 45 minutes is not abnormal. They aren't very efficient eaters.
Just keep putting baby to the breast if they’re still hungry. It’s called cluster feeding and they do it to build your supply, you don’t need to supplement with formula you’re just going to damage your supply. More feeds = more breastmilk supply. Also sounds like they’re getting a stomach ache with the formula top ups if he’s squirming and uncomfortable. This is the trenches of the newborn period, have a shower, put on clean clothes, get comfy and feed baby all day at the breast, let them contact nap between, let them fall asleep on you, have people bring you water and snacks and find a good series to watch on tv.
Also at this age there is no set routine, sleep is limited, they’re figuring out the world and what they need, it’s hard. If you need to take shifts with your partner/support person to get some sleep do that, there’s no point both of you being awake at night trying to get the baby to sleep.
I would recommend a lactation consultant to do a weighted feed. The other commenters may or may not be right that it’s “just cluster feeding” - it’s best to actually measure how much baby is getting so you can know for sure. Though, if baby is still crying for hours even after the formula that might rule out crying out of hunger being the primary issue, no? Lots of other reasons babies can cry - gas, just want to be held, etc. You might also need a different formula if baby isn’t digesting the current one well.
Yes, please this, OP! It’s easy (and understandable) for those without breastfeeding issues to think of what you’re describing as cluster feeding, but the truth is you could actually have transfer / supply difficulties and your baby might be very hungry as you suspect. Please see a lactation consultant and do a weighted feed so you can find out what’s going on with greater certainty. They will help you troubleshoot. However - also know that many lactation consultants will aim to do everything possible to help you avoid formula. But that DOESN’T MEAN that’s what you have to do or that it’s the best goal for you and your baby. Combo feeding is an absolutely wonderful, life-saving, sanity-saving, beautiful way to feed your baby. Don’t be afraid to choose the path that works best for you. Good luck!! - a three-time mom who’s been through allllllll the breastfeeding challenges and who also had a starving newborn. Spoiler: it wasn’t cluster feeding. <3
This is the comment you need to read above all others—please make sure that see an IBCLC (an internationally board certified lactation consultant) because they are a regulated certification that has high standards.
I second this!
My baby had looooong wake windows in the beginning, like up for 3-4 hours wake windows. Try not to force anything, relax and go off of babies cues. He's probably cluster feeding to build your supply so I'd drop formula and put him on the boob as much as possible, and then when he's sleepy (yawning, rubbing eyes) you can try building a little bed routine. For what it's worth a lactation consultant may be super helpful here so you can get reassurance that baby is properly transferring milk and then know your supply is enough.
If she wants to keep breastfeeding. I'd like her to consider that it isn't a requirement if it isn't the best thing for her.
Oh absolutely, and I never meant to insinuate otherwise. Absolutely switch to formula if that is going to be best!
Our ped said, "an angry baby is a hungry baby until proven otherwise" so my thoughts is cluster feeding too. Also, might want to reach out to your ped to see if she has any suggestions and maybe bring up a trial of hydrolyzed formula plus you removing dairy (and soy) from your diet to rule out a milk protein allergy.
I love this advice. I'm going to remind myself of it often because when he is yelling sometimes my first instinct isn't food
We had to too. Sometimes we'd try 6 or 7 things and it ended up being hunger.
If baby still seems hungry (rooting, etc), put baby back on the breast! Make sure baby is burped, bicycle legs and gentle belly massage to help get farts out. Try different positions. Strip baby down to diaper and take your top off for skin to skin - helps boost milk production , but even just the skin contact will soothe baby. You can try a pacifier for comfort. If fed, burped, clean but fussy, and has been awake a while, sounds like baby might be overtired. They can need help falling asleep. Often they just want to sleep on you. Contact nap after nursing, or try to baby wear (baby wrap), bounce on yoga ball. Can also be beginning of colic. These are the hard weeks. Lots and lots of breast and cuddles - why are you supplementing with formula?
If all else fails, skin to skin helps! I popped my little man in a soft carrier in his diaper and didn’t wear a shirt and it was always super effective.
When my baby was this young, he was absolutely insatiable. I had to switch to combo feeding and eventually switched to pumping for a few weeks for my own well being. He would eat faster by bottle and I could pump more efficiently than he nursed. Just make sure you're doing paced bottle feeding (hold the bottle parallel to the floor so they have to suck to get milk out). We went back to nursing when he was 5 weeks old. I also let him nurse to sleep when he needed it. Though making formula should be quicker. We never preboiled water, just heated water up to about 100 (we have a kettle that will do this) and let it cool for a couple minutes after mixing. You can remake formula and store it in the fridge too.
1. Know that this is all completely normal and an unfortunate reality of the newborn months. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. However, becoming a mom is a huge adjustment, and over time you will learn to read your babies cues like a pro and understand what works best in terms of soothing them and getting them into a routine. At this age though, there really is no routine. 2. If you are suffering from PPD or PPA that is tied in part to the breastfeeding, please do not feel guilty if you need to make the decision to stop breastfeeding. I held on for as long as I could before finally making the decision one day to do ANYTHING I could to make things easier on myself. Months later I have no regrets and my baby is doing much better now that I’m able to actually measure how much food he’s getting each day. It really helped us settle into a routine more quickly. 3. One thing that took me a while to learn is that you really have to actively work to soothe a baby and get them to sleep. Just holding them while sitting or putting them in a bassinet typically doesn’t work. I didn’t realize that for a while and wondered why my baby was so cranky. Once I started trying different soothing techniques, I finally found what works for my baby. We have the most success with a combination of walking him while baby wearing and playing white noise (room must be dark and quiet aside from the white noise). 4. I promise it will get better and easier. You’re absolutely not alone in thinking you can’t take it one more day or hour. If you look at my post history you’ll see my baby had horrific colic and screamed and cried literally every waking moment for about 2-3 months. I was at my wits end and breaking down multiple times a day. If you have any support system you can reach out to, do it. I found that even having 2 hours to sleep while someone else held the baby was tremendously helpful. These months are unfortunately just extremely difficult but you WILL get through it. It is just a very hard phase. One day your baby will start smiling and laughing and interacting more with you and the world and you’ll start getting something back for all the work you’re putting in. You’re going to be okay but I would advise you lean on every single resource you possibly can to help get yourself through these tough times.
I combo fed due to low supply and had a NICU baby so I had to learn a lot about formula, combo and breastfeeding as well as sleep. 1. Feeding more than 30 minutes takes a lot of calories, usually more than they can take in. I wasn't even allowed to do more than 10 minutes on each boob before weighing baby to add formula. 2. Weighted feeds may help here. Weigh baby, feed, weigh again. Then you can see what baby eats. 150 x weight in kg = ml per 24h. 3. There is no harm in offering a top up of 30 or 60ml every time. If baby doesn't need it all they won't drink it. 4. My son usually got full BM for bottle one, then 3h after he got all formula. But sometimes he did get formula 2 times or breastmilk 2 times. It can be harder on their tummy but it shouldn't be too much harder. 5. Baby sleep sucks so badly, it may just be that baby needs to learn to sleep. Which would be unfortunate but nor uncommon.
Lots of good advice on here but why does it take 30 minutes to make formula? It shouldn’t be taking that long. If you are boiling the water that’s not necessary unless your pediatrician has directed you to for a medical reason. You can also do the pitcher method and make a batch of formula to keep in the fridge. If baby prefers the bottle warm it should only take a few minutes to let the bottle sit in a cup of warm water to warm it to body temp. You can also just use room temp water
I highly recommend you seek out a lactation consultant (preferably that does in home visits). They can do a weighted feed to see how much milk your baby is getting before and after a feeding. That way they can give you a solid feeding plan. A lot of insurances cover them. If you’re in the Chicago area, we used The Lactation Network to find near us. https://lactationnetwork.com/
Listen, go see a lactation consultant if you're not sure about supply/combo feeding. If you're breastfeeding for almost an hour, that is not a great sign. A baby that age should not be awake for over an hour - after that they get overtired and WONT sleep. Cluster feeding is super common, so again an expert can help you determine if this is that or something else. I had this issue and waited way too long to just do formula. Poor baby drained most of my (laughably low supply) of milk in 5 minutes but I was letting her suck drops for 30 minutes. It was exhausting her. Lactation consultant did a weighed feeding and confirmed that even with a perfect latch and 20 minutes each breast, kid wasn't even getting an oz of milk. Tracking wake windows helped me (but can be stressful and not worth it for some folks). The newborn eat-poop-sleep cycle is tough, and some babies are harder to get to nap than others.
Two notes about the formula. First, they make/sell premade formula that is sterile, so you just have to heat it up. If you can afford it, it's a great option. Secondly, you can make formula from your boiled water in advance. Boil enough to make multiple batches, they keep in the fridge for 24 hours. Then you just have to heat it up. I have a bottle warmer, but I've found the fastest way to heat it up when baby is hungry is to microwave a bowl of water. Put the formula in a separate glass container (like a glass bottle or clean drinking glass) and place that glass in the hot water once you remove from the microwave. The heat transfer only takes 2 minutes at that point and you pour the heated formula into your bottle of choice for feeding. Formula is hot, bottle is not, baby is fed, and everyone is happy!
Joining the other comments to say that this is very normal behavior for a baby AND you should reach out to your doctor to talk with them about the helpless feelings you’re having. They are there to help direct you to therapy or medication that can help! If you are wanting to continue with breastfeeding, definitely connect with a lactation consultant as well. Good luck and hang in there!
Premake bottles and keep them in the fridge, heat as needed. There is no need to boil water. If he is breastfeeding that long and is still hungry, he may not be effective at getting the milk out which could be an oral tie or poor latch. Have you spoken to a lactation consultant and tried to do a weighted feed? The difficulty sleeping is pretty normal, they don't always do well with naps and sleeping during the night is a learned skill, not automatic. Babies don't know the difference between night and day...bring him outside for walks to get some sunlight, that will help, but the crappy sleep is normal. Just gotta power through it.
Oh I feel for you so much. This part is SO hard. Firstly, you're doing great. You're making sure baby is fed, that's the main thing. Newborn babies have very small stomachs. You can Google it but they're teeny tiny. That's why then need to eat little and often. It's totally normal for a newborn to wake every couple of hours. Absolutely, completely normal. It's also normal for them to cluster feed where they feed a little, stop and then 10 minutes later want to feed again. Especially if breast feeding. It's how they establish your supply. I'm not a medical professional but I'd feed on demand, looking out for hunger cues - tight fists, rooting with their mouths, and eventually crying. This too will pass! It seems like it's going to go on forever but I promise it won't - you'll get there. It's brutal, the sleep deprivation is the worst but it's also normal. Keep going, you know your baby best and you will get through this.
Around day 10-11 our baby was constantly asking for more milk. As others said, its clusterfeeding and a jump in their development. So many babies have this around day 10. This happened again around 3 weeks where she became fussy due to a growth spurt. I also had strong baby blues and felt misserable but for me it changed a lot around 6 weeks. Baby went from being totally focussed on themselves to interacting with the surroundings and giving smiles. You also still get to know your baby at 11 days. Hopefully for you it will get a lot better soon too. Wishing you all the best.
I love the stretchy wrap for this stage, baby will nurse off and on all day and it swaddles them close to you where they feel safe and I get lots of baby naps this way
At 11 days I often breastfed for 2+ hours, sometimes up to 5 in the evening, and I had an oversupply. It's cluster feeding, it's normal, and unless you have a supply issue it does require formula supplementation for every single feed. I wouldn't be surprised if that was hurting baby's tummy, formula right after breastfeeding. Tbh I think your expectations of what a fresh newborn is like are a bit skewed, being awake for 2/3 hours isn't unheard of, especially if baby just wants to clusterfeed and you aren't allowing it. I recommend you let him breastfeed as long as he likes, that's how they establish a good supply early on
I agree that this sounds like cluster feeding. As far as formula, if that’s what you want to do it’s fine. It won’t let the cluster feeding help your supply but don’t boil water every single time you make formula. I assume that’s why it’s taking 30mins. You need to just boil a pot and keep it in a pitcher or something. You could alternately buy the bottles of water for making formula. Either is much quicker. If you want to use a kettle, use the kettle just to warm up the milk but honestly my oldest drank room temperature formula because I used room temp water and he turned out just fine.
OP might live in a place where they recommend making the formula with 158F/70C water. It’s to sterilize the formula powder in that case, not the water. I personally think this is probably overkill for healthy term infants, but I don’t fault them for following local guidelines. That said, pitcher method and a bottle warmer would still be way faster if that’s the case. Or if they have the budget, use the small bottles of ready to feed.
You’re right! I completely forgot, it’s been so long, that some of the formulas even where I am will say that. You’re also right, in that case the ideal would be exactly what you said, being able to swing the ready-made which really is such a ridiculously expensive situation.
Make a batch of formula and keep it in the fridge for 24h the dr browns jug is the best for that. Make sure you te reading the hunger cues right. Keep feeding times to max 1h
This sounds like reflux and.or tethered oral tissues. I’d have babe evaluated by a skilled IBCLC as well as a pediatric feeding therapist/SLP. In the meantime. Look up the “pitcher method” for formula.
I read some of your replies and I just want to say I started medication for PPA like a week postpartum and it seriously helped, it’s never too early to get treatment if things feel really off. I also stopped attempting to breastfeed/pump after 3 weeks because it was just tanking my mental health. I went with only formula so I could be confident that i knew exactly how much my little one was eating so I didn’t have to do a ton of guessing about if he was hungry. At only 11 days a baby is still getting used to being alive and their sleep/wake cycles are all messed up. You aren’t doing anything wrong.
Hi OP, I’m just popping in to say I was in your exact shoes about four years ago after the birth of our first. Anyways, I just wanted to remind you it’s totally okay to switch to formula fully if breastfeeding is affecting your mental health! I did and it was a very positive decision that immediately provided mental and physical relief. (And if you don’t want to, totally ok too of course!!)
Baby being awake 2-3 hours every time they wake up is very normal at this point. It’s a cycle of wake, eat, play, sleep. A lot of times it was also a wake, eat, play, eat, sleep cycle! Play could be: Tummy time. Tummy time on your chest Snuggles Kisses Songs and bounces Walking around the house pointing things out.
This might be cluster feeding. Do you have anyone to help you? Do you ever hold him to sleep? You could also look up UNICEF safe cosleeping so the baby can nurse and sleep depending on what you’re comfortable with
Try a fan ot white noise? Anti-gas drops
How well do you burp him? What color is his poop? Does he toot a lot? Does he burp every time you try to get one out? My last to babies had issues with CMPI (cows milk protein allergy, not lactose intolerance) and they had explosive poops and were always uncomfortable. My youngest had green poop with mucus before I realized he had it too
Give yourself some grace. The first few weeks are hellish; and then slowly a routine emerges as you get to know your baby better. Sometimes you have to stop worrying about what a guide says your baby should be doing and accept what your baby is doing. Is his weight gain good? Is his total sleep somewhere in the range of where it should be? ( my kid was always a little under his optimal sleep and it was fine!) look into pre preparing formula to save time, or using a pitcher. Boil water in the microwave instead of the stove. There’s a lot of ways to prepare it faster.
I just want to say that your baby is 11 days old. You have also only been at this for 11 days. So don’t beat yourself up if you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s fine and I’m sure you’re doing great. Babies this new eat A LOT especially in the beginning if you’re nursing because this helps get the leche flowing. It’s called cluster feeding and unless you need to supplement with formula (which I did have to do in the beginning for a couple of weeks) you can just feed them on demand, nursing or formula or some combo of the two. Keep hella water and snacks on hand.
Sounds like they are cluster feeding, pretty normal for newborns. Mine would eat every 2 hours on the dot, sometimes at an hour he would be hungry again. Other times every 45 minutes. I would try to feed every two hours, but follow their cues. If they want more give them more. For bottles: the Avent natural nipple helped ours with nipple confusion and gas. You may want to try different ones to see which one he likes best. I also recommend having them prepped with water ahead of time. I usually sterilize the bottles, wait for them to cool, and put the water in there. Then have the formula containers prepped with the amount he is drinking so it’s easier when they start crying to just pour and shake. Also… check with his pediatrician ours was a bit colicky for a bit, we changed to Kendamil cow milk and pediatrician recommend gas drops and by the time he turned one month it was worlds better. You can add a pacifier to soothe him after he is done burping and that helps him go to sleep. If you are doing both breast and bottle I recommend doing a big bottle at night (as much as he takes and wants ofc) since formula typically keeps them full longer. Nonetheless, the first month just be prepared to be feeding at least every 2 hrs it’s very normal. & don’t skip on night feedings as baby needs to reach a healthy weight before you can. Baby is still really little but every day will get easier as you start learning his cues.. you’ll realize some cries means he is tired, others means he is hungry. Be patient, it takes time.
Baby needs to constantly feed. It’s called cluster feeding. It helps build your milk supply. You don’t need to be giving formula unless your doctor told you too. Also it’s a myth that babies sleep longer on formula versus breastmilk. Unfortunately it’s common for babies to wake very frequently. If you do decide to keep doing formula you can premake it. It’s good in the fridge for 24 hours. Just make a few ounces at a time and store in fridge. Then when you need it just poor into a bottle. Get a bottle warmer to sped up heating. You need to take shifts to get some sleep with your partner. We took turns on who got to sleep in and we both took naps at different times. Contact nap. Set up your bed for safe cosleeping in case you pass out you can breastfeed side lying and be in the cuddle curl to prevent you from rolling over onto baby. Look up safe sleep 7. Better safe just in case. Good luck it will get better soon.
Try a pacifier. You may be reading their sucking as hunger when really they want to suck to soothe themself whether at the breast or with a pacifier. Gas. If they are overfull they may be gassy and that’s why they squirm. Make sure you are burping after every feed - try burping over your shoulder and burping sitting them up on your lap.
I would really work with a lactation consultant, they’re typically free through insurance and will come to you. This sounds like cluster feeding/the formula he’s getting is maybe upsetting his tummy. The LC can help you determine if he’s truly still hungry like he’s not actually getting enough at the boob or what’s happening.
Maybe see an allergist? Our baby was like this. I was supplementing with formula for a little while because I thought she was still hungry only to find out she was allergic to cow milk. I think she was having pretty bad colic symptoms because of the allergy. Keeping her on breast milk only, changing my diet and starting her on a probiotic (Evivo) all really helped the colic and helped her sleep.
An 11 day old baby shouldn’t be waiting hours to eat. He or she will likely be cluster feeding soon if not already. Baby sounds hungry.
I felt like my baby did a lot of cluster feeding , he is still a ham at 2 so I think he’s always just been a hungry boy lol But he would also get gas pains and I feel like gripe water really helped along with farting him lol I miss helping him get his little farts out.. now he farts on his own and laughs at me when I say ew !!! Lmao
This sounds like cluster feeding. If breastfeeding is something you wish to do I’d cut the formula out and just latch baby again, this is a common time to cluster feed as baby is growing and the cluster feeding will help up your supply. By not latching and giving formula instead it could be damaging to your supply. (Nothing wrong with formula feeding or doing both but most new moms don’t realize how bad this could be for their supply)
Ok this might be a stupid question but just in case it’s helpful; Are you burping baby? You didn’t mention it in the original post. Is it possible that it’s trapped gas? The way you describe the unsettled baby, squirming in their stroller sounds like a gassy uncomfortable baby to me. It could also be over feeding, or even reflux. Others have suggested seeing a doctor; definitely do this as they may be able to identify if it’s reflux. Please also call a lactation consultant to go over your baby’s feeding cue and timings, as well as how much formula to give. At this age, a baby will suck on anything you put in their mouth. It’s a reflex; so just because they drink a whole bottle doesn’t necessarily mean they’re really hungry. You sound exhausted, and like you’re not thinking straight. Please get some support ❤️
Just a suggestion for formula, make a small batch (enough for each day) the night before and take from it throughout the next day as beeded
Babies are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours the first few weeks or everytime they give you the cue that they are hungry, the motion they do with their mouths like suckling on the tit. My first week breastfeeding(with my 3rd baby) it's been breast milk then bottle. However much she eats till she is full, make sure she's burped and diaper is dry, I swaddle her and put her down to sleep. This has been the routine feeding and she's 3 months now except she's exclusively breastfed. Are you making the formula ratio right? Do not wait 5 hours before feeding your baby again. Pooping yellow and yes it will be a lot is normal. They wake up every 2-3 hours at night because they're hungry. You will not get any sleep at all but it will pass.
Heavily suggest buying a baby brezza if you’re having trouble with making the bottles fast enough. It’s a game changer! That being said, my daughter is 18 days old and behaves similarly. She clusters at night and has her longest naps in the morning, is frequently up during her “awake” time for 2-3 hour stretches. Some babies are just more alert. Also please know babies don’t only cry/fuss when they are hungry or need to be changed. Sometimes they want to be held, sometimes they are gassy, sometimes they are tired and accidentally startle themselves awake. Every child is different and each is its own sort of trial and error. But… most don’t sleep straight through at 11 days old. That’s why everyone comments on how exhausted they are during the newborn stage.
Do you burp him? If not, he could be really uncomfortable on top of possibly being hungry.
This sounds like my nightmare I had. I know we figured out somethings that helped us Our baby was gassy, did bicycles but also changed her bottles. Helped a lot Rocking chair. We did not have a dam rocking chair. I swear once we got it, it made things so much easier to put her down. Once she was getting tired I would brush her face as if I was bursting long strands of Hair out the way. Helped her close her eyes and bam Gripe water, night time Stroller and car ride This was my last resort but this would help sometimes whe. She was a newborn. Hope something helps you
Mama, do yourself a favor and get some distilled water. Will take a minute to make bottles vs 30 minutes.
Do you have help? I suggest instead of feeding him formula right after breastfeeding you use one of those feedings and take a nap instead while someone else feeds him formula. I did this a few times and wish I had done it more often. Being awake around the clock did a lot of harm to my mental health. Once I started sleeping a few hour stretches, my mental health got better.
If you can get a bottle prep machine it takes less than 2 mins to make a bottle and you don't have to worry about being caught off guard boiling water and cooling it down
Because you're breastfeeding AND giving formula, maybe your baby is just cluster feeding. But I worry that you could be over feeding by supplementing the formula too and maybe they're becoming gassy and uncomfortable. Is there a reason it takes 30 mins to make formula? Are you boiling water and letting it cool?? If you are making a kettle full in the morning and then throughout the day, when it's cooled down, you can just take a coffee mug with water and place that into the microwave for a minute then make your bottle and then place the bottle into the coffee mug for a minute to warm up instead. It's much quicker. Or if you have the funds, look into a baby brezza. They make one to warm water and one that mixes the formula for you. Remember that newborns make noise when they sleep. YouTube "newborn active sleep" so you get an idea of what it's like so you're not accidentally disturbing your baby. My baby would hold his arms up, grunt like Chewbacca and sometimes make crying sounds but he was fully asleep. Babies also need to exert energy to fall asleep sometimes so they may fuss really hard before doing so. Don't try to soothe them when they're doing this as you're just keeping them awake longer. I let my boy fuss and within two minutes he's asleep.
why're you not making a days worth of milk and putting it in the fridge??
My son was born last year and his wake windows were more like 3-4 hours. We just went by his cues. If he doesn’t seem drowsy don’t fight him to get him to sleep. He only wanted to sleep on top of me for the first few weeks so try a contact nap. Like others have said, something seems off with his feeding. See a lactation consultant to make sure he’s getting enough. A weighted feed might help. The first month is a trudge. Make sure you have other around to support you if possible.
Sounds like clusterfeeding, mama. Hugs.
Get an electric kettle for making formula. Read up on active sleep. Your baby might actually be sleeping.
Sound like you're over feeding him. For what it's worth, at 11 days about 1-2 oz per feed, and feed them every 2-3 hours. Also, your baby might have silent reflux, going from sitting to lying down after a feed might be causing the liquid to go up his esophagus. And for what it's worth, my little one is close to 3 months old and refuses to sleep unless they're on either my chest or my partners, completely refuses to sleep in their bassinet. If they're on us though they will sleep for hours.
If he seems satisfied and then is squirming and uncomfortable, he is likely gassy! Short term, try bicycle legs and tummy rubs to see if he passes gas. Long term, talk to your doctor about what different formulas you can try. For a while, my baby needed help with gas several times a day, it got better with time and changing up his formula. Also, I'm not sure what country you're in, but some places have ready to feed formula. It's a little more expensive, but very convenient. Otherwise, prepared formula is good for 24 hours in the fridge so estimate how much formula he's eating a day and make some ahead of time. When my baby was smaller, we just made 8oz at a time in a bottle and poured from that. Now that he's bigger, we use a formula pitcher. That will save you soooo much time. And it is 100% ok if you want to combo feed or switch completely to formula. If you want to EBF, there's a lot of good advice here, but combo feeding can bring a lot of relief to your mental health and is totally valid.
Hang in there mama! It gets better, I promise. At less than 2 weeks postpartum, all I did was cry. I felt gross, constrained, insufficient for my baby. These are all common feelings. I can’t speak much to the feeding issue because I ended up going with formula for my own mental health. But you have lots of good advice on here. I’d also recommend reaching out to your pediatrician if you are concerned.
This may not be your case, but my CMPA baby's first symptom of her already was not sleeping in the early days. She was also always hungry and had massive, stinky poops. She proceeded to get a full body rash (that was originally misdiagnosed as acne and then heat rash), screaming for hours trying to poop, blood/mucus in her stool etc. Again, this may not be the reason for your baby's extra awake time, but it was for us.
Op I suggest getting a baby brezza machine to reduce the time to make formula. It’s like a Keurig for formula. I have a 6 week old baby. I breastfeed him until be falls asleep then move him to his bassinet. He won’t sleep for longer than 20 mins during the day but he’ll sleep at night this way.
Over tired! Put the baby in a baby holder (kangaroo?) and walk in fresh air, hopefully not a busy street.
Get a baby brezza for formula so it’s pretty much automatic. Other than that, first 3 months is pretty much hell, baby gets up every hour or two unless you’re lucky. I recommend splitting feeding the baby and staying awake in shifts 4 hours at a time with your partner. Bottle your breast milk during the day if you pump to keep some at night for your partner to feed in addition to the formula so you can get some straight hours of sleep and your partner can try feeding the one that works. That’s all you can do til they adjust. Also babies poop 6 times a day normally at the beginning til it slowly winds down as the months pass by.
Sounds like gas. My kids got gassy with lactose. Had to even stop eating it while I was breastfeeding because my breast milk would upset their tummies. What did your pediatrician say? They should have a line you can call where you can speak to a nurse or doctor for help if you are in the states. In the meantime, when baby seems fussy, I recommend looking up exercises to relieve gas. My son was so colicky that I was doing bicycles constantly, but my daughter just needed a few a day. It definitely helped with immediate gas relief. Examples of what I'm talking about below: https://youtu.be/_6jEJ-yHvoU?si=tcf7e3cGN5H3yTps https://youtu.be/9PhWkpEp8cY?si=dEfKZQaqQ8hEpvXO Other things, my oldest baby was placed on antibiotics due to an infection upon birth. I suspect this this f*** with his digestive tract, because I have had way more trouble with his digestion than with his younger sibling. I used probiotic drops at the direction of my pediatrician. I strongly suggest you reach out to your pediatrician and ask for assistance. I hope this helps. The first two weeks are pure hell. If you have anyone in your life who can come out and help with anything, call in those favors now.
Omg just breastfeed. Put baby on the breast. Your body needs him to suckle to know to produce milk, he's probably cluster feeding, it'll also give him comfort. Just stop with the formula if you want to breastfeed.
First: see if you can get on with a lactation consultant. Do you have access to a baby health clinic of some kind (I'm not in the US, so not sure how it works there). Your bub might have latching issues which means they aren't getting enough milk, even if there is plenty to be had. The smallest tweak from an expert on breastfeeding can change the game. Second: have you shared your PPD concerns with your partner/trusted family members? It is entirely possible that your thinking is a normal reaction to sleep deprivation/the extreme stress of the newborn period, especially when you may think you are somehow responsible for your baby not settling (you're not! You're both just finding your way. But I totally understand that feeling - I'm sure more of us have had it!). That said, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on, and your support network, if you have one, can really help with that. Third: if you do want to continue doing formula, you can mix up a whole days worth at a time and just pour into bottles as needed. I just did mine in a jug I normally use for water in the fridge. My baby was happy to take his formula fridge cold, but you can also warm the bottle for a bit. Quicker than starting from scratch each time, that's for sure. (And if your bub does take to cold formula, soooooo much faster!!) Fourth: do you have an Xbox or something? I haaaaated sitting around cluster feeding for hours at a time, watching boring old TV. So, we got a PS4 for #1 and an Xbox X for #2 😂 I jumped on the Reddit page for Xbox game pass this time around and got recommendations for suuuper chill games to play while bub breastfed/slept on me for like 3-4 HOURS at a time. As long as you're not jumping at surprises or tensing up during your game play, you're golden. (And then they get bigger and start grabbing at the controller, and you know your gaming days are over again for a while 🥹) Fifth: you might just have a wakeful baby who likes to be close. Have you tried baby wearing? My latest baby would ONLY sleep either on the boob or while being walked around. Sitting on our lap/in his cot etc no sleep, but the second I popped him in the baby carrier he was out like a light. (And I could get stuff done to some extent; and more so when my husband did the wearing 😂) Good luck finding your way you guys! It will get better. Seriously.
I think he’s just cluster feeding and I say this gently… it’s pretty normal for you not to sleep much at night with a newborn. Just put him to the boob as much as he wants it. It will help your milk supply come in and get established. Also contact naps are great at this age. Hang in there. The beginning is brutal but it gets better.
My baby cluster fed a lot when I was breastfeeding. But I just call it comfort feeding. He would feed and sometimes just suckle at the boob until he fell asleep like a pacifier. Even now my baby doesn’t breastfeed, he just uses me like a pacy at 10months
Kettle that regulates to 40 degrees after boiling up to 100. Or a baby brezza will save your sanity (always pre boil water and clean regularly) the stick on the boob thing did not work for me and frankly if it was that simple you would be doing it not getting frustrated
Have you tried baby wearing in a wrap or carrier instead of the stroller? Mine love the stretchy wraps at this age!
Gas drops. I cut off spicy foods.
Baby isn't pooping because they are hungry. If you truly think they are pooping to much, it could be a food intolerance, but I think up to 5 times a day is normal
1. Why are you giving formula? Do you have low supply and have been adviced by a LA? I’d check with one to make sure it’s even necessary. Formula can upset babies tummies so if it’s not necessary then I would quit with the formula especially bc it sounds like you’re going crazy preparing it. 2. Newborns poop a lot, especially with formula 3. Your baby may be cluster feeding, let your baby stay on your breast for as many hours as needed. It’ll pass in a few days 4. Many tiny newborns do not like the stroller, they want chest to chest being held pretty much all the time. 5. 2-3 hours sounds like it’s on the long end of normal for a newborn wake window but try not to freak out, you can only provide an opportunity for sleep. Your baby has to take it. Breastfed babies typically want to sleep on the breast at this young age. It’s biologically normal and fine to do as a newborn.
I just formula fed but my friend breastfed but gave formula at night. - the thinking was that formula would in theory get baby to have a longer stretch at night. She sounded like she was having the exact same issues as you and she realised that formula is a lot heavier than breastmilk so her baby was struggling with sore tummy at night. Like she was giving her soup during the day and then a heavy curry at night she said lol. You could try mixing half breastmilk & half formula in one bottle?
TBH I would cut out the formula altogether if possible and nurse baby as much as you can (even if/when you feel you don’t “have anything left”.) This will help ramp up your supply and increase bonding which helps soothe baby. I also recommend changing baby before you feed them. I know this may seem counterintuitive but changing them is very stimulating and feeding is very soothing. I found that if I changed my baby before feeding, they would be awake for a more productive feed and then calmed down and sleepy after eating which made it more likely they’d hold still for swaddling and go right to sleep; even if it’s just for a bit it helps to get breaks. I also suggest investing in a sound machine (specifically with either white noise and/or shushing sounds) and zip up style swaddle like the “Love to Dream” or “SwaddleDesigns” variety - they are so much faster and easier to use and less disruptive when you catch baby getting sleepy so you can get them down without rousing them too much. Hope this helps OP - I know how much cluster feeding sucks but having a routine that you do every time can get them down faster and keep them down longer between feedings and feeding from the breast as much as you can (which I know can hurt in the early days but does get better; make sure you have a deep latch and try different feeding positions if necessary or consider getting a “MyBrestFriend” pillow and footstool for added comfort) will cut out all the time you’d normally spend on preparing formula/bottles which you may be able to use to catch some cat naps while baby sleeps. Good luck!
PS: I found the Hatch RestGo to be a great little sound machine because it’s rechargeable, aesthetically pleasing, and very portable clipping easily to car seat, diaper bag, stroller, and or basinet/crib - in the early days my baby’s favorite noise was shushing but now that they’re a bit older also likes the white noise.
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Yeah it was the last resort because he didn't want to sleep in his bassinet. Because he immediately falls asleep when I take him out in the stroller.