should I wake him?? Also what type of formula

[allyray231]

Right now DS is 2 1/2 weeks old and is getting mostly formula becuase of my week supply. We have him at 3 1/2 oucnes a feeding. He sleeps A LOT but I don't want to let him go to long without eating because he then gets really hungry and spits up a lot. Should I wake him every 4 hrs? Sometimes he doesn't fall asleep till an hour or two after I feed him.

Also what kind of formula do you use. He is on Similac right now but I am not sure it is agreeing with him

[karilynne_97]

I know how confusing all of this is in the begining, but it will get easier. A lot of mommies here believe in not waking a sleeping baby. With that said, this is what my Dr and the hospital staff told me to do:

Feed every 3 hours from when you begin the feeding; so if it takes 1 hour to feed, then he'll start his next meal 2 hours from when he finished his last. Don't allow baby to go more than 4 hours between feedings during the day; wake him to feed, even if he's just gone to sleep (we woke Kassidy up every 3 hrs). You want him to get most of his calories in during the day so that he will sleep longer at night, which will benefit the both of you.

During the night, let him wake you. But, wait till he's crying. Most babies will make "noises" during the night; this doesn't mean they're awake or that they're hungry, he could be having a bad dream. You'll know when it's time to get up to feed him ;) .

Remember, every baby is different, so don't expect that he'll sleep through the night this early. But, by getting in more calories during the day will help him sleep longer at night, until that one morning you wake up at 5am scared out of your mind, running to his room to find him sound asleep! :D

Good Luck!

[karilynne_97]

Forgot to add: we use Good Start Supreme DHA/ARA.

[allyray231]

Ahh good advice! Yeah I have been waking him every 4 hrs today (ok I let him go maybe 4 1/2) and it seems to be helping. This last time he ate and feel right to sleep

Thanks for the formula recommendation. It is sooo confusing on what to use. I think the Simalac makes his contipated-the kid only poops once a day and did go at all yesterday. I know the doc says it is ok but seems not normal to me ya know

[karilynne_97]

Kassidy hated Similac! Yeah, our Dr said the same thing about not pooping, but I know how I feel if I don't poop everyday, so I can only imagine how the tiny ones feel. Not fun! :(

[sabrinag]

I am in the same boat here:

We are using Similac and my babies (twins) seem to be spitting up more of it each day. We usually have to wake them to eat (we feed every 3.5 hours and they eat between 3-4 ounces). Sometimes the spit up is projectile. Like I'll sit one of them up to start burping and then out comes the formula. Does this sound like we should switch formulas? So hard to know what is wrong! How do you know if your baby hates a formula and how do you kow if maybe you should switch to soy?? TIA!

[BTB]

ETA: I'm sorry, forgot to say anything about waking: I followed the motto "never wake a sleeping baby" as soon as I was able - i.e. as soon as DD was clearing her jaundice and reliably gaining weight. I wouldn't want my sleep cycle disrupted to be fed if I wasn't hungry, but I don't think that's a hard-and-fast rule everyone must follow; it depends on your baby. DD when woken would neither eat well, nor sleep well afterward. But if it works for your little one, why not? Are you interested in BFing more? I don't want to spout off a bunch of Bfing tips for increasing your supply if you're not interested, so I'll keep it to saying that the more formula baby drinks, the less demand there is for breastmilk, so supply goes down further - it's a spiral. Which isn't a problem if you don't want to BF, but worth mentioning in case you do.

Sabrina: Be careful with the word 'projectile', if said to a pediatrician it can trigger an extensive work-up, because the most common cause of projectile vomiting at this age is a hypertrophied pyloric sphincter, which can be surgically corrected. True "projectile" vomiting is when you can get covered in vomit while standing three feet from the baby - if your babe has that, it's time to see the doc for it if you haven't already.

It is normal for babies to spit up. My DD spit up FIVE times after her 2:30 AM feeding, and she's never had anything but breastmilk. Young babies have a physiologic tendency to spit up, their lower esophageal sphincter is looser than an adults and this corrects with age.

You should only switch to soy if your child's doctor feels s/he needs it. Things like wheezing, hives, and angioedema indicate true allergy. Gassiness, fussiness, and excessive spit-up can indicate a tolerance issue, the severity of which will guide the decision whether to switch formulas or not.

Lastly, consider store brand formula. Formula composition is very tightly regulated and there is no need to feel guilty or cheap buying generic. Many store brands are made by Wyeth - it's not as if you're buying formula manufactured by Wal-mart itself, or Target, or whomever. The nutrition is all there, the difference is that with store brand, you're not paying for everybody else's free samples, free diaper bags, and formula coupons.

[Hedwig]

Just wondering how much your DS weighs? 3 and 1/2 oz is alot depending on his weight.