All Ways Hungry

I wouldn't let him scream. I say, if he is hungry, go ahead and feed him. Eventually, things will even out and he won't have to eat so much.

Good luck!

I think at 2 weeks old, feed him when he's hungry. Why does he have to wait 3 hours? Being a "clockwatcher" can make you crazy! His tummy is tiny and he may metabolize his food faster than other babies! He'll eat at longer intervals when he's ready.

Congratulations on a new bundle of joy! Listen to your heart - you're the mama and you know what's right! Keep up the good work!

Yeah!!!
Follow your heart...babies don't need to cry especially that young.
Feed him more....rather than more often.
Adding food early has been linked to an increase in obesity and allergies. So, skip that.
Feed the little man and hold him lots...they grow too fast!
Good luck!

Congratulations on your new baby! Don't worry about putting him on any sort of schedule so early. Let him eat. It may be frustrating to feed him so often, but he is only 2 weeks old. Babies have growth spurts at about 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 2 months and 4 months so he probably is having one now. I would hold off on cereal until he is 6 month old (that's the dietitian in me talking as well as the academy of pediatrics). Your other babies may have had it added to help with reflux which this one doesn't seem to have by your post. Good luck and ignore that silly nurse!

I think that the nurse who told you to let him scream is a sadistic witch! You are right not to do that. I would say to continue to feed him when he is hungry, I always nursed my babies whenever they were hungry without even looking at the clock because the clock has no idea if your baby is hungry! And my babies did not grow up to be spoiled or fat, in fact my younger daughter who is now 3 1/2 is a bit underweight. But as far as cereal, I would hold off. The latest medical advice is to wait until your baby is 6 months old before starting solid food of any kind, it used to be 4-6 months but now researchers are saying to wait the whole 6 months. It is just a myth that feeding your baby cereal will help them sleep through the night, studies have shown that it does not work. Good luck with your new baby!

I just read you update and I wanted to add that maybe the reason he is not gaining weight is that he is not adsorbing nutrients properly. If the weight loss continues or he does nto gain weight well you may want to take him to a specialist. Or maybe he needs a different formula, I hear that the kind that is pre-digested is the best. I hope that your little guy starts to gain weight!

Babies eat more during growth spurts. All of my babies had a growth spurt at 2 weeks.

DO NOT give plain water to your baby without a doctor's consent. It messes up their electrolytes.

Just feed him more. His schedule will calm down soon.

I breastfeed my daughter every 1-2 hours until she was 2 months, then she could go longer. I didn't give her rice cereal until she was almost 6 months.

I dont know what that nurse is talking about - a comment to your doctor would be in order about her. She gave you very poor and outdated advice.

Feeding on demand is perfectly fine, especially at first. It will get better once your baby is older and more on a routine. My first ate every 40-80 minutes at first and then it got better from there.

My opinion is that if you make a baby cry for 3 hours to eat then all you'll have is a very unhappy baby and a terrible headache.

Here is a link to the Mayo clinic website on feeding newborns. Congratulations on your new baby!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-baby/PR00057

We tried to push to 2.5 to 3 hours with ours. Our daughter was harder. If you can push back by 15 to 20 minutes each time until he's happy waiting that long, and then start pushing for another 15 -20 minutes, he'll start taking in more at each feeding and then be able to go a bit longer. If you can do 2.5 to 3 hours all day long, he'll start sleeping through the night around 8 -12 weeks. It worked with all three of ours. I know getting the longer times is hard, but it's good for him to get good sleep, too, as well as for you to get good sleep, so you can each handle your responsibilities -- him grow, you heal and care for the other kids. Don't worry about 3 hours, just try to stretch the time between feedings a bit. GL! and Congratulations!

I am a firm believer that babies eat when they are hungry whether it is every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs, or 2 hours, or 4 hours apart. If your baby is not spitting anything up, and is still hungry every hour to two hours, I would definitely feed him!

Please dont let your little guy scream for 3 hours! Both my kids ate like that at first but after they got a little bigger and could hold more food they did much better and were fine with eating every 3-4 hours. Remember you cant spoil a baby and if he needs to eat that much then so be it. This wont last forever! Good luck.

at 2 weeks old, "let him scream" is bad advice. I would demand feed him until he's AT LEAST a month old, then try to stretch him and get him more scheduled. He might just be an every 2 hours baby. I tried everything I could to get my daughter from a 2 hour to a 3 hours schedule when she was brand new and NOTHING worked. She was just a 2 hour schedule kind of baby until she was about 8 weeks old. So we let her be a 2 hours baby. Go with the flow... you've done this before so do what feels right to you. Mom knows best. =)

The nurse you have is promoting a fairly common theory with feeding young babies. Most parents and doctors don't agree it is a good technique and adhere to the feed on demand approach. You should feed your baby when he is hungry and give him as much as he wants. Babies are not all the same. Some need to be fed more often and greater quantities than others. There is no reason to make your baby scream in hunger for an hour just because the nurse said so. If the schedule you have now is keeping you and your baby happy then stick to it.

I have never heard of a doctor putting babies on cereal at two weeks, that is completely against the current recommendation of 4-6 months. Unless there is some major medical reason for putting him on cereal right now don't do it. He will get better nutrition from formula or breast milk at this age.

Hi B.!

Sometimes I really hate doctors & nurses! My daughter was a breastfeed baby (only) and she would nurse every 2-3 hours. I never put her on a schedule like some docors suggest or other moms suggested. My daughter fed on damand, yes there were times when it was difficult for me, but her feeding on demand worked really well for us. My daughter tended to eat more during growth spurts which happended around 2-4 weeks 2 months 4 months and now at 7 months she is eating solids and nursing less, but still loves to eat. I didn't start her on ceral until she was 4 months old. I hope this helps.

sounds like you just have a champion eater on your hands... honestly, he's only two weeks old.. I say if he's hungry, feed him. his little stomach will get bigger and he'll be able to eat more/go longer in between soon enough. plus he could be going through a growth spurt.

i can't figure on why you'd start cereal this early, I've never heard of such a thing... but who knows? but really there isn't much nutrition to cereal, so I'd stick with breastmilk or formula (I assume he is formula fed since you know how much he's eating).

good luck!

Girl, you are his mother, you know what is best,you know that every child is different, and more than anything you know that there are no text book answers that apply to every child!

You are absolutely correct to refuse the nurses advice, do not allow your baby to scream like that, it is not healthy. I have sat in gut wrenching pain for a little one whose new mommy insisted that she could put her new born on a feeding schedule based on some book's generic application of how much and how often a baby should eat; the baby cried and cried and cried and I finally just stepped outside my boundaries and said to the mom, what you are doing is illogical and maybe even irresponsible. Well, needless to say that didn't go over too well, lol. However, mom scrapped the book and fed her child. I applaud your mommy senses and encourage you to feed and comfort your new born according to your good instincts. If you introduced cereal early with your other two, then hey, I say do it again! Good luck, B., you know what is best for your children!

I would just feed him every two hours--that seems pretty normal for a two week old! Give him a month or so, and he will probably be spacing out his feedings on his own.

It is tough, but goes by so fast in retrospect!

Congratulations! You clearly know what's best for your baby. This nurse should be fired. Please be sure to mention her "advice" to your doctor. She is wrong! Hang in there, feed your baby and enjoy your family!

You sound like a sensitive and intuitive mom--congrats on your new baby!
It makes no sense to let him cry. Not only is it so hard on him because he needs to learn about trust and have a chance to reconnect with you, but screaming wastes so many calories, which he clearly needs for learning and growing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' most current recommendation is that no food other than breast milk or artificial baby milk be introduced until the baby is at least six months old and shows all signs of readiness (sits up unsupported, developing pincer grasp, and has lost tongue thrust reflex). This is in response to evidence that early introduction of solids is linked to allergies.
Consider using a slow-flow nipple with a wide base and dragging out the feeding so it's not gobbled too quickly. Many breastfed babies do what's called "cluster feeding," where they nurse for a short amount of time very frequently before they have a long stretch of sleep. If you're getting one three to five-hour stretch of sleep in a 24-hour cycle, he's in the range of normal and he could just be tanking up for that. Most term breastfed babies nurse to receive between 2 to 4 ounces at a time, but nursings are not necessarily evenly spaced. Consider looking at a 24-hour cycle overall to calculate how much he's eating, so you can see if there's an extra hungry tme before a long nap, etc.
You can offer other ways to soothe your baby and recognize that since swallowing is a reflex he may need some non-nutritive sucking (as opposed to more food), but two weeks is a growth spurt time and I think it's wise to follow your baby's cues and keep him well-fed. I highly recommend the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block" for ways to soothe a baby besides breastfeeding. It's really helpful for dads, especially. You might also find a baby sling helpful for soothing him in ways besides feeding--most babies love the snuggliness and the gentle movement. I love my Maya Wrap brand sling,but there are always lots of less expensive slings on eBay.
Best wishes!

Let him eat when he wants to. I am sure other people have said the same thing. Some babys need to eat more often. When he is a little bigger, then oput him on more of a schedule. There is no reaso to let him cry like that. Do not feel guilty, you are listening to your child, like a Mom should.

I thought all newborns nursed every 1-2 hours...amybe that was just my kids. Seriously though, I was always told that newborns were to eat 8-12 times a day. Sounds like your little guy is within the ranges of normal appetite to me.

Congrates on your new little one. I'm not an expert, but I really like the book 12 hours of sleep by 12 weeks. It has other tips like eating in the book as well. The books advice is to push them 15 minutes at a time. Feed him when he is hungry, then next feeding help him wait 15 minutes by using pacifiers, playtime, holding him, or whatever it takes. My daughter ate ever 2 1/2 hours until she was 8 weeks old (doctor's orders) but as soon as he gave me the go-ahead she was eating every 3 1/2 hours within a few days. good luck with everything!!

That's ridiculous, I can't believe a nurse would tell you that. Feed him, he's 2 weeks old. My daughter ate every 1.5-2 hrs for a while before she caught up with herself. The only thing I suggest is be sure nothing else is bothering him. Other than that, let him eat.

This is only MY personal opinion but when a child of that age is hungry you feed them. My second baby ate every hour or so when he was that age and i switched to formula at 6 weeks due to medical reasons and it filled him up longer he started eating every 2-4 hours. He is a healthy baby and i dont regret stopping. Speak to HIS doctor personally and find out what is best for you and your baby. Again MY personal opinion but a 2 week old baby should not "cry it out" if he is hungry feed him. Good luck let me know how things go.

Some babies have a stronger need to suck than other babies, so it's possible that maybe your son just needs the comforting feeling of sucking and not the food. Have you tried a pacifier. This was the case with both of my babies, but other babies I have been around have no desire to suck on anything other than a bottle at feeding time.

I also think 2 weeks old is too young to have him on a feeding schedule of 3-4 hours. If he is actually hungry go ahead and feed him. Is he taking formula or breast milk? Formula takes longer to digest (usually) so baby may be satisfied longer. He is doing an amazing amount of growing so feeding him when he's hungry is not a bad thing! If you dont want to let him scream when he's hungry, dont...especially when he's only 2 weeks old!

I just agree with the others. Your baby is only 2 weeks old. He is hungry and growth spurts happen. I would listen to your gut as well. You can still put your baby on a schedule if you want just listen to his clues. Is he burping well? I thought some other comments about wanting to suck could be possible but at 2 weeks old they are still developing a lot. My sons where both premature and these babies are growing non stop and expand energy and need to be nurtured. You are doing what you feel is right and that is all that of us moms can do. Take care,M.

3-4 hours at two weeks??? No way! I was NEVER told that. In fact, I was told the opposite. My daughter's nurses (4th child) told me she shouldn't go much past 2-3 hours at that age. If he's hungry, feed him! That's ridiculous advice to have him cry it out at 2 weeks! You said the nurse you talked to was not his nurse. I would call his doctor and ask that. They'll probably tell you something different. In my opinion, there's no reason to worry how much he's eating unless he starts getting too heavy (like to the point where they're worried he's getting too overweight.) As far as cereal at two weeks, that's not normally recommended. I guess it would depend on why your other two were put on it as to whether your son should too. Just call his doc. Ask about the advice the other nurse gave you and see what he thinks.

B.,

That nurse gave you bad advice, in no way should you ever let a new born cry it out! Also, cereal at such a young age is not good idea, their digestive system is just not ready for it and they may be more prone to disease (diabetes, obesity etc...) and allergy later in life. I believe that most doctors are saying as early as 4 mo and more often 6 mo especially if they are high risk.

My daughter is now 6 weeks old and when she was first born she ate all the time, almost evry hour it seemes especially in the evenings, like your son. I think a lot of it was biulding up my milk supply. I felt like a cow. I just nursed and nursed. NOw that she is a bit older she still eats every two to two and a half hours about./ Sometimes she goes three or four hours, but only if she is napping. A book that I read, that my sister in law swears by, called "On becoming Babywise" says that infants are supposed to eat every two and a half to three hours. THey suggest that you get your child on a schedule of every 21/2 to 3 hours even if it means waking them up from a nap. But they say to be flexible becasue chidren go through growth spurts. they say to first assess why your child is crying. Sometimes moms just automatically offer the breast when that is not the real problem. They suggest if your child is crying and its not their time to eat try some other things but if they really are hungry then feed them. So I don't believe you should just let him scream until three hours is up. It's not healthy for him and its not healthy for you to have to go through that. I found that my daughter is such a big gulper that she takes in so much air. If I make sure that during our feeding sesions I take time to burp her and then maybe feed her a little more, she lasts longer becasue her tummy actually gets full of food and not just air. Sometimes this takes a while becasue it can take her up to 20 minutes to get all her air bubbles out. But that seems to help her. As she is getting older she is getting faster at burping. Also we realized that becasue of her gas and air bubbles she wanted to suck more often becasue she just knows, tummy hurts, that means eat. So we started giving her a pacifier when she cried sometimes if its not her time to eat yet. If she is really not hungry she takes the pacifier. If she really is hungry she lets us know in about ten minutes or less, and then I feed her. Also my daughter has some acid reflux so sometimes she wants to suck becasue it hurts and if she goes too long without eating it can make it worse. I am still working on getting her on a consistent schedule, but she is happy and thriving. I don't know how long you nurse tour son for at one time, but maybe if he's not nursing long enough on one side than he is not getting the hind milk. Don't worry about nursing equally on both sides. Nurse on one side until its empty then offer the other. If he doesn't empty that one just start on that side the next time. I would say don't just let him scream for excessive amounts of time, obviously some crying is necessary, and don't just automatically do cereal. if if he's growing and having lots of bowel movements and wet diapers than he is probably getting enough food. Only supplement if you can't stand the nursing schedule, but i would wait it out and see if it changes and try talking to a lactation consultant first before doing rice cereal. If you do supplement, I would suggest getting one of those tubing systems where you put it by your breast while he's nursing so you don't lose any milk production. sorry this may not be the most coherent advice (I'm in a hurry - gotta go nurse), But I hope it helps. good luck.

Many people have said what I would say but I just wanted to add, in addition to babies' tiny tummies - do YOU normally go 3-4 hours without any snack or sip of water? I don't! And we are adults who know that food is available and how to get it. Your little guy is still trying to figure out the whole air-breathing, light all the time, living in the outside world thing!

Listen to your heart - it is there for a reason!

Hi B.. Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding? If you are breastfeeding, I went through the exact same thing. My daughter just ate a lot and she really thrived. Plus my milk supply was really well established because I let her nurse on demand. She weighed 20 pounds when she was 6 months old! Babies digest breastmilk very fast, too. If you are bottle feeding, I would maybe point you to make sure he is digesting his formula OK. Maybe trying a different one, with your doctor's guidance. I, too, think denying babies food is wrong and would say he might just be growing fast and needing to eat a lot. I think just letting him cry wouldn't solve anything. You would just have an unhappy baby all the time. Plus, babies have tiny tummies.

Good luck! That is a really tough one.

Did you say 2 WEEKS old? It's okay for him to eat every 2 hours for a while now. Feed him whenever he is hungry, even if you are exhausted. He will stretch out the time between feedings in a few months. And don't start him on cereal! Not until he is at least 4 months (more and more doctors are starting to recommend just waiting until 6 months). If your doctor/nurse is recommending starting cereal now, or not feeding your baby when he is hungry, I would start looking for a new doctor.

That sounds normal to me. Both of my kids were big eaters and ate every two hours for the first three month! Then they finally stretch to 3-4. My 8 month old still likes to eat every 3 hours though. I feed them when they are hungry. And sometimes... at night, when they are gearing up, they eat one time and then eat only an hour later, again. My kids aren't huge either. One is actually pretty skinny. So that's my style. Feed them when they are hungry. Sounds like you are doing great!

Cry it out at that age? Unreal advice....

My advice is to feed more often!!!
I was and will be again soon a feed on demand mom. Now I am not going to lie and say it was easy. My daughter ate nearly every hour for the first few months and I thought I was going to loose my mind, but it was what she needed!
She was happy, our bond was/is super close, she was healthy, and transitioned to not needing as much all on her own. Now we are living with a well adjusted 10 month old. It in no way spoiled her! You just can't spoil at that age!

A baby cries for only 4 reasons... hunger, diaper change, sleep, or pain of some sort. If you have worked on all and the last one is food, then for heavens sake give your baby food.
It is really not good to give such small infants cereal. Their stomachs are not yet ready to digest food on that level and can develop serious food allergies. If all your baby needs is just more milk, then give it if you can.

I wish you luck... crying babies can be such a heart breaker for sure!

At two weeks old let him eat when he wants! I am not sure if you are nursing or bottle feeding? If you are nursing definately feed him, it's all about supply and demand, the baby is ensuring an adequate supply! At this age I beleive they double their birth weight in the first six weeks or so so they need to eat alot! Three hours is a lifetime for a two week old! That mean nurse! When my kids were this age sometimes they would eat every 60 minutes!

I am sorry, I do not agree with that nurse at all. Feed him. If he is hungy well he is hungry. If there is nothing coming back up than let him have more. Some newborns eat more and there is no reason to starve him because a nurse thinks her way is right. I really would just go with your gut. There is NO right and wrong when it comes to raising a child and if it worked with your other two kiddos and they are fine, then put some cereal in his formula. My daughter was not cereal in the formula until about 3-4 months but hey, every child is different. Dont always listen to the doctor...:) Go with your gut. My gut says to feed him more if he wants to. Maybe he will eat more and go longer in between like 4 hours instead of one or two. Try it..... Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I do not mean anything towards you at all, just doctors and nurses have some STUPID things to say sometimes :)

Please, feed your baby if he is hungry. Babies at that age eat all the time. I've never heard of a two week old going three hours without eating. Our son would eat all the time at that age and sometimes for very long periods of time, especially if he was going through a growth spurt. A two week old baby's brain is nowhere near developed enough to begin to understand that he needs to wait a certain amount of time to be fed. All he will learn is that the person he depends on most is not meeting his needs and that he can't trust them. Also, the digestive systems of babies of that age are not ready to handle cereal. All he needs is milk (breastmilk or formula). Good luck, follow your instincts and trust your baby.

B.,
I would try 4 oz. of water to see if that will work.. It won't hurt!
S.

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard before in my life...EVER! If your son is eating, then he is hungry and needs the nutrition. You will find that there are days when it seems like all he does is eat. And keep in mind that he is 2 weeks old. I would seriously consider getting another dr. and/or nurse. Rice cereal at 2 weeks is WAY to early....he can't digest it yet and you will be creating serious nutritional problems with him later on. Is there some genetic disorder that is affecting weight in your family? If not, let your son guide you in what he needs. Pretty soon you will be frustrated that he has gone long periods of time without eating and you'll worry about him not getting ENOUGH. Barring any other types of medical problems, this is the way it is, and letting your kid scream when he is an infant and hungry is unbelievably cruel.

I hope you don't take my response as critical towards you....I absolutely agree with you that you think it's wrong to leave your baby screaming. I just get very frustrated with "medical professionals" who sound like they don't even have common sense, let alone a degree.

Is your baby average size? I'm guessing they aren't encouraging you to feed him every hour or two because they don't want him to gain too much weight. Also, some studies have come out in the past year saying that giving kids cereal too early may cause food allergies. I think it would be really hard to let my baby scream knowing he was hungry. Why don't you see if you can get in to see the doctor, rather than talking to the nurse. Maybe he or she could do a better job explaining why to feed him a certain way or time. Maybe the doc would want you to try giving him water at the between feedings. I'm not an expert, but just wanted to put a couple ideas out there. Good luck!

My doctor said babies self regulate their own food intake...so, if he's hungry...let him eat. I agree with the other mother who said "it's ridiculous" what the nurse told you. Every kid is different...with eating, sleeping, playing, walking, talking, pooping...etc.

Your new little one loves to snack...so, I would just roll with the flow.
:)
Hope this helps!!