Question about birthweight and starting EASY

[Mydreamcametrue]

My son is now almost 6 weeks old.  He was born 3.5 weeks early and weighed 5 lbs. 14 oz.
 He is now at 9 lbs 1 oz. (he gained most of the weight in 3 weeks).

Anyhow the BW book says to start EASY according to what the birthweight was.  If they were under 6 1/2 lbs. then do to a 2 or 2.5 hour easy instead of a 3 hour easy.

My question is:  Does that mean just when you first come home from the hospital, in the first few weeks? 

Since my lo has deft. caught up with his weight, should I start with a 3 hour EASY?  My doctor recommened with feed every 3 hours because he was eating so much and gained a large amount of weight in a short period of time (she believes has some to do with his tummy issues).

Anyhow, so since he is now 9 lbs. and 6 weeks old, should I do a 3 hour EASY?

Oh... and how much Actibvity time should he be getting?  He pretty much eats and goes to sleep, except during the night.

Thanks!

[LucyA]

How frequently does he eat now? Are you bf? Some bf babies can't manage 3 hourly feeds for a while, regardless of size - my ds was 9lb 1 oz when he was born but still fed 2 hourly for the first 8 weeks or so!! I think you need to be guided by your ds a bit, and if you do stretch his feed intervals, do it gradually.

How long is his A time now? Corrected age is still less than 3 weeks,so I wouldn't expect too much. DD is 9 weeks and is only up for a little over an hour ideally.

[Kimberly®]

that will all depend on your LO. If he is ok to go 3 hours there is nothing wrong with doing a 3 hour EASY, jsut be open to needing to lessen it. As for A time. A diaper change and a quick cuddle are probably enough, you wont find longer A time for a few weeks yet.

hth

[Mydreamcametrue]

He can go 2.5 to 3 hours during the day,  but still wnats to feed every 2 hours at night., but he wakes up grunting and groanign and then crying.

I think docotors, just go by what is "textbook".  She said every 3 hours because he was eating every 2 hours (4 oz.) and she thinks that is what was causing him to have so much gas.

He is on Nutramigen (hypoallergenic formula).  He has been on that since Thursday.  The gas seems to have improved, but he still wakes all the night grunting and groaning (like something is bothering him) and then falls back to sleep.  He has also been on reflux meds since Thursday.

I think I am going to try every 2.5 hours. 

[MJMom]

Wendy,  Be sure to be more cognisant of your LO's needs than the clock.  He may go 2.5 hrs one feed, and 3 hrs the next, and 2 hrs and 45 minutes the next.  The slight adjustments are fine.

How is it going?

[*Natasha*]

Wendy we are doing a 3-3.5hrs EASY during the day and 4hrs at night at the moment. However she did wake at 2.5hrs screaming for a feed so i go with the flow. As for awake time all we do is a quick nappy change and a cuddle then back to bed. They do say wind is at its worst at night how come you are feeding 2hrs at night?
This is what our day looks like:

6am - Feed 2ozs
6.30am - Sleep
9am - Feed 2ozs
9.30am - Sleep
12pm - Feed 2ozs
12.30pm - Sleep (biggest sleep of the day and at the same time as her sister)
3.30pm - Feed 2ozs
4.30pm - Sleep
6.30pm - Bath, feed 2ozs bed
10pm - Feed 2ozs straight back to bed
2am - Feed 2ozs straight back to bed
then sleep till 6am.

[Mydreamcametrue]

He wakes up grunting and groaning and then it turns into a cry at night (every 2 hours).  I think he is waking up do to the reflux or gas and then realizes that he is hungry.

He has NEVER slept longer than 2 hours straight, day or night. 

I think once we get his gas and reflux issues worked out he will sleep longer, or I can hope.

[MJMom]

Have you spoken with your ped about any thing you can do for the gas/reflux? 

[Mydreamcametrue]

Yeah it has only been since Thursday, so a full 4 days now that is it.  His gas is deft. improving because of the Nutramigen, but he deft. has reflux, it was not as noticable as it is now.  I can hold him after a feed and then you hear him spit up and swallow it back down and then he starts screaming. 

How long does it take for reflux meds to kick in?  I would have thought just a few days. 

He deft. is comfort feeding though, my husband stayed up with him last night so I could sleep and he said he was up every hour and acted like he wanted to eat. 

he grunts and graons the entire time he is awake, like he is trying to clear his throat.

  My poor kids, I just feel like an awful parent, like I did soemthing wrong and caused them both to have tummy problems (although, Zach my 2 year old is perfectly fine now, it was hard the first 18 months).

[*Natasha*]

Wendy does he take a dummy (paci)? As much as i don't like them i found it helped my DD through when her reflux was at it's worst.

[Mydreamcametrue]

He will sometimes take a paci, but normally spits it out.  I have noticed, if he is acting STARVING and it has only been 30 minutes or an hour since he ate, I will give him one and he will suck the heck out of it...  Poor baby, he eats so much out of pain, that is the only way he knows to comfort himself.

We are being referred to a Gastro doctor and possible we may get an Upper GI at the end of this week.

His doctor said I should have seen some improvement in 4 days with the meds.  She had us stop them since we are getting an Upper GI and they say no reflux meds for 3 days before.

You know I thought I wanted a 3rd baby, but now I am like that would be so cruel to bring another person into the world and suffer tummy problems   Zach was the same way.  It is all my fault... 

[MJMom]

oh honey!  It is not all your fault!  Many babies get reflux, and there isn't a rhyme or reason to it!  No need to beat yourself up over it!!  You're doing what you can! 

[*Natasha*]

oh honey!  It is not all your fault!  Many babies get reflux, and there isn't a rhyme or reason to it!  No need to beat yourself up over it!!  You're doing what you can! 

Dito to that 

[Mydreamcametrue]

Thank goodness I am on medicine for PMD already or I would be a basket case, I really would be beating myself up over it. 

I just hate it that BOTH of my kids have trouble (well my 1st is fine now). 

The sad thing is, Tyler is SO SWEET and I really think he would be an ANGEL baby if we could get his "whatever" issues worked out, gas/reflux.

[MJMom]

(((HUGS!!!))) as you already know, it'll get better!!!