12 week old having problems with 3 hour feeds

[Lawrence'sMom]

Hi everyone,

My second son is now 12 weeks old and I'm having lots of trouble getting him on a 3 hour schedule. He often can't go more than 2 1/2 hours or 2 hours and 45 minutes. I've noticed that when he gets a bottle of expressed milk he only drinks four ounces and not a single drop more. I've tried to encourage him to nurse more so he's not hungry as fast but he absolutely REFUSES. What should I do? He's also nowhere near sleeping through the night and still gets up about 2 to 3 times. I did EASY with my older son (now 3 1/2) and it worked out quite well but I'm having a lot harder time with Nicholas. Any advice?

Thanks so much!

[lisi's mum]

I'm afraid it's just a matter of time! At 12 weeks many, many babies don't have big enough stomachs to manage the full 3 hours, or any less than two night wakings. Both for your milk supply and your baby's well being it is so important to make a routine around what best meets their needs, and if that's 2.5 hrs at the moment, then so be it. Keeping the EASY order of things, but adjusting it to your baby's time scale. It may change and lengthen next week, maybe next month, but be confident it will get there.

[liacarmen]

My little guy is four months and is just now going 3 hours between feeds - though some of it was surely snacking, he couldn't seem to hold enough to go three hours till recently. I'll bet it gets better in the next few weeks.