Hi Everyone, I'm very new to everything here. Ben is my first baby and is coming up to 5 weeks old now. For the first 3 weeks we were BF, but then I got infective mastitis and a breast absess and spent a week in hospital on IV antibiotics. During that time my milk stopped, even though I had continued to try and feed and express milk, it just wasn't happening. So we had to switch to FF. We've been home a week now and FF and am now trying to get to grips with EASY. My main concern though is that Ben is eating too much, especially as we're supposed to be on a 3 hour cycle. I'm really struggling.
I think Ben should be having about 4oz at this age, during the day. So I'm making bottles to be 5oz as that's what the HV told me to do, and to expect him to leave the last oz. But he very rarely does. If I try and take the bottle away before he's finished he fusses and continues to make suckling noises, so I give him the rest of the bottle. He then usually falls asleep while I try and wind him, so sometimes he's not getting the activity time he needs.
This morning he woke at 6.30, had a feed with Daddy (5oz and it took about 15 minutes), then we changed his nappy and he was falling asleep, so I swaddled him and put him back in his moses basket, so awake time was probably about half an hour. He then slept till 10.30. When he woke up I tried to give him his bottle, but I could tell he was filling his nappy. He was then uncomfortable in a dirty nappy and wouldn't take the feed. So I decided to get him dressed then, so I topped and tailed him, changed his nappy and got him dressed for the day. Then he had about 2.5oz of the bottle, but seemed to have wind. So I winded him, this took a little while and then he took the rest of the bottle. He then nodded off while trying to wind him. So I tried to put him down, but he woke up and seemed to still be hungry, he was still trying to suckle. So I tried him with some cooled boiled water instead, but he didn't like that.
Finally I laid him on my chest and patted his back and tried to shush him to calm him down. He then started yawning and I have now managed to get him in his basket. After a couple of pu/pd he's now gone off to sleep at about 12.20. Is what I am doing OK?
So should I now wake him up at 1.30 for his next feed, and if so how much should I let him have. I can't give him 5 oz every 3 hours, that's way too much formula for a 5 week old baby. But then what do I do if he's still hungry? Or should I try a 4 hour EASY routine? TBH this seems to suit Ben more.
Thanks.