Starting EASY many questions about BF

[lorepeon]

Hi !!

   I've got a 12wo little boy and am starting out on EASY every 3 hours.

I have some  BF questions

DURING THE DAY
1. He eats every 3 hours and doesn't seem to be hungry before we hit the 3 hr mark
2. He has good suction for about 7 to 9 min and then comes on and off  for the next  10-20 min while seemingly sleeping
Should I move to 3.5 hour to each feed  so he can work up more of an appetite and have a better feed?
If he's just waken from a good nap why does he dose off at every feed?

DURING THE NIGHT
1. I've been doing the DF with a 4 oz of breastmilk in a bottle , he chugs down 3oz no problem, and has a little trouble with the last ounce  but if I let him breath  he drinks it as well.
2. He was 3.450k at birth and now weighs 6kg.
Is 4oz enough or should I put more in the bottle.?
How can I pump more milk for the DF since I am pumping right before I put it in the bottle? He feeds at 7pm and I'm pumping at 9:30pm

3. After the DF  the trouble is he's up again  between 1-2 am seemingly hungry  so I feed and then again between 3-5am  so I feed again (one of these feeds will be 20 min of good suction and spontaneous latch off totally knocked out  but the other will only be  7 -10 min  with good suction also spontaneous latch off / knocked out  by the way it's never the same feed)
Should I try to up the oz in the DF  and try soothing for the first wake up?
 Do you have any soothing advice? I tried a pacifier yesterday  but it only put him off from 1:30 to 2:30  and then he was up again by 4:30.

[*Ali*]

After the initial good feed I would take him off, sit him up and burp him, maybe even change his nappy and then offer the breast again. That should keep him feeding actively.maybe he just hadn't fully woken up yet. There is actually sleep inducing hormone in breast milk so is also why babies doze on the breast often. I'd stick with the 3hr feeds for now as it sounds like he is hungry and he is still quite young for a longer gap between feeds.

Could you pump at another time in the day as well of you need more milk than you can pump in the one session at DF time? Maybe after the morning feed? Maybe add an extra ounce in the bottle and see if he takes it but he may not if he is already struggling with the last ounce. What size/speed teat are you using? Maybe a faster one would help him take it more quickly.

It is not unusual for LOs to have 3 feeds at this age but if you think he isn't really hungry and has had a good feed the first time and he wakes again 2hrs later you could try shh pat. How does he fall asleep for naps and BT? If it is shh pat then that is probably a good way to soothe him. Is he swaddled? Does he have a blankie/lovey?