4,5 months old feeding every two hours

[Kasianie]

When my LO was born he could go 2-2,5 hours between feeds, then 2,5-3 hours. When he was 3 he was on 3hours EASY and everything was predictible.
He is ebf but since yesterday I'm trying to give him bottle with ebm - I'm going back to work in six weeks. I'm giving it before almost every feed.

And now he seems hungry every two hours but of course he eats like half of what he should (not a little bit, just to suck. no. he eats about the half. and then he gets bored and wants to do other things.) I'm feeding him almost always in the same place, quiet, dark.
I'm sure he could go at least 3,5 hours between feeds.
His A is more then two hours and we are fighting 40min naps (I have another topic on EASY board).

And there are NF and I think it's affecting day feeds. He is waking every 2,5 hours and wants to eat. I had problems with falling asleep so I had no energy to fight it, but I'm working on those problems so hopefuly I'll be albe to do something in couple of days.
So he is eating a lot at night so he is not hungry at the morning so he eats not as much as he should, but then he is hungry after two hours again... But not so hungry to eat whole meal.

I know more or less what is wrong but have no idea where to start.

[Kasianie]

up..?
Yesterday he spaced his feeds and today again every two hours...
Since I'm on 4-hour EASY (or at least I'm trying to) I tried to top him up one hour after feed. At the begining it was succes but now he refuses.

[*Ali*]

Sorry we missed your original post.

Is he having both sides at each feed? What about doing something like burping followed by a nappy change after the first side to give him time for the first side to go down before offering the second?

Some babies do just like to eat little and often and they get very distracted around this age so it could just be a case of waiting it out until he is bigger and having solids after 6mo which will help stretch feeding intervals.

[Kasianie]

He is feeding only on one side, after four minutes he starts to fuss and then scream... He stops when I stop trying to nurse him. When he is very very hungry he eats six minutes.
But it's not the time that I'm worried about. He was always very quick. As a newborn he was feeding for eight minutes.
It's just that he used to eat every three hours and now he is eating every two, but I can feel that my breasts are not empty. He could eat more, he could eat from both breasts, he just doesn't want to.
And it's that he really is hungry after those two hours. I think that he is eating as long as feel hunger and then he immidietly stops cause it's boring. So it's not enought for longer streches.

Next two weeks we are very slowly starting solids. And I'm teaching him to drink from the bottle (I'm offering a bottle ebm before every day feed - winouth succes but we still have more than month).

I'll try feeding with nappy change in the middle :-)
We are still trying to figure out A time but it's  another topic...
So you say that maybe there is nothing I can do and just wait?

[*Ali*]

I think the only thing you can do it try to get him to eat as much as he can at each feed but then if he is still getting hungry again after 2hrs you can only feed him again. Have you tried breast compressions to get as much fat into the milk as possible?

I'm guessing he is awake those two hours between feeds so the longer stretches could have been  because he was sleeping between feeds more and now with the longer A times he is burning more energy.

Many EBF babies don't stretch out their feeds until closer to 6mo. It won't last forever.

[Kasianie]

I'm using breast compression at night, I guess there is no harm to use it during the day either. Thanks :-) I'll try and just wait - I know it won't last forever :-)