Inefficient night feeder: should I try a bottle?

[Alexian28]

DS is hard to keep awake to eat at the best of times. Daytime feeds take about 30 min and are really EAEAEASY with all the things we have to do to keep him up. Because he's basically BF in his sleep at night he doesn't eat a lot, and wakes pretty frequently. Is it worth trying a bottle at the DF time to get him to eat more? He's 3 weeks old.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

At that age I would expect frequent feeds and also short A times so if the feed takes 30 min and then a diaper change and a bit of looking around and it is time for a nap pretty much. How frequently is he up at night?

[Alexian28]

On a good night he's up twice, 11pm and 2am then up for the day at 6 (typical day is 6a-7p). On a bad day, like last night, he's up 4 times. He ate at 9:45p, 11:45p, 2:30a, and 5a and hardly slept between the 2:30 and 5 feeding, just really restless. I'm getting wrist pain having to do breast compressions to get him to eat something at night and not immediately passing back out. I don't want to rile him up like I do in the daytime. I think we're also in the middle of a growth spurt because he wanted to eat all day today.

[Katet]

He's 3 weeks old.

Prime time for a BF baby to have a growth spurt, so you may find you just need to ride it out  & in the next couple of weeks you may find that you are wishing he was back being as sleepy as he was at 3weeks old. The fact he could go a good night with 2 feeds I'd say part of it is a combination of just being still in that sleepy stage & the start of a growth spurt.

[michaeljacknnugg]

Yep, that all sounds pretty reasonable to me! DS2 has just turned 7 weeks and fed at 11, 3am, 5.30 and then 8.30 overnight... I thought that was pretty good tbh.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

During the night feeds is he actively feeding while asleep? My first two kids fed while asleep (so a dream feed worked well) and fell asleep while feeding at the feeds they woke for but DD3 would never rouse for a df but would fully wake on her own two or three times a night and fall asleep feeding (but still take a decent feed whilst dosing).

[Alexian28]

During the night feeds is he actively feeding while asleep? My first two kids fed while asleep (so a dream feed worked well) and fell asleep while feeding at the feeds they woke for but DD3 would never rouse for a df but would fully wake on her own two or three times a night and fall asleep feeding (but still take a decent feed whilst dosing).

I let him wake on his own. Neither he nor big sister took to a real DF, that being said he's eating in his sleep after a couple of minutes and is very lazy about it, hence why it feels as if he's not getting a good feed some nights.

I'll just ride it out for now esp as it may be growth spurt time!