What to do for waking middle of night

[rileyandreegan]

Hi - I am brand new to the BW and have just purchased the book but have not had a chance to really read the book yet.  My 4 yr old and 10 week old keep me busy.  My question is about my 10 week old son.  He is bottle-fed and eats around 2-3 oz of formula every 2-3 hours during the day.  I try and load him up on feedings from 5 pm until bedtime between 8-9 pm.  He does get cereal in his formula during early evening and during the night.  I do a dreamfeed around 10-11 pm and he will usually sleep until between 2-3 am when going down around 9 pm.  Once he gets the 2-3 am feeding (only 2-3 oz usually) he will sleep until around 5 am and then get up every 1/2 hr to hour until around 7 am.  Sometimes he is up for the morning until nap or will sleep for a little while longer.  When he gets up I try not to pick up but give him his pacifier and he calms down.  Could it just be gas? He is very gassy (even during the day) and will go to sleep after early morning feeding without burping even after 5-10 minutes.  As I said, I am brand new to BW and would appreciate any suggestions that you may have.

[teezee]

it could very well be gas due to the cereal you are putting in his formula.  lo's that age have an immature digestive system and can't necessarily digest the cereal as an older baby could. not to mention, it isn't recommended to do this (many people had told me i should to) as it can be a hazard for choking. how many times did he wake before you started the cereal in his bottles? i would definately feed every three hrs as opposed to every two hrs.  what does your daily routine look like?  i think if u got him on a regular 3 hr routine it would help a lot.  it is definately normal for babies that age to wake up once to a few times a night for a feeding. btw - at around three months he will be going through a growth spurt and will need all the extra formula calories he can get!!!  maybe look up routines, or EASY in the bw book (i am assuming it is the new one?).

[rileyandreegan]

I have just started this week keeping track of his schedule.  My pediatrician said cereal was fine - he was 7lb, 2oz at birth and at the 2 month checkup was 12lbs, 13oz and had grown two inches.  I am adding a tsp of cereal for each ounce of formula when I put into his bottles.  I do have the new book and will try and take a look at the EASY section.  I have been trying to get him to go 3 hours between feeds but he eats very little 2-3 oz when he does eat.  I am going to try and not feed him cereal in the bottles tonight since the last few nights he has been up a ton between 5-7 am.  I will keep you posted.

[teezee]

i personally would stop the cereal for a week and let it all get out of his system and see how things are. when did he start having this problem - does it coincide with the cereal at all??

definately a 3 hr routine will help tremendously too!  lo will be able to take more at feedings as he will be hungrier when feeding time comes around. stretch it out slowly though, he is not used to waiting that long (15 min or so at a time if he can handle it w/o being uncomfortable go a little longer!) and before you know it things should improve a lot!

[The Vern]

I have to concur that cereal probably is not the best at this early stage.  My lo is 9 weeks.  She takes 3-5 oz formula 7 times per day.  Here in Canada they don't recommend starting cereal until six months due to immature digestive system. While it is true that past generations used to do cereal from day one, this is no longer recommended. It could be that your dr is of that day and belief system - drs are not always right and on the ball!!! Do your research from different sources and then make up your mind. Good luck.

[RosieMum]

It might be better  to opt for a 'heavier' formula rather than adding cereal. I don't know what's on offer to you, but in the UK some brands of formula do a 'hungry baby' alternative such as Cow and Gate and SMA.
I would definately try to eek out the feeds to every 3 hours. Rather than going the whole hour, try stretching it by a few extra minutes each day. He may then be hungrier at each feed. babies under 6 months (who haven't been weaned) do sometimes need extra nutrition in the night depending on how fast they're growing etc. But if your LO is on a good routine during the day, he should feed less in the night/early morning. EASY is best and my 10 month old has set her own EASY routine since she was about 6 weeks Good luck