Every 2 hours

Do you maybe have that he sleeps well through the night after a shower? Then it's best to shower with him in the evening and then he sleeps through for a long time. So no feeding.

My girl, my youngest, also came every 2 hours. She was tired, but I kept going. I breastfed her until she was 7 months old. When she was 4 months old, she started coming later. I didn't give fixed times, just when she showed she wanted it, and yes, that was also every 2 hours. Until she was 4 months old, then finally she started coming later. You might feel like a zombie, I did too, but it's all worth it for the health of your little one. Greetings, Madelene

Hi! My little guy also feeds about every 2 hours on average and he’s 3 months old now. I’ve made peace with it and that helps a lot. I also let him feed from the same breast twice so he gets the fattier, more filling milk, which means he sometimes sleeps a bit longer. At night he does wake up, but it doesn’t bother me much because he’s right next to me, so I just pull him closer and can basically sleep through. I don’t change him then so he can go back to sleep. Because of this, I don’t have broken nights and feel more rested during the day.

Your baby is growing well, and if you think it over carefully, feeding less often than every few hours might be better... You wouldn’t fill your stomach completely every 4 hours either! I have three boys and now I’m managing to keep it up by listening to my child instead of the CB (Child Health Center) and the well-meaning advice from people around me, and as a result, I have a happy, content little boy!!!! I hope my story helps you or maybe others.

My son is 2 months old and feeds every 2 to 3 hours. That adds up to 8 to 10 feeds per day, for example. The health nurse (CB) thought this was too much and advised giving some water to stretch the intervals to 4 hours. I didn’t do that—every child is different, and when he’s hungry, I give him a feed, which is now every 2 to 3 hours. Yes, it’s intense, but I’m happy to do it. He’s growing well. At night, he sleeps next to me, so he can nurse more easily, and then we both fall back asleep. He didn’t sleep in his own crib either—I was up with him all night and ended up getting even less sleep. Now he sleeps next to me, and I find that nice; plus, I finally get some sleep! You don’t have to follow the CB’s boxes and checklists exactly. Once you follow your instincts and ignore the rigid rules, it already feels better....

My baby is 19 weeks, 4 1/2 months old and still feeds every 2 hours. His first long sleep is 4 hours. Then back to every 2 hours. In 2 weeks I have to go back to work and I'm really not looking forward to it. The family doctor says I really need to start spacing out feeds. "It's not normal," said the doctor. So today I'll start then. I think I don't have enough milk and that's why he asks every 2 hours. Very exhausting.

That doesn't necessarily mean your baby isn't getting enough. Some babies initially want to feed very often because they're building up their milk supply.
The baby comes to feed specifically every two hours to get the milk flowing.
That's exactly how it went with all three of my kids.
It's normal.
Even a midwife was worried about it.
But there was no need to worry.
Instinctively, your little one feeds often to help produce milk until your body starts doing it on its own.
For example, the more often a baby feeds in the beginning, the more milk gets produced.
So it's a shame to stop.
It sometimes surprises me how little knowledge doctors or maternity care nurses have about this.
It might be exhausting for you,
but it's something beautiful you're giving your child.
That healthy foundation no one can take away from them.

If you keep feeding your baby every two hours, their tummy doesn't get stretched out.
Your baby will then only drink a little each time and keep asking every two hours. You could try pumping and see how much your little one is actually taking in. I'd suggest trying to stretch the time by 15 minutes each day, maybe by offering a pacifier.

How come people compare pumping to what a baby drinks? That's not the same amount, and measuring it that way is totally unreliable... The idea that you don't have enough milk is almost always untrue, and giving KV isn't necessary. If your baby is content after a feed, has enough wet diapers, and is growing well, then BF is going fine. My son also wakes up every 2 hours at night, and yes, I feel like a zombie too....

Hi..

My son, almost 5 months old, used to sleep through beautifully until we got back from vacation. Now he wakes up at 2 or 3 am but doesn't drink much, and he doesn't have a sucking need either because he hates the pacifier.

But we are really tired from these short nights now. What could be causing this... I'm at my wits' end at the moment.

P.S. He also doesn't want milk... really with difficulty.

My 4-month-old daughter comes for her bottle at 2 am and then again at 5 am, and sleeps well until the next morning at 5 am. I tried giving her another bottle at 11 pm, but she was so deeply asleep that it didn't work.

Our boy wasn't too big or heavy at birth (47.5 cm and 2.850 kg).
The first weeks he fed like normal during the day and every 3 hours at night.
Suddenly this started happening every 2 hours during the day and it's stayed like that (almost 3 months). At night it's been 4 hours sometimes but recently back to 3 hours, and last night it was 2 hours again. This is all very exhausting and in 3 weeks I have to go back to work.
I assume our son just needs milk more often and has occasional growth spurts. The worst part is people's reactions.... During the day you have control yourself, rest to be worth something in the evening or do housework and be too tired in the evening....
Still, I try to hold out as long as possible and e.g. keep nursing as long as I can (even if I have to go back to work soon). He's a super healthy, sweet, quiet baby. I draw strength from that.
Glad to read I'm not the only one ????

Ladies, it’s so nice to read that many older babies still come every two hours, just like mine. Because I find that so comforting, here’s our story too:
Our 16-week-old son wakes every 2 hours during the day for feeding, and has been doing so for almost 11 weeks now. He’s satisfied 90% of the time after a feed, but clusters between 5-8pm for weeks now. Then he falls into a deep sleep, only to be fed again around 2am and 5am.
We’ve tried various things, from supplementing to keeping him more awake around 10pm, but no effect on better night sleep or more time between feeds during the day.
Since I don’t find it very easy to breastfeed, "just popping him on" at night isn’t an option. We really have to sit upright, use a nipple shield, etc., etc. So it also takes some time and attention.
I’m very tired and it’s hardly manageable alongside work. I also regularly become very unsure about my milk supply. But he’s growing well, cheerful and healthy. The health center responded very insensitively and wants more supplementation (after every feed), but that’s the beginning of the end for breastfeeding, because then supply and demand get out of sync. I felt that the health center was too quick and easy to give up on breastfeeding... so I didn’t follow that advice.
Just pushing through for now and hoping for new rhythms in the coming weeks.

Hi Anne, I got the same advice with my son. I didn't listen to it, and now at 9.5 months he's still breastfeeding. I was also surprised by their 'preference' for formula.

The schedules you describe actually seem pretty good to me. So your baby sleeps between 8 pm and 2 am? That's really neat for that age. I still have feeds at 7 pm, 11 pm, 3 am, 7 am, 11 am, and 3 pm. That would be a lot for bottle-fed babies.

A while back, it was every 2 hours for us too. I then started giving him some big bottles of expressed milk for a few days, and then he shifted to a different rhythm with more time between feeds. Then I went back to letting him feed himself, and he stayed in that rhythm.

My experience is that breastfed babies simply have more feeds. I can see how that wears you out at night. Maybe try going to bed earlier yourself to catch up on some sleep.

Good luck!