3 Week Old Eating 4 to 5 Oz Every 2 Hours!!

Sounds like you're doing formula? If you are, alternate sleep nights. One parent on all night -- preferably sleeping in baby's room (so the other has total quiet) -- and the other off. You'll feel so much better getting a full night of sleep every other night! It really, really helps.

Our kids were also big babies and consumed massive amounts of formula. We joked that our oldest was a Similac addict! Always hungry. Good news is that it won't always be this way; just in the beginning.

Hang in there!

Too young for a schedule. Are you nursing? Get a co-sleeper if you don't want the baby to sleep in the same bed, but don't want to be waking up all the way to feed. It may even be helpful if you're not nursing cause you don't have to wake up all the way and walk to a crib, etc. Sorry, babies don't do what's convenient to our schedules. Just a fact of life :)

Growth-spurt.

Keep in mind, that with babies, they also do what is called "Cluster Feeding" and it means that THEY will need to feed even every.single.hour.
Which is normal.

ALWAYS feed on demand. 24/7, day AND night.
Intake has to keep up with them and their development/growth.

Yes, feedings are all day.
It takes time.
But it is necessary.
ALWAYS feed on-demand, thusly.
This is normal.

Sleep, once you have a baby, is nil.
Normal.

It is NOT good, to 'schedule' feedings. Because this does not adequately nourish a baby.... and does NOT take into consideration, their growth-spurts or varying appetites. Thus, you do need, to feed on-demand.

My kids as babies, had GINORMOUS appetites. I breastfed. It was arduous... but that is how it is, with babies. I fed on-demand and per our Pediatrician. They grew like weeds and were very healthy.

Your baby, is having a Growth-Spurt.
In babies, Growth-Spurts occur every 3 weeks. Then at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and every 3 months.
At growth-spurts, their appetites increases, the feeding frequency increases, and they need to intake more. It is normal. They are growing. Intake has to keep up with them. Not according to a 'schedule.'

Everyday, appetites fluctuates. You cannot predict that, nor with a 'schedule.'

Well I hate to say it but there seems to be a lot of moms on here that are upset about having a baby waking and eating during the night when they are about to return to work. But your baby can't be taught to sleep through the night just cause you want more sleep. At this age they have to eat at night and if he is waking and eating he is hungry. You have to feed him. A 3 week old or even a 6 week old isn't really going to be on a schedule. They are too young, going through too many growth spurts and changes. They need to be fed on demand and yes it is totally normal for a 3 week old to wake every 2 hours at night to eat. The up side to this is because they change so much in first few months of life you might find in another week or 2 that he is sleeping a little longer. Like maybe 3 to 4 hours straight. Some babies are good sleepers from day one and some are not. My 2nd daughter woke every 2 to 3 hours every night but I did notice when she was little like this that if I put her to sleep in her swing she would do a long stretch at first. Like she would eat at 7:00 be asleep around 7:30 and wouldn't wake again until around 11 or 12 at night. After that she was up every 2 hours for the rest of the night but it was nice to get a break during the evening. So you could try a swing or vibrating bouncy chair.

Yes this is normal and no one tells you that beforehand:) That little stomach and high-fire metabolism is needed to grow around 1" each 2 weeks:)

He's feed-on-demand until 4-6 months -- mine was every other hour for 12 weeks, then every 3rd hour until ~18 weeks, then every 3-4 hours until ~25 weeks, then every 4-6 hours until ~48 weeks...

If your nursing, consider co-sleeping awhile (it was a lifesaver for me) -- other spurts will come every 3-4 weeks until 20 weeks, then around every 5-6 weeks until 1-yr if your son's anything like mine was. If you're bottle-feeding, maybe you and your husband can take shifts versus alternate-times: you could take 3-4 hour windows, that would give you each a REM or two a night with napping inbetween. Either way, perhaps keeping baby with adult in one room and other adult sleeps in another room for better sleep until feedings settle into better routine in a few weeks.

I was a total zombie the first 12 weeks (co-sleeping was great -- just bare and snore for 2 hours then roll and repeat:) ) and then I was pumping at work and nursing before/after, then it tapered off as above.

Look ahead because this time seems to creep and then it will be flown away. Someone told my husband, "You'll spend the first 18 months asking them to walk and talk and the next 18 years telling them to sit down and shut up:)" GOOD LUCK AND MUCH LIGHT!

Try 5 oz and see if he can go longer. You are preparing the formula correctly? If it is too watery of course it wont' be as filling. Sounds like your three week old is healthy. My kids were big eaters too. I like the suggestion below one night on or one night off. Another way is that my DH and I would split the shift. I'd go to bed at 9 and be on duty starting at 2. He'd go to bed at two and be up at 8 so at least we'd each have 6 hours of sleep.

This is so tough--but it is normal! Sorry.

Hi J.,
I have a 12 week old and she did the same thing in the beginning. It is getting better now, especially at night. Sometimes I wonder if she wants to eat so frequently because she is looking to soothe herself. I think I have bought 20 different pacifiers! I did find the nuk ones that worked...the ones with the tan nipples, not clear. It is so hard because they take so long to drink so you do feel like all you do is feed the baby and head bob all night. Although, they say that babies know when they are full so signs for overfeeding are throwing up and bringing their legs up to their tummies in discomfort. Sound like your little guy is pretty hungry if he is taking that much formula at a time though. Good luck! I just went back to work and I have to say it is nice to chat with adults!!

I supposedly came out of the hospital sucking down 8 oz bottles of formula from what my mom/dad say. I was 15 days late from my mom's due date. This was 33 years ago and the OB & Ped told my mom before she left the hospital to get some cereal that they would need in about a month. I was just hungry :) I was around 9 lbs to start as well. Nowadays they say not to start cereal till 6 mos (which I totally abide by) -- will your baby take MORE than 5 oz in a sitting? Most formula babies eat on a schedule more like 3-5 hours at a stretch....2 seems WAY TOO close together for formula feedings! It is supposed to digest slower than breastmilk.

My breastfed babies nursed every 2 hours around the clock so I understand the zombie status -- it is tough!