I have a 3 week old ( 25 days to be exact) born at 8lbs. He is eating almost 4 oz every 3-3.5 hours. He acts like he is starving, were not forcing him to eat. He is NOT spitting up much at all, I would say a normal amount. We go through 7-10 diapers a day. Our first son would eat the same amount, but every 4-5 hours. Were thinking about adding just a touch or rice cereal to the milk. I am breast feeding and pumping. Does anyone have any suggestions on helping him stay full a touch longer? I’m starting to have a hard time keeping up with production and we really dont want to bring in formula. What would you recomend?
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Sounds like he is cluster feeding. Dont add rice not only is he too young, but it will make your supply disappear. Plus he will be filling up on crap and not getting whatbhe really needs
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breastfed babies feed about every 2 hours… im on my 4th and if yours is making it 3 - 3.5 hours, that’s great & you’re lucky! 
im drained.
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Cluster feeding / growth spurt
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Formula is better than rice in the milk 
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Don’t add rice or cereal. This is completely natural. Your milk supply doesn’t just automatically increase on its own. It increases according to how much and how frequently the baby nurses. If you are concerned about your supply, contact your OB. There are meds which can help with milk production.
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No please no… They are way to young for that!!! If need be top up each feeding with 10/20 ml of formula.
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Breastfeeding at that age should be every 2 hours…you should be happy he is every 3 to 4… you should be feeding any time he is hungry. It should help your supply increase
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He sounds like he’s feeding normally? He’s just a hungry bubs! 
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Don’t give him rice, it would be far better to give him hungry baby formula then rice he’s too young
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Cluster feeding. My first was more stretched out/on a schedule, my second I didnt know about cluster feeding and didnt think I was making enough so I switched to formula at 3 months, my third I fed on demand and he nursed all the time and I learned about cluster feeding! Keep it up momma! Your doing great!
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I had to add rice to my daughters bottle when she was 6 weeks. She was 9 pounds when she was born and she’d eat 8ozs at once every 2-3 hours. (She never spit up). Id wait a little longer and see how your baby does with some time
Breastfed babies are supposed to eat about every 2 hours .
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Try increasing your calorie intake. Keep In mind you need enough for you and baby. Hope this helps.
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I had a 9lb 6oz 23.75" son at birth… he is my second. I couldnt produce with either of mine so formula it was. Anyway from day 1 he acted like 2oz wasnt enough so i let him have more even though they said no… 3 to 4 oz about every 3 hours kept him satisfied at first by week 2 he was on 6 to 8 oz every 3 to 4 hours. There was nothing wrong he was just a hungry baby. So i fed him hes a healthy happy 14 yr old now who is getting close to 6 foot tall and still eats me out of house and home 
recommendations are based off of the average baby… not all babies are the same. His older sister was a finicky eatter… shes 17 and just as happy and healthy.
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Oh no! Just please no thats too early
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My son is 16 weeks and still eats every 2-3 hours.
This is motherhood…no sleep. No point in adding rice until 5/6 months. The baby is hungry that frequently for a reason and stunting hunger isn’t good at all for a baby that tiny.
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Every two hours is what you are supposed to do. I really don’t want to hear you complaining about it either cause I had twin boys that ate every two hours and I survived. The baby is hungry cause you are trying to change his eating to fit your schedule and you should be doing it according to the babies and what the drs tell you that age is supposed to eat time wise and size.
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The Dr. Started my daughter at 3 wks on 99% boiled water and 1% rice cereal. I too nursed and my milk was rich and plentiful, she was just hugary. As she got older I added more rice cereal. She weighed 7’9 at birth.(1964)
But my main suggestion is check always first with your doctor or nurse before doing anything as they know whats best for you and your baby.
How long are you pumping for?
I hav 4 children…35 30 29 26…rice an cereal was acceptable from a few wks then and none of mine had/hav any digestive issues…do what is ok for u & your baby…hope this helps…x
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Rice cereal has no real nutritional value. He needs the fats and milk from you for nutrition and development. I’d up your own calorie uptake a little. If he’s hungry, he’s growing. Your supply will go up and you’ll produce more if you stick with it. Also, make sure he’s totally emptying your breads before you switch sides and massage your breast while he is feeding. The fatties part tends to be near the end of the feeding, he will need to work harder to get that part but he needs that to fill him up better. Good luck, you’re doing awesome
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Too young for cereal…just feed him when he wants as long as hes tolerating it well…and its not the colic…bc with the colic they will want to eat even when they’re not hungry…
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WAY too young for cereal his gut isn’t ready
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Join La Leche League on Facebook. They can help
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It’s way to early for any type of cereal !! You can give him some serious issues !! Not to mention him choking !!! You might need to do some research but I gave my son some real live issues with acid reflux and other things feeding him cereal this early !! He still has issues to this day and he is now 18 almost 19 
I would just sit down and breastfeed when he wants to be feed and drink more water, I was told the more Bub feeds the more milk u make. I did that for all 4 of my kids and feed them until they were 2- 3 yrs old ea.
My son was eating 4oz every 2 hours. He was vorn 8lb 7 oz. I changed him every 2 hours. Maybe try feed another oz or feed more times
My son is 25 days old too and he eats just about that much! However I unfortunately cannot breastfeed much so I dont know if that makes a difference
He’s way to small to add anything to his diet besides your beast milk. Sounds like he maybe starting to cluster feed which I’m sorry momma it means he gunna eat all the time.
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I say talk to your doctor and don’t ask for advice here. Some women want to help and try to give advice. Others want to bash and run their mouth.
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I had to do this with my son. It definitely helped! He was 3 weeks old as well.
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Your a fuckwit.
You dont deserve kid have fun with all the digestive issues your going to have honestly how are people so dumb aloud to pro create.
My daughter was the same way her doctor told us to add rice cereal to her bottles but it wasn’t a big amount, I can’t remember how much she told us to use so I’d ask you doctor but it worked wonders.
Do not add solids this early!
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Trying putting more oatmeal and yellow and orange vegetables in your own diet it will help baby feel.more satisfied.
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All you have to do is feed your baby. No need for cereal.
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Like some of the other people said your baby is cluster feeding and when he does they pretty much stay on the breast.
Just feed him whenever he is hungry. That’s a pretty normal interval time between feeds my son was the same and sometimes had to be fed every 2 hours. Cluster feeding and growth spurts etc etc. It was exhausting, but worth it. The more your baby drinks the more milk your breasts will produce. Just make sure you are eating and drinking well. Also make sure you drain your breast properly. He needs the hind milk to fill him up properly and gain weight. Breast feeding is on demand. Your doing a great job mama keep it up
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25 days old is way to young. Instead of buying formula buy something to help your supply.
My baby was born at 8lbs he did samething our dr said no more then 32oz in a 24 hour period.hes too little to put cereal and was told dont put it in bottle to spoon feed him it. Hes 4 months and just starting cereal and baby food. Also, don’t give water until 6 months but we were told can have pedialyte at that age.
you can not give a 3 week old food!!! your baby will feed as often as they need to, which is a lot in the early days especually if you are breastfeeding
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Always ask your baby’s pediatrician. 
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Anecdotally, my mom gave me pablum when I was like 2 months I believe, and I was adopted so always formula fed. If you look at pictures of me and pictures of my babies it looks completely different. When I had my first in England, they said don’t feed her solids until she’s 6 months old, she can eat solids before then but she shouldn’t be subsisting on solids, just trying new things out up until 6 months. So she mostly had breast milk until 6 months and I switched to formula around then because she was biting. But to see me at 4 months and my babies at 4 months, I was Michelin baby and my kids looked much healthier. I’m not going into the formula vs breast milk thing because I think as long as your baby is eating enough it’s good. But my mom introduced solid food to me far too early and I was being overfed on top.
So the main takeaway from my little story was that in my experience, supplimenting with cereal isn’t good for their little bodies, they just need milk but it can be taxing.
Absolutely add a spoon of rice cereal it only thickens the milk so they stay full for longer some babies just need more nothing wrong with that 
Everything I’ve read says no cereal (or anything else besides milk) before 4-6 mths old. I’d ask your doctor &/or do some research before you try it that young. My kids were about a year before they slept more than 6 hrs straight. Both spent time in the NICU, I’m a single mom, went back to work &/or school when my kids were still under a year(they’re 5.5 years apart) So trust me…I get you on the hard time thing! If mom-ing was easy, dads could do it 
I breastfed my oldest for 13 mths & my younger one the same, but she breastfed just at nt an extra 2 months. My youngest would sometimes eat for 10-15 min & cry to eat again 30-45 min later. Then we found out she had a milk allergy so I had to switch to lactaid milk & watch how much cheeses & other dairy products I had. I ended up supplementing in 1-2 formula bottles once she got around 4-6 months. Then when she started eating baby food we found out she was allergic to apples & pears(which is in a surprising amt of baby food). You have a long, hard road ahead…just keep it up, it gets easier/smoother!
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Right now you should feed on demand. Your baby may be experiencing growth spurts. Dont add cereal, his/her gut is not ready for that yet.
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I tried a dummy on my daughter when she had been fed winded but still seemed hungry. It’s worked she was born at 9lbs something. She’s number 4 and only 1 of my kids that needed it 
Try upping his milk intake. Instead of three to four ounces try him on 5-6 ounces of milk per feeding.
Please talk to your pediatrician before doing that. The baby should have an appointment in a week or so for the 1 month check up
My baby is 25 days (6lbs 2 oz @ birth now pushing over 8lbs!!) as well and I let her eat until she’s full. Once I know she’s gotten enough I switch her to the pacifier because I know she just as wants something to chew on. I wouldn’t suggest cereal in the milk but I would talk to a lactation expert about ways to enrich your supply.
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whats wrong with formula? half the world is fed on formula. it will full him for longer and be a better substitute then rice cereal
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Please seek advice from both your lactation consultant and your pediatrician
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I agree some babies are just hungrier than others. Trust your instincts. Mum’s know best. Much love xx
Definitely don’t do that. Babies cluster feed and eat a lot at this age. They’re growing very rapidly. Just continue to feed him as he’s hungry. If you’d like to add something, consider doing a bottle of formula in the evenings or something. But absolutely no cereal in milk, it is not suggested at all due to the risk of choking.
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No you don’t add anything. You just feed your baby breastmilk
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3 weeks is the week from hell.
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Ask of my kids ate every 2 hours while breastfeeding. Your a lucky one! Haha. The more you feed him the more you will produce!
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Long story short. . Ex mil gave my oldest something that wasn’t breast milk (I pumped and nursed to get my supply up and to have extra for bottles in case the chance to go out with my ex happened… and it did) or formula. .
We ended up with an icu stay for a month. .
Lots of stomach issues. . TO THIS DAY! (He’s 13 now) and TONS of lectures. From Drs, pedi, dieticians, everyone. .
No food until at least 6 months. . Even then “before 1 is just for fun” bm or formula is #1… no milk until at least 12 months. .
And when introducing foods, it’s best to use 1 food a week, to test for allergies. .
Yeah. . I was viewed as THAT mom. .
But I’d talk to lactation specialist or LLL… and pedi first and foremost. .
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The more milk he drinks the more milk you make. He’ll adjust.
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My daughter ate every 1 and and a half to every 2 hours for the first 2 months and she still eats a lot. She s 17.1lbs at 6 months. I have read and been told not to put anything in the milk until around 4 months because they are able to breath and swallow at the same time at a very young age and they might get some of the rice grain in there lungs and cause problems with there lungs later on as they start to grow. Please ask your doctor before doing it. I know it can be a pain in the butt but I would feed everytime she was hungry. If she would take the boob she could have it lol
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Please don’t give cereal that young unless your pediatrician recommends it. At that age the soft palate is not fully developed and puts the baby at higher risk of aspiration. Breastmilk and formula are the only things that should be given to a newborn(again… unless your pediatrician tells you to do something else)
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I’d recommend a lactation consultant. Not a mom group.
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firstly- great job on feedings and how well he is doing! i’d try to increase your milk supply/feed more frequently actually instead of messing with what’s going in HIS body for convenience. usually you’d add rice formula if he can’t keep the breastmilk down or if he wasn’t gaining enough weight… so i personally would not alter what’s going in his body “just because”… for increased milk production you could pump in between feedings, power pump or use a supplement like malunggay/moringa or fenugreek. and even though you mentioned not being interested in formula, that would keep him full longer. it would be more common to add formula and breastmilk than breastmilk and rice cereal (for no reason other than feeding times). good luck to you and try to drink/eat to keep that supply up- you’re doing great at 25 weeks, i was still trying to find my bed and the bathroom in my new mama fog- let alone improving things that are going good!
Our daughter was the same way. Doctor had us use cereal to thicken her formula. She was a month old. By 4 months we had her on fruit. She is a happy, healthy, smart 9 y/o today. I know everyone has their own opinion but you’re the mama do what you think is best for your baby. Every baby is different and people will ALWAYS criticize. Congratulations on your new baby!
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Just give hime more formula.
Do not add rice cereal! It’s normal for your newborn to eat that often. You’ll most likely start to produce more milk and if you don’t alternate between formula.
You can not give cereal to babies this young.
Found a couple articles to share.
Breast milk babies usually eat every 2 hours thats why he’s acting like he’s starving because he is hungry!
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No cereal. They are 2 different children. They will have different caloric needs. Even my twins ate different amounts at different times.
It would be way healthier to give yiur baby formula than rice cereal.
Also, all 6 of my kids nursed every 2 hours when they were 3 weeks old.
The more you nurse, the more you produce. And I nursed twins without formula, it can be done. Your body will most times produce enough. Supply and demand.
My son was the same way I used rice cereal I lived with aunt for a bit she is an adula a d works with pregnant women and work with them after they have the baby and she recommended it for him so did our family doctor cause u would swear he didnt eat in months and I didnt make more milk to keep up with him I actually stoped making milk after he was 2 months
You don’t want to use formula so you’re talking about using rice cereal on a 3 week old instead… 
seriously? Smh. Let your baby eat when he’s hungry…
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The only way to increase your supply is to remove the milk. If you’re exclusively pumping you should be pumping every 2-3hrs and baby should be having a bottle every 2-3 hrs as well.
Don’t add rice or anything to bottles as that’s outdated info and a choking hazard.
Make an appt with a lactation specialist.
Remember it only takes about 90min for breastmilk to be digested so they eat smaller amounts more frequently than formula fed babies.
Check out the group milky momma’s breastfeeding support on here for lots of great advice.
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It’s a little to early to introduce “foods” like rice cereal. Early introduction is foods may lead to some serious health issues in adults such as irritable bowl syndrome or crohns disease. It seems like you have a healthy, happy baby so just keep breastfeeding on demand. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re doing a good job.
They do whats called cluster feeding for the 1st month or so. Its to get your body to produce more milk. Its rough but if u can stick through it its worth it
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Get breast milk donated to you if you absolutely don’t want to supplement with formula (although there’s really nothing wrong with supplementing formula).
Also, 3 weeks is waaayyy to young for any type of heavy foods and that’s something you should talk to his pediatrician about. Also, he’s probably cluster feeding which is what babes do when they’re about to sleep for longer periods. Drink tons of water to help boost your supply
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Give him more breastmilk or formula. No rice cereal yet or in a bottle ever.
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Hold out a little while longer, baby’s stomach is still pretty tiny
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No that’s normal. He’s way too young to add anything. At that age, eating every hour or two is even normal. They have very tiny tummies and a small amount of milk doesn’t last that long. Adding anything at this point will be adding empty calories and robbing him of nutrition.
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Start introducing him to formula like half B milk and formula.
Newborn babies are supposed to eat that often.
I really wish women and men would be required to take a parenting class as soon as they found out that theyre pregnant.
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No cereal he’s just a baby . He can choke… just give him more milk & feed him more often…
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Feed him every 2-3 hrs around the clock… baby should be your alarm if not set one!
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Rice cereal is just fine! Did the same thing w my baby girl at 3 weeks, now 4 yrs, just start off easy to see how his stomach will handle it! Rice cereal is like a powder, very light, and u only need about 1/2 teaspoon if that w the 3-4 ounces of milk. During the day, thats normal, i only did the rice at night time feedings.
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Don’t do the cereal. Just feed the baby every time he’s hungry! They need to eat every 2 to 4 hours!! ITS NORMAL. That’s what babies do!
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Might want to check if ur newborn has a delayed swallow.
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Feed when he wants to be fed! & If you can’t keep up you’ll have to supplement somehow! My son is two months and some days he will go 2-3/3-4 hours between feeds and drink 6-7oz at a time but some days he is eating every 1-2 hours and will have 3-5oz at a time. It’s up to the baby! If he’s hungry, feed him. Cereal at 3 WEEKS is a little extreme and the fact that you’d choose that over formula is a bit concerning. Formula has nutrients that babies need. Cereal is just a filler.
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cereal at 3 weeks? no way. feed the baby. he will stop when he’s done. i had same concerns with mine, doc said he could stand to eat even more! just feed your LO and leave it at that 
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Feed her on cue. My 8 month old is breastfed and he still wants to eat every 3 hours. Cereal has no nutritional value and can choke her at such a young age. Newborns also go through cluster feeding stages. It will pass, you just need to be patient.
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I am a lactation educator and Counselor
Please do not add rice cereal or ANYTHING to you babies breastmilk or formula.
If they baby does not seem satisfied it is possible they are not transfering as efficiently as your other baby and if you are concerned seek out an IBCLC. They will have an appointment with you that generally lasts 90 mins to 2.5hours and helo discover if there is an issue.
It is also possibly that your baby is different, being that they are an entirely different person ad uour first child. That is normal and completely okay.
At this time in your baby’s life they are generally cluster feeding as they experience growth spurts at 3 weeks.
Again do not add anything to their milk. It increses their risk of SIDS, GI issues like reflux, GERD, allergies and colic as well as poses serious choking issues. Even if a pediatrican reccomeneded it please know it is OUTDATED information by about a decade and unfortunately pediatricians are AMAZING but do not get any lactation education unless they seek it out and shoukd be doing so every two years as reccomendations change and improve regularly.
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No he is way too young.
hes eating normally. I don’t see what the issue is ? My first by 3 months was drinking 8 ounce bottles . Every baby eats differently and if they eat too much they will spit it up. 25 days old and thinking about cereal is a little dangerous. They can’t eat yet. Might be harder on you feeding so.much but he’s cluster feeding and will out grow it. If you’re not producing enough then supplement with formula. Hang tight. Baby is doing fine
My Mom had to quit breast feeding me. Guess her milk didn’t satisfy me and I was a small baby. I never tried to much stress within my marriage. I think Jennifer has a good point. Mix maybe? You can still pump and breast feed, but you will be able to know how much he is drinking? I wouldn’t add anything to milk until older. I made that mistake, and hard on the tummy!
Make sure you are eating and drinking enough. The more he nurses the more milk you will produce. I didn’t give rice or oatmeal until 6 months. Breast feeding is hard work momma. Keep up the good work!!
This sounds really normal to me! My kids all ate every 2.5-3 hours with maybe one 4 hour stretch after about 6 weeks! No cereal!
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If she’s hungry feed her. At that age my daughter was eating 4oz every 2 hours. Some babies eat more than others
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No to cereal. Call doctor to ask.
Cluster feeding growth spurt my baby is 3wks old and I’m constantly feeding her it’s worse at nighttime 
she has boob Allday and formula at night
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