My son is 4 weeks old and is waking up every hour- hour and a half demanding to eat. I have tried everything else (changing, holding, playing, rocking) but the only thing that settles him is a bottle. Each time he eats, he finishes 3-4 ounces. I am worried about over feeding him, but I also don't want to leave him cry when he is hungry.

Also, he is constantly straining and grunting as if in pain or constipated (even in his sleep). He is having regular bowel movements (3-5 small bm's every day). They are a little thicker than mayonnaise in consistency and were mustard colored but are now a greenish. It sometimes looks as though there is some mucus in his stool. I have tried holding his knees to his belly and bicycling his legs; I have also tried Gripe Water; nothing seems to help. I don't know what to do, my baby seems so uncomfortable.

Have you talked about this with his doctor?

If you're really concerned then I would recommend seeing your pediatrician. He/she is most familiar with your babies health and can best advise you what to do.

I always fed my kids on demand (when they were infants). That means that I fed them when they wanted to eat. My son would eat every 3 hours, and my daughter would eat every hour. They were both breast fed. It depends on you. Some women want to get their child on a schedule and refuse to feed them on demand at a certain age. At 4 weeks your baby needs the nutrients. He can't wait 5 or 6 hours like we can. If he's hungry, I say feed him, but again, talk to your pediatrician.

Bottle fed babies usually have a harder time with bowel movements. Formula makes things a lot thicker and harder to pass. What type of formula are you using? Is it one that has extra iron? Iron is important, but too much can cause constipation. Make sure you're using a formula that doesn't have an excess of iron.

Most importantly, talk to your doctor.

Good luck.

How long has he been eating at this interval? He may be going through a growth spurt, which can sometimes cause a baby to want to eat more often.

Three to four ounces at a feed is not unusual. In addition to the changing, rocking, etc. have you tried a pacifier? Some babies just want the comfort from sucking.

It sounds as though his bms are on target for what would be expected. Does he actually cry out or is it more making quite a bit of noise and acting like he is really working at it? For some babies the sensation of having a bowel movement is unsettling, not necessarily uncomfortable, but just something they have to get used to. They can be quite dramatic with their little faces turning red and the grunting! The key is the consistency of the results. Constipation comes into play when the bowel movements are like little pebbles and he is not going as often.

How much does he weigh at this point? How many feeds has he had on average in each 24 hour period for the last few days?

My Pediatrician's office is closed for the weekend and closes early on Fridays (and MY doctor at that office is only there on Tuesdays and Thursdays, other than that there is only nurses and other doctors that don't know anything about my son besides what is in the chart). He has just started eating at this interval for the past day and a half, it started really sudden. Before he would be hungry every 2-3 hours during the day and 4-5 hours at night, and since he started this schedule I'm exhausted, I feel like once he is changed, fed, burped, put to sleep, and then put back in his bed - it's time to start the process over again. I get about 30 minutes of sleep in between if I'm lucky. My husband works 14 hour shifts at night 6 days a week and sleeps most of the day while he is home to get rested for the nest night; and even when he does tend to the baby, our son refuses to fall asleep with him and only gets more cranky after. So I need him to sleep a LITTLE longer for my safety and his. I feel like I'm more of a danger to him being exhausted all day long

Is he breast fed or bottle fed?

Bottle/ formula -- due to breastfeeding issues

He's been eating this way for only about a day and a half. Right now at 4 weeks and 5 days he weighs 10 lbs 4 oz. ( at birth he was 8 lbs 4 oz)

He grunts a lot and is really working at it most of the time, but he has cried out as if in pain a few times.

Sorry I'm answering each of your questions separately (lol) I was just answering as I was reading...

In the past 24 hours he has had about 11-12 feeds of 3-4 ounces each

See how he does over the next few days. Often a growth spurt, which would fit the situation, shifts after a few days.

Any chance you could have a friend or family member give you a break now and then so you could catch up on some sleep? A neighbor or trusted teen to help out a bit? Other than that, rest when he rests. Let the housework go a bit for the next few days and focus on taking care of him and resting yourself. Let your husband get him up, change him, feed him, and so on sometimes, so that you can get a little more rest yourself.

If you feel things are not showing some improvement over the next few days, give the doctor's office a call next week.

Sounds like he's going through a growth spurt. I don't miss those days. Up all night, seems like you're feeding 24/7. This too shall pass, but it's all part of having a baby.

If he's having bowel movements then he's not constipated. Like I mentioned, bottle fed babies have harder stools, so it can be more difficult for them. What type of formula are you giving him? It's been a long time, but when my kids were babies I remember there being formula with extra iron. When my son was weaned from the breast he was too young to start whole milk, so we had to switch to formula. I bought the one with extra iron thinking it would be better for him. The poor baby was really bummed up because of that extra iron. My doctor recommended that I not buy the extra iron formula. So check the iron content on the formula you're buying. It may be that this is the issue, but again, I would speak to your doctor first.

As for sleep, sorry, this is also part of having a baby. My daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was 1 1/2 years old. My son was much easier, slept 8 hours a night at 2 months of age. Each child is different. Since you're bottle feeding your husband can take a few shifts at night. There's no reason that you should be the one getting up all the time. That way you'll at least get a few hours of sleep before the next feeding.

Don't worry, this won't last forever. I promise. :)

Thank you... I was thinking growth spurt, but just wasn't sure. You made me feel better about this. He will be going spend a little while at his grandmother's tomorrow. Again thank you