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Infant feeding

Still cluster feeding at 8 months - have new idea...

12 replies

NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 12:38

DD has always cluster fed in the evenings. At six months we started putting her to bed as too alert to be with us all evening as she basically likes to sleep and no longer found that easy with telly and chat etc. But she still semi wakes every half hour for a top up so I'm in the bedroom half the night. Some days if we're out and about she'll have tiny snacks (probably 15 mins worth of bf all day) then several very long feeds in her sleep throughout the evening. Other days she'll have more reasonably length daytime feeds then shorter feeds in the evening, still generally at half hour intervals. There's obviously also a bit of a sleep/comfort/can't self settle thing going on, but I'm thinking if I can crack the feeding stuff then it'll be easier to address her sleep stuff.

So, this week I'm staying at home much more so there's less excitement to put her off her feeds. And I thought I'd give her some expressed milk in a cup as she is loves drinking this way - proud of new skill etc. I'm hoping this way I can get her to drink more in the day. Does this sound reasonable and is there any reason why it's a bad idea to supplement her bfeeds with ebm in a cup?

(Sorry to those who've heard this story before - I've started a couple of other threads in the last month or so as the need to have an evening has grown stronger and am in the process of trying various suggestions on the sleep stuff...)

TIA

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NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 14:07

.

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fishie · 18/02/2008 14:10

can you get dh to put her to bed / resettle her? no chance of milk there.

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Piffle · 18/02/2008 14:12

I had to feed ds2 in his darkened bedroom in daytime in order to get him decent feeds. This immediately helped at night.

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PrettyCandles · 18/02/2008 14:13

The diestractable age is a real pain. I ended up trying to time outings to fit them around feeds, sometimes, like you, even staying home in order to get some good feeds in. Personally (and I'm not a BFC) I don't think it's a good idea to replace bfs with cup feeds. Not if you want to keep going with the bfing. Give her water in a cup, say, but keep the bfs going.

I wonder whether the tanking-up is sleep, rather than feed issue. Does she sleep for long periods during the night, say between your bedtime and your getting-up time, or does she feed several times then as well? What sort of naps does she have during the day? And do you separate bfs and meals?

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NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 14:23

thanks yes we're going to try that but i just want to be sure she really has had enough milk in the day which is why idea to give her extra in a cup (she has no feeding routine at mo just fed on demand as and when)

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NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 14:27

Thanks Piffle and PrettyCandles. Her naps are pretty regular in day (half an hour morn and lunch then between an hour and two hours in the late afternoon.) She sleeps better if on me or next to me so usually only one or two feeds from 12 till morning. In the late afternoon nap she semi-wakes after half an hour and is only re-settled by bf. If we have a lie down together she seems to sleep longer. I always bf her before solids. Part of my stay at home thing is to try and establish a clearer bf routine.

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NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 14:28

She's also on fourth tooth in as many weeks so that's not helping...

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PrettyCandles · 18/02/2008 15:05

Teething never helps!

I think that the feeding-to-sleep is causing the problem. She soesn't know how to resettle herself when she comes into light sleep. I think you need yto start teaching her a new strategy for falling sleep - separeate feeding from sleeping.

Personally I have found with all of my dc that their evenings worked better if they had their long nap fairly early in the afternoon - awake by 3.30 at the latest, so going down for the nap about 12ish-1ish.

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NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 15:20

Yes, think you're right. We're trying the No-Cry Sleep Solution but it's a very slow process. And agree about naps - another reason why I'm lying low with her this week is to work on that. But she seems inclined to stick to pattern...

bit stuck but we'll persevere...

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NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 15:37

ps just on the cups of milk - i wasn't thinking of replacing bfs but trying to get her to take extra in day so less in the eve...

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PrettyCandles · 18/02/2008 21:01

I don't think the evening feeds are about hunger, but about comfort. As it happens they're also placid feeds, so she takes a lot at this time. (Can you tell I've been living this myself recently? ) Definitely a good idea to try removing distraction - whether by staying in or otherwise - so that she may feed better earlier in the day. Have you tried feeding lying down even when you're not trying to nap her? Lying down is my favourite feeding position. So much easier than trying to support a wriggler.

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NoviceKnitter · 18/02/2008 21:40

Thanks PC - all makes sense. onwards...

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