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Behaviour/development

Any advice on routine for 6wk old breast fed - mainly stretching out feeds?

6 replies

sallysally · 21/06/2007 17:33

Hi all,
6wk old baby girl, breast feeding quite well although a little lazy. She seems to average about 3hrs between feeds, and sleeps well post feeding at night.

would like to stretch her to 4hrs if possible during the night, the day is fine.

For example last night fed at 10.30 - 1.15 - 3 - 5.15 - not really hitting the 3hr mark hich is exhausting.

Also I express a bottle 4 one of the night feeds and she only takes about 50mls then starts gagging. Is this enough? Should she be taking more? I know a formula fed baby wld have about 90mls, 50mls seems a little to little.

She is just over 4 kilos.


Any examples of your routines and ideas for helping her stretch out night feeds?

thanks

OP posts:
EffiePerine · 21/06/2007 17:38

She is due a growth spurt at about 6 weeks, so I wouldn't try and stretch out feeds at the moment. Tbh feeding every 3 hrs at 6 weeks sounds pretty good

I didn't try ebm at that age, so can't advise on the bottle, but sounds fine.

The good thing with bfing is that she will regulate her ownm feeds - if she ian't getting enough she will feed more often

mankyscotslass · 21/06/2007 17:44

She sounds pretty normal to me, infact great! Ds was a frequent and long feeder still at this age, most he went was 2 hours day or night. Like pp said there is a growth spurt at around this time so I would not try to stetch feeds. It will happen in its own time, honestly! When I was desperate I did use to take him out for a walk or get someone to take him for an hour straight after a feed, just for the break. I never bothered expressing this time round, but that amount seems ok to me too....hth

Nanoon · 21/06/2007 22:32

it was around this age that we intoduced a bottle of expressed milk to DS for his 10.30pm feed. That way i knew he was full up and it really helped him to go longer in the night, plus i sed to get an early night!

nickytwotimes · 21/06/2007 22:34

3 hourly is good for this age!
btw, he was ff by 6 wks and only took 3 0z a go.

berolina · 21/06/2007 22:35

IMO far too early for routine, too early to stretch feeds. Your supply is only just established. babies, particularly onesthis age, have minuscule stomachs and it doesn't do them any good to feed them more than they can comfortably take (= gagging) to make them 'go longer'. 3 hours between feeds is actually fab at this stage. We got there when ds was, oh, 7 months or so.

wrinklytum · 21/06/2007 22:38

Aaah your baby sounds like a little star.

Mine were every 2 hours at this point.

It IS very tiring though.The good news is theat it does improve,(apart from odd growth spurt.)

Eventually she will space her feeds longer.

How about expressing,so that dh/dp/relly can do a feed if you are shattered?

Good luck.

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