Hi all,
I am new to this and so this is my first thread but the threads have been a godsend through all the issues I have encountered in the first 12 weeks of my parenting journey.
Having made it through in one piece I am keen to hear how you lovely mummies got into a routine whilst demand feeding. And is a routine the be all and end all, I feel like there is a lot of pressure to form a routine and focus on the fear that your child will never be settled without one?
Dd has slept quite well at nights for a good while now, usually a 12 hr period with one or 2 feeds through the night, more recently going down for 5-6 hrs before first night feed. She doesn't ten dB to take long day naps but when she does can last up to 3 hours, it seems to change from week to week.
One thing that hasn't changed is hourly feeds when she is awake and this is what I find draining and fail to see how you can set a routine around this?? I suspect some of it is for comfort and out of habit more than hunger but it can be a real chore to make her go any longer. Family have suggested that now she is 12 weeks u can let her cry when trying to stretch it out but I'm not happy with her screaming and feel awful Esp as it is out of my desperation for a routine! She also has mild reflux so I don't like to lay her down straight away which means we usually play feed sleep rather than feed play sleep and she will feed to sleep, sometimes only sucking for a matter of seconds before she is asleep. Although, if she is really tired she has fallen asleep on dh or in my arms, and occasionally I have just put her down and she has settled herself.
I am away for a weekend in September so have introduced a bottle of formula this week(just to know she will take it) . I gave it during the day at first but trying to get her to go another 3 hours was a nightmare and proves to me that she isn't always hungry when she acts it. The last few days I moved it to last feed and she has slept upto 11 hours!! I don't know how long this will last and I know I should be happy but the fact remains that we r unable. To do much at all during the days due to her being permanently attached to my boob.
I just feel so confused and worried that I'm doing her wrong by not trying to enforce a routine..... I'm inclined to just go with the flow and let her do her thing, it won't be long until we introduce solids now so I expect the feeding will reduce.
I don't even know if my rambling makes sense, just so many factors to consider
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Infant feeding
Demand feeding and routine
6 replies
user1472205009 · 03/07/2017 11:04
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