When can you demand feed?

[SassyPants87]

Currently waking my 3 week old every 3 hours to feed. The lack of sleep is killing me!

When can I start feeding on demand and letting her sleep as long as she needs to?

[RandomMess]

How heavy is she? Is she following her centile (are you even able to get her weighed)?

[RandomMess]

Unless there are weight problems I'd do 3 hours in your waking hours and stretch to 4 hours overnight?

[dementedpixie]

Depends if they've regained birth weight and are continuing to gain

[Merename]

Why are you doing this?

[Itllbeaninterestingchristmas]

I was told (both mine lost a lot of weight after birth) when they had regained their birth weight. I actually left my second linger between feeds at night if she didn’t want wake up because I was knackered and she cluster fed in the evening and early morning

[SassyPants87]

@RandomMess

How heavy is she? Is she following her centile (are you even able to get her weighed)?

She's definitely gaining good weight

Birth weight - 2.88kg
Week 1 - 3kg
Week 2 - 3.2kg
Week 3 - 3.6kg

I bought some baby scales so I could keep an eye on weight

Also forgot to mention she is exclusively breast fed

[Dowermouse]

3 weeks feels a little young. I think daytime feeds at that age shouldn't be more than 2 hours apart, timed from the start of each feed.
I totally get the sleep deprivation, it can be utterly grim.

[olderthanyouthink]

I don't think I ever woke mine to feed, she cued and I fed her and we co-slept. She was an hourly feeder though, she's nearly and only just doing 3-4 hours at night (I'm used to it and she still partly co sleeps so she helps herself)

[RandomMess]

Mine were whoppers from birth wouldn't dream feed or wake easily STBH I always demand fed. I was militant about feeding regularly and often during the day though.

Does she never wake for feeds during the day, mine certainly did...

[Thesearmsofmine]

I only woke ds2 who lost a big chunk of birth weight for feeds, my other two I fed on demand from day 1.

[Cherrytangfastic]

I was told recently by the midwife that as long as baby has returned to birth weight it's fine to leave them. I slept a 5 hour stretch that night!

Maybe give them a quick call as we had no complications and baby was 9lb at birth etc.

[Merename]

Wouldn’t dream of waking a baby to feed unless there were clear medical concerns about weight gain!

[KungFuWeetabix]

I had no idea this had a name... Or that people woke their babies up!
I fed my babies when they were hungry/cried. I never once woke them up... Mind you they were all big and never lost much weight in their first week (first gained).
However, I also slept with them in the bed next to the boob half the night, so...

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

You wake your baby to feed them?! Jesus hope my baby number 2 is like this, my first never slept long enough without having to be stuck on the boob for me to have to wake. I’d let them sleep tbh

[London91]

I am EBF dd and was waking every 3 hours until she was 4 weeks old, once she regained the weight she lost, I ditched the alarms and it was the best thing I could have done. She usually wakes for one feed during the night. But sometimes she doesn't but she tends to cluster feed in the mornings.

[Lazypuppy]

I never woke my dd to feed during the night. She was breast fed.

We went to 3/4 hourly during the day quite quickly as well

[EarringsandLipstick]

I'm another who never heard of this! But I did have 3 good weight babies who fed a lot. So I'd no worries. All EBF.

But it seems mad - they will all have their own way of feeding. My first fed so much at night, and took ages to settle that it felt like I was feeding all night long.

But my second was basically sleeping through the night by 3 weeks😳 I was a bit freaked out but he fed nearly continuously during the day. He just loved his sleep & still does! (& lucky me!)

By my 3rd I hardly knew when I fed him I was so exhausted with a baby & 2 small children. But he was a very variable sleeper & a savage feeder & I would never have woken him no matter what.

Why is it recommended?

[Findahouse21]

My midwife recommended feeding on demand from birth

[Thatwentbadly]

Now as she is at her birth weight. I would try and feed as often as you can during the day in the hope she sleeps longer at night.

[SassyPants87]

Thanks all for your responses, so strange how everyone gets told different things!

My health visitor had advised feeding every 3 hours but she's never lost any weight in fact she's putting it on continually quite well. Average weight gain should be 50g a week and she's putting on between 200 - 400g a week so far!

I think I'll give the health visitor a call on Monday to get some guidance but it's good to know some of you have been demand feeding from the start

[porridgeface]

I had a baby back in May, my HV advised to feed every 2hours in the day and every 4 at night

[Ohdoleavemealone]

Stop waking your baby. Unless there are concerns then just feed on demand. I truly believe that waking my son up to feed as a newborn led to shit sleep for months years. He was sleeping up to 6 hours and the HV said I had to wake him so I did. He was 18 months before he slept a 6 hour stretch after that!

[BertieBotts]

You can feed on demand as soon as they have regained birth weight.

Don't wake a sleeping baby!!

[TheChineseChicken]

I demand fed from birth. DS only woke once a night between 10pm and 7am.

[Peasbewithyou]

Definitely ok to feed on demand now. If weight gain is good and no other concerns it’s fine to be led by your baby! Trainee breastfeeding counsellor here.