when can i let her just sleep?

[forevermore]

my dd is now coming up to 6 weeks and is on demand mixed feeding. she was born 6lb 3oz and lost weight rapidly in 1st week but then has since put on around 8oz a week and now weighs about 8.5lbs. i was sooo scared (and freaked out by MW) in first few weeks about her losing weight that i 'forced' her to feed every 2 1/2 to 3 hours (which was a nightmare) and would absolutely burst into tears if she just wouldn't feed, and wouldn't wake up.

having read other threads i see mothers now training babies to sleep through. when is it okay for her to be left to sleep? is there a weight that she needs to get to or age?

sometimes i know she would quite happily sleep for about 4-5 hours if i let her, but i am scared she'll start to lose weight again if i let her; so will wake her up.

also when she breast feeds she will suck for anything from 10 min to 2 hours, but on average 30mins...is this enough? she has 2 formula bottles a day and will take 3-4ozs..is this enough.

so many questions but would appreciate some sound advice. thanks.

At this point I would say you should safely be able to switch to demand feeding. If she wants to sleep then let her. I don't think it would be safe to start trying to MAKE her sleep longer at this stage though.
If her weight gain continues then great, if not then you know you need to continue a little longer to encourage her to feed.

is the length of the breast feeding sessions still cruical, i.e minimum of 20 minutes etc

Baby will pull away when they have had enough. And if they are hungry they will wake. I know its a very worrying time but you need to try and relax about the weight gain thing - 8oz a week sounds fantastic anyway. Seems that your baby is doing all the right things naturally - you seem to be doing a good job so carry on and enjoy your baby!

oh, and then there are the growth spurts - baby will feed for longer and more frequently too - feed on demand and you'll both be fine.

I had to feed on a rigid 3 hourly schedule (from start of each feed) due to dd being teeny (4 lbs 9 oz). After she started putting on weight, I think after about two weeks we were told it would be fine to demand feed which we did. Mind you, it seemed to have got her into a habit because during the day she still demanded it every three hours but the nights stretched out after a while ! I remember worrying and worrying that she wouldn't get enough but she did (and remember getting upset when she wouldn't feed or wake up !) . Try it, and get her weighed regularly for a few weeks to keep your mind at ease !! Good luck !

FM... my cousin never ever fed any more often than every 6 hours! and she is fine and healthy. my aunt got so much grief from midwives and health visitors, but emma just didn't want it!
listen to your baby.. she knows when she is hungry.

in the early days it IS important, as you know. it can become a vicious circle because a baby who isn't feeding enough becomes sleepier, and then because it is sleepy it feeds less... etc etc
but as you have been feeding her on such a frequent schedule i wouldn't think that this will be a problem any mroe...

see how it goes! you can always go back to feeding more frequently if you think she needs it

and it sounds like she is doing just fine on the breast and bottle. 3-4oz is plenty. my ds is 7m and will not take more than 6oz. he has never taken more than 7 at a time! 30mins is about right for b/f too

All babies need different times on the breast - my DS1 was always at least 30 minutes for the first few months, while DS2 has never taken more than 15 minutes.

As your DD gets bigger, she will feed more quickly. Just let her feed for as long as she wants to.

Are you happy with mixed feeding? Often mums fine, if they start mixed feeding so early, they end up exclusively formula feeding before they want to. (You could, if you wanted to, reduce the formula feed to 1/day or even drop it, slowly.)

forevermore
both my children feed differently.
dd would take 40mins
ds 12 mins ( i timed him he was so quick)
both would feed 2 1/2hrs later until about 12 wks or so and then i started to structure their feeds . Some people dont agree, when breastfeeding, with that , but it worked for me. of course there were still times when they would feed ccontiously or literaly 40mins later.
there is no set regieme with babies.

please dont get fretful about other threads and mothers training their babies to sleep thru.my bil and sil stayed with their bottlefeed baby and at 9 wks he didnt slleep thru for them, up and down the stairs they were most nights.

it really doesnt happen until 12-16wks that they will begin to know night from day and even at that it may be a little longer again. and she will sleep less in the day as she begins to become more aware of her little world.

she wont lose weight now, if you feel she is consistently feeding well at the breast.

after a 4hr sleep you can be sure she'll devour whats in your breasts! and be a very happy little baby!

hth