11 week old feeding less often

[DairyNips]

My ds3 is 11 weeks old tomorrow. He was feeding through the day about every 2-3 hrs.
I don't tend to time feeds or make a note as such, I just follow his feeding cues and offer a feed after a few hours if he hasn't shown any signs of wanting to feed.

So, he is basically fed on demand, through the night he generally feeds once or twice between 11pm-7am.

The last few days he has started feeding less often than usual. If I offer him a feed before he wants one he just screams at me and gets annoyed. If I wait a little while and try when he seems interested then he feeds fine. He sleeps quite a bit during the day also, I always offer him a feed when he wakes.

I am just getting a little worried as my other two ds were slow to gain weight. However I do have to say that this seems to be because it's just the way they are rather than because of anything I did or didn't do. Ds1 was a fussy eater and had high cal formula etc but remains on the bottom centile although is healthy and happy and full of energy. Ds2 was a ebf till 16 months and took to food well, he is also is on the bottom centile yet happy, healthy and full of energy. It seems to be just the way I make em.

Ds3 was 5lb 13oz born, he is now 9lb 10oz (as of last wed) and is just below 2nd centile (he was on 2nd when born). After he was born he went up the chart a bit and now seems to be slowly coming back down again. I'm hoping he'll just settle somewhere between 2nd and bottom and just follow his brothers footsteps.

So far, Breastfeeding has been going great, better than it did with his bro's. He seems to have a bit of silent reflux as of 4 weeks but is on ranitidine for that.

Anyway, that's the history. The point of my post was he seems to be feeding less often, today for instance, since 6am he has fed 4 times. He will most likely have another feed before we go to bed shortly (once he wakes). I have tried to feed him in between the feeds he has taken but he just wasnt interested, even when I tried different positions and expressing a bit off first (sometimes the milk seems to come out too fast and he pulls off and gets annoyed when I get a let down).

So, I'm just a little worried this is going to affect his weight gain. If he feeds like this from now on and gains the same amount of weight as usual then I suppose that's fine. I don't see how that would happen though :-/ I know how bfing works, I trained as a peer supporter so know the basics but I just don't really know how to react to this. I keep offering 'extra' feeds but to no avail. He seems troubled by wind quite often and won't feed until he has trumped..

Not sure what I'm asking but need to make sense of this change in behaviour and work out the best thing to do! (nothing? something?)

Any advice appreciated! If tiktok is about I would appreciate some input

.

Bumping for you Dairy

I'd he won't take extra feeds you can't force him, Could be he's become more efficient with feeding and is therefore getting more at each feed then he was before. As long as he is healthy happy, weeing lots still and gaining weight. Then it's probably just a change in feeding patterns.

If for some reason he's not doing all of those things then, giving him lots of opportunity to hang out at the breast. Not necessary trying to get him to feed, may encourage him to feed more.

Thanks tea

Thanks mig I suppose I'm worrying in advance as I'm not convinced he's gonna gain the same amount of weight on this smallish amount of feeds. He's been gaining around 11-13 oz every two weeks. Last time I took him took him to get weighed this had dropped to 7 oz in 2 weeks. As I say, he's still around the centile he was born on but I suppose I'm worrying in advance his weight gain will slow right down

it's totally normal for them to slow down, or we'd all be huge giants. Very few babies stay on the same grow line for the whole time. Sounds like you just have small babies
Your doing a great job and try not to worry about it. :)

Thanks Mig I think I'm mentally scarred by my ds1's weight gaining nightmare! (lots of HCP's intervening and making me worry myself sick till I had Pnd ) Turns out it wasn't my fault at all in the end as I now know it is just how he is but hard to forget all the stress I felt back then

I will force myself to try and relax. He is just snoozing now. Fed at 12am, 4.30am, 7.30am and 9.30am since last night. I need to stop making a mental note of when he feeds now or I'll start over analysing it again!

Little bump for any further advice

I'd start writing down the feed times, then review them after a week or so. I expect they will look fine and in the meantime you will feel as though you are taking action.

I suppose I could do that but knowing me I'd start worrying and obsessing and getting stressed..

Bump

.

Tiktok!!!

I don't think recording feeds will be useful, probably just make you worry more. Keep him as close as possible may encourage him to ask for feeds more often. But you can't force him to feed if he really doesn't want to.

Taking a bath with him and having skin to skin contact as much as possible, would possibly encourage feeding to.

A long a he's still having plenty of wet nappies and he's alert and happy, he'll be fine.

Yes, I agree.. This morning he fed at 7.30 then not again till 11.30, he was just snoozing away. As soon as he started to open his eyes I offered him his feed, I don't want to leave it any longer..

I didn't want to leave it any longer*

Well the times you've written down on here look fine. Don't get stressed!

I suppose, he fed again around 1pm then around 3 I think then around 7. Just doesn't seem that often. My sils baby is 6mo and she feeds every 2 hours most of the time where as my little fella happily goes 3-4 hours

My two were every three to four hours, it's fine. In fact I deliberately stretched out their feeds to that sort of interval so they would get into the habit of filling their tummies rather than snacking. As long as they have wet nappies and are gaining weight. You know this really! (I ebf both until five months)

I can't remember exactly when, but around 10-12 weeks babies get more efficient at feeding and need to feed less because they get more out in a shorter time.

If your baby is happy, healthy and has lots of wet nappies, don't worry about it, just relax, keep doing skin-to-skin, even if it's for no other reason than life is too short not to.

world I like the for no other reason than life is too short not to This being my last makes that even more relevant..

messed up th bold bit, you get the idea

Hi Dairy. I'm no expert, but just to say that my daughter is 12 weeks and about a week ago she also started going for much longer periods of time between feeds. I was a little concerned at first (we had a v shaky start with BF for a variety of reasons) but she seems happy and healthy. I suppose that they take what they need and probably get more efficient as they grow. Try not to worry and just keep as eye on the weight from time to time?

Thanks for the reassurance Twiglet. I can't remember what the other two were like at this age so good to hear of someone else at a similar stage

Hi DairyNips

Just to say that my DD is 10 and half weeks old and has just started doing exactly the same thing. Over the last few days she seems to have dropped 1 or 2 feeds from each 24 hr period. And similar to your DS, she won't feed unless she wants to - no point me offering more feeds, she just rejects it! I'm not weighing at all but she's still doing plenty of dirty and wet nappies so I guess everything's ok...

Hope that gives a bit of extra reassurance.

Thanks jabon it is reassuring, yes. His poo's slowed down a while ago, before he started feeding less so he only goes every 3-7 days. It's always a normal runny bf poo when he goes though and he wee's loads so I think he's deffo getting enough