Calling GF gurus - 7am feed too small...

[Fayebo]

My 15 wk old dd has made pretty good progress on GF's routines - mostly slept through from 10 weeks and now (touch wood!) hasn't woken in the night for two weeks solid. In the process of bringing 10.30pm feed forward to 10pm and reducing awake time to 30 mins which doesn't seem to have affected her night time sleep so far. We were struggling to get 6oz feed down but weren't too worried as GF says baby should start to cut back on this feed now and assumed that dd would take biggest feed of the day at 7am as GF suggests. However, despite reducing 10.30pm feed to 3oz (sometimes guzzled down in one, others she seems completely disinterested), dd will not take more than 5oz at 7am and this morning only 4oz. This means that I spend the rest of the day playing 'catch up' trying to make up daily quota and is also making it impossible to push 10.45am feed back to 11am in preparation for starting solids, in fact, I've ended up bringing it forward to 10.30am as she's been grumpy from around 10.15am. After only 4oz at 7am this morning, dd then started crying at around 7.50am so I decided to throw caution to the wind and offer more milk after GF's 7.45am cut-off point - around 8am. DD took further 3oz but then screamed pretty much constantly until nap time. Not ideal to say the least but as she'd had more than the last few days between 7am-8am, I felt pretty confident that I could push her next feed to 11am but again, dd started grumbling at around 10.15am and I ended up feeding her at 10.30am again. She's been colicky from around 4 weeks and I still feel that trapped wind is playing a part in feeding problems and pooing is also a bit of a problem - we'll have a couple of (happy) days when she manages two or three but have longer periods where she only poos once in 24 hours - usually at the 7am feed. She is also getting very flushed after more difficult feeds - I'm sure this is all part and parcel of the same problem if only I knew what it was! Specifically, should I drop the 10.30pm feed and see what happens and generally, is there anyone out there with an equally contrary baby! Could this be related to her being ready to start solids in any way - she's chewing her hands and dribbling a fair bit although no other firm indicators as yet. I'm fairly sure it's not teething related but again, someone out there almost certainly knows better! Rang GF's personal consultation line this morning but don't have that kind of money to spare at the mo so would be really grateful for any advice.

I'd try dropping the 10.00pm feed. We did this around this age with dd and we were terrified the first night that she would wake at 2am but she slept through.

I don't think it sounds like your dd needs solids yet. Introducing solids just yet might just make her cut down on her milk even more.

ALso don't worry too much about pushing the 10.30am feed to 11.00am at this stage. If you can guide her towardsss this then fine, otherwise just keep her back a routine until she is ready.

Agree with Julie. I just stopped waking DS and he goes through till I wake him at 7.30.

He also has always had trouble waiting for his feed after his morning nap, I always treat this as his whingey time, so I don't feed him till 7.45/8 and he copes better and I eek it out till 11. Still can't work out why he gets so grizzly, just one of thise things I suppose.

BR

Message withdrawn

Hi Fayebo, I'm no expert, but dd was in GF routines (now 2.5 years) and ds is also in the routines he is 9 months nearly.

Ds was a bit like your dd, he started drinking less at the 7 am feed. He went through at about 9 weeks with the 10.30 pm and I continued with this feed until 13 weeks when mother in law suggested dropping to see what he did. I was a bit reluctant but sure enough he went through 12 hours and touch wood, we haven't looked back.

I too had problems with trying to push the mid morning feed forward with both dd and ds - I think I posted about it - neither of them were particular "happy to wait" until 11 am but as they were so good in all the other aspects of the routines and also sleeping through the night I just persevered, although it was quite hard at the time I seem to remember

Hope this helps.

Thanks all - felt incredibly reassured on Thurs am on reading your messages and decided to start reducing late feed. Made up 3oz but dd went bananas and we had to give a further 3oz to settle her! She then took 6oz at 7am - biggest feed at this time for ages - what's going on!? My main worry is that if dd doesn't take full feed at 7am and I also reduce/drop late feed that she'll wake hungry in the night - I'm in a bit of a vicious circle which I guess I need to pluck up courage to try and break. She only took 4oz at 7am this morning and I've only made up 2oz for tonight but this will mean that she only has 29oz today (assuming she finishes all her feeds - 2.30pm is also often a struggle)- whilst I appreciate the advice not to worry too much about daily quotas I guess there is a minimum that a baby needs to survive...fingers crossed! On a slightly different subject, does anyone else's baby actually take a drink of water or juice at 4.15/4.30pm!? I have to admit I haven't even offered it the past couple of days as dd really couldn't be less interested! She is however, an absolute nightmare from around 5-5.30pm until bedtime - grumbling until bathtime then screaming full throttle as soon as we get her dressed afterwards. She then cries pretty much constantly from 6.15pm except when the bottle is in her mouth and I generally end up putting her to bed well before 7pm - last night 6.30pm. Is she a) tired, b) hungry, c) something else or d) all of the aforementioned! Anyone identify/have any suggestions for achieving GF's happy and relaxed bath and bedtime!?

Fayebo,
This could be my DS you're describing!! By god is he an unhappy little bunny from about 5pm onwards. I used to think it was hunger, but as I don't feed him till 3pm now, I know it's not. Just the grumps I reckon. I have only offered him water twice, as he doesn't really seemed bothered and we're usually out....

As for the feeding, not sure if you've answered this before. but how much does he take at the 6.15 feed?

Have you tried giving him more at his other feeds, and then not waking him at all after this and seeing what time he wakes up? I had the same problem with DS, if I fed him it had to be at least 5oz or he went nuts, so I just stopped waking him and bumped all his other bottles up to the max..... He may take a bigger feed in the morning if he has less at night.

BR

Thanks BR! DD generally takes 8oz at 6.15, give or take. The last couple of nights she's only had 2oz at 10pm and slept through 'til 7am so we're giving it another couple of nights and will probably try to drop the late feed altogether. It's daft really as it's only one night - if she wakes up then I guess we know she's not ready but having just got used to a decent night's sleep again, we'd do almost anything to preserve it - it's such a huge step forward that even one night waking would feel like a big blow. Does your DS always take a full feed? DD took 8oz at 7am (hoorah!) and again at 11am (hoorah again!) but has shown little enthusiasm for her 2.30pm feed today and has left 2oz (out of 7oz) - I guess we're in for a grumpier than usual bath and bedtime tonight!

Fayebo

Yes he nearly always takes a full bottle, but he is slightly older that your DD.

To be honest, we're lucky to have such good babies so should be glad for the long stretch but I know what you mean about what you get used too...

Let us know how you get on... oh and I know what you mean about the grumpy bathtime. Luckily that's DH's job!!!

BR

FWIW, my ds at about this age was very similar. 7am feed was often not good. There was no way I could make him wait till anywhere near 11am for next feed. He went loopy around bathtime he was so hungry. And he usually took a huge bottle at 10.30pm so I never thought we'd be able to drop it.

One night we just decided not to give him the 10.30 pm feed and he went through till 7am and continued to do so. So it's definitely worth seeing if you can drop that feed.

I never really managed to get the other feeds sorted out until after he was on solids when everything just dropped into place. Before that, I usually just gave him a top-up at odd times (don't tell Gina!) if he seemed hungry and he was OK. He was also a bit colicky, BTW, and just grew out of it. Started soldis at 4 months as this was the advice then.

You have started out well by getting into a good routine. I think you will find as your dd gets a bit older everything will fall into place.

HTH.

I have a "7am feed too small" problem too.

I have only just started putting DS onto GF routine (since Monday) all three days he hasnt been fussed at all with his 7am bottle but drained 9oz at all the other feeds. The first two days I gave him the late night feed and presumed it was this that was putting him off his 7am feed so last night I didnt give a late night feed, he woke in the night and I gave him some water (he took 3oz) then back to sleep until 7.30 and barely managed 4oz from his bottle!

Any ideas?