Does anyone EBFing newborns only feed every four hours? Really??

[iamfizzy]

I have only seen my health visitor twice since my little girl was born 7 weeks ago. She is thriving and putting on good weight (my LO, not the health visitor )
However on both occasions the health visitor has told me that I should be stretching her feeds out to every four hours. She also told me that I shouldn't use a dummy (LO has a dummy once a day, before bedtime and spits it out after 5 minutes!). She also told me if baby is crying I should leave her to self settle!
Am I right to be fuming at this advice, especially from a professional? I thought they were there to help and advise you with your choices, not to make you feel completely useless. Also, who is it that makes the decision to promote this stuff? I feel leaving a newborn left to cry is wrong and cruel. I am feeding to demand, which is my choice and I made it knowing full well it would mean being tied to a little one and probable sleepless nights.
Has anyone out there actually managed to EBF a newborn every four hours? Is it really possible? Or are some people just lucky whereby their babies settle into a routine which just happens to be roughly every four hours?

I can't believe she told you that
Keep feeding on demand, just as you are doing. It will ensure your supply builds properly. Scheduling feedings at such a young age may affect your supply.
It's totally normal to feed very often, esp in the early weeks, esp in the evenings, and esp during growth spurts.
kellymom is a great website about bf- explains growth spurts, cluster feeding etc.
hth

Your Hv is talking bollocks. Hth.

The self settling advise is also shocking - young babies need close contact (the 'fourth trimester')
You really cannot spoil a young baby, the current thinking is that the more cuddles and contact they get now, the more settled and independent they will become.

I am very surprised at what your HV has said.

she is talking absolute rubbish

I really hate that four hour thing. I cannot think of many people that often go four hours without even a drink of water ffs, why should babies be expected to?

Stretch out feeds to four hourly? This advice could be really damaging to BF, not to mention the poor, hungry baby. Newborns will usually feed 10-12 times per 24 hours, so more like 2 hourly. Are you up for making a complaint? Current NHS recommendations are to feed on cue, NOT to a four hourly schedule.

She's talking rubbish. But some babies do actually do this themselves. I've had two typical need a feed every hour babies and one in the middle who appeared to have read the dreaded baby manuals. She fed at regular intervals, very efficiently (10mins felt like a long feed), was quite happy to be put down awake and would fall asleep by herself. She was in a routine of her own making at a week old. It was slightly insane after my DD1 and I took full advantage, my house was spotless, I did lots of activities with DD1, my mummy halo was shining. Then I had DS and he is like his bigger sister, and OMG it's exhausting again.

Never with any of my 3.
Bonkers advice imo!

I have an 8 week old daughter. I'm still feeding on demand and it varies all the time - surely that's the point with a supply that adapts to your baby's needs? Don't get me wrong, she can go 4 hours - last night and slept 10-6! - but she knows when she's hungry and to be honest I couldn't stretch her feeds out if I tried when she's really hungry! What does the HV say about feeding during growth spurts?!

Self settling I think she's done twice! She generally feeds to sleep. Most of the time she sleeps on people but in the last week she's got better at being put down. I figure self settling is something I'll deal with later and the feeding will come naturally.

Frankly it sounds like you're doing a great job and you should carry on as you are. The HV on the other hand, not so much. I agree with Rouge, might be worth considering a complaint. That advice could do potential harm in such a young baby

Ha ha ha ha ha - my nipples and I WISH our four week old daughter would feed every 4 hours. Even an hour's gap between boob sessions would do at the moment, quite honestly.

Some of the baby books out there start recommending routines from 8 weeks old - which promote 4 hour feeds - but in real life babies do their own thing.

Can't believe your HV said that! As you were...

Ah, thanks everyone. I knew it couldn't just be me in thinking this HV is a pratt! Needless to say I have ignored everything she has said to me. My little one is healthy and hopefully happy, so I must be doing something right!
HumphreyCobbler I agree with you, I just think if a toddler told you they were thirsty every hour you wouldn't dream of telling them to wait for a drink until their four hours were up! So why would you do this with a baby?
EauRouge and HadALittleFaithBaby, I did consider making a complaint but have no idea how to go about it.
When she first visited baby was ten days old and she left me in tears feeling like I was a completely useless mother. I was on a hormonal comedown, had been kept in hospital for 5 days after LO was born and tiredness was just kicking in. She should have known these things and been more supportive, I feel. If it had been any other day of the week I would have told her to eff off out of my house, but she really caught me on a downer. My OH was fuming when he got home from work. And now after seeing her again she is still spouting the same rubbish, I feel maybe I should speak to her manager. Luckily I ignored her, but maybe someone will listen to her and she could do more harm than good.

Grrrr. Rant over. So as originally thought, four hourly feeds for newborns IS a pipe dream !

also HadALittleFaithBaby, I asked her what am I supposed to do when baby is crying for food, especially when she wants feeding more often during growth spurts. She told me to take baby for a walk!!

I would make a complaint by writing to your GP surgery and asking that they pass it on to the appropriate people. Others might have a more direct idea though. I think it's important to complain, because you were confident enough to know it was bollocks, but the next person might not be. She could have made someone's early days with their new baby hellish

She should be getting you to feed on demand. What a muppet. And the self settling stuff is absolute rubbish.

Either complain to your GP practice she is attached to or try to find out who her manager is - she'll be in a team. Amanda is right - this has upset you enough and deserves a complaint in its own right but think about the next Mum she might see who isn't as savvy as you.

I agree it should be bf on demand. DH took DD for a walk once when I was shattered but it seems she was still hungry - she screamed the entire time and couldn't latch quickly enough when he brought her home!

My little girl is 7 weeks old and I think I've been really lucky with her.
She generally goes 4 hours during the day and has done since about 2 weeks old. At night she will go 6 to 7 hours.
She's putting weight on and doing well.
I wouldn't let her self settle but sometimes she grumbles in her Moses basket, I wait a moment to see what she does and sometimes she just falls back asleep. Often it's because her dummy had fallen out.
The best advice I was given to make my daughter go so long between feeds is do one boob, when she falls asleep as had that drunk on milk look I change her nappy, she wakes up and I offer the second boob and she feeds well.
This often takes about 40 mins to an hour but I do think its why she has longer rest periods. Xxx

BTW breastfed babies should be fed on demand - everyone knows that!

Everyone except the health visitor glossy!