DD is a very laid back baby and sleeps well through the night (11pm to 7am). She has a couple of unsettled/colicky hours from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
Since about 2 weeks old she has fed as follows:
7am, 10am, 1.30pm, 4.30pm, 7pm and 10.30pm. In 24 hours she takes about 700mls.
I read that fewer, larger feeds may help her colic so last week tried feeding her at:
7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, 10.30pm.
Worked fine, she took larger amounts and same total in 24 hours. She seemed just as happy with this. Colic didn't get much better though.
Since then I have met 2 mothers with LOs about the same age or a week or so older. One mother is feeding every 3 hours during the day and has dropped the last feed - ie 5 feeds per day and asleep from 7.30pm to 6.30am.
The other mother feeds every 4 hours so has to keep the last feed to ensure her LO gets enough milk during 24 hours. (Both LOs sleep through night).
I'm now really confused (sister says 'just let her find her own way'. How please? I am a novice at this!).
Do I try to move her to 4 hourly feeding (some books say I should as she is no longer a newborn and DD was hungrier when 4 hourly feeding, obviously, but not upset/crying), or do i stick with the 3 hourly feeding (sometimes feeding her when she's not hungry) and try to drop the last feed at some point once her colic is gone.
I ask as recently she's gone into a deep sleep at 9.30pm and I really have to wake her to feed at 10.30pm and feel a bit guilty doing so.
So many views, I have no idea what's best for DD - and that is what I'm bothered about, it's not about making life easier
for me.
Help!