I Don't know if DD needs dropping the night feed?

[MumtoEliane]

Hi there, I am very confused. My DD is 11 weeks old and takes 180ml of milk each feed. We put her to bed at 11.00pm; tried earlier but it didn't work. She used to wake up at 6-7 for her feed and then go back to sleep until 10 or so again.

Now, a couple of times has happenes that she wakes uo at 2, and as I think is too early for the feed I give her the dummy and she goes back to sleep until 9!! That means today for example she will only have 4 full meals 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm and then I try to feed her some at 11 but usually she doesn't take more than 60 ml.

Is this ok, or should I keep feeding her at night when she wakes up? I thought that if she is hungry she wouldn't settle with the dummy but she does... but I also think the amount she is eating is not enough... That's why I am very confused!

Thanks a lot for reading!

I'm only used to breast feeding, but I thought that bottlefed babies too are supposed to be fed whenever they ask? The rigid 4 - hour spacing - do you have to wake her each time when the clock says it's time to feed? That would be a bit worrying and worth asking your HV about, I think.

I have an 11-week daughter myself who has been sleeping up to 9 hours at a stretch which does worry me a bit but it's totally her own choice and she feeds every couple of hours in the day.

If you'd be happy to feed her at 11pm, 2 hours since the last feed, why is 2am (5 hours since last feed) too early?

We started giving her feeds at certain times because she had really bad colic. She woud be crying most of the day so we didn't know when she was hungry! then she would sleep really long stretches for a newborn due to tiredness and HV told us to wake her up and feed her so she didn't get dehidrated. So we used to feed her every 3 hours.

To feed on demand as you do when breastfeeding is a choice, another other choice is setting the baby in a routine, which is what we chose as we had to give her colief (need to plan feeds in advance to prepare it), massages, and bath at the same time to help her relax.

Now the colics are gone she rarely cries not even if she is hungry!

The only reason I thought 5 was to early is because she used to wake up at 6 or 7 for a while and then fall naturally on her routine the rest of the day. But I do see your point of view! Maybe she has just changed it and we have to adapt to her this time...

Forgot to explain, the first time she woke up t 2 I was going to feed her, put the dummy and came downstairs to heat up the milk and by the time I went back she was sleep again, thats why I thought it was too early, and she wasn't really hungry. Now she is starting to stir again at around 2, she deosen't seem "hungry awake" but if I give her the dummy then she stays until 9... thats the confusion!

Well, I am sorry if this thread is just as confusing!

Personally I think if she goes back to sleep for that length of time with a dummy then she isn't starving or she'd wake up again. My DS2 slept 8.30pm-7am from 8 weeks so some babies really do sleep through the night at an early age (DS1 was 14 weeks). All babies are different and perhaps your DD is getting enough in the day and is just waking because she's entering light sleep rather than needing a feed. I'd go with your gut instinct. If she previously lasted beyond 2am then perhaps she really doesn't need feeding then. I don't think babies go backwards in their nightly need for feeds do they? Unless they are ready for weaning.

i would keep feeding her.

she probably falls asleep again because she is tired and the sucking helps send her off to sleep.
that is no indication that she doens't need milk thogh.

4 feeds a day really isn't very much for an 11 week old baby.

So now you've got completely different advice! Just go with your gut instinct - don't listen to us

haha! well, both of you are right!

The last two nights she stirred at around 2am and went back to sleep with dummy but woke up at 5 again and then I fed her. So she took her 5 meals, and I am extra happy because she has been naturally ready to go to bed at around 9-9.30, eats at 4-5 and sleeps again until 8-9. NOW, she keeps changing her habits so don't want to keep my hopes up but this little routine seems really good (taking her night feed, everyone happy) so fingers crossed!