Getting myself in a muddle with my 9 week old....help please!!

[SamsMommyXXX]

My 9 week DS is now sleeping through the night which is fab, really pleased. However, I'm getting myself in a muddle with the feeds now and making sure I get enough down him.

He was having 5 feeds of between 6oz-8oz (he's a big baby) every 4 hours, however, now down to him sleeping longer at night I can't fit 5 feeds in to the day and I don't really want to go down to every 3 hours as it feels like we're going backwards. H wakes up around 7:30 and has a feed of only 6oz and then goes down at night around 8pm so the other feeds although larger amounts are at 12:00 and 16:00. When he was having 5 feeds he was having 32oz a day, I'm struggling to get that down him in 4 feeds, more like 30oz. Does the 2oz matter?

Would love to hear other experiences of feeds and routines at this age? Getting myself in a muddle and as DH works away all week I don't have much support.

Thanks!!

My DS started sleeping through at 7 weeks, he is EBF and demand fed. I found that he naturally changed his feeding routine and will have close feeds in the morning and evening. So we do about 7am, 9am, midday, 3pm, 5pm and 7pm and he'll generally sleep 7.30pm to 6.30am.

With the sleeping through its not everyday, but I know he will do most nights. Generally if he doesn't sleep through its because he has wind or hasn't quite fed enough during the day and wants an extra feed normally 4am(ish).

Ps DS is now 17 weeks. I don't think you are going backwards by going to 3hourly, or less, feeds as he sleeping through. Some adults can't cope with more than 3 hours between meals

Thats a good point actually, didn't think of it that way.

4 hours is a long time, drop it back down to 3. I don't see why you think this is a backward step....

Nothing wrong with 3 hourly feeds. Do you go 4 hours without consuming any liquid at all usually? why should a baby? And if he isn't drinking the stuff in the night then he needs to get more of it down him in the day. Not your fault for thinking that way though about it being a backward step - I'm sure you keep getting asked by the older generation about whether or not he is going longer. I don't know why people seem to see it as a major goal to get them going 4 hours in the day. I suggest you feed him on demand.

Oh this happened to me but you sound more sensible than me in that you are not trying to go back to feeding every 3 hours. I tried - it didn't work - she just wasn't hungry so she would take a tiny bit but then be hungry 2 hours later. It got me and DD totally confused and made things s lot more stressful. I then pulled myself together and feed her when she was hungry (i.e. every 4 hours) and she naturally adjusted to taking the right amount for her. I do have to add that she never took enough to satisfy the health visitor but she always put on the right amount weight so I decided not to worry.

Best advice - feed when he is hungry and then him sleep when he is tired and as long as he puts on weight and is healthy and alert then you are doing a good job. If your DS sleeps through and falls into a fairly regular routine that you both happy with all by himself then that is excellent. That is what happened to me and I count myself very lucky.

However, my DD is now 2 yrs so my memory of the events may not be as clear as others who will reply!

Like I say, I'm a bit muddled up, this is my first baby and I don't have much support so I may not be thinking a little unclearly.

Chepstowmonkey thats good to know, thank you.

Oopps - lots of other people have replied with an alternate view. Feel free to ignore me but I would say that trying to trust your instincts about when they are hungry and tired can be useful so you can work it out between you and your DS.

Do you have an understanding HV? Talking it through with her could be useful.

It can be very hard with nobody around to reassure you.

Chepstowmonkey its good to hear both sides.

Just settling ds and then going to ring HV.

Hi just wanted to add that me and Chepstowmonkey are not necessarily coming from different sides. I think we are both saying that you need to work with your DS and feed him when hungry (with trial and error) and do what suits you both best. Don't worry too much about 'set rules'. The important thing is that he is gaining weight and giving you plenty of wet nappies to deal with! He would not be sleeping through the night if he was hungry/thirsty, so he must be getting enough for him.

Yes, mrsg'hamster you are right - that is exactly what I mean!

Hope it helps OP xxx

Thank you. I think maybe it is a case of me over thinking things.

The SCBU nurses had both our kids on 4 hourly feeds when they came home from the hospital, so there's nothing wrong with going 4 hours.

We actually found with both of them that they took more overall when we spread the feeds further apart.

Really, though, it's up to him. Feed him when he looks for it! He wouldn't be sleeping through if he was hungry. As long as he's happy and putting on weight, you're doing fine!