250ml is great! Nice work 🙂
I wonder if you have an extra hungry baby? His weight gain sounds really good, perhaps he’s got a very big appetite. My LO tends to take 90-120ml for a bottle only feed, but I think he does eat frequently? He’s settled down to every 2 or 2.5hrs. Recently I’ve thought he could maybe go longer and have bigger meals, so might see if that works. Hard to know what’s “normal”/average?
Ohh googled infant grunting. I didn’t realise babies press with their diaphragms when they poo. Yep sounds like it should get better as they grow. It can take hrs though!
The schedule- expressing is a pain in the arse really, I wasn’t planning to give so many bottles. The thing is, it’s really reassuring knowing how much he’s had and means for example I can go for a walk without him starting to scream halfway round. I am so hoping DS keeps improving at breastfeeding. We have been using shields up until very recently, but now he can latch without them so I’m hoping that’s a step in the right direction. He seems to need less of a top up after feeds without the shields 🙂He really struggles on my left breast.
DS usually sleeps 10.30-4am now. Godsend! We usually manage a snooze in the morning, an early afternoon snooze and a late afternoon snooze.
4am ish. Breastfeed, bottle top up.
Put DS down to do a poo (...!).
Express both sides. I reserve a portion to be the next day’s 4am bottle. it’s the most watery milk I express and he might need the more hydrating milk after a 5-6hr sleep?
7am 120ml bottle feed only. Express both sides.
9.30 bottle feed only, express L side.
11.30 Breastfeed R side, bottle top up. Express both sides.
13.30 bottle feed, express L side
15.30 breastfeed R side, bottle top up. Express both sides.
I try really hard to get him to sleep for 1.5hrs between 16.00-18.00 so he’s not overtired otherwise he cries and has to be bounced through our dinner.
17.30 -18.00 bottle feed, express L side
Partner and I have early dinner and then bath boy, give little massage, put in pjs and sleeping bag.
19.30 breastfeed, bottle top up.
21.30ish express both sides
22.00-22.30 dream feed 120ml bottle
Hmm - have I found some times of day better for giving a bottle? As you can see I give lots of bottles. It’s good to do a morning bottle feed because then you can express loads. And last thing if you can dream feed.
Sometimes I can manage to express with DS sleeping on my lap.
Obviously it’s all a bit hit and miss 🙂not quite as regular as I’ve written here. Most days we stick to the schedule fairly closely, but it does depend what else is going on. I just couldn’t get him to sleep yesterday afternoon- my parents were here and it was all too exciting- so then partner and I had to take turns eating dinner and rocking an overtired baby to sleep at 6pm, he missed out on his bath and we had a cross change and feed at 8pm.
I bet this is going to look like the longest post on Mumsnet ever.
How is your LO today by the way?