is 6 weeks too late to start responsive feeding?

[rosegold04]

hi, so baby girl is 6 weeks old and when she was born she was in nicu for over a week and on feeds for every 3 hours. since being home i feed her every 3 hours, sometimes 4, but sometimes i have to wake her up for feeding even though she isn’t showing hunger cues as the nurses said not to let her go longer than 3 hours when bf. although she will wake up before feeds at times. they didn’t tell me how long for, and being a 19yo ftm i am very worried about making sure she is feeding enough, but i want to explore responsive feeding as it may make life easier for the both of us, but with her being 6 weeks old and been on a schedule for 5 weeks, i was wondering if it’s too late to move to responsive feeding?

I don't think so (but I'm no expert), mine was born quite small so I wanted to make sure he got enough milk, and once he had gained enough my midwife said it was fine to to responsive (I can't remember exactly what that was). I'd just check with a professional to make sure

If she’s gaining weight I’d look to go longer over night. Speak to the HV about it.
How many weeks was she born at?

Speak to your HV, once baby has regained birth weight is having plenty of wet nappies, is having awake time and content you shouldbe able to switch to responsive feeding. But as we can't see your baby it's always good to check with a health professional first. They recommend babies who have had an initial problems to be woken every 3 hours as a baby who isn't getting enough will become sleepy and not wake up for feeds. Once they are gaining weight this shouldn't be a problem.

(BF babies can go days between poos this is normal as they can also go everyday or more each baby is different so it's not a sign you can use as an indicator of anything)

I think you need to check with an professional advice around this for your specific baby. If she was in NICU and isn’t always displaying reliable hunger cues, you might have to encourage feeding more than others. You can respond when she shows cues, but if her cues aren’t happening or she’s particularly sleepy, she might not get enough milk to grow. Sometimes the advice given out is just aimed at babies with no other health issues and it doesn’t mean the approach your baby needs is wrong, it’s just suited to your baby’s own needs. I’d be tempted to ring NICU as they know your baby’s needs and history and ask their advice. You could also ask your HV to come and have a chat and explain the issues your LO has had and that they were in NICU. It’s never too late for responsive feeding really, but it can be too early for that particular baby.

she was born at 39+5, she was only in nicu for oxygen saturation at after 6 hours she was sitting in the 80s. baby has been gaining weight well and has plenty wet and dirty nappies. and she has quite a bit of awake time where she will be alert and curious at the world. i will speak to HV as she is coming tomorrow anyways as she is also our family nurse practitioner :)

She sounds as though she is doing wonderfully, congratulations. Typically a breastfed baby will have a minimum of 8 feeds in 24hrs but more like 10 to 12 feeds.

Responsive feeding is a reciprocal relationship so is about your needs too so you can offer a feed if you are going out (because it is so much easier to feed first rather than feed while pushing the trolley round Asda) or if you want a cuddle or your breasts are full and you want to take care of your own comfort.

And then there are her needs so you would feed when she shows feed cues, if she's upset, getting injections, any time she needs soothing really because breast is just as much about comfort as it is it's good. But part of her needs isn't always just waiting for feed cues it can involve waking her if she isn't waking on her own just as you have been doing.

Def speak to your HV. If she is up to birth weight it may be good to let her wake naturally (within reason) and see how things go over the 24hrs as you may find that she does a longer sleep but then makes up for it with some cluster feeding which is totally normal. Remember it is always about what she has in 24hrs not about feeding exactly every 3hrs. It is very common for little ones to have one stretch of maybe 5hrs where they sleep but usually it would come after a period of cluster feeding and then they may either have a huge feed after or do more cluster feeding. Hopefully your HV can guide you on this. You'll probably find that things change over the next few weeks anyway as she grows and develops and becomes more alert.

Absolutely not it's still so early in your feeding journey. Can you get to your local breastfeeding support group? They'll show you feeding cues to watch out for. But as a general rule, most young bf babies (under six months old) like to feed before and after a nap and then at totally random times throughout the day and night. Watch some you tube videos from La Leche League for more ideas.

And congratulations you're doing so well!

Sounds like you're doing great!

I'd be thinking about letting her sleep until she woke up hungry, assuming everything else is going well. Can you ask your doctor or HV if they are happy for you to do that now?

I stressed about weight gain with my first baby. My second baby I bought baby scales. They aren't expensive and it gave me reassurance when I was doubting that the baby was gaining enough weight.

thank you everyone so much! definitely sounds like we can start responsive feeding, but will definitely check with HV :)