For How long did you wake your prem (35 weeker) in the night

[Girlsville]

Hi all
Dd3 was born at 35+6 and is now 4 weeks. Her birth weight was 4lba 14 oz and she initially lost a lot of weight down to 4lbs. Since then she has gained weight steadily and at her last weigh in a week ago was 5lba 3. She's probably around 5 lbs 11 or more now. We have been setting our alarm on the night to wake her 3 hourly (also feeds 2.5-3 hourly on the day bough she wakes herself for these feeds)....

I don't know when I can leave her a not longer on the night. She often does not want to be woken at night and only takes a small feed at 4 am and so I wondered what your experiences were? At what weight did you stop waking your prem do in the night (she's now past her due date of that makes any difference).
Midwives etx are useless, some say no need to wake her at all now she's last birth weight, others have said wake her 3 hourly until she's 10lbs.

Dd was born at 32 weeks. When we went for our 6 week check (done at hospital as we had only been out a week), she had slept 7am-7pm the night before. I was HORRIFIED that I hadn't woken to wake her (think she was just over 4lb at this point)

Consultant said it was absolutely fine and she would wake when she was hungry. Not to worry at all, as long as she was steadily putting on weight - although he assured me it wouldn't last.

Since that night I have been up with She never fed again through the night and was the perfect 7-7 sleeper ever since. Not that I tell many people that - didn't go down well at baby groups!

Enjoy ever second of your little person, mine is 4 going on 14 now.

Thanks so much, the 3 hourly feeding is not working now in the night as she is not hungry and doesn't feed properly so I will leave her a bit longer tonight.

If you feel uneasy about leaving her, why not set the alarm for 4 hours and see if she wakes herself!

Congratulations :)

Thanks! The 4 hour alarm is my plan for tonight.

I feed our 34 weeker 4 hourly at night. he's gaining weight, albeit slowly and if left to his own devices would sleep longer, but until he started maintaining a centile the HV has said to carry on.

Ds was a 33 weeker and after a while hv said to leave him for 5 hours at night. As long as they are having enough over a 24 hour period that is fine.
Dd was a 33 weeker, but put on weight far quicker than ds and I tried to leave her for longer at night, but she woke up every four hours for food!

Mine was 36 weeker, 4 pounds.

She woke herself every few hors in the night until 6 months. Horrific!

She is one on Tuesday and sleeps 7-7 but we still wake her at 10 pm for a dream feed, she wouldn't go through without it. Still small for her age.....

I had a dinky dot twin 2 at 37 weeks she was 4.5 lbs.Down to 4lbs at home I fed her 3-4 hourly day and night.She has remained skinny and slight and despite my best efforts took 6 long months to get to 10lbs.I fed her 11, 3, and 6 until she was 6 months old.She has never been food driven and would never have woken up for a feed.I would wait to see how she grows and go on instinct.

My 35 weeker was 5lb3 at birth. Spent 8 nights on NiCU / SCBU. Our SCBU only discharge once babies are well enough for on demand rather than scheduled feeding. Their only stipulation was no more than 5 hrs between feeds.

Thank you everyone. She is gaining weight really well so last night I left her and she woke after just over 4 hours. She then fed and settled really nicely and then woke again just under 4 hours later. She will be weighed again in a couple of days when she is 5 weeks but for now I am happy.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences.