Breast feeding on demand

[Littlerayray]

Can someone please let me know what breast feeding on demand really entails? I'm so confused as to whether I should be planning to get the baby in to a strict routine (like so many of the books seem to imply) or just go with it and feed when the baby wants to be fed.

Thanks! x

 

[Squeakz]

breatt feeding on demand is jhust feeding baby whenever he/she wants. SO they might go for 2 hours inbetween feeds or 6 hours but if they are hungry you just feed them. The routine thing is about setting up a time allowance of he/she feeds every 3 hours. So if they are hungry at 2 hours then they have to wait sorta thing. We fed on demand and still do with joshua and he has naturally gotten himself in to a pretty regular pattern of feeding. Please correct me if im wrong girls or iv missed the point of what it actually means etc....

 

[frankie707]

wss ^^
to be honest to start off with you just have to feed when LO needs it. As for routine the only bit I stick to rigidly is for bedtime, the rest of the day I just go with the flow.

 

[Esoames]

i just go with the flow too. At bedtime she cluster feeds (feeds every few minutes) then is down for the night. during the day i offer boob if shes restless or starts to suck on her hands.

 

[JJ Mum]

Just as the girls say, when baby cries you get used to knowing what they want, if crying is not a wet/dirty nappy, or not roughly the time when baby is tired , (seems to be same sort of length after a feed eg 1 hour 30 mins in my case, and toys/playing (devon gets bored), then we feed. Like Squeekz says, you do end up in the end with a rough routene, but it is decided and created by baby. This routene does change as the weeks go on depending what feeds baby needs/wants.

You do feed more, but it's very flexible for you both and I love it

 

[rockabillybaby]

I demand feed and sometimes my LO can be hungry withing half and hour and sometimes he goes upto two hours. I just let him guide me with what he wants when he wants it and thats what it basically entails xxx

 

[Baby Bean]

I fed on demand and it worked really well. Ella is now on solids and has 3 meals and 2 bfs a day. There were no problems getting her into that routine after demand feeding for so long. I would recommend it good luck!

 

[Leighbe]

What they all said. I would never suggest to try and get a baby on a strict routine, esp for feeding. Every baby will feed at diff intervals. Would you want to make your hungry baby cry and wait an hour for a feed just cause a book tells you to? Ypur baby is the best petson to tell you what they need, not some supposed baby expert. Not only that, a lot of mamas get so stressed trying to follow overly rigid routines that it is actually detrimental to them.

Put down the baby books and slowly walk away listen to your baby and go with the flow.


I really can spell, my ipod just prefers typos.

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

Cor... we didnt even THINK about a routine for a good few months

Remember babies under 6 months should always be in a room with an adult not left alone (especially not crying alone )

Jasper fed on demand, whenever he liked for the first 6mnths at least, we had him in a bedside cot where he could wriggle over and get milk if he needed to, that way i could basically stay asleep as he fed and we all got a great nights sleep

Its really only been at a year that we have decided to give him a general time for bedtime (which does change depending on if we have visitors or are out and about etc) and he has a bath and goes down with a bottle (i cant breastfeed him lots anymore coz of the pregnancy)

its been great He generally sleeps now between 7.30pm and 7am with a long nap in the day. He wakes up occasionally in the night for a drink of water (as do i) and a cuddle with either me or daddy (which i also do )

I personally am of the impression that if you are expecting a very young baby to fit in with YOUR life, you have something a bit backward to be honest, its expecting a lot from a person who cannot possibly understand WHY they cannot have food or a little drink (can you imagine being thirsty and being told to wait an HOUR for a drink )

I would much rather pander to them, until they have some awareness and then build on their independance rather than force it. It didnt do us any harm, Jasper sleeps loads and so do we

 

[Miss]

All babies will show you their routine come 12 weeks(ish) just because they do not conform to what a book says does not mean they are not in a routine!

I bf on demand and the first few weeks are hard - but by feeding on demand you will establish a good milk supply. Basically if a newborn is clean, dry and winded but still crying try them with a feed. It does not matter if you only fed them 30 mins ago they will go longer in their own time. During the night at first Georgie fed every hour for the first few days but gradually went longer when she could take more milk.

If you want a book to read I would recommend "the baby whisperer - sleep" it talks about routine but babys routine not yours or conforming to what others are doing or a stricked time schedule. X

 

[Geminiblue]

with breast feeding the fore milk is the drink & the hind milk is the food so when people say "oh you shouldnt feed your baby unless its 4 hrs" blah blah rubbish is my opinion your baby could be thirsty and you run the risk of dehydration. thats why most babies who are breast fed are fed on demand so you dont have any problems with dehydration does that make sense?