demand feed or feeding routine!!

[NICCI]

hey ladies my LO is almost 4 weeks old and at his last weigh in he had put on 11 ounce in a week! the MW suggested not feeding on demand and feeding him every 2 and a half hours! giving him a dummy in between if he fusses! this worked up until yesterday he screams 2 be fed b4 he is due and nothing will settle him!! except the boob! do i break rhe routine or ride it out!!

 

[daftscotslass]

Absolutely demand feed, especially if your breastfeeding. Babies that small are hungry when they're hungry and delaying it will just unsettle them. I don't breastfeed but it is sooooo normal for them to feed constantly in the first weeks, bf or not. 11 ounce weight gain in a week is absolutely fantastic and to be proud of so you're doing a great job.

Your midwife, however, is talking tosh!

 

[Sherlock]

I'd demand feed at least for a few more weeks. The weight gain is great and its not like he can put on too much. Besides atm he might be about to hit a growth spurt or be in the middle of one and will need to feed more, so putting set times isn't good or fair on either of you. It'll only cause upset.

Defo too young for a routine feeding pattern atm. And it'll mess with your supply a bit. Let your LO guide you and tell you when he is hungry.

I still demand feed Galen and he is 14 weeks old. Yes there are times where he has to wait 10 minutes or so but I certainly don't feed him every X amount of hours regardless. I just go with the flow and let him tell me. Galen also had HUGE weight gains in the early weeks and then settled down a bit as time passed.

Sounds like you are doing an amazing job with your feeding I'd ignore your MW on this one and go with demand feeding.

 

[Jade&Evie]

Evie is nearly 17 weeks and bottlefed and I still feed on demand. Kepp it up for at least another few weeks to get your supply sorted

It does get easier

 

[kelsey]

Definately demand feed. And bollox to what ur midwife says - they're gaining too much/not enough, it's a load of crap.

Breastmilk is more easily digested in a baby's belly hence they tend to feed a lot more often than on formula milk. If he wants ur boobs then give them to him.

 

[LisaJ1986]

I still demand feed and Angel is 19 weeks. She doesn't always want feeding every 2 hours but then it could be every half an hour. She won't even take dummies so that wouldn't work with me.
He's only 4 weeks. He'll eat if he's hungry.

 

[keli]

I feed on demand with Cooper and he's BF we feed every 2hrs sometimes less it does feel like he's on the boob all the time but the way i look at it it's not forever. I say sod your MW. As someone has said it'll mess with your supply if baby not feeding when he wants. x

 

[NICCI]

thanks ladies xxxx

 

[Lola's Mummy]

I've still feed Lola on demand and she'll be 1 year old tomorrow

She does sort of her her own little routine that she got herself into though. Just follow your LO's lead

 

[beanie]

I eat when I am hungry, not when the clock tells me so I wouldn't expect my children to. It is actually better for them to set their own feeding pattern, they learn to control their appetite. If your HV knew anything about breastfeeding she would kow that it is harmful on your milk supply to impose a routine on breastfeeding babies, and that it is normal for a breastfed baby to put on a load of weight at the beginning, this tends to slow down as the baby gets older. I personally would not listen to a word your HV says and speak to someone who knows something about breastfeeding like a peer support counseller. Cally piledon the weight, she jumped from 50th centile at birth to the 98th at one point but has settled on the 91st and is no way fat. She sets the pace for her feeding, and you will find that after a while they kinda get their own loose routine where they bfeed for shorter periods which are spaced out more.

 

[charlie84]

As everyone else has said sod the midwife she is talking crap.
I am feeding on demand and Calleigh is nearly 5 months old. She also had great weight gain when a newborn and my HV praised my good work
Your doing great hun

 

[lfc_sarah]

Demand they get into their own little routine within time

 

[clarey]

Hope its going OK, def demand feed, you dont want to upset your supply, its such early days still. Sounds like you are doing a fab job well done hun

 

[beanie]

forgot to say an 11oz gain is amazing, you are doing great hun

 

[Rachael]

Your midwife, however, is talking tosh!

As soon as I read what your Midwife said my thoughts were "What a load of tosh" too.....Good grief does she even have any children?
-I have to agree with everything Beanie said. Feed when baby is telling you he is hungry!
I had the opposite problem with Frankie, she was on the 5th Centile and the Health Visitor suggested I supplement with formula. I politely told her to stick her suggestion....as she was my second I had the confidence to go with my instinct and ignore the silly advice.I KNEW Frankie was doing well and thriving, she is a little Tigger, she is just small,like me!

Just do what you are doing, sounds like you are doing a great job to me!

 

[DebbieM]

Sorry, but WHY would any MW say not to feed on demand a newborn baby? I'm stunned at this.

Luke is 5 1/2 months old and exclusively breastfed on demand. Babies need to be fed when they are hungry.

Did she think the weight gain was too much for a week? If so, she has no idea what she is on about!!!! I cant comment on formula fed babies but BF babies weight gain goes up and down on a weekly basis. Luke had weeks in the early days where he put on up to 13oz a week, then the following week 6oz and is now anything from 3oz to about 6oz in a week.

Keep feeding on demand! Follow your baby's lead and ignore your MW!!!!!! Silly woman she is xxxxxx

 

[MattM]

Someone's been reading too much Gina Ford...

 

[zebrastripes]

I never understand the point of not demand feeding. It's a baby, not a clockwork mouse. Plus a baby's tummy is tiny, it needs food little and often- as breastmilk is easier to digest than formula, it is "obviously" perfectly suited to this...so I can see why some people might want to set feeding routine on formula...but breastfeeding? WTF. Your boobs need to establish the correct give-and-take of milk flow!

I stopped getting W weighed eventually, because as a few months passed she was clearly not underweight or undernourished, yet everytime i was in the clinic, it was,oh she's not gaining. One thing they seem to be forgetting these days....babies...don't...follow...charts!

 

[ASD123456]

Demand feed, as others have said. My HV ( a massive BF advocate, fed her LO till he was 3 ) told me that you can't overfeed a b reastfed baby.

Well done on the gain, that's brilliant!

Alex xxx

 

[maybebaby]

I agree with the other posters, your midwife is a doughnut and you should feed on demand. The weight gain is fantastic, your baby can't put on 'too much' weight! Well done, you should feel so proud of yourself.