What feeding routine works for you?

[-Cat-]

Okay so when Noah was born he had a tendancy to sleep lots in the day and at night wake up for feeds loads. The midwife said to try to wake him for feeds every 3 hours during the day so he would go longer at night. So we tried this and found that he would also wake every 3 hours at night. So I started getting him to hang on and feed every 4 hours, this worked great and at night he woke for feeds at 12, 4 and 8! However this was short lived as yesterday when he had his 8o'clook feed in the evening he drained his bottle and still seemed hungry so I gave him an additional 30ml, which ment he didn't finish his midnight feed so he woke at 2:30 for a feed and didn't go back to sleep after!!!! I HAVE ONLY HAD ABOUT 3 HOURS SLEEP!!!

Sticking to a routine is hard as sometimes I have to 'distract' him by bouncing him in his chair for like an hour, after last night I dont want to 'top up' a feed again if it has the same affect but I also dont want to risk him going hungry. So I was wondering what other people do about feeding, do you feed on a shedule or on demand, do you try to feed lots during the day so they go longer at night????

Tell me your tactics!!

 

[stephlw25]

I dont really have a set routine, just fed him when hes hungry!! lol i never wake him up for a fed as he just gets grumpy. i usually give him his last fed when i go to bed aroung 11ish and he sleeps through until 7/8ish!!

 

[lucybluebell]

Cat I totally sympathise with you honey!!!
I was up loads last night too. Unfortunately these first few weeks are a bit tough, but usually they improve after about 6 weeks.
My last daughter was the same, she would sleep most of the day then not settle til about 4am!! I was knackered but it improved over 4 weeks and by 5 weeks she was sleeping 11- 7am. God I hope daisy`s the same!!
Hang on in there sweetie, it will get better. Feel free to pm me and we can moan together about how knackered we are!!!
love Lucy xx

 

[-Cat-]

Yeah! good night last night, I fed him at 10 last night and got him to take a whopping 200ml (the most he has ever had) and he slept till 3:30, woke up completly which worried me so I put him next to me in bed as this comforts him and he just nodded off again till 7:30 this morning!

Hurrah thats what Im going to try to do I think, delay his feeds so he takes more at a time as opposed to little and often, then try to stuff him with milk in the evening to see how long he will go!

 

[Hypnorm]

i was told by my midwife that any baby under 3months old should still be waking during the night for a feed as they are still quite young, and no-one should expect their baby to sleep through the night at such a young age as they still need the nutrition because their metabolism is still quite fast and their stomach is still small, giving them big feeds will give them stomach ache. my boy is almost three months old and demand fed, i tried to do a routine during the day but was almost going blue screaming with hunger even tried distacting him but nothing would work so i have dumped the day time routine, but have a night time routine which starts around 6 , he is in bed for 7.30 and will usually sleep through till midnight then will feed around 4am then 7am. generally he feeds every 2-3hrs during the day. i suppose everyine is different

 

[Hypnorm]

www.midwivesonline.co.uk

this website has a section on baby sleep, and explains newborn -3month sleep pattern and how people are too mind set on getting their baby to 'sleep throught the night'
its quite interesting

 

[minikins]

I am only now trying to get some kind of routine in now, but it's hard when breastfeeding. Sometimes he feeds every hour, which kills me, but now I have a two hour routine.

Sleep
Feed
Play Sleep

This cycle normally takes just over two hours or so and he gets the right amount of naps per day.

 

[Hypnorm]

i know how you feel, ewan can sometimes feed every hour - hour and a half, it is very draining literally!! i have a job keeping my own fluid levels up..sometimes it feel like he is permanently attached to me and i'm slowly becoming zombiefied with day time tv..jeremy kyle, trisha, judge judy...etc etc!!

 

[minikins]

i know how you feel, ewan can sometimes feed every hour - hour and a half, it is very draining literally!! i have a job keeping my own fluid levels up..sometimes it feel like he is permanently attached to me and i'm slowly becoming zombiefied with day time tv..jeremy kyle, trisha, judge judy...etc etc!!

That's exactly what happens to me

 

alana has about 5oz every 4 hours... feed at 11/12 then we go to bed then feed at 3/4am then 8am then she tends to go to sleep until midday so we still get a lie in.

we fed on demand and she changed her routine a few times now she seems settled

 

[Lyn_no3]

I've been really lucky with Ryan, he has 6oz every 4/5 hours and he has his last feed at 10.30 then doesnt wake til 6.30 when i'm just ready to be gettin up anyway. He sleeps for majority of the day he's normally awake say an hour maybe 2 in the morning then sleeps most of the afternoon and wakes at teatime to see daddy before his bath and bottle and goes back to sleep after his bed bottle at 10.30. He's been in this routine since he was about 6wks old.

 

[AmberNicole]

Ava has been quite good with feeding, but it was a bit crazy early on with the night feeds. She has one night feed at most now. Right now she's eating 5oz every 4 hours and then she sleeps through the night, a good 8hrs before she wakes up for a feed.

 

alana is now on 7lb every 4 hours, cant believe noah eats so much

 

[Skidoo]

Good grief - 7lbs - that's one hungry baby!!

 

elaine you dopy cow its , 7oz

 

arghhhhh quick, before dan takes the piss i meant 6oz dont even know where the 7 came from hahaha

 

damn you boy..... you beat me to it

 

next you will be saying she eats 10lb steaks with chips and ice cream for afters

 

[Skidoo]

Yech - who has chips and ice cream for afters?

 

EH?