When did you know your baby was ready to drop a feeding? I've been feeding my 6 week old every 2-2.5 hours during the day, whether she seems to want it or not. Often that means waking her to eat. So she gets 7 feedings during the day and 1 overnight. How do I know if it's okay to stretch it to 3 hours? At her 1 month appt last week she was gaining well (born at 7lbs 11oz, up to 9lbs 7oz, and definitely more by now).
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I think if she's gaining weight I wouldn't necessarily wake her up to eat. We never really set a schedule for our lo, but on her own she created her own pattern we've stuck to.
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I've always just fed on demand which for us means feeding when LO wakes up and then offering again before nap time. Generally the full feeds are on wake up and the pre-nap feed is often just a wee snack or my wee guy isn't interested. As long as your LO is gaining well and having 8-12 feeds in 24 hours (the LLL recommendation) then I wouldn't wake her at night.
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My son is 12 weeks now, and I've never had him on a schedule. He just eats whenever he wants, which has always ranged every 1-3 hours during the day, and now every 3-8 hours at night. He's a thriving happy baby so it seems to be working!
I would say as long as she's gaining, don't wake her to eat (unless, of course, she starts to show signs of dehydration, etc.).
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I would not wake her for a feed, and offer food when she's cueing.
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@Rockies11: Silly question I know, but how do I know when she's cueing? I have a really hard time with that.
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@SeptMomma12: lol, I did too! It varies from kid to kid. With my LO 2, she sucks on her hands or sticks her tongue in and out of her mouth. If you just spend a lot of time staring at them (which you probably do anyway) there's usually a pattern you can pick up on eventually! If you have been feeding her every 2 hours or so, it may be that she's not cueing because you're topping her up before she's hungry.
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I've always fed on demand. My LO naturally dropped feedings on her own. She would sleep longer so feedings would just get cut out. I think by 4 months we were down to 6 feedings. She's currently almost 6 months and she gets 5-6 feedings and sleeps through the night.
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@Rockies11: Thanks! I bet you're right. I'll try stretching it a little and look for her signs.
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I wouldn't wake to eat. Just feed on demand. I try to make my 6 month old go 3 hours but often it's only 2. He nustles his face against my chest as a cue. Dead give away! He usually nurses 7 times in 24 hours - including once overnight.
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At that age I fed on demand. But when we got closer to 3 months I recall the peditrician telling us to start dropping a feeding at night to encourage longer sleeping periods. My doctor gave us a tip sheet at each check-up and I tried to follow most of it.
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Oh lord I will let T go 6 hours! It hasn't negatively affected my supply. When T is hungry, he either fusses a little, roots and smacks his head on my chest, or puts his fingers in his mouth
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I found out that LO was ok to stretch feedings because she started snacking. Feedings got very short and she was super distractable. Once I spaced them out more, she ate more at one feeding.
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12 comments