advice on formula feeding / times etc please !

[Ebony_Blaze]

Can anyone give me some advice please...Im a first time mum and cant decide what to do....

My Lo takes anything from 3-5 oz ( we always offer 5 since she was draining her 4oz bottles a week ago ) approx every 3 hrs - but sometimes goes 4 and only rarely 5 hrs.

Anyway, we aim to feed her at 1900 then 2200 ( we bath her around 1830 )
but last nights feed at 1900 was very fussy and she cried for 2 hrs after it ! arggghhhh....anyway, by 2100 she was so tired she cried herself to sleep after a lot of consoling her....bless....so should I have waken for her for feed at 2200? I didnt as I felt if she were hungry she would wake - was this wrong ? but then I was conscious about her getting enough milk as she is still waking a lot in the night for feeds and for some reason sometimes only going 2 hrs....
she actually went through to midnight then woke at 0430 ( which was good for her ) but then again wouldnt settle all morning and has been agitated.

She is now asleep and Im just wandering how to play it this eve.

If she cries for her feed say 2 hrs when I know normally she can go longer - do I just carry on demand feeding her ??? Im happy demand feeding her but then I would like to start getting her in to a routine as she just doesnt seem to have one at all.....but am I expecting to much ?

I would appreciate any advice thank you

x

 

[aliss]

IMO she is far too young to try this sort of schedule. She will go through a variety of growth spurts and cluster feeds. She does not operate on a 24 hour clock and will require various amounts/times. So yes, you are expecting too much - that's okay, I think a lot of us did the same thing but demand feeding will make your lives much easier. Mine is still demand fed through the night at 16 months.

 

[emme]

My LO got herself into a routine at a few months old however I dont stick to it if she needs food earlier I'll give it, I wouldn't bother waking her just let her wake when she is ready xx

 

[bellablue]

they will let you know when there hungry she will wake up

 

[maddog37]

You can still do the 10pm feed if you've been doing it and she's been getting on okay with it. Last night might've been an off night for her.

But yeh, IMHO 1 month old is too young to force her to go without if she's hungry. Her little stomach is still developing and so is everything else, so it'll take time. If she sleeps through, she sleeps through. In the daytime, I'd still aim for at least a feed every 3 hours to discourage waking at night from not getting enough milk during the day.

If she screams at the 10pm feed and won't take it for a few nights and gets all mad for being woken up, then you should skip it and wait for her to wake up for a feed. My son did that around 4 month old and we had to stop the dreamfeed. I was reluctant as my son wasn't drinking enough and it was my one chance to sneak more milk in while he was sleeping, but once he was over it, he definitely let us know!

 

[Elphaba12]

My little girl is roughly the same age as yours and we have no real routine here. We pretty much feed her on demand and she has 4oz each time, sometimes 2 hours apart, sometimes longer. Its frustrating as we can't predict when she'll want the next feed etc but I figure she'll find her own routine eventually and feel she's too young to try and force her into one.

And i agree, I wouldn't wake her for a feed. I'd just be grateful for the opportunity to get some more sleep myself lol

 

[daddiesgift]

I dont think babies should be put on a eating routine. They eat when they are hungry they dont when they arent! My son will be four weeks tomorrow and EVERY night he wakes every two hours..if we are lucky three hours..and eats four ounces every time and hardly ever spits it up or doesnt finish it. He wakes up on his own which wakes us up which I grab a bottle, change his diaper, feed him and go back to sleep and all is fine. I do the same during the day when he acts hungry I feed him 3 ozs cause he seems to eat less during the day. If she cried two hours last night a bottle would have simply fixed that! If my son is hungry he will cry, chew on his hands, open his mouth, and when he is done he will just let go of the nipple or hit it away . Hes never over ate, when hes done he is done. If we get done and he still acts hungry I give him more!

 

[Supermaiden]

I demand feed, if he wants it he wants it Im not going to keep him waiting and upset. x

 

[Ebony_Blaze]

I dont think babies should be put on a eating routine. They eat when they are hungry they dont when they arent! My son will be four weeks tomorrow and EVERY night he wakes every two hours..if we are lucky three hours..and eats four ounces every time and hardly ever spits it up or doesnt finish it. He wakes up on his own which wakes us up which I grab a bottle, change his diaper, feed him and go back to sleep and all is fine. I do the same during the day when he acts hungry I feed him 3 ozs cause he seems to eat less during the day. If she cried two hours last night a bottle would have simply fixed that! If my son is hungry he will cry, chew on his hands, open his mouth, and when he is done he will just let go of the nipple or hit it away . Hes never over ate, when hes done he is done. If we get done and he still acts hungry I give him more!

I wish people would read the threads propertly before commenting
I never said I let her cry for 2 hrs and refused her a feed ! God who would do that.
She cried because I have a very cryey baby for some reason and I do feed on demand - I just wanted some advice as a first time mum.
So NO a bottle would not have fixed it

x

 

[nugget80]

hey... i wouldn't worry too much about waking her for the 10pm feed... if she is hungry she will wake up and ask, if shes not then she won't. she will always make sure she takes enough milk so don't fret she is not taking enough. she might just be fussy cos she is overtired? my lo can be like this at bedtimes sometimes if he does not get his afternoon nap...

 

[JacquiKeren]

i was demand feeding but my lo was taking up to 10oz at a time. hes only 5 weeks old now. the health visitor said she feels he is just one of those babies who would be better on a routine.

we now have him on set food intake and set times and if for any reason he dosent settle and wont stop crying after a feed he has a top up. he is much more content now. x