Health visitor and 3 hour routine

[Kelly123]

My health visitor has told me that my six week old baby doesn't need to feed every three hours and that I should feed her every four hours to take bigger feeds..... Not sure what to do now. I was concerned because she is taking 3oz every three hours and she said it should be more like 4 oz at this stage. She said she isn't hungry after three hours. Baby is 9lb 9oz.....

[sevenebulas]

A 4 hour EASY is for 4 month olds and up since they can stay awake longer. Eating every 3 hours sounds just right to me for a 6 weeks old.

[Kelly123]

That's what I thought but she said three hours is just for newborns or small babies and as I have to wake baby to feed at three hours, she doesn't need it and should be going four hours....

[sevenebulas]

oh so you have to wake the baby?  I'm not sure about that then. I have the opposite problem with baby not sleeping long enough so he eats too frequently.  I'll bet creations will know and can help you when she comes online.

[15milner]

if your health visitor says to do 4 hours - then that is what you tell her.....


then do your own thing... I think I was feeding more frequently than that at 6 weeks (although it was almost 10 years ago since i had a 6 week old!!)

Love

Alex

[creations]

if your health visitor says to do 4 hours - then that is what you tell her.....

Ha ha! Yes very many parents nod and smile at the health visitor's advice and then...choose for themselves what to do.

There's a balance really isn't there. Some health visitors seem to have out of date ideas although I am sure they are all well meaning.

It's true you really *can* choose for yourself. If you are waking baby and baby doesn't appear to be hungry at the 3hr mark then there is no reason to force this.  Yes Tracy's routines are to feed every 3hrs until the 4th month when feeding moves to 4hrs. However, I've seen and heard of LOs who have been kept in hospital after birth for various reasons and the hospital staff have put baby on 4hrly E routine from the get-go.  So in that sense it can't be *that* bad if babies who need additional care are routinely fed every 4hrs (and once out of hospital parents have decide to stay with the 4hrly feeds even when moving to the EASY routine as it's what baby is used to).

Really no one can tell you what to do - if baby is happy and feeding well and gaining weight then it's fine.

[Kelly123]

I think I will stick with the three hourly routine for now. She isn't that hungry after three hours but it seems to be working and she's gaining weight. I don't think four hours would work great right now while her awake time is around 1hr 15 mins..... Thanks for the advice

[Katet]

My DH is the CFO (head of Finance) for the organisation that heads up baby sleep & feeding help in our State (he's become quite a know it all at times LOL) & I wish I knew what he knows now (without even working with the Mums & Bubs) but he was saying his favourite Nurse has a catch phrase "Babies shouldn't be, it's babies can be ( doing anything in a range)"   - All Babies are different & if what a parent is doing is working then why have them change because someone somewhere said they "should do"

One of the big BW principles is "know your baby", & if it is working & you are happy with it, then as someone said on another thread "smile & nod" listen & file, rather than listen & implement

[becj86]

What you could do is wait for baby to wake then feed. It might be 3:15 or 3:30 between feeds but that's not all bad. Your A time sounds fine for a 6wo and she's feeding, gaining weight, sleeping properly (I presume, since you're waking her), sounds like all is going well. It doesn't have to be a rigid time either 3hr or 4hr, it can be there or thereabouts.