do you really think dreamfeeding works? frightened to try?

[barbarab]

My lo is now 9 weeks and we are doing the EASY routine and managing quite well now i think.  However, at night the longest she goes without a feed is 5 hours - we usually have her in bed anywhere between 7 and 8 and she usually wakes up around 1.30am at the latest and then again 3 hours later at around 4.30am. 

I haven't tried the dreamfeed yet and am mixing breast and bottle at the minute - she is on the hungrier baby SMA which i only changed to because i thought she might sleep longer but its had no effect at all. 

So if I dreamfeed about 10.30 does that mean she won't wake till 6am?  I am doubtful seeing as she wont go more than 5 hours so in theory does that not mean she would wake at 3am?

Can anyone let me know if it works for them or doesnt?!!

[arial]

If my memory serves me right, Joshua used to wake up at 1:00 to 1:30 AM before we started his dreamfeedings.  I believe he was also around the same age as your LO.  I remember that as soon as I started dreamfeeding, he did not woke up at 1:30AM anymore.   I know that for a while I could not make him last more than 5 hours at night, but I think that it corrected itself as he got older and he was able to drink more each meal, therefore going from 5 hours to 6hours and then longer.  Well, I also fed him closer to 11PM than 10PM so that he would sleep as late as possible to his wake up time (6AM).  I believe that my LO at that time was also having multiple night wakings and early wakings because of his paci, so it has become a blurred as to the time he got up hungry.  I hope it helps!

[rinajack]

Yep. If you DF at 11pm, which I used to do, then your lo should not wake until 4amish.  So instead of two night wakings, you will only have one.  Then as your lo can last a bit longer, you will do that one feed later and later, until you don't have to do it at all.

The Dreamfeed worked great for us, go ahead and try it.  Also I loved doing that feed, she was soo peaceful.

[dillsmom]

Hi Rina...

Don't you dreamfeed your lo anymore?should you stop dreamfeeding them at 6 months??

[barbarab]

okay, thanks for all that, will try it as close to 11pm as i can (hope I am not asleep, if I am will set the alarm!).  Only prob is that she has been asleep from 8.30am this morning; I woke her at 10.30 for her feed which she took and is now fast asleep again!!!  Oh dear!

[rinajack]

I stopped earlier because she was taking less and I was already at giving it at 9:30.  She just doesn't need it, but she was taking 10oz bottles during the day when we first dropped it.  Now that she has solids, she only has about 8oz bottles.

Most do not drop the DF until around 7mo (some even later) when the lo is well established on solids.

I have always offererd her quite large bottles just to see how much she can take during the day, just so happens she could take a lot and this worked for us.  Doesn't work for everyone though.

Re the sleeping all day - any chance this is a growth spurt issue?  Los can sleep alot during growth spurts.

[barbarab]

Aha, could be, she was 9 weeks yesterday and fed constantly yesterday, hence throwing up around 5pm and then drinking again all night till she went to bed - maybe she just had so much yesterday she doesn't fancy much today - could be a gspurt - heres hoping as she's still asleep now! LOL x

[Nee]

I do remember my Lo dropping the 2 am feed when starting the DF.  I can not stay up till 11pm for the life of me so I usually do it at 10pm.  I also have done it as early as 9:30pm with the same results.  I am BFing so at the biginning, I would use EBM in a bottle cauz it was to difficult BFing her without waking her.  Now, she is doing great with the DF and is doing it straight from the breast.  You have nothing to loose by trying it.  Just remember it takes a few days before it takes affect.

Nee