How do I drop the cluster feed?

[EZ-EMom]

DS was a 28-week preemie and is now 7 weeks old (adjusted) and weighs about 12 & 1/2 pounds.  We have been on a 3hr EASY since he got home with cluster feeds at 3:30pm, 5:30pm and 8:00pm, followed by a DF at 10:30/11:00.  I know Tracy recommends dropping the cluster feeds around 8 weeks, but I cannot recall how I did that with ODS.  Right now, LO's intake looks like this:

3:30 - 4.50 oz
5:30 - Anywhere from 2-4 oz
8:00 - 2ish oz

Our pedi is happy with his weight and advised that he doesn't need the clusters from her perspective.  So, do I just start cutting back the amount I give him at 8?  Do I move the 5:30 to more like 6, right after his bath, so its feed to sleep?

Oh, and as I write this, he is waking for the 8pm feeding, so its becoming a habitual waking that I want to break before it gets too bad. Thanks for the help!

[RachelC]

How is it going now?

[EZ-EMom]

Pretty well, actually.  The last two evenings, I've moved his "cluster" feeds to look like this:

3:30 - 4.5 oz
5:45 - 2.5oz
6:15 - Bath, jammies, another 2oz
6:40 - Bed

Then, he's been making it through to his dreamfeed without waking.  He's stirred around 8 each night, but less than a minute of grunting and coughing, then right back to sleep.

Do you think its okay to split that 5:30 bottle into pre- and post- bath?  I don't want to feed to sleep, but I figure it can't be terrible to just top him off right before bed.  DO you think this will become a problem?

[RachelC]

The pre/post bottle is very common.  As long as he is not falling asleep on the bottle, it's fine.

Glad things are going well