Is this habitual NWs?

[fc12]

Hi there

My 19 week old DS is on 4 hour EASY. He has 2 x 1h45m sleeps each day and a catnap of 30-50 mins in late afternoon. He goes to bed between 6.30-7.15 each night. Doesn't have DF because we found when we were doing it he woke every 2 hours at night. Wakes EXACTLY 6 1/2 hours after going to bed and then EXACTLY 3 1/2 hours after that. The first night feed is a good one, he'll usually eat about 140ml or 6oz. The second feed (between 4.30 and 6) is not so good anymore so I don't he doesn't need to eat then I don't think.  Sometimes he'll have 140ml (6oz) and at others about 120ml (4oz). This morning I only gave him 60ml (2oz) at 5.30 and he went straight back to sleep till 7.30.

If I try not to feed him (especially if the second waking is 5.45 onwards) he doesn't seem to go back to sleep so I'm still wondering whether he is hungry here.

Because the timing is always exact in terms of how long between feeds, I'm wondering if the NWs are habitual. On the otherhand, if he's hungry I don't mind feeding him. I do think it effects his day feeds which are not always full (about 6oz and should be about 8oz) so I know if I eliminated his night bottles, he'd feed better during the day. I just don't want to do this prematurely. I will start PU/PD if people suggest this is the best way to go especially for his second NW.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance
fc12

[claires mum]

That all sounds perfectly normal to me and you/he are doing GREAT.  He's still very young and only 2 night feeds is excellent.  If you think he's ready to drop the early morning feed, then you could:

1) gradually reduce the amount of this feed over 5 days or so, and at the same time
2) increase the day feeds by the same amount

So if you are dropping 1 oz at the early morning feed, make up that 1 oz at another feed during the day.  By day 5 you drop the early feed ...and see if he handles it ok.

Does this help?