EASY and Feeding for 4 week old

[MiaMorgan]

Hello,

I am new to all of this and my baby is 4 weeks old today.  We have been on EASY since we got back from the hospital when she was 4 days old.  It's been working fairly well until this week.  We went to the pediatrician last week and Mia hadn't gained any weight.  The doctor was not worried as she has 6-8 wet nappies per day and 4-5 dirty nappies and she is healthy and strong.  She said to keep feeding her on demand. 

Well, it kind of shook my confidence so I started feeding her more often.  So for the past couple of days, we have eaten, done activity, eaten again and then slept.  When she eats after slepping, she generally eats 30-40 minutes, but before slepp, it is only 10-15 so I don't think she needs it, but she is displaying all the signs of hunger, rooting, the baby bird metaphor that Tracy uses, the triangle, etc.  What should I do?  I don't want to train her to go to sleep on the breast, but I also want to make sure she is getting enough to eat.  Could this be a growth spurt?  She is sleeping less this week as well.

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Hello and welcome!  Yes, there is often a growth spurt around 4 weeks, and frequently a bigger one at around 6 weeks.  Feeding more often doesn't always translate to more calories, as you'd think it would.  What you want to do is do full feeds when she's hungry, so she gets as much out of you as she can!  Are you offering both sides?  I'd suggest doing that, and even back to the first and second breast AGAIN, if she's still interested.  Use breast compression http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=88759.0 to get her going if she slows down.  I don't know if the rooting, etc, that you see before naptime is *hunger* so much as her wanting to suck as a prelude to sleep. 

"Demand" feeding doesn't have to mean really really often.  It just means looking for those hungry cues (which is what BW is all about anyway, right?)

How long are your routine cycles?  About 2.5 to 3 hrs?

[MiaMorgan]

Hi,

Thanks for the tips.  We were on a 3 hour routine from the start.  She was napping really well and was very independent during activity time.  This week is horrible.  She is only napping about 30 minutes, she is rooting all of the time.  Yes, she is doing full feeds but she still wants more.  Every time I check, there is milk, so I think I have enough.  I have no idea what went wrong and I am so, so frustrated!

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Well a growth spurt usually lasts less than a week, so you might see some improvement soon...