DF question

[dizzy]

We have been doing DF since lo 6 weeks old and now 16 weeks. He occasionally wakes before time and am never sure what to do? Also, we have been doing it at 10.45 pm ish because on Tracey's examples the DF is always at 11.00 pm so I though it was best to be as close as could get. He has a feed at 7.00 pm so nearly 4 hrs from last feed and is on 4 hr easy now so that made sense to me. I keep reading on the site about DF should be done at 10.00 pm or near to 10.00 pm am really confused?
My lo i still waking for another feed in the night and has started drinking less in the day and more at night (may be linked to teething) and am trying to work out how to swap this round? Which feeds do I reduce?

8.00 am
12.00
3.30 pm
7.00 pm
df 10 45 pm
3.00 am


I think I am doing something wrong but not sure what it is?

[Lolly]

If you are going to reduce a feed make it the 3am one, he should be hungrier when he wakes then. Drop 1oz every 3 nights and see how it goes, he should be able to add the oz you drop to the day.

The dreamfeed needs to be done between 10 and 11pm, later than 11 can disturb sleep as much as help it. It doesn't matter if it's not 4 hours from the last feed, it's meant to be a top up feed to push them to sleep longer so if they will take a full feed great, if not they will take what they need.

from the times you posted, is the 8am feed at wake up? If so, the 7pm feed may be a bit early. You need to aim for a 12 hour day/ night so if you want a 7pm bedtime then a 7am wake-up is a good time to start to get the feeds spaced out to 4 hours.

Laura

[dizzy]

Should I start waking at 7.00 am to try to sort it? At the moment he wakes at about 7.40 am and has feed at 8.00 am or even 8.30 am and doesn't really want it. One day I left it until nap and he didn't even really want to drink it on nap. I am sure this must be to do with drinking a lot at night. He drinks 180 ml on 7.00 pm feed and on DF and a good 150 ml on 3.00 am feed then doesn't want first feed of the morning and maybe drinks 100 ml if I really work at it. He then will drink 120 ml on 12.00 feed but then doesn't want so much on 3.30 pm feed.
He is awake now at 9.50 pm and is either teeth as has lots of dribble and runny bum or the dummy issue is getting worse I am really fed up and have no answers any more. DH parents come to stay for a week in a few days so feel I can't do anything major to sort things out until they have gone as will be a week of going out and about etc and praying things will be ok. I keep trying to patch until after but think I am making everything worse.

[Lolly]

If he wakes around 7.30/40 then aim for that time for bed. I would work on dropping the 3am feed slowly and see how you go. I may have asked this before but is there any reflux with your LO?

Laura

[dizzy]

We did think there was and Dr was happy to give infant gavi which we have used it and still do on one feed a day but am not sure that he really has reflux. He had a bad wind problem or digestive problem but comfort milk and being older seems to have made a massive difference with this.

[dizzy]

Sorry read you post again, He can't go that long for bed I don't think, is really ready for bath at 6.30 pm and then bottle and bed. I think I will try earlier get up. Can you explain why 12hr is important, just so I get the thinking?

[Lolly]

Infant gaviscon in one feed will only be working for that one feed. I think it may be worth getting your Dr to trial something like ranitidine at a good dose for a couple of weeks. His feeds are very small for his age in the day really and taking more feeds over night when he is relaxed is pretty classic reflux behaviour, as is not wanting to feed first thing in the morning. Refluxers are really hard to wind so do suffer with this and have slow digestive systems that make them more prone to constipation.

A 12 hour day/ night is the ideal really, it gives time in the day for feeds to be spaced, daytime sleep and activity time and a 12 hour night is about what they can eventually do. Some babies will only do a 10.5/11 hour night but not many do more than 12 hours at night.

Laura