Dream feeds really help?

[Nickie18]

My LO is almost 8 weeks now. He is also about 11 lbs. He is on a 3 hour EASY. We have short nap issues... But this is a feeding issue-
He would never cluster feed, so we fed at 6:30 and topped off after bath at 7:15pm right before bedtime, usually taking 5 ounces together. I would then dream feed around 10:30-11pm. He would take maybe 2 ounces. Then he would sleep until around 1 or 2 and take about 2-3 ounces and then wake early to start day, when wake time for us is 6:30am. BT is always 7:15pm. He takes anywhere from 5-6 ounces some feeds and then at least one feed a day he only takes in 2.5 ounces and does well through A and nap time with that little.

To see if the dream feed was helping or not, I dropped it. I know it does not work for all babies...
The first night he woke at 11:45pm, took 5 ounces slept until 4am and took 2 ounces, then slept until 6:45.
Second night he woke at 11pm for 3.5 ounces, and 2:45am for 3.5 ounces and woke at 6 am.
Third night woke at 2:45 am only and took 5 ounces, awake at 6:15am.
But last night was worst- woke at 1 am for 4.5 ounces and then woke for morning at 5:45am and could not get back to sleep and to close to wake up time to give another feed.

It definately seems he can sleep longer than I thought (7.5 hours the third night), but rarely does it. He definately takes in more ounces when no dream feed, but it doesn't feel like we've really had a success. Seems like the first night I dropped it was the best. I don't want him to STTN, just sleep until wake up time.

Any suggestions? Should I star the dream feed again, maybe later in the night like 11:30pm? Should I keep trying for a few more nights without the dream feed to see if he gets used to it? I

[Lolly]

How are things going now? Have you stopped the DF?

It never worked for my two, they woke more often after a DF than if we just let them wake when they were hungry. I wouldn't do it later than 11 as it can disturb sleep as much as help it if you do it too late.

Laura

[Angelgoo]

Good morning Nickie, I could have written your post.  My DD is 8 wks tomorrow and is 11 1/2 lbs (more - that was last week!).  We tried a dream feed from 5 weeks old and it was a mad fight to wake her and persuade her to take it and she still woke at 3am.. however nice for me as my husband did the 11pm fight so I slept from say 10 until 3 - heaven!

Since she didnt' seem a natural we stopped it about a week and a half ago and she was irratic for a while but now seems to have settled into sleeping from 7.30pmish to 1.30 or 2am and yes, if it's not 2am she will wake before 7am, which is madenning so I try to hold her off for a bit if the middle of the night waking is early.  Of course this set-up means less sleep for me (the 2am feed takes until 3am to go down and she may start chirruping at 5am, even if she puts herself back to sleep - and I am not good at going to bed with her that early) but I do feel that we're not forcing her into the habit of waking at 11pm, also having 2 'night feeds' after 7.30pm, which further down the line might be annoying in itself.

It's all a bit of an experiment, isn't it?  On a combined feeding/ nap issue, I am also finding that my DD is naturally increasing from the 3 hour feeding schedule (to as much as almost 4 hrs in the morning but this gets shorter as the day goes along - I am breastfeeding) and as a result is taking more per feed and napping longer.

Sorry, this is a bit of a 'me too' but maybe do persevere with the no dream feed to see where he settles.  I've got to say though, if my DD took it then I'd probably stick with it as makes life easier for me! And maybe see if he will naturally increase his 3-hour feeding cycle, which could encourage him to take more at each feed - I know Tracy says not until 4 months but others say fine to do it from 8 weeks and my health visitor here recommended it to me for the same reason.

[Nickie18]

Yes, seems we are in the same boat...
We have dropped the dream feed for a week now. It had made our schedule kinda all over the place during the night, (was early waking, waking several times when first started) but he has been overall amazing. Usually only waking once in the night to be feed. Sometimes 1 am, and today slept from 7-4am! Was a bit hard to settle him down after the 4am feed, but he then slept later than he ever has before- 6:45am!
We were considering elongating the time between feeds to 3.5 hours, but he still will occ take a large amount- took 8 ounces prior to going to sleep last night (we do a mini cluster- 6:30pm feed, then feed the rest after bath and jammies at 7:15 or so). And overall he is still taking about 28-30 ounces a day. And his awake time is still not long enough to make it through the day at 3.5, so maybe in a few weeks. We are only at 1 hour 15 minutes awake.
Still don't know if it is the "right" thing for us, but seems to be working for now, especially since he is a big guy and can likely make it through the night sometime next week by weight standards, though we will of course still feed him when he wakes for now.

[Lolly]

I really don't think that the idea that at a certain weight a baby can sleep through is right. Bigger babies need more calories than smaller babies and their tummies are so small they need frequent filling, when people talk about sleeping through it's about sleeping a stretch of 5-6 hours, it's not about sleeping from bedtime to awake time with no feeds. Sleeping through is as much developmental as calorie driven and most babies are just not ready for that while they are growing so rapidly.

I wouldn't stretch feeds to 3.5 hours yet either, he is just too little really and if he doesn't take more at the stretched feeds then he will be waking more at night for missed calories.

Laura

[Nickie18]

Thank you for the advice. We'll see how to night goes- the baby sitter put him down for bed tonight, so you never know- When do you think is a good time for 3.5 hours? At 1 hour 15 minutes now for A time (today was first day) and he was sleepy, but made it through...

[CharleyWarley]

I am a new mum with an 8 week old boy.

Up until a couple weeks ago he was taking a feed at 10 - 10.30pmish and sleeping through  to 3 or 4am however he has since stopped taking this last feed and falling asleep earlier in the evening between 8 and 9pm with his last bottle around 6or 7pm and then sleeping through to 1 to 2am. i have tried to wake him around 10pm ish to give him his last feed but i cannot get him to wake and take any milk. Really looking for any advice to get him back to sleeping through later, i don't know what else to try....

Thanks x

[Lolly]

Have you tried giving him the feed asleep - ideally you don't want them to wake for the 10-11pm feed, hence the term dreamfeed . The idea is to pick them up gently while asleep, get the bottle in their mouth and they will start sucking automatically. As it's a relaxed feed they shouldn't need winding so you just gently pop them back in their cot still asleep.

However, not all babies take to the DF so you can try a little later or earlier to see if they will feed better in a different part of their sleep cycle or leave it for a few weeks and try again when he is a bit bigger. If you have tried and failed for a week or so I would just accept that he is going to be waking just after midnight and get to bed earlier yourself if you can for now.

A 8 week old going from 6/7pm to 1/2am is really very good though!

Laura