Cluster feeding

[danni2012]

I have just started EASY with my 10 wk old boy.. I'm a bit confused about the cluster feeding as it says it should be dropped by 8 wks.. I feel that he's not getting enough milk during the day, what should I do instead of cluster feeding in the evening. He woke at 5 and took 4oz, at 8am he took 3 and a half and at 10 he took 2.. So his next feeds will be 1, 4, 7 and dream feed which he only takes an oz.. Any ideas as to what I should do? He wakes a good few times a nite but I try hold off feeding him until I know he's hungry and won't settle with all the techniques..

[Lolly]

Hi there, can you post what your day has been like in terms of

Eat - what times, how much
Activity - how long for
Sleep - what times and how long for

include the night too so we get a picture of what is happening to give you some suggestions.

What bottles are you using, what teat and which formula. Does he show any signs of digestive discomfort at all?

Laura

[danni2012]

Thx for the reply..

Today has been like this

5.15 4oz
Sleep
7.15: I woke him but he wouldn't take any food until 8 and he took 3 and a half oz
8.30-9.45 Sleep
10.00 E 2oz and playtime
11.00-12.15 sleep
1.00 E 4oz
A
2.00-4 Sleep
4.00 E 3oz
A
5.00-5.45 nap
6.00 2oz

Everyday is different. I tried easy when he 2wks old but he got a bad cough and cold at 3 wks and wouldnt nap or feed.. At 5wks he became very colicky. We are now using a colic mixture which we got 2wks ago and he's back to napping but still not feeding great.. I use Avent bottles and he's back on Sma gold. He has been napping too much during the day so I did wake him today, hopefully he'll sleep better tonight.

[Lolly]

If you try and stick to 3 hour feeds then he should take a full feed, the 2oz bottle was only 2 hours after the previous bottle which is probably why he only took 2oz. As a rough guide babies should be getting 2-2.5oz per lb of body weight in 24 hours give or take so if you calculate that you know what he should be taking.

If he is still on the first teats you could try the next sixe to see if that makes a difference to how well he feeds. What is the colic mixture he is on? Is that helping? What is his behaviour like when he feeds - is he calm or is he fighting the bottle?

When he had naps of just over an hour did you wake him then? If so try and make sure he has at least 90 mins, a sleep cycle is 45 mins and they need 2 sleep cycles for it to be a restorative nap. Most babies are doing at least 5 hours of daytime sleep at this age and sleep really does beget sleep! Ig he woke for the day at 7.15 then you need to have him down for the night by 7.15 so he has a 12 hour day/night, cluster feeds are harder to fit in so I would focus on getting his feeds on a good 3 hour cycle so he has a good feed before bed.

If you haven't seen the sample routines this may help http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164027.0

What do you think?

Laura

[danni2012]

Normally I do the 3hr routine but he seemed hungrier today but still only drank 2-3 oz..
For the last wk he has been up at 7 and been fed every three hrs but makes no difference, he even went 4hrs during the day yday and I thought he was going to drink loads but still only took 3oz.. I have him on 3mths teats and tried the faster ones but he spat out more than he drank. The colic mixture is a herbal one I think, it's a secret formula from a pharmacy, it works great. He's a different baby since he started it.. He usually gets a df at 11 but only takes an oz, some nights he wakes at 2am others 3am. I try not to feed him until around 4 as I'm trying to gradually reach 7am. Last nite he woke at 3 and I gave him a soother and he slept til 5.15. Some nites I have to do pu/pd etc for 2hrs which is so tiring. I have a 4yr old too and I don't want him waking her so I try not to let him cry that much during the nite. She was def a txt book baby took to easy so quickly and slept 7-7 with a dream feed from 6 wks..

[Lolly]

It's great your DD slept so well with a DF from so early but she really was the exception rather than the rule. I would just feed him when he wakes at night and resettle him as soon as possible - going from the DF (or bedtime feed really if he isn't taking the DF) to 3am is really good at 10 weeks. At this age he needs frequent feeds and there is a growth spurt at 3 months and 4 months so he will need those nightfeeds still.

PU/PD isn't suitable for a 10 week old baby, it's for babies who are 4 months + and for when all other things have been tried, it's just too stimulating for them. At this age you really need to use shh/pat http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=26672.0. Are you swaddling at all?

Have you tried the DF a bit earlier? It's not recommended to do it any later than 11, but you could try at 10pm and see if that helps. If 10pm is no better try 10.30, it could be catching him in a different part of his sleep cycle makes a difference. Some babies just don't take to the DF, my two didn't so we just waited for them to wake when they were hungry.

The other thing to think about is could the colic be reflux? http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=654.0 have a look here and see if anything rings a bell.

Laura

[danni2012]

Yeah he has a few of them symptoms alright..He did cry a lot, very windy etc, cough and cold.. He's really wriggly and arches his back when I'm feeding him..I am not worried about his weight as his bw was 8lb and is now 13lb 8oz. Im so confused a friend recommended another book which says to keep stretching and soothing him until he reaches 7am but as u said he needs his food so I think I will forget about trying to get him to sleep through the night and ill  try ti just sort his daily routine out better and hope for the best that he starts sleeping soon.. Thank you so much for your advice

[Lolly]

Yeah he has a few of them symptoms alright..He did cry a lot, very windy etc, cough and cold.. He's really wriggly and arches his back when I'm feeding him..

Keep an eye on that, I have 2 refluxers and they behaved exactly like that during feeds and it started to get worse around the 10 week point. If you think he is uncomfortable it's worth discussing things with your Dr as you won't be able to sleep train if he is in pain. You can try things like elevating his cot to help and the dummy is a good thing for refluxers. My two had no issues with weight gain but they were still in pain from reflux and both needed a reflux formula and meds.

Laura

[danni2012]

Were your two spitting up after feeds? I suggested that he mite have reflux to my gp because at 3 wks he was foaming at the mouth and was blowing bubbles a lot and grunting all nite long.. She said once he's not spitting up he doesn't have reflux.. Since then he's propped up in his cot and will only nap in the car seat and not the pram when we're on the go.. He was great last nite got a bottle at 7.45 and drank 4oz and took 5oz of a df at 10.45 and slept til 4.30.. Hopefully tonight will be the same!

[Lolly]

Great night!

She said once he's not spitting up he doesn't have reflux..

I think your Dr may need to go check some info out . Both my kids were pretty much silent refluxers, they did have periods of bringing their milk up but with silent reflux they swallow it back down. You will hear them gulping and swallowing back and hiccuping but they don't always bring stuff up.

I hope today is a good day for you.

Laura