Author Topic: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed  (Read 1673 times)

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Offline josephfc

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4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« on: December 06, 2012, 15:24:05 pm »
Hello. I have a lot of feeding questions regarding my son and I'm struggling to put it all together in a coherent message. I've tried to bullet point my questions to make it easier.

I think he should be able to go through the night but he still wakes between 3 and 430 for a full bottle although he has occasionally made it to 6/630.

He has been on hungry baby formula with the advice of our HV since about 8 weeks. He was trying to take more formula than his stomach could handle, around 6oz every 2 hours if not sooner and this gave him bad acid reflux.

Since giving him hungry formula he's settled in to a 3hr feeding routine and his reflux has pretty much gone. He's taking 5x 7oz bottles every 3 hours and one at night. He weighs 14lb9.

He drains every bottle but he's gaining a bit more weight than he should and I worry about over feeding. He will eat and eat if I let him, he never stops and I don't want his reflux to start again. But if he's off schedule for the day he has managed to take 2x 7oz bottles within 1.5 hours before bed without any problems!

He instantly fusses at the 3hr mark unless we're out and about when he can go longer (occasionally 5 hours!)

We're having some napping problems and his sleep patterns suggest he can move to a 4h routine but his feeding patterns don't.

He has only ever had 1 bottle a night from about 4/5 weeks even during his massive 6 week growth spurt. I thought we were lucky but he's never managed to move beyond that. Is the bottle habitual?

Should he be going longer between feeds at 4 months? I read that 4 month olds start to drop a feed so do they take less or eat more in a sitting? How would this impact on his night feed, does he need the night feed?

He's doubled his birth weight and I've read that means he should be able to sleep through which he has done on a few occasions.

I'm very confused and really nervous about over feeding after our GP said I was over feeding him. I was still struggling with baby blues at that time and it hit me very hard so I find it difficult to rationalise when it comes to feeding. He has moved from mid way between 25th to just on the 50th percentile for weight so I still worry he's eating too much!

I hope that all makes sense. Like I said he is only taking short naps at the minute but his wake time seems to be around 2hrs which is conflicting with his feeding. I'm wondering if I should try to move to 4h feeds, how to do that (increase intake?) and if the two are linked. At least I think that's what I'm asking....!

Offline Lolly

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2012, 18:34:21 pm »
At 4 moths he would be moving to a 4 hour feed pattern, if he is draining bottles you need to increase them so try offering 8oz and see if he can stretch to 3 hrs 15/ 3 hours 30. If he is going to last longer he will take a bit more. The idea is they take the same amount in 24 hours butin 1 less bottle.

You say his reflux has nearly gone - does he still have some symptoms, if so what! Feeding and feeding is a pretty typical reflux sympton, they feed to sooth the acid burn. How is he when he feeds, does he seem uncomfortable?

He doesn't sound like he's overeating to me - the 50th centile is totally average and most babies jump up a few centiles after birth. My DS jumped from the 50th to the 75th and my DD form the 75th to the 91st.

It's totally normal to be having a nightfeed at 4 months - most babies need a nightfeed until they established on solids. The fact that he has doubled his weight means he needs more calories to sustain his weight and grow not less, sleeping through is as much routine and developmental as much as size driven. Both my babies had doubled their birth weight by 4 months, DD started sleeping through at about 8.5 months and DS not until he was nearly 2 (both refluxers too).

Short naps can be developmental - or OT/UT but can also be related to feeding. Can you give us you EASY in terms of
Eat - what times, how much
Activity - how long for
Sleep - what times, how long for.

Laura


Offline josephfc

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2012, 20:45:25 pm »
Hey thanks for responding!

Sorry, bad turn if phrase, is reflux has gone, we no longer use the Gaviscon and he feeds well. I just worry that increasing his formula too much will give him trouble again. He is ready taking 42oz in a day and he has never left anything in his bottle since the day he was born, if I increased it to 10oz he'd drink the lot! I only increased him to 7oz a few weeks ago thinking he was going to start going longer between feeds but he hasn't. Could he really need increasing again so soon?

I read about increasing time between feeds gradually but how would you do that? Should I give him 8oz and see what happens or do it a bit more gradually? I'm sorry I have read the FAQs but don't know whether to increase his feed straight away AND increase the time in increments or whether to stretch to 3.15, 3.30 then increase the feed. Since the doctor said he eat too much I've completely lost any confidence when it comes to feeding him! My HV has told me he's fine just a very hungry boy but I still worry.

Our EASY isnt established in any way due to short naps (I'm trying to remember when he stopped napping longer than 40minutes, I'm sure it was from about 6 weeks!) and irregular mornings (we aim for 8, he usually wakes up 740/750 but its sometimes earlier) so I've put what we've done today.

740 wake
E. 7oz 815 (unless he has an earlier night feed)
A
S. 940 - 1020
E. 1115 7oz
A
S. 1230 -110
E. 215 7oz
A.
S. 250-450 (first long nap in weeks if not in a car/pram!)
E. 500 7oz
A. Bath 630
E. 650 7oz
S. 715 bed

This is today but from after the second nap the sleeping is all over the place, he is always awake for his feed from 3hrs. It's difficult to read hungry signs because everything goes in his mouth at the minute and he is sucking his tounge and bottom lip a lot. But he gets fussy as soon as 3hts have passed and I know his hungry cry well!! Usually 4 naps rather than 3 with a cat nap at around 530. I've had to wake him up from this. Bed time is anywhere from 730 and 8 usually but his long nap finishing early meant he went to sleep sooner.

He has a night feed (7oz and at the minute he takes that in about 15 minutes then takes an hour to nod off. He used to go straight back to sleep, probably a development thing though).

I hope all the info is here for you. Like I said, there isn't reall a routine in place. Just feed after 3hrs sleep after 2. I fried shortening a time but no luck with naps

Offline josephfc

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2012, 10:02:26 am »
Since posting the below our last two days have followed the same pattern give it take 15-20 minutes. I don't think he'd last 3h15 between a feed but don't think increasing to 8oz would help him go longer either.

Any suggestions?
« Last Edit: December 08, 2012, 10:35:00 am by josephfc »

Offline josephfc

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2012, 18:47:23 pm »
Can anyone offer any advice on this?

Offline Lolly

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2012, 19:02:52 pm »
Have you tried stretching his first A time a bit - I wonder if the short nap is because he is a bit UT. If he short naps you need to reduce the next A time a bit, it looks like he is UT for the first nap and the OT for the next because of the first UT nap.

With the feeds I would increase up to 8oz and do what you can to get to 3 hrs 15.

He is taking a lot of milk and considering he is already on hungry baby milk has weaning early been suggested by and of your health professionals?

Laura


Offline josephfc

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2012, 19:16:33 pm »
Hello.

No it hasn't been suggested but were strongly considering it ourselves. He's 17 weeks next week and I think we'll be introducing some baby rice. I'm a bit uncertain how to do this and how it would effect his milk feeds and the HVs aren't all that supportive. It worries me that he's managing to fit so much liquid into his tiny belly so I don't want to hold off much longer.

Ill give extending to 3h15 a go thank you. As for extending a time, he's only just 16 weeks, wouldn't more a time be a bit too much for him? I tried 1h45 for a while and this did no good ad 2h isn't working either. I've also tried a better wind down with no luck. I'm sure it's feeding related but I can't imagine him taking more than 42oz in a day and if 8oz doesn't lengthen the feed he'd be having far too much.

Thanks for the help

Offline Lolly

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2012, 19:25:58 pm »
My two always needed a slightly longer first A time, some need shorter. It's worth a try, especially if he's had a good night I'd do 2 hours 10/15 and see what happens.

Laura


Offline josephfc

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Re: 4 month old feeding routine and night feed
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2012, 19:34:09 pm »
Thanks Laura, we'll give it a go