Author Topic: 11wk old routine - 8 feeds?  (Read 1809 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline doodlebugCT

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 16
  • Location:
11wk old routine - 8 feeds?
« on: August 28, 2013, 15:11:45 pm »
Hi,

I wanted to run this routine by people who are more knowledgeable than I am to see if I'm doing this right.  DS had been waking for his NF around 4am and then sleeping until about 7 and lately it's shifted to 3-3:30am and waking between 6-6:30am.  I prefer the 4am/7am routine and would like to get him back to it. I keep charts each day and have tried replicating the schedule from when he was doing 4am/7am and it didn't work - he still woke around 3:30.   

Also, we have a non-typical schedule in the evening due to me not thoroughly dropping the cluster feeding. Maybe that's contributing:


6:15-6:30 Wake (would like 7 or even 7:30)
7 Eat (4oz)
8:15 Sleep

10 Eat (4oz)
11:15 Sleep

1pm Eat (4oz)
2:30 Sleep

4pm Eat (4oz)
5:30-6:30 Sleep

6:30 Eat (3oz)
  Walk Outside / Bath & Massage

8pm Eat (4oz)
8:30 Sleep

10:45 DF (4oz)

3:15-3:30 approx DF  (4oz) (would like 4am or 4:30)

--------------------

We were doing the walk in the evening because it was way too hot during the day but it'll be cooler soon so I can move it to earlier in the afternoon or even mid-morning.


He finishes each bottle well.  He's getting about 32ozs per day and chunking up, so I didn't think he would need more food, but just wondering why he's waking an hour earlier for the NF.

Here are the things I can think of, what would you try first? (1) Giving more during the DF (2) correcting the evening cluster feed schedule or (3) adding a little to each bottle during the day?

I thought this was good sleep at about 8-9 weeks but I'm not sure it's good sleep now that we're approaching 12 weeks. It seems other babies are going longer?  Fewer bottles would be great, too.




Offline Lolly

  • Bottle Feeding, Discipline and Socialization
  • Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 318
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 11227
  • Location: Neath, South Wales
Re: 11wk old routine - 8 feeds?
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2013, 17:48:46 pm »
Feeding him every 3 hours is just what you should be doing, so the number of feeds a day is fine. Is he draining bottles? If you are only offering 4oz and he is draining them you need to put more into the bottle so he can stop because he is full and not just because the bottle is empty.

So to answer your questions, add more to his day time bottles and his dreamfeed! I would also stop the clusters and just do a full feed at bedtime, the earlier waking could be because bedtime is a bit to late - ideally you want a 12 hour day/ night.

One nightfeed after the dreamfeed is totally fine and normal at this age.

Laura


Offline doodlebugCT

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 16
  • Location:
Re: 11wk old routine - 8 feeds?
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2013, 22:46:26 pm »
Hi Laura,

Yes, he drains each bottle but he doesn't signal for more - sometimes he starts to fall asleep right after finishing.  Since he's getting 32 oz a day and since he's been putting on so much weight, I wasn't sure if I needed to increase his daily amount or not. Should I maybe start with an extra 1/2 oz in each bottle so he'll get another 4oz per day?  I will also fix the evening schedule to get rid of the clusters.

Is it silly to be worried about his weight at all at this age?  He was 13lbs, 11oz at his appt two weeks ago. I'm guessing he's 14 lbs by now. He just looks so big that I feel like I'm over-feeding.

Thanks!
Michelle
« Last Edit: August 28, 2013, 22:47:58 pm by doodlebugCT »

Offline Lolly

  • Bottle Feeding, Discipline and Socialization
  • Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 318
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 11227
  • Location: Neath, South Wales
Re: 11wk old routine - 8 feeds?
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2013, 06:49:06 am »
The UK guidance is always to feed to appetite and add another oz when they are draining bottles whenever that is. You wouldn't be limiting how much time a breastfed baby spends at the breast and the same should go for a bottle fed baby, there should be enough in the bottles so there a bit left at the end so that you know they have taken what they need. Babies are really good at self regulating and will take what they need - it's really hard to overfeed a baby unless you are pushing them to finish a bottle.

At 11 weeks my two were having 6oz bottles at each feed and they took what they want. Remember there is an awful lot of growing going on and they do need the calories. If you combine the 2 clusters that's one bottle less anyway, so feed at 7, 10, 1, 4 and 7 plus DF and NF. We often find that formula fed babies move to 3.5-4 hour feeds around 12/13 weeks so if you put more in the bottles then you may find he can go longer and then you will be dropping a bottle, 4oz is actually quite a small amount per feed for his age.

Have you tried a faster teat too - if he is falling asleep at the end of 4oz then it's likely that he is having to work to hard to get the milk and needs a faster teat.

Don't worry about his weight - he will do what he needs to do. My formula fed DS was 8lb born and gained a lb a week in the first few weeks and was 75th centile for weight for most of the first year, now he is only 9th centile for weight! How they are as newborns and babies doesn't always indicate how they will be as children.

Laura
Laura


Offline doodlebugCT

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 16
  • Location:
Re: 11wk old routine - 8 feeds?
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2013, 03:47:23 am »
Great, thanks for all the info!  I'll definitely try larger bottles and the faster nipple.  I increased the DF last night and then he actually woke up at 1:30am! He wouldn't be soothed so I ended up giving an extra feed.  Then he was up again at ~4am and ~6am so I'm wondering if he might be entering a growth spurt. I guess we'll see what happens tonight :)

Thanks again!
Michelle