Moving to a 4 Hr EASY - ? on night feeds

[echohush]

Hello,

DS turned three months last Thursday.  He has been on a pretty solid 3 hr EASY. We are now going to start to remove some of his props (rocking mostly) and we are also going to try to extend him slowly towards a 4 hr EASY over this month. That said, I just wanted to understand how the night wakings are ideally supposed to work with breast feeding.  Right now DS wakes around 1am and then at 4 or 5am for feeds. He is usually gulps both breasts or at least the full one that he prefers (the left).  His bed time feed is around 7pm and we don't do a dream feed so that seems to be a really good stretch.

I guess should I be worried about these night wakings at this age, especially when one comes 5 to 6 hrs after his bed time feed and the other one seems to kick off a general 3 hr interval that follows through the day. It is usually the same time every night that he wakes and I have been reading in the book about habitual night wakings.

As we enter this new period where habits can really stick I want to be careful not to reinforce anything that may not be ideal for the future and for good sleep patterns.

Thanks!
Branwen

[*Ali*]

I wouldn't actively stretch feeds at this age.  It sounds like he is already doing very well for an EBF baby.  Tracy said to keep 3hrly feeds until 4mo and even then many EBF babies don't make it 4hrly until later.

The day feeds will naturally stretch out as A time and naps lengthen.

[echohush]

Thanks this is very reassuring!  I gave it a go today in terms of just watching him and you are quite right. Today he convinced me he is in no way ready to move on- he was like clockwork on the feeding cues for 3 hrs.

[*Ali*]

I'd just keep going as you are then.  He really is doing well already.