Author Topic: Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?  (Read 6472 times)

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Offline Claire Marie's mommy

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Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?
« on: August 23, 2005, 17:38:50 pm »
Hi, my daughter is 4 1/2 months and is currently sleeping from 7:30 pm until 2:00 am when she wakes for a feed.  Then back down until 5:00am when she wakes for another.  We don't do a dream feed, but her ped. recomended doing a final feed at 10 or 10:30 to try and place that long stretch of sleep more at night instead of early evening.  Hopefully then she wouldn't need another feed until 4:30 or 5:00 am.  If I do the dream feed and she takes it, will she still wake at 2am out of habit?  If she does, do I gradually wean her off of it, or do I stop feeding her at this time cold turkey and wait until 5 am as it is the same amount of time inbetween feeds?  Also, any ideas on how long it would take for her to get used to this?  Is it a good idea or should I just leave well enough alone?   I'm just afraid of ending up with a 10 pm wake and a 2 am wake and ruining the 7 hr stretch all together!  Has anyone tried this?

Thanks for any advice
Jessica

Offline SandyGal

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Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2005, 01:25:25 am »
Hi Jessica:

Only one way to know... give it a try :D I never did a dream feed with my daughter, so I was always doing the 2-3 am feed. My next baby will get that dream feed from the start. If she is waking out of hunger, she should sleep longer when she has a late evening feed. Do you cluster feed her in the evening? If she does wake at 2 after the dreamfeed, see if you can get her to go back to sleep without feeding her. After a few nights of trying, you will have a bit more information and that will give you a better picture of whether or not it will help. Keep us posted and let us know how it goes when you start!
Sandy-Mom to Kyra (1-7-04) and Kylan (9-20-05)


Offline katejude

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Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2005, 09:50:06 am »
I don't know if this advise is helpful but I'll supply it anyway.  My son never slept well until 2 weeks ago so we had 10 months of multiple nightwakings.  I introduced (he's BF) the dreamfeed when he was five months old but in retrospect I don't think it was the best thing to do.  He would then wake for it regularly and I quickly got into a (bad) routine of feeding him twice throughout the night.   It's really up to you but I felt the dreamfeed encouraged an already waking baby to wake more often.
Kate
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Offline Onewoman

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Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2005, 10:31:20 am »
Hi Jessica, I posted much the same question a few weeks ago! My lo is just over 4 months and was waking at pretty much the same times as yours. I started giving her less of a b/f at about 6ish and she started waking at 10/11 (so it is not technically a dream feed). Anyhow, I have established that as a feed. If she doesn't wake then I have decided I will wake her. She continued to wake at 1.30 and 4.30 and for about a week I did offer her the breast,  but tried to minimise the amount she took so that she had a good breakfast. Once I felt confident that she was having 5 good feeds a day (including the 11 pm one), I didn't offer any bm until morning. I am also moving to a 4hr routine so she eats better in the day.

We are still working on it and last night I gave her water from a bottle (a favourite method here in the UK of discouraging night waking) and will continue to do so. She took a good feed this morning which has been a big problem with the night feeds interferring with her appetite in the day. If say after a week she is still waking between 11 and 6/7 I will settle her in the cot and do pu/pd if need be.

Let me know how it goes!  :D
Susana xx
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& Ella Joy 4/10/92 (Teenage and hormonal)

Offline Claire Marie's mommy

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Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2005, 17:39:25 pm »
Thanks for the quick replies!  I did go ahead and try the dream feed last night.  I think I caught her at a transition because she opened her eyes and started eating right away.  I think she ate well, but its hard to tell.  We're BF.  Anyway, she didn't wake until 3am!  I let her fuss (not cry)a while and I could tell that she was really trying to go back to sleep.  This went off and on for about an hour.  I tried to help by putting my hand on her, patting, ect.  She would fall asleep for about 10 min and then wake again.  At 4, I  began to doubt  that she had taken enough at the DF and decided to feed her.  She then slept until 7:30 am!  I am afraid of her beginnng to wake at 10, but I guess I'd rather feed then, instead of  at 2am and 5am.
Susana, how is the water working?  I've been thinking about possibly using a bottle of expressed bm at the DF or maybe formula? ?? Just so I know that she's actually getting enough. It's just so hard for me to decide if she ate enough at 4am!  Any thoughts?  Also, how is the 4 hr routine going?  I've been reading some posts that warn about lowering your supply if you go to 4 hr.  I'm thinking we need to make the move as she is getting goofy on the breast, bobbing off and easily distracted! :?

Offline Onewoman

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Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2005, 08:24:57 am »
Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you! The water has worked well, I only had to do it 3 nights at the 1/2 am wake up and she hasn't bothered waking then since. She is feeding loads better in the day, but it hasn't been strictly 4 hours. She has fed anywhere between 2.5 - 4 hrs, but that is great as she is taking it all in in the day! At the moment she seems to be doing feeds at about 4/5 am, 8, 11.30, 2, 6 & 10.30. On the days it has been 4 hrs between feeds I haven't had any probs with milk supply, your body should adjust to it fine. I feel more full and have had to express some off.

I know lots of women on here find giving the D/f from a bottle (either b/m or formula) a lot easier. I haven't done that myself as she is waking up to eat, but I am giving formula at the 6pm feed.

Hows it going?
Susana xx
Mum to Ruby Rose (Spirited, Touchy)
& Ella Joy 4/10/92 (Teenage and hormonal)

Offline annas mum

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Introducing Dream Feed at 4 1/2 mo?
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2005, 08:56:28 am »
Hi there
         I know there has been lots of mixed experiences with the dream feed, but we found it worked brilliantly!! I have to say I never managed to get it to work via BF , but expressed or used formula. It took a while to establish, as in the beginning my DD would only take a couple of oz's and so we had a few more disturbances for the first few nights , but after a week or so she would glug down a good 6 oz!! I can't remember exactly when we started it , or weaned it as my DD is now 21 months old but I do remember the difference it made to my sanity!!
Need to start refreshing my memory though as next LO due in 3 days :shock:

HTH
Clare

annas mum