is baby getting enough - 3.5 months

[daisymelan]

Hi there.  I was hoping someone with a little more experience could help me out here.  My ds used to feed almost every 3 hours, so at least 8 times a day.  Recently he has kind of adjusted himself to a 4 hour EASY... which is great, but now he is only getting 6 feeds max in 24 hours.  I usually have a 6 hour period at night that he doesn't feed.  I'm not sure about his weight but he weighed 7lbs at birth and is now at least 15 (due for a weigh-in).  He seems happy enough, but I'm not sure. 

Also, how does a baby get enough during the day if on a four hour EASY and they sleep through the night...  8pm - 8am?  Just curious. 

I would appreciate advice.

Thanks,

Jodie

[joannec]

Hi Jodie, my DS is 3.5 months old and although still feeds 3 hourly, sleeps from 7pm to 4am. He gets 6 feeds in 24 hours and this is fine for a baby his age, some even do fine on 5 in total - although 6 is recommended for your supply and for him. This can decrease when they start having other food as well as BF. My typical feeding day goes something like 4am, 7.30, 10.30, 1.30, 4.30,somewhere between 6-7pm. I've been reassured by the other fab mums on this site and the clinic midwives that the best indicators all is well are: 5+ wet nappies, regular poo (for what is normal for your baby), happy and alert when awake and of course, sleeping well. Weight/growth is a factor but as some babes grow slow, this can't be relied on in isolation. Plotting all measurements on the chart and looking at the percentiles as a once off exercise every now and then will also help. Sounds like things are as they should be your end and some babies do transition themselves to 4 hour feeds all at once or gradually. It's great you can follow the cues. If you like, you can try and put in a cluster feed before bedtime say 1.5 -2 hours after the last afternoon feed, if bub wants it.
Cheers Jo

[Kayna]

Hi Jodie, our babies are about the same age. My dd sleeps from 7:30pm until around 7am'ish with no feed at night. She gets five breastfeeds per day at approx......

-7am
-11am
-2pm
-5pm
-7pm (plus 8oz, sometimes more or less, formula after bfing)

My supply starts to dwindle throughout the day and therefore I supplement after her last feed before bed. As you can see she really drinks it down at night before bed.

She can usually make it after the first feed for 4 hours because she drinks both sides at 7am (which I'm obviously very full at that point). But from there on out we do more of a 3-3 1/2 hours depending on how the naps are going. One day she only got four feeds and she was up in the middle of the night looking for her calories. So now I make sure to get no less than five feeds in. But every baby is different and it's really hard to determine how much your lo is getting when you're breastfeeding. HTH.

   Let me know how it goes.

[jade's mum]

Hi there,

my lo is also 3.5mths and she used to have 6 feeds a day until yesterday when I swapped her to 5 feeds.

She used to feed 7, 10, 1, 4, 7, & 10pm (basically 3 hourly)

Now I am trying 7, 10.30, 2, 5.30, & 9.30pm (now 3.5 hourly)

To ensure she got enough to eat during the day, I was very patient with her feeding and encouraged her to drink as much as possible from both sides ....... and  prayed that she didn't wake up hungry at night!

Well, last night she slept through till 5.30am and when she woke, I just gave her the dummy and she slept again till 7am. So I hope to continue this with success! 

Hope this helps with your situation and good luck!

[daisymelan]

Thanks for all your advice.  I am just going to continue with what he demands which is the 6 feedings.  I do feel that if that's what he's asking for, that's all he needs.....  You all just confirmed it.

Thanks again,

Jodie