upping calories?

[~Jency's*Momma~]

Either Tracy has me very confused or she is pro-bottle.
I have read her second book and she says in order to get him not to want to eat at night I need to up his calories during the day.  But then she states not to feed him more then every 4 hours on the EASY plan (5.5 months old).  How am I suppose to up his calories then?
He eats every 4 hours during the day but then wants to eat every 3 hours at night. and then his last night feed is 5am and he won't eat in the morning until 9am even though he gets up at7:30.

[Fife_Mum]

Hi,

I think perhaps the books are a little pro-bottle but only perhaps because Tracy wanted to be supportive whatever the mothers choice of feeding, and went a little too far. Sadly (in my opinion) that is a reflection of western society today.

She does talk about cluster feeding and dream feeds. This is how to increase the calories in a bf baby. Do you do either?
Also ask yourself if any of the night waking is habit rather than hunger.
Remember your baby is still young and for many people night feeds are normal  :roll: Night feeds are enjoyable for babies because they are relaxed (dark, quiet, warm) and generally unhurried - just not great for a tired mum unless you enjoy co-sleeping (not very BW). But you could pick one night feed to try to eliminate and go from there if you want to?

Vicky

[~Jency's*Momma~]

Thanks.
I guess I should give you a little more info.
This is whats been going on.

He has his last feed at 8pm(ish) and then goes to bed.  He has been eating every 3 hours during the night and eats pretty well.  But then he wakes at 7:30/8am and is not hungry until right before he goes down for his nap.  I try to nurse him but he just will take a little (he has been getting mad lately because my let down is slowing down.  I have tried pumping to get more milk and stuff but mybreasts don't respond to a
pump and all I get is a few drops).  He will then go every 4 hours all day.  He gets a few bites of fruit in the morning and veggies for dinner (2 hours after his afternoon feed and 2 hours before his night feed).  The past few days I have been nursing him after the veggies as well.  We have never done a dream feed and I'm scrared to start it this late in the game.  Plus we go to bed at 9pm (an hour after him).  But then he wants to eat every 3 hours, on the dot!  Is the habitual waking.  If I make him wait another hour he will still wake 3 hours from that point too.

Any suggestions?
I am going to get his day time routine really down the rest of this week and keep the cluster feed in the evenning (4, 6, &.   Then we were thinking this weekend of working on the night wakings.  I really want him to eat a good meal first thing in the morning so I don't want to feed him after 4am. 
Should I add a dream feed at 9:30 and then make him wait until 4am.  Or should I try to get him to go every 4 hours at night as well just to start off? Should his 8pm be a bootle of formula instead of doing a dreamfeed? Friday during the day should I feed him every 2 hours to tank him up to not eat for 6-8 hours that night or should we just try to get him to go the 6-8 hours?

Thanks again for all your help.  Tracy's book really didn't answer my questions.  But it did really help me to learn pu/pd that we will be using and that my DH needs to do it the first few nights.

[GraceKellysmom]

Neither of my children went to 4hrly until much later, Max was about 8 months old. I just listened to them, if they were up at night to eat (from hunger, not teething or anything else) then I knew they needed more feeds during the day. I also switched to double side nursing with Max at one point because he needed more volume than my breasts were trained to make.

Sometimes being a first time mom is just about trial and error. What works, what doesn't work.

Of course, I will again suggest that a certified lactation consultant (many accept insurance plans and Medicaid) will be able to assist you with pumping and supply issues.

[~Jency's*Momma~]

I've tried talking to our WIC counselor and my lactation consultant.  Neither have any answers for my problem.
I thought of taking one day to give him bottles to to see if that makes a difference and then I would pump ever 2 hours.  But I'm affraid to because when I pump I don't get anything and one full day of no out put could be bad!

[teezee]

first off, when my supply goes a little low, i always let dd nurse first and then i'll pump a little.  she too gets very frusterated when the milk doesn't come IMMEDIATELY but i try.. i know it's frusterating sitting there staring at a pump that doesn't pump anything, but it is helping.  just try to relax, and u should get more soon enough(few days probably).  i pumped alot in the beginning b/c i had an overactive let down and too full of milk, then i didn't pump for a few months b/c it was under control, then when i tried pumping again b/c i wanted to go out for a bit, my breasts didn't respond either, i think they need to get used to it again!  but don't give up, u really are getting somewhere with the pump even if nothing comes out right now!

as i was advised by a mod, (i was also cluster feeding my lo in the evening) she said that at that age (ur lo isn't too much younger than mine..) they shouldn't be cluster feeding in the evening b/c their bellies aren't learning to sustain them for longer periods(through the night).  i realize that i was making my dd a 'snacker' trying to up her calories also, and that makes for very long nights!!  i do a dreamfeed as well..but if u go to bed that early that might be tough - but u could always try and do it right before u go to bed. 

i also noticed u seem to have the same prob i do, my lo is now down to one feed during the night usually at 5am (i dreamfeed her at around 11pm), then she's not really that hungry when she first wakes up...i think in both of our cases it is a little bit of habit that they are waking out of..u might try water for the feeding right before the morning wake up feed, it will be digested quicker and his little tummy will be ready for a full morning feed!  i did this yesterday and it worked pretty well but threw off our whole daytime routine b/c she didn't sleep till 8-8:30 and was up for the day at 7am...small price to pay to try to teach her to sleep through the night!

anyway, keep in touch and let me know how things are going, or if u have found any tricks of your own...pm sometime if u need!