dropping cluster feed

[wls23]

can someone give me some insight on this topic?  My DD is 14 1/2 weeks actual and 8 1/2 weeks adjusted.  According to Tracy's book, the 2 cluster feeds should be reduced to 1 at 8 weeks.  how do you drop the 2 cluster feeds?  what does a sample schedule look like? 

please help!

[Noelle]

Hello!!  If the clusterfeeding is working, I would not worry about dropping it.  Many moms have kept it with no problems.  I still somewhat clusterfeed Zoe as she has a snack at 2:30-3:00PM and then dinner at 5:30.  And when she had a bottle before bed that was at around 6:45. 

Can you post what your current feeding "schedule" is? Are you on a 3 or 4 hr?  We'd be able to help you better if we saw times...though in general if you are feeding at 7, 10, 1  and cluster feeds at 3:30 and 5:30 with another at around 7...you would switch to feeding at 7,10, 1, 4 and 7.  HTH 

[Loriwil]

Hello!!  If the clusterfeeding is working, I would not worry about dropping it.  Many moms have kept it with no problems.  I still somewhat clusterfeed Zoe as she has a snack at 2:30-3:00PM and then dinner at 5:30.  And when she had a bottle before bed that was at around 6:45. 

Can you post what your current feeding "schedule" is? Are you on a 3 or 4 hr?  We'd be able to help you better if we saw times...though in general if you are feeding at 7, 10, 1  and cluster feeds at 3:30 and 5:30 with another at around 7...you would switch to feeding at 7,10, 1, 4 and 7.  HTH 

I am also confused with Tracey saying that you should be able to turn the two cluster feeds in to one by week 8 - I am pregnant with my first child and am wanting to start on EASY straight away - Are you able to give me an approx routine to stick to??  I am not sure what the right thing to try in the evening is - do you cluster feed a new born??  The EASY schedule in the book starts at 4 weeks, so I am not sure what to try until then.. also what is the approx A time for babies up to 4 weeks  - is it only about 5 -15 minutes?  Thanks

[LŠuren]

Hi wls23
DS is 5.5 months and to an extend he still gets a cluster feed, he only gets 4 bottles in a day;

7.30
12.00
16.30
18.45-1900 for last bottle



Hi Loriwil
Congratulations, when are you due??  When I brough Calum home I was breast feeding and we had NO routine at all as he fed off me every 30 mins at night  I then had to change exclusively to bottle and from then he was fed roughly at;
7, 10, 1, 4, 6 & 8 (give or take 30 mins for the 1st 4 feeds and by the clock, at his request for the last 2)
then 11pm, 2am and 5am (I called 11pm as a night feed, I need did a d/feed as I was having to set my alarm for it so just waited until he woke) I fed him full feeds for all 8 bottles when he was a new born, then slowly cut down on his 2am and 5am feeds when he was a bit older.

I found because I wasn't dream feeding, he started to eliminate the 11pm feed - what a fright a got the first night!!!
The he eliminated the 2am and moved to about 4am ish, after a while he started playing with this so I stopped feeding and just resettled him again - now sleeps through.

Hope I haven't confused you, remember the book is a guideline you need to do what works for both of you your LO will usually let you know if you need to tweak anything. I also found clusterfeeding was great when dealling with growth spurts.

I think to an extent you can follow EASY from day one, but I wouldn't force it, my friend had a LO 5 weeks ago she was breast feeding every hour night and day, now she is feeding her every 3hrs (she is not on EASY).

Found this for you about starting EASY from birth  https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=18728.0