Starting the Day - Help?

[Ladyp]

Hi,

I am new on here and wondered if anyone can help me......my DS is 9 weeks old and he is on a 4 hrly feeding pattern (I know the BW recommends it should be 3 hrly but he seems happy and I just go with him), but after a dreamfeed around midnight he wakes anywhere between 5-6am for a feed.  After this is goes back down to sleep and he wakes anywhere between 7-8.30am.

Should I be waking him up at 7.00am every morning?  As he has a full feed between 5-6am then he doesn't need to eat so I've just been leaving him.  Just wondering what the right thing to do is when following EASY.

Usually he eats:

5.30/6.00am ish
10.00am
2.00pm
6.00pm - half before bath, half after at 7.00pm
Midnight - dreamfeed

So we never really start the day at 7am - or not with a feed anyway!

FYI he is a big boy and at last weigh in was 13 lbs 2oz and he eats 200mls a feed.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks
x

[HeatherC]

If your routine is working, I would stick with it.  Tracy used a start time of 7 am for example purposes for simplicities sake, I believe.  My dd has always started her day at 8.  If, however, you start to encounter some problems with getting him to feed in the morning, I would limit the 5/6 am feed to just enough to hold him over.  However, a feed at that time is very common, but also limiting it over time will help to do away with that waking.
How are his naps?  After he feeds at 5/6 am, does he go straight back to sleep?  Oh, just caught something in your post.  BW really recommends doing the dreamfeed no later than 11 pm, anywhere from 10-11 pm is best.  Is the midnight feed really a df or is he waking for a night feed?

[Ladyp]

Thanks for your response.

He always seems starving at 5/6am and drains his bottle in 15 mins flat - he then goes down again with no problem.  He has gone through to 6.30am once and even 7am last week but then he's gone back to 5.30/5.45am recently. 

I've always wondered why the dreamfeed is meant to be earlier..why is that?  Oliver is still fast asleep at midnight which is why I leave until then.  My theory is he is more likely to go through to nearer 7am if I feed him later...I was then going to move the dreamfeed to 11pm once he sleeps later in the morning!  Did that make sense? 

[HeatherC]

I believe the theory is that doing it too late might disrupt the baby's night sleep pattern and confuse him as to when are wakeful hours and when are sleep hours (day/night).  However, if you are not having this problem, I guess you shouldn't worry about it.  I just wonder though what he would do if you gave it earlier.  Hate to rock the boat, though, don't you?

[Ladyp]

Hmm I think I'll stick to midnight for now and gradually bring it forward - could be my theory doesn't make any difference and he'd still sleep to the same time.....but just in case I'll leave it for now!  Can't complain when he is sleeping from 7/7.30pm through to 5.30am ish!

Thanks for your help