Would like some advice- am I doing it right??

[hollybush]

Hello there!

would just like to know what others opinions are of my routine with baby Talulah 6 weeks tomorrow. ( started this routine properly 3 days ago but have been keeping her to a 3/4 hour feed, activity, sleep routine for most of the 6 weeks, but not always started at the same time of day..also she seems to want to feed every 4hours and doesnt take much food if its 3 hour gap)

7-7.30 - feed (bottle) - shes usually very sleepy
Activity
9 - sleep ( I go for a walk with her so shes out)
11 - feed
Activity
1.30- sleep (one day she didnt settle so only slept for 40mins or so)
3 - feed
Activity
4/4.30 -sleep - again one day is better than the other, she maybe sleeps very well here or not at all!
6/7pm - feed
Activity (bath etc)
8.30-9 - sleep, again she has been different at this time, maybe sleeping well or not settling untill 10/11pm feed.
10/11pm - feed
11.30 - sleep
2am - feed
2.30 - hopefully sleep till 7am!!

ok so thats it.whats worrying me is that she seems to be a bit unpredictable at the 2am feed. she seems to be getting the hang of eating at 2 and not waking up till 7 but then the next night she will wake up for it and it will take till 3.30 to get her back to sleep. Also should I be letting her wake on her own for the 2am or giving it like a dreamfeed? If i let her sleep from 10/11pm without waking Im sure she would wake then at 4am which I dont want. Last night I wasnt sure whether to give her the 2am feed as shed been struggling with wind since the 10pm feed and looked all peaceful! anyway I did give it her and she never woke, took 70mls (out of 150) and woke at 6am from wind pains but went back till 7am.

Should I keep going as I am as she must need that extra at 2am or am I creating a habit of feeding at that time?? aaarrggghh
Just not sure what a 6week old should be doing and if going from 2-7am is good???
Also how will I know when she doesnt need that 2am feed if I just keep giving it her? I am bothered about leaving her to wake as I think it would be 4/5 am.

any advice would be most appreciated!

Thank you
love Holly and Talulahxxxxxxxxx

[estherofi20]

Hello Holly,

well i think that you can make a habit of eating at 2am, if you countinue to give it to her like a dream feed. The point really is to try to eliminate the 2am feed, so i would deffinetly let her wake hungry even if it is at 4am. ?cause you are teaching her sleeping and eating habits, so she needs to learn by herself to go from 11pm till what ever time, and she will strech it out as she grows.
sorry gotta go little chomp has woken, but i'll write more later.

[jasmynesmum]

I would have said to continue waking at 2am at least for a little longer....  she then does an awsome 5hr stretch until her 7am feed which I believe is normal (5hrs) for her age group.  5hrs is considered "sleeping though the night"...  of course I am not a moderator and am a first time mum myself so am not a 'pro', but at 6 weeks old that is what I personally would continue to do.  My daughter stopped feeding at night from about 11 weeks.....  of course they are all different!

[estherofi20]

I don't mean that if she wakes up hungry at 2am don't feed her, what i mean is that to let her tell you if she is hungry or not, not to make the 2am feed obligatory. When my DS was that age he also woke up at 2-3ish am hungry, but i allways let him sleep until he woke up due to hunger, and at that time i would feed him, not set up my alarm clock at 2am and feed him. So by 8 weeks he was sleeping through from 11pm DF till 4-5ish am, which was wonderful! but this is just MHO of course.

A question, why don't you want her to wake hungry at 4am?

[hollybush]

Hello and thank you for your advice!!

Things have changed a bit and we seem to have a routine startint up..what do you think?---

She will eat at 6 or 7 pm..then at 11.30ish I give her the last feed and shes going till 5 am ish...at this time Im giving her dummy and shes dozing back off to sleep...for the next 2 hours till 7am she will stir when her dummy comes out but doze back off quite happily when put back in..she doesnt wake up properly and doesnt cry for food so Ive kept this going as I feel she cant be hungry as shes not crying or waking up. Also shes now finishing her day bottles rather than leaving some at every sitting so I think this is the way to go. I would like to know what you think though. Is is bad to be putting her off a bottle for 2 hours between 5-7am? or will she eventually not even stir at 5 like Im hoping?

Hope this new move on our part is a good thing and not creating any problems for the future..if you can spot any potential for harm please let me know. Ive realised that Im vey lucky with her and dont want to be pushin it with her...this routine has been going on for the last 4 nights so I think its become a pattern rather than a fluke.

Thanks again you guys for your support, it keeps me sane!!

keep shining
Holly and Talulahxxxxxxxx

[estherofi20]

Holly i think it sounds great!!!

And as for the holding her off for 2 hrs, well if she isn't hungry i don't see anything wrong with it. When my DS used to take a feed at 5-6ish am, he eventually was abble to hold on  till the 7:30am feed, so i agree you are going on the rigth track!

Keep up the good work!!!

[hollybush]

Thanks all!

we´r still on the 11pm - 5am then dummy till 7am so alls well. we did have a couple of days off track but I think it was a growth spurt! shes now 8weeks and doing well.

Thanks again for your support

much love
Holly and Talulahxxxxxxxx