how often between feeds?

Emma usually feeds every 3 hours or thereabouts. just the last couple of nights though she has about 1 1/2 hours when she wants to feed pretty much non stop. (why this has to happen at night i dont know... #-o ) but this has led me to wonder.....could it be that she stays on this long because i dont have enough milk? or could it just be a growth spurt? she then settles fine and gets up for her normal 3 hourly feeds for the rest of the night.

i had someone telling me that to get her to sleep better at night i should be waking her during the day if she goes longer than 3 hours. this really goes against the grain for me, as i think if she is asleep let her be, and she will eventually work out day from night. i also think that would be training her to never go more than 3 hours between feeds. mind you, i tried to tell this person my opinion but they just kept ramming it down my throat.... :mad:

i really dont mind being up more during the night if it what she needs, she really isnt a demanding baby at all. i just want to know that i am not creating any bad habits or anything. can anyone relate to this? i am just hoping to hear that it is ok to continue as i have been, i can always catch up on the sleep later in the day, and i would prefer a happy baby.

It took Zander nearly 3 months to work out the difference between day & night & we were told to wake him during the day as well. The ECHN went so far as to say if he's sleeping better in the day then I should as well & get everything done of a night - yeah right I'm going to hang my washing out at 2am :roll:

I'm not sure about the feeding for 1.5hrs though. Maybe it is a growth spurt cos I remember Zander want to be fed more often around that age as well.

Thanks for your reply Sarah. So did you end up waking him through the day like they advised or did he just work it out himself?

Sorry didn't mention did I 8-[ We tried it one day - he was just cranky & didn't want to have his bottle so it was a disaster for us. It might work for others, but definately not for us.

Linda,

I'd say that Emma is going through a growth spurt to be honest. It does sound as if that's the case. She's only so young, and for someone to be talking to you about her sleeping patterns and suggesting that they are problematic is probably a bit premature at this stage?

It takes a little while for them to work out the difference between night and day, but eventually it does happen. Jacob was sleeping through the night at 8w. There are lots of little things you can try to do to help them recognise the difference, but I can tell you that none of the things we did, involved waking Jacob for a feed. We would darken the room for nighttime, having an evening routine, have the room light for day-time sleeps and have him sleeping amongst normal household noises etc....but never wake him for a feed. We simply let him find his own rhythm in this regard and he was a happy chappy.

I think also that what the others have said is right WRT to adequate sleep during the day equals good sleep overnight. Quite often if babies aren't getting enough sleep during the day, they can be a bit unsettled overnight.

Go with what you feel is right Linda......trust those wonderful Mummy instincts of yours!!

Thank you SO much everyone!!!! this is really a big relief to hear what you have all said. i think within myself i was ok with what we were doing. but having other people tell me i need to do this different and that different started to put doubts in my mind of whether i was doing it 'right' or not. but it is right for us, so i guess that means it is fine!

Melinda, i have been doing the other things you mentioned, ie dark at night and light and the usual noises through the day, hopefully over time that will help.

Shannon, thanks for letting me know they have a growth spurt about now, i am sure that is probably it. She doesnt seem unhappy - just hungry! i hope my milk supply catches up soon.

thanks again everyone!!! \:D/ you have been a huge help...

the new update............................................ ...........................


Emma had a feed at 8.30pm last night.....then didnt wake for another until 1.15!!!! thats over 4 1/2 hours!!! Yay!! then 3 1/2 hours until the next one. so thanks again for the great advice. im sure we are still in for more unsettled nights, but last night was great!

One very happy (and rested) mum

later that day....................

She has been feeding almost constantly today, but it is very hot, so that could be cause too.

But the real news is.................

Emma has put on 800g since birth!!! She was 2.7kg when she was born, she had lost 120g when we left the hospital and now she is up to 3.5kg!!! (although she was in her nappy this time so that would account for some of it). So all that feeding is definately doing what it should! Yay \:D/

YAY Linda! As the girls have said, it's completely normal and she will go through stages of feeding lots, putting on weight and then feeding a little less and putting on less while it balances out / she uses it to grow.

Trust your baby, she knows what she has to do ;)