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Breastfeeders - how many feeds a day now?
Hiya, just wondered how often you are all feeding now in the day - i was on a rough 3 hourly cycle with Biba but this often continued throughout the night, she is now (well for the last 3 days at least)only waking once in the night but the reason i think this is because i have pretty much stopped trying to wean and we're back to 2 hourly feeding in the day.
I would really love her to eat more but she just turns away from everything that i offer her be it baby rice or purees.
Is anyone else feeding as often as me or have any tips on how she can get as full from fewer feeds and still only wake once a night?
I would really love her to eat more but she just turns away from everything that i offer her be it baby rice or purees.
Is anyone else feeding as often as me or have any tips on how she can get as full from fewer feeds and still only wake once a night?
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Replies
I'm still trying to get lo to take a bottle, aaarggh!! I've got a friend's bday in a few weeks and reeeally want to be able to go out with my friends but not sure it'll be feasible
Anyway, ds feeds about 6 or 7 times during 24 hours (he sleeps from about 10pm to 7am, lucky me, not sure how long that'll last!). He feeds roughly every 3 hours but that changes to every two hours after 6pm. He's a total guzzler and only takes about 10mins to feed but must be getting enough to sleep through the night. We tried baby rice last week which he seemed to like (only gave one teaspoon at lunchtime) but haven't got round to buying more this week!
xx
DD has now been on 5 milk feeds a day for around two months - she's 23 weeks. She roughly feeds every 3 hours: 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm & 7.30/8pm (like happystrawberry I am V lucky and hse has slept through from 8 weeks). I have introduced her to food and she loves it, she's now having porridge/fruity rice pudding with her morning milk and pureed veg with lunchtime milk - I thought this would have stretched her feeding to 4 hours but she's remained consistant with the 3 hourly feeds.
Has she started getting nosier? I only ask as my DD kept getting distracted from feeding to either look a me, 'talk' or take in the surroundings - I would therefore think she was full. The HV said that it's common for babies of this age to do this and you basically have to find a way to get them latched back on....sometimes easier said than done
xx
Having counted up how often i feed it's now a total of 7 per day so perhaps not as dire as i thought. We will persevere with the weaning, she took to it like a dream to start with but now isnt fussed - oh well
Well my run of good luck ended last night, up at 1am, 3am (but not for a feed), 4am and 5.15am - when i was finally so exhausted that she came into bed until 7.30. She is very snuffly and her karvol ran out last night so am hoping that when that is topped up things may get better again.
Well done angel with the cup sucess, i must admit that i hadnt even thought of using the cup for a while, might try introducing that again.
bit of good news that i finally got presecribed domperidone yesterday to help with my supply issues, hopefully that may help to solve some of the problems too xx
funny you mentioned being distracted the last 3 days when ever he feeds on the left boob he comes off every few seconds and just stares at me then goes back on, strange, he also doesnt like it if i talk whist feeding.
HV is coming out next weeks to talk about weaning, and think then i will start him on 1 teaspoon of rice see what thats does, he is only 18 weeks so no hurry.
I've been trying with no success to get him to take a bottle for the last 6wks or so and I don't know what to try next! Got him weighed this week and asked hv for any advice and although she was really lovely she couldn't really advise anything that I haven't already tried. I fed ds1 until 4months and was planning on the same for Noah and never thought we'd have any bother as ds1 didn't fuss too much at all before taking a bottle. Just shows how different they all are.
I've been trying to get him to eat for the last few wks but up until yesterday he wasn't interested. But I did a teaspoon of fruity porridge late afternoon and he wolfed it! I've given him the same amount this morning and he went 3hrs between his milk feeds and I truly can't remember the last time he did that. I'm hoping it's going to get better soon as I desperately feel in need of some me time! I haven't been able to get my hair cut since the week before he was due and I know even being able to get that done would make me feel slightly more human!
Fingers crossed it starts improving for us soon!! xx
nicolaf you poor thing, biba was similar in that she used to go 8 hours and again since about xmas it's all gone a bit wrong, i think she has sinus problems (DH had this when he was baby)so being on her back for so long at night is making trouble for her - karvol really helps but at over ??5 for a refil pack which lasts only 9 days i'm really hoping that it gets better for her soon. I really hope that the weaning gives you a little more freedom.
I take it then that you have all overcome the mental block that i have about feeding in public - how did you do it or was it never really an issue?
Feeding in public
Never bothered with bf tops. I just wear a long 3/4 sleeve vneck top with a strappy top underneath. I pull up top, unclick bra strap and pull down spagetti top and put lo to breast. The pull top down over breast so no skin exposed. If Im somewhere where it is busier and I know people will see my nipple (lol) like in toddler groups. I have a muslin or a wide dressy scarf with me. I tie the cornors to my strappy top and then attach lo to my breast under the scarf so no-one can see anything! Once I did it once and reaslised it was actually really easy to eb discreet then I was happy to go out and about. I did have to feed lo once in a changing room in tescos which I hate doing as it usually smells! If your are worried, practice doing it at home. I find it more mebarassing when he is screaming for a feed and Im trying to be quick. I tend to time it that I feed him before we leave to go shopping, then feed him i the car park afterwards.
As for feeds, Im rubbish with ds at recording when he feeds, hes generally good at feeding every 4hrs, sometimes 3 or sometimes 5hrs depending when he sleeps. With dd I used to right it down, more relaxed this time round!
The other day he was up at 1am, 3am, 5am crying and I did offer him the rbeast but he didnt want it. He ended up asleep on me. At 6am when he usually wakes he didnt the most pathetic little burp and then feed really well, this was followed by a sticnky big teething poo! Felt a bit bad as think he must have woken with teething, so the gel sits near his crib now!
Is she feeding from both sides during teh day? Is she feeding from one side until it appears empty before feeding the other side? My cousins two children both feed little and often, always have done some babies are jsut like that.
Recently found out his Tongue tied and hoping once this is sorted he might stretch a little more at night, as 5 months of no more than 3 hours at a time is killing me. Can't catch up in the day as have a 2 year old and lo never seems to want to sleep at the same time. Plus his terrible at sleeping in the day as well.
As for feeding in public I've never had an issue, tend to fond quite spots if possible, or throw a scalf over us. Done it today sat on a bench in Ikea, women sat next to me released what I was doing and just started chatting to me about it. I find most people don't notice, the ones that do are generally polite, the worst I've had is funny looks in which I generally sme or grimace at them depending on my mood
Breastfeeding out and about - I haven't had an issue since I could breastfeed upright (I had a c-section and for ages it was only comfy lying down). I have breastfeeding tops as I can't lift my tops up if I'm wearing jeans as I still have to wear huge pants & maternity trousers! I'm lucky that I have a great nct group and we all (bar one who couldn't bf due to having to have drugs which could harm the baby) bf in public so that's really helped. I also go to a breastfeeding 'cafe' at a sure start place. I've actually noticed other people breastfeeding occasionally and I wouldn't have normally - that's how I was ok with it - I actually think it's subtle if you have a cardigan or scarf or muslin to cover yourself up a bit. Try not to worry about other people - it's their problem not yours.x
With regard to weaning, i have frozen down cubes of breastmilk which i defrost in the microwave, mix with the rice and then warm back up again - Biba wont touch it when it's cold!