@opsthryl I’m curious… this is all really great, and makes sense to me, but everything I’ve read about BF is to never deny boob. I’ve thought about a set schedule like this for mine, because right now it is ridiculous how frequently he asks for boob. Ends up spitting up and/or using it to fall asleep (so not actually hungry).
Not trying to poke holes (would rather this feed, honestly) but have you ran into any trouble with this, or consulted an LC about it?
@mike214 @mike214 hi! We did not consult with an LC (Probably should tbh)... But this schedule seemed to work with him? I totally know what you mean though... not deny boob.
I should clarify - I did feed him a little if he was raging angry hungry between the schedule (I'll clarify in my post above too) but tried to make him get the full feeding at the timed feed. He eventually started adjusting.
His nursing was out of control though (he would feed like 1-2 min and then sleep, waking every 1-2 hours at night to demand a snack!) That's why we had to hold back a little to try and consolidate his feeds.
Disclaimer - nothing advised from an LC... I was just trying something different to see if it would work. All babies are different though!
@opsthryl Totally understand. Thank you for your response! We are going to try waking at the same time first. See if that helps our schedule like it did yours!!
@mike214 I think that’s very true in the newborn days when your milk supply is being established and the baby needs to cluster feed to signal your body to make more milk. After the first few weeks though, babies do generally do better with feeds that are spaced about three hours apart. Any more than that is the equivalent of kids that snack all day and then don’t eat meals… it just means they stay constantly hungry.
I know I was trying to feed more often during the day hoping it would mean my baby would want to eat less at night, but it backfired. When I switched to stretching out to every three hours during the day she had better feedings and got more full and then it was easier for her to stretch out at night.
@peppermint_patty This isn’t true. Feeding on demand is the best way to breastfeed. It’s not always babies “snacking”, they have small tums and need to eat often. Some mums have smaller milk storage capacity in their breasts too so babies need to feed more frequently. Breastfeeding is also so much more than just nutrition.
@peppermint_patty Excellent! It really makes sense. We are just at 12 weeks, and no signs of less frequent feeding as of yet…. Consults with LC are good, no feeding issues. I really think he just likes to graze all day, and ends up doing so all night (still wakes at 11, 1, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 7). I know littles eat more at night, but he doesn’t need to eat every hour. C’mon now. I think we all try a gradual shift in nursing schedule (+consult with LC) and go from there.
@mike214 I’m glad this worked for the OP. I was never able to stick to a rigorous schedule of napping but eventually my LO adjusted himself. My LO was severely underweight so my main concern was that he kept eating. Just weighing in that you don’t need to feel pressure to manage a schedule - do what feels right for both you and your LO.
@teresa3231 100%! We only got greenlight to do this because our LO is a good weight, otherwise probably not great for the baby until they are solid on weight
@teresa3231 Yeah we needed to focus on weight gain for the first while, too. Now he is on track and gaining well, and my mental health isn’t what it needs to be. Also night sleep is killing us slowly but everything I read is that to succeed at night sleep, you need good day sleep. And my LO is not sleeping well during the day- maybe because I’m trying to follow him too much and he doesn’t know what to expect?!
I’m glad you both found what works for you- gives me hope we will find something that works too!
@mike214 Sorry to hear about the difficulties. It will get better! And you will find something that works.
I did find that a tiny bit of melatonin for me (500mg) helped me a lot with my night sleep. It made it easier to go back to sleep after any night feeds. Ask your pediatrician if you have any concerns about how it affects milk, but mine was ok with it.
