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For both breastfeeding and bottlefeeding moms, will you be waking your little one up at night to feed or wait until they let you know they are hungry? How often will you feed the baby?
If you are breastfeeding, how many minutes at a time per breast? (Some women do alternate).
If you notice after the first few months that your baby is still hungry will you introduce them to cereal? How about fruit?
For both breastfeeding and bottlefeeding moms, will you be waking your little one up at night to feed or wait until they let you know they are hungry? I wont wake Sarah up to feed at night but will feed her when she wakes on her own. How often will you feed the baby? On demand - whenever she wants to eat.
If you are breastfeeding, how many minutes at a time per breast? (Some women do alternate). Throw your clock away!! It's important to feed on demand and not on a timed schedule. Your baby needs to determine your milk supply NOT your clock. I will feed on one side until she is satisfied then feed from the other the next time.
If you notice after the first few months that your baby is still hungry will you introduce them to cereal? How about fruit? Absolutly not in the first few months. A baby's gut is not developed to handle anything other than breastmilk until they are much older. When she is interested and ready (6 month +) she can start with table food. Just remember "Before One it's Just for Fun" babies don't need anything other than breastmilk before they are a year old.
When baby is really little, I'll wake them if they're nearing 4 hours without nursing but other than that, according to their schedule.
I don't time feedings; they'll nurse as long as they need to. I only nurse on one side per feeding, unless I happen to get engorged and need them to take the edge off a bit or baby's been on one side for a really long time.
Personally, I believe food is more for practice in the first year, so no. If baby needs more, they'll nurse more.
Im following the Gina Ford contented little baby routine for breastfeeding mammas - an example of a day in weeks 2-4 will go like this:
6:45am – Express 2-3oz
7am – Noah awake, nappy changed and feeding, if he last fed before 5am offer 25 mins from the full breast, then offer 10 mins from the expressed breast. If he fed between 5am and 6am offer 20 mins from the expressed breast.
7:45am – Breakfast while Noah has a kick on his mat
8:30am – Check Noah’s nappy and start winding down – draw curtains, quiet calm environment
9am – Noah asleep – up to one and a half hours. Wash and sterilize feeding equipment.
9:50am – Let Noah slowly wake himself (if not done already) - Draw curtains, prep changing area, arrange clothes for the day
10am – Noah awake, nappy changed and feeding, offer 25 mins from the breast he last fed on. Have a glass of water
10:25am – Noah washed and dressed
10:30am – Express 2oz while Noah has a kick in his cot
11:30am – Check Noah’s nappy and start winding down
11:45am – Noah feeding, offer 15 mins from the expressed breast. Have a glass of water
12noon – Noah settled for a sleep – up to two and a half hours
12:30pm – Wash and sterilize feeding equipment, have lunch and a rest
1:50pm – Let Noah slowly wake himself
2pm – Noah awake, nappy changed and feeding, offer 25 mins from the breast he last fed from followed by 10 mins from the second breast of hes still hungry. Have a glass of water
3:45pm – Change Noah’s nappy and get ready for a walk. Noah asleep – up to one hour fifteen
4:50pm – Let Noah slowly wake himself
5pm – Noah awake, nappy changed and feeding, offer 20 mins from the breast he last fed from. Have a glass of water
5:45pm – Prepare Noah’s bath whilst he has a nappy free kick on a towel
6pm – Noah bathed and dressed
6:15pm - Start winding down, Noah feeding, offer 5 mins from the breast he last fed from followed by 20 mins on the second breast
7pm – Noah asleep
8pm – Dinner and rest
9:30pm – if Alan is home express from both breasts
10pm – Turn on a lamp, prep changing area and bottle for the late feed, let Noah wake himself
10:10pm – Noah feeding, offer 20 mins form the breast he last fed from or most of his bottle feed
10:30pm – Change Noah’s nappy, Dim lights, Noah feeding, offer 20 mins from the second breast or remainder of his bottle
11pm – Noah asleep
If Noah wakes...
....Before 4am offer him a full feed from both breasts
....Between 4am and 5am offer him one breast and start the 7am feed on the fuller breast
....6am, offer one breast, express the second breast at 6:45 and give morning feed at 7:30 from the expressed breast
Keep lights dim, no eye contact, only change Noah’s nappy if he’s pooped or if he is too sleepy to take a full feed
We feed on demand so we will ssee how it goes. I may wake her if its been awhile but with tandem nursing and a 1 year old who still wakes every 3 hours i don't think I'll need to wake her to eat. We dont introduce any foods until at least 6 months...our son was 9 months before he was interested. Breast milk works well here.
For both breastfeeding and bottlefeeding moms, will you be waking your little one up at night to feed or wait until they let you know they are hungry? How often will you feed the baby? I'm not sure how FF moms do it but the first few days I feed at least every two hours just to get my milk in then after that I don't wake baby to feed unless it's been a really really long time. I feed on demand and for comfort.
If you are breastfeeding, how many minutes at a time per breast? (Some women do alternate). Don't time it. Empty the first boob and usually the baby knocks out afterward.
If you notice after the first few months that your baby is still hungry will you introduce them to cereal? How about fruit? Absolutely not! I believe giving my son solids too early on the stupid doctor's advice is what caused his severe gut issues we then fought with for years. I've done my own research and a baby's gut is not meant for solids before 6 months. And that cereal crap is just that, crap. Babies don't need it and it often makes them constipated.
Ditto Melanie and Missa. Pretty much word for word.
I do have to admit that I wake my babies sometimes at night if I feel engorged or something like that. They usually don't wake all the way and just eat in their sleep and go back down easily.
My daughter breastfed about every 4 hours, and my boys ate about every 2 hours.... pretty much until they started solids right before they turned one.
For both breastfeeding and bottlefeeding moms, will you be waking your little one up at night to feed or wait until they let you know they are hungry? How often will you feed the baby? Because I have a preemie who is having trouble gaining weight, I wake her up after 3 hrs during the night, though last night I let her go for 4 because I was exhaustd I feed on demand during the day but if it's been more than 3 hrs (or if she hasn't been eating a full meal) I'll waker her up after 2-3. Once she starts gaining weight it will be comletely on demand.
If you are breastfeeding, how many minutes at a time per breast? (Some women do alternate). I let her drink as much as she wants from the first breast, then I'll offer the 2nd. I found that she is still getting really exhausted while eating and if she has a quick break then she'll eat some more. I do try to make sure she gets about 15-20 minutes total at least, but I'm not strict about keeping time.
If you notice after the first few months that your baby is still hungry will you introduce them to cereal? How about fruit? I won't intro foods until they're closer to a year (or at least until she's 6 months). An exception will be if I have to do rice cereal for her reflux that is getting out of control, but I hope to avoid that (and meds) at all costs.
I woke Lily up every couple of hours for the first few weeks to help establish my supply. Then we just nursed on demand, and I never timed things though I did keep a rough eye on the clock out of curiosity just so I could kind of anticipate her 'normal' schedule that she chose on her own.
I alternate sides. She was a fast nurser and only took 5-10 minutes at the breast each time. You want your baby to get the good fatty hind milk that comes 'second' so if you switch them from breast to breast they may not get that.
Breastmilk is all baby needs, if they're still hungry, feed them more often or offer the second breast. We start solid table foods around six months if baby is showing interest, btu that's more for play/texture/lerning about good than actual nutrition.
I breastfeed on demand, day and night. And we won't be starting any solids until 6 months+, whenever Hannah is interested in them. I feed from one side until she's full, and then the other side at the next feeding. If I'm too sore, I'll pump a little from the other side.
I'll just be feeding on demand (likely formula feeding or a mixture - breastfeeding and supplementing - if my body is up to it this time). I did with my son and he evened himself out into a routine really quickly.
As I'm likely to be formula feeding, yes I'm likely to start introducing cereal and pureed fruit sometime from 6 months, whenever baby starts indicating they need more than just formula.
I'll breast feed on demand, however, I might have to wake her up to feed if she's preterm. I won't start introducing cereal until 6 months. And, I'll try to do each boob each time, but no timing, etc. Plus, I'm hoping to pump and build a big stock pile so DH can help out.
I'll be breastfeeding too. At the beginning I may wake him when milk is first coming in but right after I will not wake him at night. He will feed on demand as well until he is satisfied (no timing) LOL!
About cereal and fruit, won't be introducing it right away but will sometime after six months. I'm hoping to pump as well. David will be involved!
I got what I thought was pretty solid advice from my birth class this past weekend. The nurses said if this is your first go at nursing, to make sure you're trying to feed baby every 2 hours, even if that means waking her up. They said a lot of the women coming in and crying saying that nursing isn't working out for them are having issues because they've waited too long to feed and baby is hysterically crying at that point, which makes getting baby latched for a first timer all that much more difficult. The waking should only continue on until baby has established a solid latch, then to just feed on demand.
I plan to go by that, we'll see if it actually helps my sanity.
I will nurse on demand, only waking her to eat before "bedtime" which is 7 for newborns at my house. Even then if I wake her up to eat I will let her have what she wants and not force it (just to make sure she is good for a few hours so I can pump both breast completely). The only other time I will wake her up to eat is if I wake up in pain from engorgement (unless that becomes a nightly thing, then I will pump then as well).
I will start with one if she seems still hungry will offer the other. I dont watch the clock because then I see how much time is spent feeding the baby and feel like I am neglecting my other kids (went through that with Cameron). So instead while she is nursing I will invite the big kids to read to me, or I will read to Cameron.
I dont plan on starting solids until 6 months, and only if she is interested at the time.
For both breastfeeding and bottlefeeding moms, will you be waking your little one up at night to feed or wait until they let you know they are hungry? How often will you feed the baby?I may or may not wake him at night, depending on birth weight..my doctor always tells me let them sleep but if he is tiny I want to make sure he is eating enough and to help my supply...
If you are breastfeeding, how many minutes at a time per breast? (Some women do alternate).I will let him finish one side and then start on the other if needed or next feeding..I have to work in lots of pupping also cause I have to go back to work shortly after
If you notice after the first few months that your baby is still hungry will you introduce them to cereal? How about fruitAfter 6 months maybe but not before that!
My childbirth class instructor told me to feed the baby like every 2 hours and to wake him up to feed him in order to establish supply. Once we've got that going well, then I guess it'll probably be on demand. I really don't know. I hope that I can go to a LLL meeting soon. My work schedule doesn't allow it for the most part. But the next one is the day after my due date so I'll either be on maternity leave waiting on a baby to show up or will have a brand newbie to take to the meeting if I feel up to it.
anyway, as far as the questions. I too am going to let him eat until he's satisfied at a breast, then I guess burp and offer the other breast if he's interested. If not, I might then pump the other breast since I'll have to go back to work 8 weeks after he's born.
I plan on not giving formula or cereal or baby food or anything until at minimum 6 months, but may wait longer. We'll see. And I'll probably skip the cereal (and formula) and just start making my own babyfood when he starts to show an interest.
I nurse on demand and do not time. In the hospital with DD1 - They were wanting me to wake her up every 2-3 hours. Once we got home, I let her sleep. Much to my surprise, she slept in 4 hour stretches right away. During the day, I was still having to wake her, but at night I just let her sleep. She'd empty a breast & if she was still hungry - I'd offer the other one. Other wise I'd just offer the other breast at the next feeding.
