Demand Feed?

[A&Omummy]

Not sure if I should demand feed my daughter or hold her feeds out. My daughter is 6 1/2 weeks old. Last week I was demand feeding and she was waking every 1 and 1/2 hrs during the night. She would only feed for a few mins 10 at the most. So I spooke to a child health nurse and she said to hold her feeds out to 2 1/2 - 3 hrs. And said it was ok If she feed every hr late afternoon/eveneing. This worked well and she was only waking 2 times during the night. I really don't like holding her out. What are your views? I usually give her, her dummy to hold her out that is the only way I can do it. I don't like doing this though. I've also read alot about demand feeding, and how it can boost your milk supply. I can only express 70 mls at the most. Usually 30mls.

Diana

[Rainbowbrite]

I have always & still do demand feed & MJ is now 9months old. The easiest way to do this through the night is to co-sleep. Works great for us :)

RB

[O&GMUM]

i couldnt demand feed, tried it but with twins I was feeding hourly day and night. Also I felt as though they where just snacking all the time and not having good feeds which just gives them that fore milk and doesnt get to the good stuff.
but every baby is different so yours might not be like mine.

[jarrahsmumma]

I would continue to demand feed if I wre you. You are doing great in responding to your babies needs :) and at 6 and a half weeks, I think it is too young to expect them to wait for a feed when they are hungry.
Demand feeding will boost your supply, and as far as expressing goes, many women cannot express at all. The let down is greater when you feed your babe, as the hormonal responses are all there. Try expresseing from the breast you are not feeding from as you feed your baby, or drain the breast after a feed.
As far as advice on breastfeeding goes, contact the Australian Breastfeeding Association, they can more than likely give better advice than a MCHN. Always keep in mind, babies don't cry for fun, they cry to communicate their needs to you. And they have tiny bodies and tiny stomachs, to make them wait hours between feeds is just too long. :D :D

[rynosmum]

I always demand fed my little boy - in fact, we still do and he's 20 months old:o

At 6.5 weeks, her little tummy is so small that she needs to snack on a regular basis.

[my babyemmy]

i have demand fed all of my children but DD was demand fed every hour for only 5 -7 mins each time, my heath center lady was not happy (but my MIL is her boss anyway) & DD put on as much weight as expected so i still do it she is 7 1/2 months old but also has 2 meals of solids now
best wishes:)

[lovemybub]

I read somewhere the other day that a baby's tummy is only the size of a ping pong ball to start with (or maybe it was even smaller) so you can imaging that it doesn't take long for that little tummy to empty.

At 6 and a half weeks your bub could also be going through a growth spurt and will be wanting to feed more to build up your supply to match her growing needs. Feeding her as she demands during this time will help keep your supply in sync with her needs.

Someone told me once, so long as you and your baby are happy, you don't need to change anything about your routine, but if you are getting tired from feeding all the time, it might be worth slowly stretching the feeds out so that she learns to have proper 'meals' instead of 'snacking'. But I would do this very gradually. The problem with making her wait for feeds is that she will get distressed and too tired to feed properly, and so won't fill up, and then will want to feed again shortly after ... etc... and you get stuck in a cycle.

Oh, and I'm not sure what the weather is like where you live at the moment, but my bub always has shorter and more frequent feeds in hot weather...

At 6 1/2 weeks you're really still establishing your breastfeeding, so I would hang in there for a little while longer if you can and see if it settles down by itself. If you can find a good lactation consultant in your area, that might help too. I have found breastfeeding to be one of the areas on which you can get quite a lot of well meant, but confusing and out dated information, even from people who you would assume know what they're talking about. So if someone gives you advice that doesn't sit well with you, DON'T FEEL THAT YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT (yes, that includes advice from me :D )

Hang in there. Breastfeeding is very rewarding, but takes a bit of practise and patience when you're first starting out (and having been a mother only 14 weeks myself, I still find myself in that category!)

Shooting lots of happy breastfeeding vibes your way.

[reAllytee]

I would advise demand feeding & im not even bf !
Bubbies need as much as they can get when they want it they will never over feed.
My bubs was bottle fed from 4days old & i still demand fed so was feeding every 2hrs once he got a little older he started working out his routine that he was happy with & we just went with that.
Dont worry about how much you can express as other will tell you they often get very little when they do this yet have happily fed right through til bubs was a lot older.
Hopefully things settle down for you soon. :)

[AM]

Another vote for demand feeding here, babies really are vey smart when it comes to knowing how often they need to nurse, my 4 week old nurses ALL the time, i mean, my boobs are out of my shirt pretty much 24/7, but I know it is just so good for his health to have little and often, and it can help to minimise spit ups as well, as baby is not feeding like there is no tomorrow, feeling like they have to gorge, as they cannot depend on being fed when they ask.

CHN's have a lot to learn about BF in my opinion, they should all be trained by the ABA before they give out any advice.

It is such a short time in a baby's life as well, before you know it, the feeds will space naturally, and you won't feel like a 'milk tanker' quite so much!

I STILL demand feed my 2 year old! :D

[Goosie22]

I vote demand also, you need to feed frequently to keep up your supply. Otherwise your at risk of dwindleing supply and early weaning!

[novembermum]

HI

I know exactly how you feel. My DS did the exact same thing at 6 wks. My solution is make sure your eating every few hrs (I forgot to most days which meant DS was getting milky water) and feed every 3 hrs unless bub wants it earlier.

My DS now 11 wks wakes twice a night at most and is growing well.

Also if bub starts to lose weight, top up with formula (midwife instructed me to do this in hospital as my DS lost too much weight). but only top up after a feed or you risk bub rejecting breast milk.

Hope this helps.

[Goosie22]

Also if bub starts to lose weight, top up with formula (midwife instructed me to do this in hospital as my DS lost too much weight). but only top up after a feed or you risk bub rejecting breast milk.

I know you mean well and are only repeating what someone who is supposed to be breastfeeding friendly has told you. But there are a lot of problems asscosiated with giving formula to babies and it isn't without pretty big health risks.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/infant-formula.html

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-bf/312-formula-report-2.htm

[aardvark]

At six weeks or thereabouts, baby has a growth spurt, and will demand more feeds to boost your supply.

It is even more important at this stage of feeding to demand feed, to build your supply to cope with the growing needs of your growing baby.

I've demand fed two babies previously, and am now doing likewise with #3.

[A&Omummy]

Thanks to everyone for all yor advice. Im glad to hear that you all agree with demand feeding. I feel that this is the right thing to do. Also just wondering about the continue feeding in the late afternoon. Today my daughter feed so many times sometimes after 1/2 hr. And was having good feeds all times. I felt like I was just feeding all afternoon/evening. Any advice on this would be great!

Diana:)

[Goosie22]

Its also normal and part of the demand feeding, some call it cluster feeding. Its sort of like stocking up for a sleep hopefully;) .

Your obviously intune with your babies needs follow your instincts they seldom let you down.

[xkwzit]

Hi Diana

I think you are doing a great job and follow your instincts. If you feel that you are weakening and will cave in and follow a CHN's "advice" (:mad: I have personal issues there, sorry), I will tell you my dummy story...

Using a dummy to settle a baby instead of feeding can lead to weight problems. DD1 failed to thrive and I was exhausted feeding her for more than 45 minutes at a time every 2 hours during the day. When she was whingy after a 45 minute feed, I would give her a dummy because after 5 minutes she'd be fine, so I thought she just needed to suck. But you can actually be "fooling" your baby into thinking they've had enough to eat and so create a low weight gain situation.

I'm not saying that dummys are an absolute no-no (DD2 still has hers for sleeping :D ), but I would not regularly use a dummy to space out feeds or make baby "happy" after a feed when they are really not.

Cheers, keep up the great work :)

[jarrahsmumma]

I have been told that dummies make tiny babies too tired to breastfeed as well. Another thing to think about. ;)

[Goosie22]

xkwzit I don't think your the only one who has CHN's issues. And from what you wrote it would seem your concerns were warrented. Isn't it a shame the CHN's arent accountable for what they advise mums to do.

Great advice:)

[xkwzit]

Hi Goosie

I once joked that we should have a club for all of us who have CHN issues and then I thought "we do - its called BUBHUB" :D

(And to the very few of you who have had good CHN experiences, I am very happy for you, but you are, unfortunately, the exception that proves the rule. :rolleyes: :D )

I just wish I knew about their vagaries BEFORE I had the baby :o

Cheers

[jarrahsmumma]

So tru Goosie! I have heard from so many mums that have taken advice from a nurse and it is just all wrong! I wonder how on earth they possibly think it is good advice, as so many women take what they say as gospel.:(

[Goosie22]

I think they get their job and then are not forced to keep up to date with current trends and best practice. The ones I have come incontact with are very narrow in their views they like to announce things to women and have nothing to back up what they are saying if asked why. I am sure their are nice ones just like midwives have a bad wrap sometimes to, its the bad apple that spoils the crate.

[xkwzit]

Hi Neaby
DD1 also was fairly jaundiced (didn't need the light therapy - just) and both the midwife and the paed told me not to let her sleep too long (aim for max 4 hours between feeds). Jaundiced babies can be sleepy and they need the BM to flush the *whatever it is makes them orange* :confused: out of their systems. So if you don't wake them, the jaundice may take longer to dissappear.

So in your case, the CHN advice is prob OK, but I would have thought your paed would also have mentioned it if it was important. If it was only mild, its prob a non-issue and your mother's advice would also be fine.

Cheers

[Goosie22]

Hi Neby,
Were you /bub discharge you from hospital with the jaundice? If so I would have just demand feed as the levels are not likely to rise and the yellow colour is not dangerous(I probably would have kept an eye on his state of alertnes like if he was waking regularly and feeding well). But if in hospital for jaundice and recieving Phototherapy then the 3hrly feeds would probably been the right way to go(depending on the SBR or icto reading and how old your baby was at the time). Its hard to say with out all the information.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Jaundice_in_babies?OpenDocument

[Goosie22]

If he feeds well when he wakes and he isn't sleeping 5 - 6 hrs I would just let him sleep. Unless like xkwitz said the Actual Pead told you to wake him because he was particularly worried about the levels rising????

[xkwzit]

Sorry Neaby, I thought your question more rhetorical :o

You son is about 6 weeks old now? Has the jaundice dissappeared? There are two types of jaundice, one that lasts for days the other for a month.

So if it has not gone yet, it shouldn't be long before it does and I think that now you can demand feed. The advice I had was only really for when she was newborn. I'm sure I was demand feeding by 6 weeks (its a bit of a blur :rolleyes: )

Cheers

[Goosie22]

The yellow colour hangs around and its nothing to be worried about if he is waking and otherwise well. As an example my boys both recieved phototherapy(lights) for several days they were like "spray tan victims" for 2 months.

[xkwzit]

Oops
Sorry Neaby, just checked your dates and he's only 3 weeks old - sorry.

So his jaundice should be going very soon. Goosie's a bit more of an expert than moi, but I think demand feeding should be fine now. And as she said, you can always just be mindful of his state of alertness. Some forms of jaundice to seem to take AGES to dissappear, even if you do feed them by the clock.

Cheers

[jarrahsmumma]

The stuff that make the yellow colour is called 'bilirubin' :D It builds up in the liver and pancreas and the body has issues filtering it out. In which case, the more they feed the quicker it will flush out... (Thats what the midwife told me..)

[Rahmi'sMum]

Just thought I'd add that I demand feed and also have a bub who feeds A LOT. Stacking on the weight! :)

Anyway - he has also had a dummy from 2 weeks, he is a bit colicky and it calms him down when it upsets him, which in turn relaxes him enough to move the wind. It definately didn't interfere with his appetite or his feeds at all.

Also, we had to have a vacuum to assist in the birth which resulted in jaundice - we were also told that he needs to be woken every 4 hours to feed if he doesn't wake himself. We never had to though because he fed like a demon for the first few weeks and the jaundice cleared up by 3 weeks. I would follow your docs advice definately - feeding every 4 hours even if your bub is 6 weeks. My bub is 8 weeks and still feeds every 3 to 4 hours, and sometimes more often... you can tell too by the double (nearly triple!) chin.

Go the demand feeding :D

[AM]

Also, we had to have a vacuum to assist in the birth which resulted in jaundice


Please explain?? :confused:

I was not aware of any link between ventouse extraction at birth, and jaundice???

[Goosie22]

RE ventouse and Jaundice
If the Ventouse delivery caused a cephalhaematoma(bleeding under the skin on the scalp a big bruise) then that increases the load of waste to the liver(from the breakdown of the bruise) so it can compond the Billirubin problem there.
G:)

[AM]

RE ventouse and Jaundice
If the Ventouse delivery caused a cephalhaematoma(bleeding under the skin on the scalp a big bruise) then that increases the load of waste to the liver(from the breakdown of the bruise) so it can compond the Billirubin problem there.
G:)

AHA!! makes sense now. :D

[Notchalk]

Also I felt as though they where just snacking all the time and not having good feeds which just gives them that fore milk and doesnt get to the good stuff.


Actually sometimes the foremilk is quite fatty, especially if the breast hasn't hasn't had much time to 'refill'. If there has only been an hour or two since the last feed, then there isn't much time for the body to remove excess fat to make new milk.

IYSWIM?

Jo

[occbee]

I tried to hold out for min 2.5hrs between feeds and didn't let him go more than 4hrs during the day, to encourage DS to have a proper feed , rather than to snack and to help him work out nught and day. DS would often fall asleep feeding and would try to wake him. It all kind of depended on how soon he woke, at that age. Sometimes it was because he needed resettling, not feeding. But go with what feels right for you and your bub.