to wake or not to wake?

[Maggiesmum]

That's the question I've been struggling with lately!

Bubba girl is only 10 weeks old and having 5 feeds a day. She has been this way for a little over a month, it started out that she would wake once through the night around 2ish then sleep through untill 6ish then a mid morning feed, a mid afternoon feed and then her last one would be at around 6:30.

But now she seems to have pushed all these feeds 2hrs later and is going into a deep sleep (sometimes after and unsettled period) after her 4th feed. I find that I am waking her up for a fifth feed at around 9pm and then she sleeps through until around 6am! Don't get me wrong I am quite happy with this arrangement - I just didn't think that it would be happening this early and am a little concerned with wether or not she is getting enough to eat. I don't want her to wean herself off me and or my milk supply to deminish, is that what happens if she stops feeding often?

So my question is, do I leave her to sleep after her 4th feed and wait till she wakes for her next one (demand feed) or keep waking her - which seems so nasty as she looks so content - but is a little nicer for me.

[poshBecks]

If she's sleeping through the night, let her!! When ds was little I used to wake him for a feed just before i went to bed ( 9 or10). Otherwise he'd wake at 2 or 3 for a feed! I say enjoy your rest - YOU DESERVE IT!!

Beck :D

[peterpan]

Hi Maggie's mum,
I"m with Beck leave her enjoy the rest
DS born 30th may 2005 I would wake to feed him and he would be so
grumpy and hard to get back to sleep so now i leave him
The way I think is if he is hungry,wet or done a poo he will wake and
let me know.........Like he did last night just as i was going to bed
Angela David and Peter (30/5/05

[Snugglepot]

I would try letting her sleep through, you never know, she may sleep 12 hours by herself!

I started giving my ds a roll over feed at 10ish every night when he was 6 weeks to help him sleep through, but it actually stopped him having a longer sleep at all! He would wake every four hours after the late feed. As soon as we stopped it he started to sleep through till 6 am! He is 12 weeks now and sleeps through most nights, although I sometimes have to re settle him at 4 ish, usually with the dummy. So from 7 weeks of age he has had 4 feeds a day and is still putting on weight etc..

As for the breast feeding, I would think your body would adjust to the new routine, but I am not sure as ds is on formula.

Kez :D

[Maggiesmum]

Thanks for the advice ladies! A little up date - Yeaterday DD was very restless after her third feed for the day which was around 4pm - She slept all morning! - And I ended up feeding her again around 6:30pm and she went down without a fuse :) . I went to a Nice but Naughty party which I felt silly doing as I'm still waiting for my libido to return, but that is a whole other thread :o ! So DH was in charge and would do any settleing needed untill I got home or would ring me if DD got hungry but she slept soundly and he made muffins!

I got home around 11:30pm and concidered doing a roll over feed then, but I was very tired - it's funny how 11:30 is a late night these days :D - so I went to bed instead. DD woke up at three on the dot, which she hasn't done for nearly a week, so I think if I can I will wake her for a roll over feed, I enjoyed the interupted sleep way to much. Although I found that the night or early hours of the morning were the best feeds so in a weird way I think I will miss them! I'm sure I'll get over it!

I suppose if she starts waking in the night I will stop waking her up for that last feed and let her decide when she wants it.

[nemosmum]

My motto has always been NEVER WAKE A SLEEPING BABY :p