Once the routine is broken, either go ahead and feed at her next
scheduled time or readjust the schedule to feed in three to four hours.
You will not lose ground being flexible when traveling.
- My twelve-week-old has been sleeping through the night for four
weeks, but the last couple of nights he woke up at 3 A.M. What should I do
when this happens?
Since your baby has proven he is capable of sleeping through the
night, begin by assessing the situation. Is your baby too warm or too
cold? Is he hungry. Don’t forget about the 45-minute intruder. Did the cat
jump into the crib? Use good judgment when deciding what you are going
to do. While you may offer a middle-of-the-night feeding, be careful not
to create a new pattern of night feeding.
We particularly are concerned for moms who may have several other
children plus a newborn. You should slow down with your newborn and
realize that you need to be careful about your milk supply. With more
children you are far more busy. Due to your busy schedule and possibly
an inadequate diet, your milk supply may not be as high in fat content as
necessary. Watch your baby’s weight gain. You may even decide to
supplement your baby at night in order to guarantee he’s getting enough
nutrition. Remember, the routine is between three to four hours for
feeding. - My breast-fed baby is thirteen weeks old. Is she ready to move to
twelve hours of nighttime sleep?
At this age, a breast-fed baby can extend his nighttime sleep to nine to
ten hours. The bottle-fed baby can usually go longer. However, breast-
feeding mothers must stay mindful of their milk production. Letting your
baby sleep longer than nine or ten hours at night may not afford you
enough time during the day for sufficient stimulation. Of course, this will
not hold true for every mother, but it can happen. Therefore if you’re
breast-feeding and are concerned about a decrease in your milk supply,
do not let your baby sleep more than ten hours at night through this
phase.