ArvadaBride

MeL2185

Hey girl,

question for you and since i know not everyone's LO's are home from NICU I figured I would just ask you..

I see in your siggy that your DD's weight was in between both my DD's 2-12 and 3-10. So my question is when were you allowed to let her wake you at night for feedings. we are on 3 hour schedules all day and all night. their weights now are 5 -6 and 5-11..

Like every night we set alarms for every 3 hours and last night DH and myself turned off the 1230 alarm and accidentally went back to sleep- terrible I know and we woke at 130 freaking out and the girls hardly even seemed bothered at all. they were fine.

So when did you get to let them control nights but still feed every 3 hours during the day.

thanks girl!

ArvadaBride

Hi MeL - We have slept thru a few alarms too!  You feel bad but it happens and no worse for the wear.

To answer your question:  we were told by the Pedi (same doc that oversaw her care in the NICU) to throw the feeding schedule out the window and to feed her on demand.  If that was every 3 hours, fine.  If every 4 hrs. that was fine too.  We were told that the Monday after our DD left the NICU.  She has typically been on a 3 1/2 hr feeding schedule except at night.

We did feed her on demand and in some aspects, I truly wish we would have left her on the 4 hour schedule that she was on when she left the NICU.  It would have been easier for us and her.

I want to say that DD was about 6 - 7 weeks old (not adjusted) when she was sleeping longer thru the night and I didn't have to wake her to feed.  And just like your girls last night, she just never really showed interest and in some ways, seemed ticked that we had woken her. 

My thought was (since we were constantly told in the NICU) that they do their best growing while they sleep, then why wake her and "ruin" that process.  She will and has let me know when she is hungry in the middle of the night.

On Mon. night, she went to bed at 8:15 and woke at 2:30, snarfed a bottle and went back to sleep.  Last night, she ate at 5 pm, 6 pm and 7 pm (all 60 cc's or less) and was in her bed at 7:45 fast asleep.  I had to wake her at 4 am to feed her before I went to work!  And she never stirred until that time last night.

I hope that helps! 

Oh and just to compare - my DD was 5 lbs 7 oz (a thurs.) when she left the NICU and was 5 lbs 11 oz. by that Monday at her Pedi appt.