How long did you wake them for feeds?

reillyroowho

My boys were born 6lbs 3oz and 5lbs 5oz at 34 wkd 5days. Since they were born we have been waking them up every 3 hours to feed them breast milk bottles. Sometimes they wake on their own but usually the 3 am feeding they are out cold and we have to change their diapers to wake them up. When did you get to start easing off on the 3 hour schedule? 

ChristieNRN

I let Aiden let me know when he is hungry. Sometimes its every 2 hours and sometimes its like 3 and a half. 

TriciaandSean

My son was in the NICU for 3 weeks and I think I only woke him for a week or two when we got home.

He still woke on his own though and ate every 3 hours even during the night until he was 9.5 months.

AlwaysSunny925

We waited for the pedi to give us the ok.  With Ryan we stopped waking him after a week home, with Aiden it was more like 3 weeks. 

dvwalborn

At our first ped visit post-discharge he told us we didn't have to wake him up anymore during the night.  However, DS apparently liked the every 3 hour schedule so he kept himself on it for about another month when we started slowly sleeping a little longer between each feeding.

Talk to your ped about it.  If they're gaining weight ok and have no concerns then hopefully they'll let you switch to feeding on demand overnight.

DrRx

We have a minimum to feed Adalyn every day, so as long as we're on track, we will let her sleep/go longer.  Right now she's pretty much every 3 hours during the day and about 4 hours overnight between feeds. 

snoangel79

About 2 weeks ago I started feeding on demand at night. So I get 4 hour spaces mostly. I would wake them up if they go past 4 and 1/2. Also if one wakes I don't wait long to wake the other as I want them on a schedule. They are always eating between 3-4 1/2 though, never shorter, never longer...

kelkel09

my dd came home after 10 weeks and was just under 6 lbs at that point but we were never told to wake her for feeds. however, she was so used to the every 3 hour nicu schedule that she woke herself every 3 hours for the first week or two and then it slowly started spacing out a little.