Feeding on demand versus schedule

jonquil31

New Member
Hi mommas! Just putting this out for discussion as I'm a bit confused. I was told by lactation consultant as well as books n friends that I should try to schedule my feed at least two hours apart n condition my baby to a routine, hopefully dreading feeds to 2.5 to 3 hours. This is the rationale behind the recommendation:

- If baby feeds hourly, they end up snacking n not taking full feeds, as well as develop a feeding style called "superstar" feeder that is bad for both mom n baby in the long run.
- Bm takes time to reach optimum amount n feeds should not be closer than two hours to hit this optimum amount so as to provide baby a full feed.
- Stretching feeds allows baby to have longer naps. Sleep and feeding are correlated. Easier to get baby into a healthy napping schedule.

My question is... I see that most moms feed on demand here. How then is your baby's sleep schedule and how do you determine if baby is truly hungry, or just fussing? Like what are the hungry cues you look out for? I've fed on schedule ever since my bb was born based on advice from the lactation consultant from Thomson Parentcraft. Is there anyone else on a schedule as well?

Just putting this out here for discussion, not saying if either approach is right or wrong. Thanks in advance for your inputs!
 
most new babies will feed on 2-3 hrly basis , depends on how much they drink. after feeding on demand for some time, you are able to see a fix cycle to their hungry cues. so at least to me, you will definitely see a cycle to it.

my baby will show signs of hunger by nibbling on his hands and keep licking his lips and sticking his tongue out.

once a feed is finish, if he still cry , intially i thought he might not have enough, so i try to latch him back, but when he refused you know they are full. i rule out the possibilty of wanting milk so i will check his diaper etc to find the cause.
 

jonquil31

New Member
Thanks for your inputs.. I was puzzled coz I see a lot of mummies mention they do demand feeding n feed hourly. I can't imagine how taxing it is to do that.

As for hunger cues, I have not been able to grasp it at all. My little one is always showing hunger cues, so too speak, even right after a feed. It confused me to no end at the start so I decided to go by schedule instead. It was really frustrating coz it kept me wondering if she is hungry n if I am actually providing enough. Babies are hard to read, aren't they..
 

jonquil31

New Member
Btw my baby cries after feeding quite a lot... N she refuses to latch back but I always felt it was coz I have no more milk to offer her n she is frustrated... :(
 
will u be going back to work soon? if yes, u might want to change the method of feeding.

i agree some babies appetite might be huge. and if long latching is taxing on u, or yr supply is not establish yet, u can try to adapt another method like pumping out / hand express out milk after each nursing session to increase milkflow.
 

JuliaKT

Member
I'm feeding on demand. But somehow it is almost 2 to 3 hr apart of each feeding becoz my baby girl will sleep after feeding and the. Wake up for milk again. I think we will the cues if the baby is hungry. You can see her sucking the thumb or sticking out her tongue, and moving her head side to side to search for nipple. If your baby cries even after milk, maybe uou haven't burp him/her? If IOU have too much milk let down and the baby drink too fast, you will need to stop her and burp a few times.
 

jonquil31

New Member
I won't be returning to work yet. As for pimping after feeds, I do that sometimes when hubby is home. It's hard to do that during the day coz it's just me n baby... N she's one fussy girl!

I do agree sometimes she just needs to be burped. My baby is pretty colicky n super gassy. Just got to ride it out..

Thanks for the inputs!
 

cn naz

Member
my baby is on formula milk. and i feed her on demand. if she's hungry she would suck on her lips, then her fingers. normaly would be about once in two hours.
 

Jode

Member
Mt A parentcraft centre taught me to:
during the day: feed on demand, but never to let the interval between feeds to exceed 4 hours
at night: let the baby wake you to feed. so if baby sleeps past 4 hours, let him/her be...

to know if my baby is hungry, i will stick my finger (clean one of cos) into her mouth. if she sucks on it, then i know that she is hungry and looking for food. i will stick the 'joint' part of my index finger - bend your finger and use that part that bends... hope you guys understand what i am trying to describe... :)
 
mine was a greedy one, i put my finger on the chin or near lips he opened his mouth so big. so every bb different, got to observe how is yrs.

jonquil31,
my bb loves to suckle his hands now, nearly 4 mths. even after full feed he like to suck his hands. so i no longer depends on such behaviour to conclude his hunger. so every stage are different though
 

cn naz

Member
mine is at the stage where she's sucking anything near her. i caught her chewing my magazine last night =|

so if i can't distract her while she's sucking her fingers, then she's hungry. that's how i conclude for now.
 

jonquil31

New Member
Lol babies are full of "pattern". hate to admit it but I've yet to catch her hungry cues. She's hard to read. she latches on for less than five mins per side n wails so I assume she is still hungry n quickly express bm for her. Gave it to her n she refuse to take the bottle too. N she is sucking fist, licking lips n all. But I must first disclaim that my bb is only having a lot of feeding issues after being hospitalized for vomiting two weeks ago. She has not been the same since... :(
 
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