1 Month Old Sleep Habit and Feeding Schedule

The best place for baby to sleep is wherever baby will sleep! It is going to be months before he can even begin to develop habits (good or bad), so whatever works is great!

I am a strong believer of feeding on demand. If he's hungry, feed him. I think it is wonderful that you are nursing, even if you have to supplement. Nurse him first, giving him as much as you have to give, and then offer hiim a bottle of formula. There is a very good chance that over time you will no longer need to offer the formula. Whether that's true or not, any breat milk you give him will be good for him.

If you have a breast pump, you could pump after everyfeeding. This could help increase your supply. But seriously, you're doing great and any amount of breast milk is great for him!

Has your lactation consultant advised you use a breastfeeding aid that's like an IV tube? - see the attached youtube. With my LC's guidance, I used this with my son and it was able to increase my breastmilk production significantly because his suction was MUCH greater than a pump. It takes some practice, but it's worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHj4xuOPa7k

You are doing great! You know where the baby should sleep? Anywhere he wants! As far as nursing, you can take some blessed thistle and that will improve your milk production. Always nurse first and empty out your breasts, both side is neccessary. Then offer him an ounce or two of formula. If you take the thistle and do this, your breasts will improve milk production.

When babies are little like this it's hard to have them on a real strict schedule, as your baby goes she will go through times of eating a ton and times when she doesn't as much. So always feed on demand. Formula babies are around every 2 to 3 hours, breastfeed can go from every 3 hours to every hour! So just look for signs of hunger, not what time it is on the clock. As for sleeping.....let your baby sleep where ever baby wants! Your baby isn't going to get in a habit so don't worry about that. My 2nd and 3rd baby slept pretty much all the time in the swing for the first 6 months of life! LOL then as they got older they were more content and would sleep in their crib. Never had to "break" my babies from sleeping in the swing. When they are that little they love the motion but it won't be like that as baby gets older.

What makes you think you have a low milk supply? At one month, babies are still nursing around the clock so if your baby cries after a feeding and you think he hasn't gotten enough, that's not the case - just put him back on the breast and he will stimulate your supply. This is what babies do to build up your supply for the next growth spurt. I would definitely stop supplementing, as that will sabotage your milk production - nursing is based on supply and demand. Also, if you are gauging your supply by how much you pump, that is not accurate because a baby's suckling stimulates you to produce more milk in ways that pumps can't replicate. As other folks have said, as long as he is gaining weight and producing wet diapers, you are doing great! Trust your body!

As far as the sleeping, typically babies still like to be close to you - I would recommend baby wearing or sleeping near you (a co-sleeper or pack n play by the bed). Napping in a swing is fine - I used to do that too :) Once your baby is 3 months old, you'll be able to establish a schedule and things will get a lot easier.

Good luck, mama, you're doing a great job!

You are doing great in the nursing and the sleeping. Just try to rest when he does or pick a couple of times a day and rest. Drink lots of water to build up your milk supply. Stop worrying and stressing over things just relax.

I used to drink a bottle of beer a day for the brewer's yeast. Eat good meals with lots of vegetbles and continue to take your prenatal vitamins.

Know that baby is gearing up for a growth spurt and will be hungry and may need to eat evert two to three hours for a few weeks. During this time your milk supply should build up and you will not need to supplement.

Welcome to motherhood. Learn the difference in the cries that your child makes so that you know if it is gas, a diaper change, wanting to be held, or just angry.

You will do well and trust your gut instinct.

The other S.

Hi!
I didn't breast feed so I was a total scheduler. For this this made things more predictable and my son was a great sleeper (my daughter once we got the premie size and reflux under control). I fed them more often during the day--every 3 hours to make sure they filled up during the day and would learn to go longer stretches at night. Maybe you could nurse every 3 hours and then let them fill up with the bottle once you run out of milk at the feeding?

As for the swing, I used it when they were little and then around 3-4 months old I insisted they nap in their cribs and started to make a real nap "schedule". As long as he sleeps in his bed at night I think you have done GREAT! Relax on the swing during the day, but eventually try some naps in the bed!

Good Luck!
L.

I fed my son when he was hungry - didn't wake him if he was sleeping. He slept wherever he was, whenever he was tired. I do not think he took a nap in his crib until he was over a year. He slept in our arms, the stroller, the car seat, a mat on the floor and (briefly) a cradle we borrowed and could move from room to room. I think it is way better to let the baby learn to sleep anywhere. DH and I did not limit any of our normal activities (other than seeing movies - which we rarely did anyway) when we had DH. We took him everywhere and it was his choice whether he was awake or asleep.

Well I can't answer a lot about the feeding as I only breastfed for about 5 weeks and really slacked at the end as I had pretty bad post-partum. I do know that when I stopped though, at this age, he was drinking anywhere from 2-4 ounces every 3 hours (I also had a 10lb baby though). I would encourage you to keep checking with the lacatation consultant though as your supply adjusts usually when they get bigger. I always fed him every 2 hours when I was breastfeeding.

As far as sleeping, my son did ALL his naps in his swing till he was about 8 months old. That's when I started moving him to his crib cause he was getting to long for his swing and trying to roll and slide out of it mid-sleep. He slept in his bouncy seat at night till he was 2 months. That's when he was sleeping about 6-7 hours a night and would start sliding out of the seat in that length of time so I inclined the crib and he did fine. My son is a GREAT sleeper now and I don't even have to do anything to get him to sleep anymore, just lay him in his crib. He was dependent for a while on some things, but when I started to think he might be ready for something new, I would switching him around. It would be tough for about two days, but he did great. Plus, I didn't have as many problems letting him cry for about 5 mins once he was older, which he did for only 2 days before adjusting great.

Your son is at the age right now where you just do whatever it is he wants. If he can't take a nap in the crib, but will take a nap in the swing then do it as it's more important for him to sleep. If he starts to turn his head away from the bottle or is falling asleep while eating, he's probably full. If he has a repetitive cry, then he is hungry. If he turns his head away, then he's full. Just go off of him. You have plenty of time later to "schedule" him once he's adjusted and happy with the outside world.

I would offer him 4 ounces with each bottle, every 3 hours. I think that if you want to put him in the swing SOME, it's okay. Just don't do it all of the time so that he doesn't get dependent on it.

Congrats on the baby!

Dawn

A one month old should be nursing pretty much non stop. Any good lactation consultant would be working with you to wean off the formula supplements ASAP. If not, I suggest finding someone else, or call laleche league. Good luck! Nurse often, count wet diapers, you can do it! Also, your breasts are never really "empty". The milk gets richer the longer baby nurses, so let him linger.