Feeding FAQ: 0-8 Weeks – Breast Feeding

How do I get my 4 week son to feed once in the night?

My 4 week son is feeding well at the 10pm feed, 3oz from the bottle then 15 minutes from the breast and a further 5 minutes from the second breast. He is only sleeping till about 1.30 am and taking a full feed from both breasts then waking at 4 ish when I give him one breast and then the other at 7am. How can I get him to sleep longer from the 10 pm feed and therefore only have him wake once?

My son is fully breast fed. He weighs 8lbs 6ozs.

He feeds at 7am 15mins,breast 1, 10mins breast2, 10am 15mins breast 1, 11.30am 15mins breast 2, 2pm 15mins breast 1, 10mins breast 2, 5pm 15mins breast 1, 6.15pm 15mins breast 2, 10pm 3ozs expressed feed, 15mins breast 1, 5mins breast 2, 1.30am 15mins breast 1, 15mins breast 2, 4am 15mins breast 1.

He naps at 8.30-10am, 11.15-2pm and 3-4pm. He settles at 6.30pm.

It is not unusual for a young baby who is fully breast fed to need two feeds in the night. Once he weighs over 9lbs he will be more capable of sleeping for a longer stretch in the night.

By using the split feed at 10pm/11pm you can help your baby to sleep for a longer stretch in the night as he gets a bit bigger. Using this method means that your baby is awake for over an hour and will receive a split feed in the same way that he does at 5pm/6.15pm. By giving him time awake and a slightly bigger feed he may begin to sleep to nearer 2.30am. For the time being he will probably still wake again between 5am/6am needing a feed but he will gradually be more able to sleep for longer in the night and so push on his early feed to nearer 7am.

The split feed is fully explained on page 138 of The Contented Little Baby Book, and also in a question and answer on page 86 [bottom].

For the late evening split feed to be effective, it is important to begin to wake your baby by 9.45pm and make sure he is fully awake before feeding him. Turn on the lights in his room and remove any covers from him. Babies can be sleepy at this time of the day so you may need to undo his sleep suit and expose his legs to the air to fully wake him.

If you give this feed as a fully expressed one you will be sure that your baby takes a good feed. It is not unusual for your supply to be low at this time of the day so you can use some milk expressed earlier in the day to make up the amount your son will take at this feed. Or you can express at 9.30pm emptying both sides. If you want to continue to feed at this time then offer him both sides once he is fully awake at 10pm/10.10pm. If you do wish to breast feed at 10pm it is always better to do so before offering a bottle to ensure that your son fully empties the breasts. Then the top up bottle can be given to ensure he is fully fed. See page 115 of The Contented Little Baby Book.

After the first part of the feed, let your baby have a time of quiet kicking, in a room with plenty of light and some background noise, until 11.15pm. Once he is changed offer him a top up feed of expressed milk in his room, with the lights dimmed, and then settle him down for sleep

If your partner gives this late evening feed you yourself will be able to go to bed early and rest, ready for the night ahead. Your partner will need to offer two separate bottles as there will be over an hour between each part of the feed.