Is my ten-week-old daughter settling too early in the evenings?
As I have to express all feeds, I am finding it difficult to stick to the evening routine. I start feeding at 6.15pm but it only takes 10-15mins to finish the feed rather than the 40 minutes it would take if I were breast-feeding. Should I be putting her down at 6.30pm after she has fed or keeping her awake until 7.00pm? It doesn’t feel right to be stimulating her until 7.00pm when it should be her wind-down time – but will the earlier bedtime eventually have a knock-on effect? Also, if I put her down at 6.30pm, she’s not going to bed two hours since last waking, as Gina suggests. Is that a problem? At present she sleeps 9.00-9.45am, 12.00-2.15pm and 4.30-5.00pm. Also, is there an equation for breast milk like the one for formula on page 62 of CLB?
If your daughter is settling well at 6.30pm after finishing her feed then put her to bed. If she begins to take longer to settle at this time and does not seem so sleepy after her feed, then sit her quietly in her chair in a dimmed nursery while you tidy up. Providing she sleeps well during the evening and does not begin to wake before the 10/11pm feed you do not need to worry. As she gets older her sleep needs will change. Many babies of her age are ready to settle at this time.
Turning to your other point, the equation for working out the daily intake of milk for a baby less than four months remains the same whether for formula or breast milk.