Surprisingly, some of the most frequently asked questions on my Instagram are all about Dylan’s sleeping and feeding patterns. So today, I would like to share the “sleeping & feeding situation” in our home!
A note before we begin though: please remember that each family is different. What I will be sharing is what has worked best for us. I am by no means claiming this will work for all. So should you disagree with how we do things, that is okay. I totally respect your views but at the same time, I would like you to respect ours as well.
Sleeping Situation:
1. Where does Dylan sleep?
Dylan sleeps in his own room and is accompanied by his yaya (nanny) This has also been our sleeping situation with Luke ever since and it has worked well for us. So we decided to do the same with Dylan.
We do not co-sleep unless necessary (For example: when yaya is out or when we are out on vacation and sharing a room)
2. Why do they sleep in their own rooms?
As with most things in life, sleeping in their own rooms has both its pros and cons. It’s just that for us, the pros outweigh the cons.
Some advantages of having Luke and Dylan sleep in their own rooms:
- They never have to wait up for us when we are out late
- They usually sleep at the same time every night
- We won’t have to “transition” them next time into sleeping in their own beds in their own rooms
- Mor and I can enjoy time together once the kids are asleep (The freedom of being able to open the lights, talk with each other or watch Netflix without worrying the kids will wake up is wonderfully liberating!)
- It allows Mor and I to sleep and wake up a little later than the kids
Some disadvantages:
- We’re not used to cosleeping without yaya (so when it’s yaya’s dayoff, I struggle!)
- When Luke was around 1, he had a phase where he wouldn’t sleep without his yaya (praying we don’t get that with Dylan though!)
3. How long does he sleep at night?
On Dylan’s first month, he would sleep for 2-3 hour stretches. On some occasions, there were 1-1.5 hour gaps but they were rare.
Now at 3 months, Dylan can sleep from 4.5-6 hour stretches. His record time was 6:30pm-1:30am! 7 hours for 2 glorious nights. Haha.
Take note that Dylan’s sleeping pattern is not common because I had it at the complete end of the spectrum with Luke. When Luke was a baby, he woke up almost every hour and it was horrible for me and his yaya. I remember rushing to eat my meals and baths and waking up with bloodshot eyes almost everyday. Huhu.
4. What’s the secret to Dylan being a good sleeper?
Lots of prayers. Haha. I am not even kidding. Aside from praying to have a healthy baby, my top prayer when I was pregnant with Dylan was to have a good sleeper. And thankfully, God answered my prayers.
It is all by God’s grace, really. We didn’t do anything different with Dylan. I just made sure to pray for it. A lot. 😀
But some practical tips that MIGHT have helped (cannot guarantee it though):
- He drinks a full bottle at night (more on that later at the feeding section)
- We keep the room quiet and dark.
- We still swaddle him tight.
5. What’s his sleeping routine?
We believe in giving the kids a routine so yes, Dylan has a sleeping routine. Here’s what his schedule looks like. Of course, it’s not always like this to-the-dot (you can give or take an hour or two) but this is more or less how things are right now at 3 months:
- 6pm – Drink his milk from the bottle (more details at the feeding section)
- 6:30 pm – Put down on his bed
- 12:00 am – Wakes up and drinks milk from the bottle
- 4:00 am – Wakes up and drinks milk from the bottle
- 6:30 am – Wakes up and plays or reads book
Yes, he usually wakes up at 6:30am without crying for milk anymore and so yaya keeps him occupied by playing with him or reading him a book. I usually wake up at this time as well and I do my morning routine (bath and breakfast) Then at around 7:30 am, I’ll get Dylan and he will breastfeed with me.
This might be a little TMI, but if he poops during his feeds (you’ll be surprised how often this happens,) he would most likely ask for his next feeding after just 2-2.5 hours. So he would end up drinking 4x at night instead of his usual 3.
Feeding Situation:
1. Is he breastfed?
Yes, Dylan is completely breastfed.
2. Is he bottle-fed?
Yes, at night, with my expressed breastmilk!
The reason we do this is because I noticed that whenever he feeds directly from me, he would fall asleep way before he’s full. So he’ll end up waking after a few minutes or an hour to feed again. But when we give him a full bottle, he gets enough milk before he dozes off, which is the goal! This might contribute to him also sleeping longer at night.
Another reason I bottle feed at night is so I can sleep better. Instead of having him latch for an hour as he nibbles (haha,) I just pump for 15-20 minutes every 3-4 hours and I can go back to sleep again.
3. How much does he drink per feeding?
At 1 month, he drinks 4oz per feeding. At 2, he drinks 5oz. Right now at 3 months turning 4, he drinks 6oz per feeding at night. He usually gets 3-4 feeding sessions (see routine above.)
In the morning though, it’s a little harder to calculate. He feeds directly from me at what feels like the entire day so I don’t really have an idea how much he gets. But whenever I have to leave the house, yaya gives him 5oz feedings every 2.5 hours. Not sure if we should increase this to 6oz so he could go for longer stretches… we’ll see.
FYI, I am aware that the usual amount is 4oz at this stage. I have consulted his pedia and he said that as long as he isn’t vomiting and that we aren’t force feeding him, it’s okay. We are not. He really demands more whenever I give him just 4oz, that’s why we have topped it up to 5-6oz. Haha!
4. When did he start bottle feeding? And does he get confused switching from the breast to the bottle?
We started bottle feeding him when he turned 1 month old and we began with just one feeding at night. The rest of day, he still feeds direct.
Eventually, we increased the frequency. Right now, on a regular 24 hour period, he takes around 4 feedings with the bottle and the rest of his feedings he gets directly from me.
He doesn’t get confused switching, thank God for that. I don’t know if it helps, but we use wide-necked bottles that mimic the breast (I love our Comotomo bottles!)
5. Do you have a milk stash? How do you do it?
Yes, I do! During Dylan’s first month, I used to leak a lot on the other side whenever he would feed so I would catch the leaks with my Haakaa pump and store them.
Since he did not drink from the bottle yet during his first month, I was able to keep all excess milk from my leaks and this totalled to around 30 bags of 5 oz each! I was then able to build my stash from that. Again, all by God’s grace. I certainly did NOT have a stash like this with Luke during his first month. So in case you don’t as well, don’t fret. There is hope!
Some things that I believe help increase my milk supply:
- I pump regularly whenever I’m away from Dylan: I follow his schedule; so if he drinks every 2-3 hours, I also pump every 2-3 hours.
- I take supplements and lactaction drinks: My favorite is Mega Malunggay!
- I drink lots of fluids: water always and soup almost every meal
6. How long do you plan on breastfeeding?
I breastfed Luke til he was 1.5 (when he self-weaned) and I continued to pump milk for 4 more months after. My total was 1.9 years.
With Dylan, I’m praying I will get to a total of 2 years. I sure miss sleeping straight and wearing my shift dresses, but by God’s grace, I’ll have 2 more years til’ I get them again. (What can I say, pros and cons, right?) 😉