I'm continuing this series on routines which started with What To Do from Day 1, and continued to Weeks 2-3. Around the time baby turns one month old, baby is ready to stay awake for slightly longer than before, so below is a guide for timings to follow:
7.00am Wake baby, change diaper and feed by 7am. If baby ate before 5am, he/she will need 20-25mins from the full breast, then offer 10-15mins from the 2nd breast (if bottle-feeding, 90-120ml). If baby fed between 5-6am, breastfeed for 20-25mins from the full breast (if bottle feeding, 60-90ml). As baby is still very young, you probably will still be spending quite a long time trying to keep baby awake and maintaining a good latch. Try not to feed baby after 8am. If you are an exclusively pumping mummy, pump now till you are empty before/while engaging baby with some talking or rattle toys, or while having your breakfast.
8.30am Swaddle baby tightly without providing eye contact or talking to baby to let baby fall asleep. If you are still enjoying post-natal massages, you could arrange for it to be done between 9-10am before baby wakes. Baby should nap for no longer than 1.5hours.
9.45am Unswaddle baby to allow natural waking. As baby is stretching to wake up, prep a large bowl, a soft cloth, a clean set of “day” clothes, a new piece of diaper and moisturizer.
10.00am Regardless of how long baby had slept, wake baby fully and feed for 25-30min from one breast if latching (if bottle-feeding, 45-60ml). Start with the side you last fed from. Remember to drink a large glass of water to keep yourself hydrated.
10.30-10.45am Give your baby's face and body a warm wipedown. Moisturise your baby all over, change the diaper and put on the set of "day" clothes. Let baby look at hanging toys while lying or sitting reclined with good support after.
11.15-11.30am Feed baby for 25-30min from the second breast if latching (if bottle-feeding, 45-60ml). If baby did not finish the first breast at 10am, allow 10mins on that breast before nursing 15-20mins on the second breast.
11.30-11.45am Swaddle baby tightly without providing eye contact or talking to baby to let baby fall asleep. You can now have a good lunch before taking a good nap till 1.45-2pm. For exclusively pumping mummies, pump till you are empty before your nap/massage.
1.45-2.00pm Baby needs a nap of no longer than 2h15mins from the time he fell asleep. If he/she had slept 1.5hrs during the first nap, allow baby only 2hours of sleep for this nap. Unswaddle baby 10-15mins before to allow natural waking.
2.00-2.15pm Regardless of how long baby had slept, wake baby fully and feed baby for 20-25mins from the full breast, then offer 10-15mins from the 2nd breast (if bottle-feeding, 90-120ml). Try not to feed baby past 3.15pm as this will throw off baby’s next feeding. Play with baby, change baby’s positions and change baby’s diaper to keep baby awake till at least 3.15pm but no later than 3.30pm. This can include some tummy time if at least 30-60mins after feeding.
3.30-3.45pm Swaddle baby tightly without providing eye contact or talking to baby to let baby fall asleep.
4.00pm Have a snack. For exclusively pumping mums, pump till you are empty while having your snack.
4.45pm Unswaddle baby to allow natural waking. It is important that baby does not sleep after 5pm if you want baby to go down well at 7pm.
5.00pm Regardless of how long baby had slept, wake baby fully and feed for 20-25min from one breast if latching (if bottle-feeding, 45-60ml). Start with the side you last fed from.
5.45pm-6.00pm Fill half the baby bathtub with warm water and give baby a bath. Moisturise baby everywhere and change into pajamas after.
6.00-6.15pm In a quiet and darkened place, feed baby for 20-25min from the second breast if latching (if bottle-feeding, 45-60ml). If baby did not finish the first breast at 5pm, allow 10mins on that breast before nursing 15-20min on the second breast.
6.45pm-7.00pm Swaddle baby tightly without providing eye contact or talking to baby to let baby fall asleep. You can now have a good dinner and catch up with your spouse.
8.00pm For exclusively pumping mums, pump till you are empty.
9.00pm Have a good rest before you wake up for the next feed at around 10pm or if your spouse will be doing the 10pm feed, then nap till your next pump at midnight.
10.00pm Unswaddle baby to allow for natural waking.
10.10pm Change baby’s diaper and then feed for about 30-35mins from both breasts if latching (if bottle-feeding, 90-120ml) in a quiet and darkened room with no eye contact. Then swaddle baby tightly to sleep and you can also retire to bed.
12.00am For exclusively pumping mums, wake up to pump till you are empty.
3.30am Allow baby to wake you up from hunger, but you can expect this to happen anytime from 1.00-2.30am. If it does not happen and your baby was born pre-term or you are worried he/she might be hungry for any reason, unswaddle for a feed by 3.30am. The feed should be done in a quiet and darkened place with no eye contact or talking.
4.00am For exclusively pumping mums, pump till you are empty.

And the day repeats the next day!

Making Adjustments to the Routine

If baby takes a second middle-of-the-night feed between 5.00-5.30am, you might want to adjust the 7am feed downwards, eg. by only offering 20-25minutes on the second breast (or reducing the feed by 15ml).

If the second middle-of-the-night feed was between 5.30-6.30am, you might want to wake baby up at 7am, but feed only between 7.15-7.30am, and only offer 10-15mins on the second breast (or reduce the feed by 30ml).

If the second middle-of the-night feed was after 6.30am, treat it as an early 7am feed so baby can stay awake till 8am without any further feeding until after the next nap.

Keeping baby awake/asleep during the said timings above may be a little tiring as you figure out what works best. The suggested routine is not set in stone, but some general rules to follow include:

  • Baby should have a maximum of 5 hours of sleep between 7am-7pm
  • Baby must always be fed if there are cries of genuine hunger regardless of time of day
  • Baby should not be awake for more than 2 hours

There are many more adjustments that can be made if necessary but there are too many scenarios to list in this post. Please feel to reach out to us if you have questions!

Closing thoughts

The milk volume you baby should be taking depends on the body weight, and you can observe whether the guided amount works for your baby. Some babies drink 15-30ml less per feed, others drink 15-30ml more. Most babies take 500-800ml over a 24-hour day by the age of 3-4 weeks old. An indicator that the amount of milk per feed is right is that baby will be able to follow the indicated timings for the feeds without crying out of hunger in between.

In baby's sixth week, you might find this routine does not work as well any more. If baby displays most of these signals in the fourth week:

  • Baby is sleeping well at nap times and more often than not, you have to wake baby from naps in order to feed baby
  • Baby is feeding more efficiently and often finishes a breast within 20-25mins
  • Baby is showing signs of being more alert and managing to stay awake easily for 2 hours at a time
  • Baby is starting to be more wakeful in the middle of the night

If baby displays most of the signs above, it might be time to move on to the Week 4-6 routine. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below!

Posted in Breastfeeding, How to, Infant, Newborn, Pumping, Routines, Sleep, Uncategorized

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