Can’t seem to go more than 5 hrs w/o bf!
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Topic: Can’t seem to go more than 5 hrs w/o bf!
Posted By: 1st_Time_Preggies
Subject: Can’t seem to go more than 5 hrs w/o bf!
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 8:38am
Me again 
If you have read my posts before, you know my 7 month old is still waking in the night for a b/f. He was only waking once in the early morning, but the last few weeks it has been between 10-12am and again between 3-5am. That means he isn't going more than 5 hours max between feeds. I would have thought a 7 month old would be able to go longer without feeding by now??? My hubby wants me to stop feeding him as it is affecting his sleep, but I keep making excuses for ds as he is barely eating solids. We are doing baby led weaning and I think he is lucky to be eating a teaspoon or two a meal. I figure he still needs the nutrition from me? During the day he is feeding three/four hourly and napping about 2-3 hours. We have tried a couple of times to resettle him without feeding but he is SO stubborn and when he is hungry nothing else will do. I have tried shusshing, patting, picking him up and comforting him, dummy (won't have a bar of it), offering water, bringing him into bed with us etc etc. Everything is met with more screaming. I am LOATHED to let him CIO 
I don't know whether he NEEDS the feeds or not. I have heard him wake and go back to sleep at other times during the night, but he does fall asleep when I feed him during the night. What are your thoughts?? |
Replies:
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 8:58am
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Feed him, he is little and he needs food. And even if he doesn't *need* the food he may just want the comfort that a feed brings. All round I think it is just less stress to except that babies wake in the night for feeds and/or comfort often until they are quite a lot older than your DS, feed him go back to bed, you will get more sleep that way than trying to force him to sleep other ways.
Buy your DH some earplugs if it's bothering him that much |
Posted By: NovemberMum
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 9:31am
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my 9 month old still wakes in the night for a feed. I tell you it is much easier to get up and feed them for 10 minutes and put them back to bed than it is to listen to them scream for 10 minutes.
as for going 5 hours between feeds my son goes anywhere from 1 hours to 5 hours between feeds ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 9:37am
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five hours for a 7 month old is very normal!
your poor hubby though - how terrible for him to have to wake up and give bub a bf! oops, thats you! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 9:38am
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I'd keep feeding him.
If he's not quite ready for full meals of solids yet then he needs the milk to keep sustaining him. My DD didn't start having proper meals of solids until she was 9 months old. It really worried me but looking back now, she just wasn't ready and no amount of encouragement or forcing would have changed it. 5 hours is a pretty good stretch at 7 months, even though some are sleeping through by then, there are plenty that don't and it is well within the realms of normal. ETA: LOL Bizzy!!! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 9:41am
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Lol Bizzy!
I'm still feeding Esme at least once a night. More often twice or like last night 4 times  So 5 hours for me is a good night.
She's 10 months and I have just started going with the flow ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 9:48am
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Like Bizzy's last comment.
Anyway it's completely normal and imo and from what I have been told by doctors/PN he's still young and it's completely normal for babies to wake in the night for feeds until they're about 1 year old. The max they should go is about 6 hours (but of course you do get some babies that will sleep 7-7am) anyway I think it would be easier to just feed him rather than try resettle him over and over iygwim. Will he take a dummy at all? You could always try feeding closer together in the day? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: 1st_Time_Preggies
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 10:08am
Haha Bizzy  Love it
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Posted By: Kalimirella
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 10:56am
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I'd agree its still normal, specially as hes getting most nutrition from you. But maybe you could try very slow weaning? Just start taking him off sooner and sooner (only if he doesn't start screaming when you do take him off). ------------- Kiara is 3 and Teagan is 2, now we're expecting our long awaited 3rd! http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Lightning McQueen
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 11:01am
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Hi
I finally thought I’d cracked it and got T (he’s 6 months) to sleep through consistently, just for him to begin to wake again at night – just in time for me going back to work tomorrow! T’s feeding during the day is rubbish at the moment – hence the night wakeups. T is FF, so it may be a bit different, but one thing I have noticed is that it doesn’t matter how much he has to drink in his feed before bed or his dreamfeed, it’s the total he’s had to drink over the whole day that impacts on whether he’ll sleep through or not. For him the magic number is 950mls, any less than this (even 20mls less) and he will wake during the night to top up; 950mls or more over the day and he will *usually* sleep through. Can you try getting him to drink more during his day feeds and see if that makes a difference? Easier said than done I know, T will drink as much as he wants and not a drop more. I’ve also noticed that solids (and we do a mix of mash for lunch and BLW for tea) don’t make any impact on the amount of milk he needs. The only food that does seem to make a difference is if he eats a lot of avocado (but I guess that’s because it’s such high calorie). Sorry not much help – just wanted to say I empathise and that it is normal. My DH keeps asking me why T’s not eating properly during the day and how long this is going to go on for (umm, let me consult the Toby manual they gave me when we left hospital that I haven’t told you about...) |
Posted By: HuntersMama
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 12:03pm
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My son sleeps through most nights, but when he wakes I can tell by his cry if hes going to go back to sleep. If not, I feed him even though I know he can go 8 - 10 hours without a feed. It doesnt bother me and DH sleeps through anything! It wont last forever (fingers crossed!) and my DS is also not eating alot due to allergies so is waking alot more than he was a few weeks/months ago. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Caro07
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 1:09pm
What about a dream feed? If you did that it might mean he then only woke once. Psychologically you might feel like it was only one wake up a night and feel better about it. You sound pretty convinced that he is actually hungry so I would probably just go with the flow and feed him. If he is only doing a few sucks and is then asleep then you could look at weaning him a bit like Kalimirella said  ------------- Caroline, SAHM to 2 boys, S (4 years old) and J (2 years old) 
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Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 1:54pm
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5 hours sounds like heaven!!!!! DS generally goes around 2.5hourly during the day and about 3hourly at night (although some nights it can be much more regularly than that). Like someone else said often I think it is a comfort thing, but hey, thats what I'm here for isn't it? A quick 10-20min BF and he's back to sleep, seems much more logical to me than pacing the floors for hours at a time. They are still so young and still have really small tummys. I think its completely normal for them to still be waking regularly for a feed. -------------  
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Posted By: nicandtyler
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 3:15pm
Tyler is just over 10 months and still can wake once or twice a night for a feed (more comfort i think but as he sleeps in with me no biggie ) id say thats pretty normal for a bub that age to still be feeding over night  and your milk is giving him all the nutrition he needs ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
 April '11
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 3:21pm
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i say normal too..and not just bf bubs...and mine is doing the same..after weirdly sleeping longer in the beginning .. when he was having foods he was allergic too! mine eats a lot of solids and still wakes for 1-2 feeds... ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 3:24pm
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i aslo go with the feeding cause its easier lol..but i also think if he didnt need feeding he wouldnt take so much..i dunno..I'm giving him another month or so before i start trying to do something about it.. Liam will only sleep when he wants to though..no amount of crying or anything would change that..he self settles if he's ready to sleep :) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: hils10
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 4:27pm
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My 7mth old is EXACTLY the same - I could have written this post myself! She wakes up around 9.30-10pm, and again around 2-3am. I have really struggled with this as well, as from 3-5 mths she slept 12 hrs most nights. But I have also come to the conclusion that its food she wants as trying to settle her to sleep any other way (Including getting DP to settle her) just becomes a huge drama and usually doesn't work (or else she just wakes again an hour later). I would just go with it - esp. if your DS self-settles at other times and isn't eating much in the way of solids (my DD is exactly the same on those fronts too!). I would say once he is really eating proper meals and no longer mostly dependent on milk would be the time to start weaning the night feeds.
Its good to hear other people say this is normal! |
Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 4:39pm
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My DS was feeding twice a night well past 7 months....
Your DH sleep will be a lot more disrupted if you dont feed him -------------   
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 4:59pm
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DS is 8 months old and feeds anywhere from 1 ( like last night woo hoo) to 8+ times a night. BM is much more important for them than food till 12 + months. I pretty much just go with it and nap during teh day if I can.
We are doing BLW as well. You couldn't sppon feed himif you tried. My DH has learned to sleep through it as DS has been a regular night feeder from the get go . I second Bizzy on the earplugs lol Liek others have said its incredibly normal for babies and toddlers to wake for feeds/comfort in the night. Although Plunket and the like would have people believe otherwise. |
Posted By: Mum_mum
Date Posted: 13 September 2010 at 5:18pm
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We have only stopped night feeds in the last two weeks - and still she wakes twice a night for some water and a cuddle lol.
I just went with it however frustrating it can be to night feed and your DH is just going to have to hack it really, thats what being a parent is about isn't it, sleep deprivation
In all honesty 7 months and baby led weaning means he isn't going to be getting full and still needs his milk as his main form of nutrients. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
 Angel baby - May 2008
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Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 16 September 2010 at 12:09pm
that was a nice way of saying what i thought when I read this post ------------- http://lilypie.com] 
http://lilypie.com] 
http://lilypie.com] 
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Bizzy wrote:Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 16 September 2010 at 1:16pm
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"Like" Bizzy's post too!
When DD was little she was very very unsettled and fed all the night and screamed a lot etc, and after a while it did badly affect DH's work performance to the point he was on his last warning before losing his job. So right from the beginning with DS I have gotten up and taken him to the lounge to BF him, and has the change table there too. Now that he is older he is in his own room and I go in there to BF him. DH is happy to get up and help me if I ever need him too, which isnt often anymore, but he does get up at least a few times a week to DD. This works well for us, since we rely on him being able to work for our full income, and it helps that he still has some energy after work for the evening routine with the kids when I am exhausted! We are both much happier and dont argue like we used to when we were both so exhausted and stressed. Like MissCheeky, I nap when I get a chance in the day. DS is 8 months, sleeps 11hrs at night and feeds anywhere from twice to loads of times per night! We are also doing BLW, and he is starting to eat more and more in the last week or so. He has also been teething for the last 3+ weeks and has had lots of times since then that hes gone 5+hrs between bf's in the day despite appearing hungry and unsettled,..and then feeding 2-3hrly overnight. It last a few days, then hes back to 3-4hrly in the day and a couple of times overnight, until the next tooth! |
Posted By: millymollymandy
Date Posted: 16 September 2010 at 2:16pm
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Personally I beg to differ...somewhat...
I still feed at night with a very small baby at 7 months, but as she the started waking every hour, i gradually night weaned, reducing a little bit at a time to just a dream feed at 8 months. It hasn't made on ioata of difference to weight gain and we all get a good night sleep. At 13 months weaned the dream feed and for a few nights she'd wake at that time for 10 seconds and go back to sleep. My point is that yep, a lot of people do feed bubs at night and that's fine, but if you don't want to they can be gently weaned. I know I could get flamed for this, but personally if a wee one gets enough during the day and is healthy and as learnt the skills of putting themselves to sleep and back to sleep (the hard part!) then IMO sleep deprivation doesn't have to be part of being a parent. |
Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 16 September 2010 at 3:28pm
| I agree but have never found a gentle method thats worked! |
Posted By: millymollymandy
Date Posted: 16 September 2010 at 4:22pm
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I did two dream feeds for two weeks and did 2 mins less at the 3am feed and when down to 4 mins dropped it. Then after 4 montsh same thing with 10 pm feeds.
But...we did do CC for all wake ups at that point. We didn't find parenting to sleep, (so called gentle methods), very gentle, there was heaps an heaps of crying and three very tired people. Turns out when she wakes, she doesn't like being put to sleep by us, sometimes needs to know we are there, but prefers to do it herself. |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 16 September 2010 at 4:45pm
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haha Bizzy!! and so true! Geez what is it with men! I just tell my DH to shut it when he moans about bella waking, cos he isnt the one that bloddy well gets up to her, I am.
But yeah, 7 months is still so little, and quite normal for them to still need/want more milk. My DD is nearly 13 months and she still wakes in the night, I will give her a bottle if she really really wont settle after a cuddle and some water, but usually the water is what she wanted and she will go off to sleep after a drink. ------------- |
Posted By: Gardengirl
Date Posted: 17 September 2010 at 9:29pm
| Still feeding my 13 month old once, sometimes twice a night. I don't really see it as a biggie, be nice when he stops, but I'm not pushing for it to change. He'll get there in his own time. |