How did you get your breastfed bub to sleep through the night?

[Bathsheba]

Willow, no advice just letting you know that all 3 of my children rarely slept through at 10 months either. I was happy to give BF's as needed... but I wasn't working. Sometimes I don't know how working mums do it!

[Willow]

I know what you mean Bath. If I wasn't returning to work I'd probably just keep plodding along like we are, but after a rough night last night for example, there's no way i'd be up at 6am and ready for a day of work. I've kind of reached the point where I want to encourage him to sleep longer stretches than he is for his own benefit too. It can't be very restful waking so often He has on rare occasions done 8 hour stretches but not for a while.

I think I will wait until he is totally over this cold and just get into that headspace, tell myself I'm going to have at least a week of very little sleep. I know DH will help out when he can but he has a 5 am start so the majority of it will be up to me.

[Bathsheba]

Yep, waiting until the cold has passed will really help. My babies all needed more BFing at night when they had a cold... and it really does help them get over it more quickly. Once the weather warms up a bit I expect my 2yo will sleep through more reliably too. It was 4'C here last night (we don't have the central heating on over night). Teething also plays a part in night wakefulness... oh the joys!!!

[Tobily]

I got nuthin....my DS was in the same feeding pattern at that age, he's two next month and he still wakes at least once and usually twice overnight to feed.

He is showing signs of weaning in the last few weeks so I'm secretly hoping that over the next few months he will wean and start sleeping longer... I'm not overly optimistic though!

[mbear]

Hi Willow....my DD#3 for the last 5 nights has slept from 730pm - 8am.....i know i know, IM SO HAPPY. But back to your question...up till 5 nights ago i was getting up just once during the night to feed her.....usually after 4am. Nothing has really changed in the last few days, for her to sleep thru the night.....i really think it was just a matter of time - shes nearing the 12 month mark now.

I found we went thru 'blocks' of getting up.
7-8 months - 10pm feed, 1am feed, maybe a 5am feed.
8-9 months - 1am feed, 5am feed
10 months - 5am feed
11months - has slept thru for last 5 nights.....

For a few weeks there she was waking up at 4am on the dot - every night - i would give her a quick breastfeed and off to sleep she went, wouldnt hear from her again till after 7am. This was the 'habit' feed....i know she didnt need it, but like most of us do, it was quicker just to feed her for 7 mins, put her to sleep, then jump back into bed ourselves.

We introduced the dummy around 8-9 months.....i really believe the reason she was waking twice during the night (my other girls slept thru from 6 weeks and 3 months, respectively) - she wanted to suck.....she took to the dummy instantly (DH was against it at first)......i also introduced 'miffy' - a stuffed rabbit. YOu hear of separation anxiety etc at that age - so i thought if she had these things she would feel a bit 'safer' and reasurred, thus wouldnt need to scream out for me !!!! It seemed to have worked.....

I really feel for you going back to work, and still getting up to feed your little one. I really do just think its a matter of time. They get 'older and wiser' and realise they dont need the booby anymore.

Oh, one other thing - the 9pm - 1030pm feed, do you wake him for that? Could you not try to re-settle him rather than feeding him ?? I dunno, just thought its only 3hrs since his last feed......do you feel he is having a full feed at the bedtime feed (7ish)? i dont have answers, im just throwing some ideas around.......good luck hun....

[Liz]

How did you get your breastfed bub to sleep through the night?

I didn't/haven't. LOL. Even when I weaned DS off night feeds at 15 months (offered water for a while instead.. then it just became cuddles/co-sleeping), he still wakes and comes in to us. But like Bath, i don't work, so it hasn't phased me too much that my babies wake through the night. I firmly believe their feeds aren't habit.. it's been the best time for getting feeds in. Kayla still feeds regulalry through the night. When it's just a feed and we both go straight back to sleep, I can cope quite well. But when there's tummy pains or teething.. that kills me.. but that's going to happen whether they're weaned or not.

I know it's not what you want to hear. Sorry.

I hope you find something that works.

ETA: I also have a deep down fear that if night feeds went, that my babies would wean earlier than I'd like too. So I kinda like night feeds for that. But that's just me

[Kazmar]

Just time and patients (SP) Breast fed or not it depends on bubs weather or not they sleep. Dont listen to people when they blame bubs not sleeping on he/she being breast or formula All part of mummyhood. Annabelle did it all in her own time about 8months she stared sleeping through but we still have the occasional hiccup. But I kind of like those as she comes in with us for cuddles