Night feeds and not sleeping through

[rylansmum]

hi there my little girl is nearly 9 months old and just wont sleep through and still wakes for a bottle around 12-1am...she has around 4 bottles per day @ 200mls plus breakfast, lunch, dinner and a few snacks.
She weighs around 7.8kg and is putting on weight very slowly..she has actually dropped from the 50th percentile down to the 25th not drastically she is still putting on weight but just slowly.
Is there any way i can get her to drop the night feed my midwife suggested dropping the night feed and giving her more food, and if she does wake for a bottle give her water..but it doesnt make any difference!!
I have tried to resettle her without the bottle but she just loses it and wakes herself up then is awake for hours.
Should i just not worry about it and go with her flow or should i try something else??

[Arimeh]

I wouldn't worry about it too much, i know my SIL still gave her boy a bottle around that time - I gave up the night bottle at around 6-7 months, but only because we would have to wake him up for it, and he would be awfully cranky.
I say that she will let you know when she is ready to drop it. Mine still wakes up now during the night, but settles with just a dummy. We only give him water if he has a temp or something which wakes him up, something to make sure he isn't getting dehydrated.
Not much help I know, but good luck!! Just follow your instincts.. you're doin a great job

[kirsten74]

Hi, we were giving my son a bottle during the night right up until he was about 12 months old. I think it was more a comfort thing and when we decided at 12 months to drop it we didn't have a problem. We started by making it very weak formula and then got to the point where it was really just formula flavoured water. He eventually decided it wan't worth waking up for and stopped waking up entirely.
I think that your daughter will drop it when she is ready, but if you really want her off it, then either go cold turkey or wean her off it gradually.
And as for her not putting on weight very quickly, maybe she is just going to be a smaller child? Some kids are bigger than others. Yours may just be delicate and dainty!

[JadeLil]

rylans mum - I completely hear you!! My little man is nearly 9 months too and he wakes 3-4 times during the night!! Last night was a record 6!! But he does seem to have a stuffy nose so that may explain last night. I have read some of the other replies and I will try the watering down of forumla.. hopefully that works and my DS won't want to wake for a bottle if it is not formula. Just thought I would let you know you are not alone..

[rylansmum]

Thanks for the replies...i have actually tried giving her water and she just drank it like a bottle so i dont think that will work!!
Oh well i guess perserverence will have to kick in soon hehe..cold turkey is out as i work nights and usually finish at 12am and DH works days starting at 4.30am so we both need the sleep

[Arimeh]

Just as an afterthought, I wouldn't recommend watering down the formula for any reason, as the cans say (usually in bold type) that it must be made up to recommendations otherwise it can make your bub really sick. Just a thought

[krysalyss]

Hi there. I totally know how you feel you poor thing! Lack of sleep is torturous. Our DS still wakes up at night at 11 months and unfortunately it is just a really normal thing. I personally wouldnt recommend dropping the feed because of the weight issue. I would have thought (without being a nurse or dr) that a drop from 50 to 25% was considerable. Did your child health nurse seem concerned?
Have you considered increasing the amount of milk she drinks in each day bottle? Milk is still their primary source of nutrition at that age.
Also you could try introducing some comfort items (we use a dummy and a 'blanky' which seem to really help) and that may help her resettle herself through the night.
But if she just wakes for milk and then goes back to sleep then I would just keep it up for now. Try to prepare as much as you can before you go to bed to minimise the time you are awake. For example, you can put the bottle of water and a milk dispenser next to her cot so you can quickly give it to her and get back to bed. If she is awake for a long time after her milk then maybe you can take turns or get some support from family to give you say one night week to sleep straight through.
As I said,I know how you feel. It does end eventually. I think what has helped me cope more than anything is the realisation that it is probably just how DS is. It is no reflection on how good a mother I am.
I hope this helps.

[Boo Boo]

Hi Rylansmum - just a thought, do you do a dream feed say about 10.30 / 11 pm? My DD stopped wanting a feed in the night at 11.5 months, she kept waking later and later in morning from 1 am and then made it through till about 5 am and then just had her breakfast feed. Good luck, I know it feels like she will be wanting a feed in the night for the rest of her life, but she will get there when she is ready, hang in there

Laurin

[kittykat]

i am having heaps of trouble in this department. My 13month old daughter still wakes for 2 feeds a night. One about 10pm then one about 1am -2am. I give her 3 bottles a day including the bottle before she goes to bed. Along with breaky ( wheat bixs) vegies for lunch and vegie s for dinner and a few snacks inbetween. She will only have about 200mls at a time i have had her on cows milk since she was one i think this maybe the problem DH is buying formula as we speak thinking that this is the problem she never really has had alot of milk at once compared to other babies her age she would just have more so it evens out she healthy right where she needs to be. I need sleep so bad she is in the same room as us mainly becouse there is nowhere else to put the c ots the other rooms are full control cry doesnt work becouse she sees us the above suggestions sound good not so sure if watering down formula is the way to go but i ll give anything a go
kath

[Mother Goose]

it must be made up to recommendations otherwise it can make your bub really sick. Just a thought

I think they make this statement because altering the powder/water ratio actually alters the nutrients being given to the baby. In that respect, long term alteration would make bubba sick but for the purpose of weaning, I don't think it is detrimental to the infant's health.

Rylansmum - we have similar issues here. DD is almost 13 months and we still wake up for a bottle over night (although the timing varies at the moment). We did go through a stage where she was sleeping through without it but after we moved house she started demanding it again (so it is probably a comfort thing). We now give her 150mls (she used to have 200) with two scoops of powder. She drinks it and goes straight back to sleep. Last night, she slept through the night for the first time in AGES! But I'm sure that was just a fluke at this point as we have only been doing this for less than a week. But at 9 months, I wouldn't be too concerned with it at the moment unless they weren't resettling afterwards.

HTH

MG

[narelle]

Have you tried a formula called NOVALAC SWEET DREAMS? it's only available from chemists....or adding rice cereal to the bottle?....or adding rusks and blending them up when soft...all these things help with keeping bubs fuller for longer.

I also wouldn't change the formula mix unless you talk to a pead.

Good luck!

My little man at 15 weeks wakes once a night at 4 has his bottle (he sleeps from 8), burps and then back to sleep. Ive tried dummies and he doesn't like them. My other 2 slept from 8-8 at 6 weeks and 8 weeks so i know what you mean.


Take care

[narelle]

Oh i forget to mention my little guy is lactose intolerent so i can't use the novalac sweet dreams formular...but i will be trying rice cereal or rusks at around 18 week if he's not sleeping through!