6 month old BF to sleeply state.. question

I have a question that I hope someone can answer with their experience....

My 6 month old was a terrible sleeper, at 4 months I had to BF her to sleep, and she would only have 2 x 30min cat naps a day, and only about 6 -7 hours in total at night...waking every 2 hours, so I was advised to stop BF her to sleep and do the wake, feed, play, sleep routine - which worked...

then

we went on holidays, and on lots of planes, so I had to feed her to sleep on the plane and now we are back into the habbit of her ONLY going to sleep on the boob.... But for the first time the last 4 nights she has slept through...?

I am so worried that because I am resorting to BF her to sleep that we will go back to the waking every 2 hours at night. Or do you think that she just outgrown the need to wake every 2 hours and I can keep BF her to sleep.

I guess my question really is...Do you think I can safely BF her to sleep without having to wake every 2 hours again?

thanks for reading - sorry for the long post!!!!!!!!

CC I've always b/f all the boys to sleep and the MCHN has always told me that it would create bad habits, like them always needing to do that. Well in my experience they have grown out of needing to go to sleep on the boob, I think it's just a comfort thing while they are young. I know that with Cody it's a 50/50 sometimes he will fall asleep and sometime not. I can't remember, do you use a dummy with Ally, cause if Cody wakes at night I usually just pop his dummy back in and he goes back to sleep, I don't know if I've answered your question properly, but I hope that helps.

hugs xoxo

Nina is a month younger, but we are going through something very similar. She was waking every 2 hours for a feed also, and I'd feed her back to sleep. My dr recommended trying to re-settle her without a feed and only feeding every 3-4 hourly.
If she wakes 2 hours after the last feed, I try re-settling her while in the cot, if that doesn't work, I'll pick her up and give her a cuddle, and she almost always go to sleep then. I give it about 10 minutes and if nothing else works, then I feed her.
My dr told me to do controlled crying with her, but she's only 5 months old and DH and I don't want to use that parenting method, so we'd prefer to rock, pat or feed to sleep.
My dr did say doing these things will create bad habits, but I'm not prepared to do otherwise.
I reckon do what you feel is best for you and bub.

i dont BF but i bottle feed every two hours.it was a bit of a night mare but the baby health sister said to keep her awake for a while before she goes to sleep than give her a really big bottle than put her to bed on a really full tummy it seems to work shes 4 months julie

i have breastfed all my kids to sleep and the older 2 are now 11 & 8 and certainly can put themselves to sleep lol. i wouldn't worry, just follow your baby's cues as you have been, you know your baby best and do what works for you and your bubba. BTW my second little guy slept the least and has extremely high IQ, i think that is why he slept so little, too many things to take in ;)
beckles

i bf my babies to sleep. its natures way;) of course they grow out of it. if shes going to sleep happy with a bf. and staying asleep - surely thats the best way?!
now bree goes to sleep on her own,in her own bed without a bf (we used to co-sleep all night)- although she still comes in my bed say 5 am and has a bf back to sleep until 8 - 8.30am bliss!

thanks guys, I've really been feeling guilty about it to the point today where I tried to put her to sleep without the boob and there were just too many tears for me to cope with - so she ended back on the boob...

Amanda, no I don't use a dummy - I tried to get her to take one, i tried different brands, different times of day and nothing worked, she just wants the boob or nothing!

i can't imagine how i would get my babies to sleep if they hadn't been breastfed ;)
beckles

i actually don't mind boobying hannah to sleep. it means my poor back gets a rest cause the only other way to get her to sleep is rocking her!!