demand feeding and got 7mnth old baby to sleep through the night!

Hi. Just wanted to share a positive story for anyone out there who wants to demand feed, but also wants to get a good night sleep!
Im BFing bub no2, and bub no.1 was a terrible sleeper - still is at 2.5yrs old.
bub2 hasnt been so reluctant to sleep, but at 7months was still waking up 3 or so times a night, and we tried just cuddling, rocking etc, a bit of letting her whinge, and not going in until she was really crying - all of the settling techniques etc. But she never really settled until she was fed, and then she'd sleep for another 3-4hrs and wake up again.
I knew i had a good milk supply because she was putting on weight normally, and my flow has always been fast and i could feel getting quite full if she went more than 4 hrs without a feed. But she still wasnt sleeping for more than a few hours before getting hungry again.
Anyway... I was reading a helath magazine that said women need 30g of protein each meal - and i wasnt eating anywhere near that much! I was eating enough calories all together, but not enough protien. So, Ive been making a real effort to eat more protein, and even having a protien supplemenet (Its called aminoplex, i got it from the healthfood shop) and bub is now sleeping through the night!
I cant believe it. I wish I'd known earlier.
Doctors/nurses always asked about my diet to amke sure i wasnt having too much caffiene, and making sure i was eating enough, but noone ever asked about how much protein i was eating.
I dont know the science behind how much of the protein i eat goes into my milk, but bub seems to be gettgin fuller for longer and sleeping much better :)
I hope anyone else out there trying everything to get their bub to sleep reads this and it helps :)

I am glad you posted this. DD1 has been a great sleeper since day 1. DD2 started out great, slept through the night from 4 weeks. When she hit 6 months she started waking up 1-2 times through the night for a feed. Like you I tried all the settling techniques I could think of. Although I eat pretty good protein is never at the top of my list.

Now after reading your post I will try and eat more and see if it works for me too. Thank you.

My CHN always said to make sure I ate lots of things like eggs, beans, and other things high in protein and "good fats" whil bfing. Makes sense, they keep us full longer so it would no doubt work for bubs too. Glad you found out about it and you have a good sleeper :)

Thank you for posting this, I will make sure i get more protein I hardly get any! I need to redo my whole diet because i know im not getting enough calories for bf'ing twins but i dont get enough time to eat either lol

thanks Blackstar, I'm going to try this! I don't eat meat so I don't get much protein in my diet but I'll make an effort to now :) My bub has never slept through the night, so it will be very interesting to see what happens!

I never thought about it, but I'm demand feeding (not co-sleeping though so I don't know if that would make it harder), but DS at 6 months is now sleeping from 7pm-9am with a feed at anywhere between 9pm-11pm (well, this may not qualify as demand...I go in and feed him) and between 6:30am-7am (when he "demands") and we never did any "training"....but I do eat a decent amount of protein at each meal (but not too much as I'm doing Weight Watchers at the moment - so it's pretty healthy protein and reasonable serving sizes). I don't know if this qualifies for sleeping through, but I think it's pretty good. Oh - and this is true most nights of late...but not all...last night was not fun at 4am.

You may be on to something.

I'm vegetarian too, but thought I got enough protein with eggs, dairy, soy etc. But 30g per meal is actually quite a bit to get when you don't eat meat. Actually, I don't think a lot of women who eat meat would even get that much. For me, the protein supplement from the health food shop has been a really easy thing to add to my diet. There's 29g in 2 scoops, which I just put in a smoothie. I have to admit it doesn't taste great, & it was $30ish for the jar, but it lasts a while & I don't have to worry about eating eggs for every meal!

i noticed bub sleeps better depending wat i eat and after chicken and eggs she sleeps more

hmm - i eat eggs everyday and either chicken or fresh fish for dinner every night...sometimes red meat

Wow think I'll try this too. I also dont eat meat and have never even thought about how much protein I am getting. Probably hardly any come to think of it.
Thanks for sharing :)

off to get me some protein lol!

I am really struggling to get 30g of protein per meal. I am not a vegetarian but I don't eat alot of meat. I am going to have to try the powder I guess. You said you have it in shakes, should be easier to do although I am limiting my dairy to help with DD2 who seems to react if I have to much. May have to use Soymilk:sick: for a little why maybe.

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I am really struggling to get 30g of protein per meal. I am not a vegetarian but I don't eat alot of meat. I am going to have to try the powder I guess. You said you have it in shakes, should be easier to do although I am limiting my dairy to help with DD2 who seems to react if I have to much. May have to use Soymilk:sick: for a little why maybe.

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Just wanted to suggest rice milk for your shakes if you havent tried it already. It still doesnt taste that great on its own, but in a smoothie I cant taste the difference from cows milk. You can get one that is protein enriched too :)

Wow this is fascinating. My DD slept through the night from 8 weeks (yes demand fed bub too) and DS from 10 weeks (but he had bottles which I thought may have contributed). I would have a meat dish of some sort pretty much every night, but very little eggs (DS is allergic) and beans (they just totally hate me lol). Very interesting!

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Just wanted to suggest rice milk for your shakes if you havent tried it already. It still doesnt taste that great on its own, but in a smoothie I cant taste the difference from cows milk. You can get one that is protein enriched too :)

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Thanks, I will give it a try. Willing to try anything before resorting to soy:)

I am giving this a try, I am going to make an effort to have more protein rich foods in every meal. I bought a protein powder today, and just had a glass mixed with milk with lunch then I read on the pack that it is not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women. I missed the warning in the shop as it was covered by a sticker. Anyway I looked up the website and it says:

"On the define label it says ‘Not suitable for children under 15 years or during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.’ Why is that?
Due to the higher levels of vitamins and minerals in define, it is classified as a “Formulated Supplementary Sports Foods.” Children and pregnant women have specific requirements which need to be taken into account. Although Vitalstrength products do not contain any harmful ingredients, Vitalstrength recommends consultation with a health care professional before define is used by children under 15 years of age and pregnant women."

I'm worried now, I've already had some. I'm wondering though if they mean using it as a meal replacement, which I am not. What do you think?

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"On the define label it says ‘Not suitable for children under 15 years or during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.’ Why is that?
Due to the higher levels of vitamins and minerals in define, it is classified as a “Formulated Supplementary Sports Foods.” Children and pregnant women have specific requirements which need to be taken into account. Although Vitalstrength products do not contain any harmful ingredients, Vitalstrength recommends consultation with a health care professional before define is used by children under 15 years of age and pregnant women."

I'm worried now, I've already had some. I'm wondering though if they mean using it as a meal replacement, which I am not. What do you think?

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I take that as its not suitable for breastfeeding etc if you are using it as a meal replacement.
I have started taking a protein powder too. I got one that is purely the protein supplement, no flavours or additives. i have a fruit smoothie most days anyway so I just as it to that and it doesnt really effect the flavour. The lady in the shop said you can use it in cooking/baking too. i can get the name for you later if you like :)

thanks munchkin mumma, that's kind of what I thought, that they mean as a meal replacement type thing. I think I might keep using it but just sprinkle a little bit on my muesli and yoghurt in the mornings, as it does have lots of other stuff in it which I don't know if is a good thing really (and it's too expensive to waste), and maybe get the pure protein one for a smoothie or milkshake with lunch. The name of yours would be great thanks! :)

OK bubba's off the boob now :)

The name of mine is Fortis. Its a 750g white tub with a green label. I just looked on the back and its make locally here in Perth so not sure if you'll get it all over Australia, but I'm sure if you ask in the health food shop they will have something similar. I just told the lady i wanted it because I was breastfeeding and she suggested this one.
They are pretty expensive hey! I would use what you have first. They are probably the same in terms of protein content, I just try and avoid additives and preservatives where ever I can :)

I am soooooooo glad you posted this my DD was sleeping through until about 6 weeks ago, so I am also going to try protein supplements to see if it helps! Thanks :) and I'm very glad to hear you're bubba is sleeping so well for you :)

thanks for the name of it Munchkin mumma, I couldn't find it here (small town) but I did find another one which is suitable for breastfeeding so I am really interested to see how I go with it.

I also read somewhere yesterday that breastfeeding women should have a daily protein intake of 1 gram for every pound they weigh. That is a lot of protein! I think I can do it though, with eggs, smoothies with protein powder, eating more lentils and chickpeas, and I'm not a true veg as I eat fish, so tuna salads for lunch. Anyway I started on the high protein diet a couple of days ago and today I noticed a higher milk supply. I felt fuller, and during two feeds today when DS pulled away milk was just squirting everywhere.. that hasn't happened in ages. Could be coincidence, or maybe it's due to the higher calorie intake.. not sure but poor bub got milk all over his face before I realised lol!

So I have been having the powder for a few weeks now. DD2 is still not sleeping through the night but she is not waking for a feed anymore so Her waking problems were more then just not enough protein. I have taken her to an Osteopath twice now and we are down to only 1 wake up at night.

I am still having the powder but only once a day.

When I bought my powder the lady did ask if I wanted it for meal replacement and that if I did it was not recommended. When I told her the reason she said it was fine then and to treat it like a snack. So I was having one mid morning, afternoon and one before bed. I did notice that I was very thirsty all the time when I was having 3 shakes a day so I was drinking a lot more water, I think this may have boosted my supply too which I di not really need. I am back to leaking everywhere again. It seems to have settled a bit with only one shake a day.

Thanks just made a fridge reminder for myself

Hi All
I bought a supplement yesterday and I have one shake today (first one), how many are you having? I read Kazzo was having three a day then cut back to one what is everyone else doing?

TIA

Hi Kimmy, I am having one a day (with just milk and raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.. yum!) plus I sprinkle some on my museli in the mornings. But I have made sure to make each meal high in protein with eggs, tuna, chickpeas, lentils, nuts etc.

No problem bec923, I'm glad you found something similar. That really is a lot of protein to fit into one day that you mentioned!! Think I'll have to start looking up lentil and chickpea recipes, the powder is just too expensive to have all the time.

I have also just been having one lot of powder a day. I put it in a smoothie with banana, blueberries Greek yogurt and honey. Yum yum :) It's hard to say for sure if its making a difference as ds's night wakings were still pretty random but we have had a couple of nights where he had had a longer stretch between feeds so fingers crossed :)


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Thanks girls, I will stick with one a day for now but am also going to up my intake (about to have boiled eggs for lunch :)) DD slept from 11pm to 7am last night, I know one shake won't have made much difference (if any) but lets hope she can do it again tonight!

Oh thats great KimmyF! :crossfingers: she does it again for you tonight.
I didnt have my shake yesterday and DS was up a lot! Will be a good experiment to see how he goes tonight as I am making sure I have PLENTY of protein today. Does anyone know if it is in your system/milk straight away though or os it something that has to be built up in time? :think:

I just grabbed a Kilojoule counting book I have, which includes protein, iron, calcium counts in the back. I made a list of foods with how much protein they have, and stuck it on the fridge. Certainly if I'm not as stressed and I do this, my milk is whiter rather than quite so watery.

good news here.. DS has slept through the night TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!!!!! I am amazed. I don't know why, I am not sure if it's because of my high protein intake or not but he has never slept for more than 5 hours in a row before. The night before last he slept from 6:30, woke and fed straight back to sleep at 10:30 (as usual) when I took him to bed (just to explain, he sleeps in a bouncy hammock in the lounge room until I go to bed, then he sleeps with me), then didn't feed again until 5:30 am. I thought it was a once off, but last night he went to sleep at 6:30 again, woke and fed to sleep at 10ish as usual but I was up late so I took him to bed with me at 11:30, fed back to sleep then woke for another feed at 8am!! I couldn't sleep though, I think my body is used to waking every two hours lately so that's what I did. Hoping tonight he does it again and I actually get to sleep through too :D

I've been trying to increase my protein during the day, I'm pretty sure I get enough at dinner time, its just brekky & lunch I struggle with. I've got a protein supplement, but its disgusting to have on its own lol. Its by Slm. Any recommendations on 'nice' ones? Lol.
And any ideas on foods to have that are high in protein for brekky & lunch? I know tuna .... and thats about it lol.

I think I jinxed myself with my last post. Last night DS woke about three times :( He went straight back to sleep each time though. I think another tooth might be coming through.

Shan - High protein breakfast foods that I have are eggs and mushrooms. Two eggs has about 24g from memory. Or I will have natural yoghurt with honey and muesli with some protein powder mixed through. For lunch.. hommus is an easy one to make, have on flat bread or use instead of butter. A batch lasts for a few days in the fridge and it can also be frozen. Peanut butter (I get the natural one) on wholemeal sandwiches are a very simple source of good protein. Any kinds of nuts. Beans, dried ones are best as canned ones are high in salt. Dried lentils cooked up with vegies can made into patties or wrapped in pastry. Chickpeas are fantastic in curries. I make a lot of these type of things so I can freeze them and have easy but good lunches. I mix my protein powder with soy milk and frozen berries or fresh strawberries in the blender which makes it taste better. Hope you get some ideas from all that!

Hi,

This thread has been worrying me for some time. it's great to care about your diet for sure. And we'd all like a nights sleep. We are so culturally inculcated to believe that cow's milk is the standard it's hard to accept what *real milk* (human mother's milk is like) Real milk is often pale and bluish. And in fact in the days before homogenisation the cream on cows milk settled in a layer at the top and it didn't look as white as it does now when you pour it from the carton! You milk will look more bluish if your breasts are very full when you express - there is a greater proportion of milk to fat. It will look whiter if you express not long after a feed. But if it comes out of your boob it's just perfect for your baby. In most parts of the world they use protein more as a garnish. There just aren't the vast quantities of food we have available. Mothers breastfeed just fine and babies grow and thrive on their milk. So, yet, eat a healthy and balanced diet so you can can feel healthy and energetic, but you don't have to eat great quantities of anything in order to breastfeed. Just a normal diet is fine.

That is understandable Barb but I for one was never worried about the consistancy of my milk or the amount. More a good nights sleep after DD2 was a great sleeper that suddenly stopped been a great sleeper. I was looking for anything to help so I thought adding some more protein might help and although I can't say that doing that alone has, something has changed and DD2 sleeps without waking for a feed. I also feel better and the only thing I changed was upping my protein. So I don't think it has hurt me (or DD2) in any way. Infact I think I am eating better then ever now.

Thank you for your input Barb, I totally understand what you are saying. I agree with Kazzo, I too have never doubted my ability to produce milk or the quality of my milk. As I understand it breast milk is perfect but if the mothers body is lacking in something it will be even more lacking as the body uses up the stores to make the milk perfect. I know that's not the scientific explanation it's just how I understand it. So I have found that since upping my protein to recommended levels (I am a vegetarian who never really watched my protein and iron intake before now) I have more energy, feel more 'awake' and generally feeling so much better. I have noticed I have more milk, but maybe because I am drinking more water.

The ABA class I went to which was run by Desley, she gave us a copy of some research paper which the conclusion was to err on the side of eating more protein? to prevent colic. Sorry I have thrown it away. Her advice was not to follow a weight loss diet or a diet where you are eating more carbohydrates while BF.