nearly all night feeding (5-6mth old)

[leckert]

Tell me this is just a phase and DS should soon grow out of it

The last 2 months (pretty much since the end of Nov 09) DS has feed lots more overnight than he used to. He used to sleep with a 5, 4 and a 3 hour block overnight; usually in that pattern but sometimes mixed it up.

Since Nov he has been waking more like every 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and rarely to a 3 or 4 hour sleep at a time. Now I wouldn't mind as much IF he slept during the day (when he wasn't at childcare and was with me) so that I could catch up on my sleep (I need at least 8 hours to function the next day). He likes to sleep for 3 x 45 min over the course of the day. Occasionally he'll surprise us (me, DH and CC) and sleep for 2 hours.

I'm getting so over having to get up that often, and he feeds each time with the occasional exception when I make DH get up to settle him (usually if DS wakes up about 1 hour after going down). He isn't taking as much milk during the day. When at CC, he used to take 4 -5 bottles of EBM a day currently (since about Christmas) he'll take 3-4 bottles so I understand he's making up for it at night. I get that! We started with a small amount of BLS and some mush (so he'll take some powdered medicine) at Christmas as well so nearly a month after all this started. Often when he wakes, DS'll be trying to fart and succeeding reasonably often.

I'm just getting really tired and fed up with the amount of waking overnight. So I think I'm looking for encouragement to keep going with the Bfeeding (I refuse to FF, don't even have it in the house). Can't see any teeth happening either at the moment.


(will be back later to finish as I need to head off to pilates class while DH looks after DS)

ETA
I can't remember exactly what else I was going to write, except that I haven't changed my diet at all.

[Miss E]

Just wanted to say that my DS has also started waking a lot more during the night as well. And yep it happened at roughly about the same time as yours. Mind you when it first started DS was getting his first teeth (and has more coming through at the moment). But I think I have also seen a reduction in the amount of milk he has during the day.

Sorry, I'm not much help, I'm really not sure what to do about it either. I try getting him to have more during the day, but he just refuses... I guess I'm just hoping it is a phase that will pass soon.

[leckert]

That makes me feel a bit better. DS refuses to sleep and often fights if we try to get him to sleep (when he shows tired signs) during the day too.

[Amaunet]

Its the same here too. DS is waking more than ever and except for a few random days - has very little daytime sleep. He is eating quite a lot of solids (2-3 meals of 1/4 - 1/2 cup of food) + water, but I am finding he is too distracted to breastfeed consistently during the day and instead guzzles at night when he's sleepy His wakefulness seems to have coincided with his increased mobility (rolling mainly and a bit of shuffling). I just love that it coincides with me going back to work

I dread to think what it will be like with teeth added into the mix...

hopefully its just a phase

[BekZ]

Just want to give you a hug Leckert. It is tough going especially when you have to go to work too.

I don't think he is hungry. My bet is that he just wants mum and some quiet time with you. Do you lie down in bed when he has a night time feed? My Eva feeds more a night if I've haven't been able to relax and spend some time with her. My friend who has returned to work has also noticed that her son has increased night feeds as well. My suggestion would be to have a night time bath with him and maybe lie down and feed him for the night time feed. HTH

Just to add that our bubs are going through a huge developmental stage now and this might add to him being unsettled too.

[leckert]

I am finding he is too distracted to breastfeed consistently during the day and instead guzzles at night when he's sleepy His wakefulness seems to have coincided with his increased mobility (rolling mainly and a bit of shuffling). I just love that it coincides with me going back to work

I dread to think what it will be like with teeth added into the mix...

hopefully its just a phase

That's what I was going to add ... about the moving around - backwards wriggling (hasn't worked out forwards yet but is getting there) and spinning around on his tummy and rolling. I'm also a bit worried because I'm just heading back to school again (it started in the last week of Term 4 last year) and I need my sleep especially with the combination of students that I appear to have scored so far.

He probably isn't really having that much solids (less than 1/2 pack of the Rafferty's Gardens fruit mix packs a day) as he's quick often tired and wants to sleep soon after we get home from CC and in the morning, I need to get him to CC early-ish soon after he wakes up in the morning. He's been trying yoghurt at CC but hasn't really liked it so I've got to work out what to do there (not sure how BLS will go with the CC centre - they do have a cook on site but not sure I'm ready for him to try all that different food even with the BLS principles and I'm not keen on having to send mush aka purees)

Should I be trying to feed him more solids? DH thinks it would solve all our problems

[Amaunet]

My DS is going to FDC - he's only had one day so far (sob) but I sent - and plan to keep sending veges (home cooked) They are a "thick mash" and he loves them - screams for more LOL. When he's at home it's his evening meal - but I too am worried about him being tired at night so figure he's getting a good feed during the day (and hopefully he drinks/needs less formula).

Liz, let your DH know that solids make no difference to our Blake's sleep - if only it were that simple. All they seem to have done is make his poo absolutely FOUL!!!

Sending sleepy vibes to all bubbas...

[leckert]

Liz, let your DH know that solids make no difference to our Blake's sleep - if only it were that simple. All they seem to have done is make his poo absolutely FOUL!!!

CF - I've told him that and he hasn't pushed it much. I reminded him the other day that Blake should still be getting most of his diet from BM still and not solids (At least not upping the solids as quickly as DH thinks he should).

Thanks for the idea about veg - what sorts you you use for FDC? I guess potato and what else?

[Amaunet]

So far i've used potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot and brocolli. I steam then mash or blend and freeze in cubes (keeping foods seperate) and store in zip lock bags. I use the Happy Baby ice trays from Big W - they are a good size. To take with me I just toss a selection of cubes into a container and nuke when needed. Sometimes I add a bit of grated cheese or yohgurt - usually when I've made it too hot n need to cool it down. I usually use potato as a base because its nice and thick.

[kelebek]

Yes this is a phase and yes it will pass I promise. Often they will practice the rolling, learning to crawl in thier sleep in the cots and consequently wake themselves up. Add to this he could be teething and you end up with all nighters.

I remember when DS's first tooth was coming through we went through nights of him waking every 30 - 45 mins, at least a day of non-stop crying/grizzling with seeming no explanation. When I was almost at the end of my tether I took him for a walk and happened to stick my fingers in his mouth just to check and lo and behold we had a tooth... I don't think I have ever been so happy at that point in time

Sometimes food can make them really unsettled too... did the unsettledness overnight seem to coincide with when you started solids?

I know many people believe at this age they only feed for comfort and I am sure that is a part of it but I know with my DS he would often feed for longer at night so I knew for him it was about the food not just the comfort. I also wonder with this heat if he is thirsty as well which could be contributing to why he is waking.

The only way I survived was to co-sleep, I would sleep with him through the day when I had the chance and found he slept for longer when I did

you are doing such a great job and sleep deprivation has to be the worst

[onthefly]

Yep, sounds exactly like my boy at that age.
As others have mentioned, I think there are lots of possible reasons. Being distracted during teh day and making up for it at night; separation anxiety; upset tummy (sometimes stopping solids helps at this age); teething; some other stuff, who knows!?

Like Kelebek, I think the best thing is to just survive. Do whatever works best - co-sleeping certainly helped us too. And I was working full time back then too, so I totally get how you're feeling. It will get better, you just have to ride it out. Good luck.

[sunshine_sieben]

Oh hun, I KNOW what it feels like.
DD slept like a dream the first 4 months or so. Well, she woke a couple of times a night, but that's normal. But then she reverted to feeding lots and lots during the night, sometimes only sleeping with a nipple in her mouth ALL BLOODY NIGHT!
DS is doing the exact same thing. Although he's not quite as booby-addicted and just needs a quick cuddle or wants to sleep on my chest for a little while.
I think most babies go through a phase like that. Some even go through it a couple of times.
at this age, your baby is probably getting a whole lot more mobile. Practicing rolling or maybe even crawling at night makes for disturbed sleep.

Try not to focus on how little sleep you are getting. Go with the flow. I personally found that whenever I tried to actively improve the situation, I got really frustrated and then my frustration seemed to make everything so much worse. When I relaxed about it and just tried to work with it, things seemed to improve.
My children slept in my bed full time for the first few months. Then in a cot next to my bed. On unsettled nights, DS sleeps with me. This way I can maximise the amount of sleep I'm getting. This is not for everyone, but works for me. Of course it is still interrupted sleep, but better than nothing. I'm also someone who needs a relatively large amount of sleep to function well. But with a baby and a toddler, sleeping during the day is not usually an option. So I really do understand how this can get to you. I used to have a deal with DH that one day of the weekend was my sleep-in morning. He'd take DD into the yard or to the park to play, give her breakfast etc and I got to sleep in. Well, that was before we had DS...

It really is only a phase. Just repeat after me: This too shall pass. This too shall pass.

If you need a more active approach, you could enlist DH to give him a bottle of EBM for one or two of the night feedings. A couple of times, when I was very fatigued, after a particularly sleepless week, I had a deal with DH for one night that I'd deal with all wakings til 4am, the wakings after 4am where his job.

I hope you can get some rest!

[leckert]

Thanks for reminding me that it is just a phase and it will eventually pass. I've tried wrapping him today in a cot sheet and he's been down for 3 hours now (day sleeps are usually 45 minutes & only 2-3 a day). We haven't wrapped since about 2-3 months old when we switched to sleeping bags but lately it's been too hot in his room to consider them so has been sleeping a bit without them. The wake ups were still happening a bit more often than they used to even with the sleeping bags but not as much - like every 2- 3hours instead of the current 1-3 hourly and the old 5,4,3 hour blocks.

I think tonight I'm going to try wrapping him and I've asked DH to wrap him tomorrow for his sleeps (DH is a part-time SAHD). If he sleeps better for all of that I think I'll ask CC to start wrapping him for his sleeps too.

[kelebek]

We started wrapping at about 10 mnths and that seemed to help with his sleeping... hope it works for you

[leckert]

We wrapped again for an afternoon sleep - down for 1 1/2 hrs (so 4.5 hours sleep today) He's wrapped again and I'll keep him wrapped overnight and see how we go. Will let everyone know how we go tomorrow.

[leckert]

Wrapped last night - 2 hours, 5 hours (with a couple of stirs but was patted back to sleep quickly), 2.5 hours (and 1 hour awake ) and 2 1/4 hours sleeps
Today was wrapped for 2 out of 4 sleeps so far - non wrapped 1 hour each, wrapped was 2 hours (had to be woken to go to dr appt) and is down again.

Looks like wrapping again will help sort DS out again with his sleeps.

[onthefly]

great! hope you're taking advantage of the sleep opportunities

[kelebek]

that's great news...