Comfort sucking

[flipflopsonfifthavenue]

Last few nights with DS2 (4.5mo) have gone something like this:

Feed to sleep 6:30pm ish.
Wake 9:30pm ish - feed 30mins - mostly feeding, some sleepy comfort sucking towards end. Put back in cot.
Midnight - as above, maybe less feeding, more sleepy comfort sucking.
I fall asleep sitting up.
Wake 1/1.5 hr later. Put DS2 back in cot.
Get back into bed.
40 mins later, he wakes.
I feed him. He's asleep within minutes. I wait a couple of mins, unlatch him...he wakes. Latch back on. Comfort suck. I wait a few mins, unlatch, put him on shoulder, he wakes, rooting for boob. I latch on. Comfort sucks. I un latch, successfully put down in cot asleep, get back into bed. 1hr later he wakes. Repeat on and off all night.

I brought him into bed the other night (which I often do) and he was pretty much latched on ALL night.

Apart from the first chunk of sleep after bedtime, feels like he needs to be on my boob feeding/sucking/sleeping all the time or he just wakes.

Teeth?
Growth spurt??
Sleep regression???
Devil child????

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Definitely not Devil Child . More probably, it's the 4 month sleep regression.

[tak1ngchances]

I never let my baby fall asleep while feeding. Mean maybe but she doesn't have a feeding/sleeping association now

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Good for you tak. I'm sure the OP finds that really comforting

[tak1ngchances]

It's not too late for the OP! Break the latch when the baby falls asleep...
Feeding to sleep and then attempting a transfer is ok but will mean broken sleep for a long time.
I wasn't saying I am great, I meant there is an alternative.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

There are of course different ways of looking at it. Nor me, being able to bf to sleep was one of the benefits of Bfing

[flipflopsonfifthavenue]

Thanks both. Last night I brought him into bed at 1030pm as he'd already woken four times since bedtime. He stirred/latched on 2/3 times per hour and a few times cried out, which is why I was wondering if there's some teeth discomfort too.

The feeding to sleep/transferring worked like a dream with DS1 for 13 months til I finally night weaned him. I swore I wouldn't do it for that long this time, and in fact it's not working for us as well second time round.

DS1 would wake every 1.5hrs every night for over a year but he's wake, feed for ten mins, sleepy burp, then back in his cot. DS2 wakes from a transfer/change in position 3 times out of 5. Drives me potty. That tilt sensor on him ain't half sensitive!!

So deep down I think both DS2 and I would be happier if he could drop off in his cot. Maybe not at night time initially but for naps and bedtime I think I'm going to start doing something about that. But I think he's too little still. Maybe from 6/7mo.

Just need to get over this sleep regression first.....

[NickyEds]

Controversial on mn but have you tried a dummy??

[squizita]

4 Month sleep regression I reckon! Mine was tricky for 3 weeks but it sorted itself.
Now at 6 months - another phase!

I feed mine before bed, if she falls asleep on the breast I don't wake her but gently unlatch her when she's fast asleep (10-15 min) not in early sleep, and put her in her crib. Same as I would with rocking or transfer out of the car seat.

[squizita]

...and at night I've not had broken sleep that often. Just clear illness, 4 months and so forth. I'm lucky - mine is put down able ... but I watch like a hawk for the magical deep sleep phase!