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Screaming every night and drinking up to 16oz milk a night!

52 replies

alicemama · 24/07/2006 08:24

Well I thought my first post would be how to make perfect yorkshire puddings but thiss is way more important.

dd2 is up most of the night screaming at the moment. age 8 months
We have a good bedtime routine and normally goess down at about 8pm. But then annytime from midnight onwards she'll start screaming and I don't mean crying....she's screaming!
At first I thought that she wasn't well but have now ruled that out as this has been going on for weeks and she's fine during the day.
Has 2/3 naps during the day anywhere from 20mins to an hour and will go down fine.

She'll also drink up to 2x 8oz bottles in the night. Tried everything to try and get her to drink more before bedtime but sshe doesn't want to know. Triend a dream feed about 10 or 11pm but she's not interested.

So after another night of hardly any sleep, I REALLY need some advice. Me and dh are up most of the night between us and ass we're so tired we're starting to snap at each other, which as you can imagine makes matters even worse.

So PLEASE HELP!!

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biglips · 24/07/2006 08:30

as she is not interested in another bottle, add another bowl of meal/fruits during the day as i remember that happened to my dd as it went on for 5 weeks and i thought whats up? and she drinking her bottle during the nite till i introduced another bowl of meal and she slept thru the nite - i thought why didnt i thought of that in the first place!!

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alicemama · 24/07/2006 08:32

I've been doing blw weaning so she doesn't actually eat that much really as whenever I try to spoon feed her anything she turns her nose up at it and won't touch it.
Perhaps I should persist in spoon feeding her something

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biglips · 24/07/2006 08:35

just try porridge and toast.. or is she the same with them?

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alicemama · 24/07/2006 08:36

the toast she'll suck on happily, might spoon in some porridge in between sucks as she has her hands full with the toast

thanks

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alicemama · 24/07/2006 08:58

well the toast went down a treat but the porridge not sso well.
shes had 2 spoonfuls and then refused to open her mouth again. Oh and now shes took her bib off in disgust!

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biglips · 24/07/2006 10:49

give her mushy fruits? anything!!! lol!

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jambot · 24/07/2006 11:24

If she's not on much solid food by eight months, this could be part of the problem. By this age, she should be able to get through the night without any milk, and if she's downing her bottles, she probably needs to get more calories in during the day. Try pureed pears, peaches, apples with full cream yoghurt. I used to add a teaspoon or two of her cereal to the fruit. She didn't even notice it was there.
I would try her with a variety of foods and persevere. Try distraction with a crust or toy and get in a few mouthfuls until she's used to the taste.

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foxinsocks · 24/07/2006 11:28

once she's getting a bit more food, try diluting her bottles at night - she may be eating less in the day because she's so full from the milk. You may find she will then take a proper bottle at bed time.

One of mine was a milk fiend and I swear, if I had let him, he would have had bottles all through the night.

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alicemama · 24/07/2006 15:28

Thank you so much for the advice.
She's had a lot more to eat already today. I've given her something to munch on and snuck in a few spoonfuls in between.

I never thought that it could be her calorie intake. I s ok to dilute her milk during the night, if so by how much?

Anybody would think I've not done this before....
dd1 slept thru from 2 weeks old and I've never had a prob with her since and she's 3 1/2 now!
Well they say 2 children are never alike, never quite believed it so much til now[ssmile]

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foxinsocks · 24/07/2006 15:33

my little ones are now big ones so I can't remember what they are supposed to be eating/drinking at 8 months but if she is a good weight and healthy then I doubt she needs 2 full bottles during the night and the last thing you want is it becoming a habit and her waking up for it.

I really can't remember when they are supposed to drop that last night feed but I imagine it is probably by 8 months?

Have you tried her with water instead of milk at night to see what happens? She could also be thirsty. If she turns down the water and it makes her scream, I would start thinking of diluting the milk by half (so adding much more water than normal). Hopefully, she'll be hungrier in the morning after a few nights of that and her daytime appetite will pick up.

We had to do this with ds because he loved his night time milk. It worked because he started eating more during the day (because beforehand he had been uninterested in food I'm sure because he ate so much at night). I cannot remember what age he was though!

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biglips · 24/07/2006 16:45

well done Alicemama but it may not work over night but good luck! xxxx

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alicemama · 24/07/2006 17:10

well she's jusst had 2 little yoghurts and now gone down for a nap.
Made her some courgette gratin which she can have with some baby pasta when she wakes up.
Then hopefully she'll have a bedtime bottle. Tonight I'll take a diluted bottle of milk and a bottle of water and see how it goes.

Thank you so much for all of your advice, I'll let you know how tonight goes

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jambot · 24/07/2006 19:35

Good Luck Alicemama.
Physiologically, babies should be able to go overnight by the time they weigh in the region of 11 pounds. I would def have a go with the diluted bottle. Gradually decrease it every night until it's just water.

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shatteredmumsrus · 24/07/2006 21:53

my nearly 2 year old still wakes for 2 bottles of milk a night so dont worry. Its my fault as i give it him. stop as soon as you can or you'll end up like me. Tired after 2 years of night feeds

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alicemama · 25/07/2006 08:05

Well last night was better.She had 6oz of diluted milk instead of the usual 16oz. She still woke up 4 times but I keep telling dh sshe needs time to adjust and has to learn to settle her self back to sleep without a bottle, as its dh who started giving her a bottle in the night in the first place!
But we didn't have the usual hysterical screaming just a little crying when she woke. So the programme continues, I hope she'll be ssleeping thru before dd1 goes back to school as it disturbs her sleep as well....keep you posted!

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foxinsocks · 25/07/2006 09:36

well done!

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NotAnOtter · 25/07/2006 09:38

my dd was Exactly the same - we stopped giving the bottles and after a week more of torture it stopped!

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jambot · 25/07/2006 12:31

Sounds like you're on the right track. Keep it up with the extra solids and diluted bottles.

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alicemama · 25/07/2006 14:02

today so far we've had a couple of oz milk whenshe woke and then porridge with banana.
Then for dinner we've had runner beans, apple & tomatoe and a yoghurt.
She's still not eating a lot and tightly closes her mouth after a few spoons but I'm persevering.

Off now for a nap

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jambot · 25/07/2006 14:31

How about some protein with the veggies? Some cooked chicken thighs blended with some water until smooth. Even a teaspoon or two would help.

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alicemama · 25/07/2006 16:37

Haven't got any chicken til the tesco man comes tomorrow but we have lentils with carrot & coriander for tea with home-made rusks.
I find I can get more spoonfuls in if she's got something finger food to distract her.

I'm right in thinking lentils have protein in aren't I?

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jambot · 25/07/2006 18:38

Yes they are. Doesn't have to be meat as long as she's getting some protein.
If you are doing chicken the thigh 'mush' is tastier than breast 'mush'.

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shatteredmumsrus · 25/07/2006 18:47

as horrible as it may be leaving them to cry themselves back to sleep is the only way in my book. its the only thing that has worked for me. my 21month old has never slept thru but touch wood i think im getting there. he went to bed at 8 last night,c ried for an hour at 2.30 twent back to sleep and then up at 5.20. i give him milk then as i think 9 hours is enough. then he slept til 7.30. i was a very happy mommy today!

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alicemama · 26/07/2006 14:47

thank you sso much for your advice.
You wouldn't believe the difference its made, She's so much happier, having 2 decent napss a day of a hour or more each and altho not slept thru the night yet she lept from 8pm til 4am last night, had a few sucks of dilued milk and went back to sleep til 8am.

I just feel so guilty now, shes been unhappy and HUNGRY because of me.....I have alot to make up to her.
Just need my butternut squash in the garden to ripen and I'll make her something else yummy

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biglips · 26/07/2006 14:49

yippee

dont feel guilty as we are all learning and learning everyday too ..

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