8 month old BF baby, still feeds every 2-4 hours!

[tiredybear]

DS is my first, exclusively BF until 6 months, took to solids well but still feeds lots from me.
Got a good routine, will fall asleep on his own but still wakes up A LOT at night. What am I doing wrong?! It seems to be getting worse and worse.

When he was younger he'd sleep from say, 7 - 1ish, then would wake up a further 2-3 times after that. Now, he wakes up a couple of times before midnight as well.

Every sleep regression/growth spurt hits him really badly. I understand that babies have good and bad phases but he's NEVER had a 'good' phase. A good night for me is if I can get 4 hours sleep in a row, but that hasn't happened for a LOOOONG time.

I don't rush to him when he cries. I try and see if he'll re settle himself. Sometimes he'll re settle with a bit of shush/pat but more often he'll just get more and more cross.

It seems every other baby sleeps through, at least some of the time. Has anyone else had a baby like this?! Any advice for a very tired mummy who feels like she's losing the plot?

[GlitteryFluff]

Is he actually hungry? Do the feeds last a long time? Or are you the human soother/comforter/pacifier/dummy? Could you try a dummy and see if that stops the need for you?

[DoodleCat]

Mine is the same! Luckily I'm not back at work yet but it is exhausting I agree. No ideas to help I'm afraid!!

[catsofa]

Mine is nearly 7 months and the same except he's never slept as long as 7 - 1. The broken sleep is terrible isn't it? Watching with interest to see what others have done, here's what we've thought of/tried:

I was hoping that weaning would start to replace breast feeds soon, but he's just going a bit longer in the daytime (and shorter feeds because he's so easily distracted) and then catching up at night. Currently trying to offer the breast as often as I can all late afternoon/early evening in the hope that he'll fill up then and go longer at night. Getting worse for us too, I guess just because he's getting bigger and needs more food, but still the vast bulk of his diet is from my breastmilk. I seem to be able to eat anything at all and not put on weight myself.

Expressing a feed and then giving it in a bottle before bedtime seems to knock him out better, I guess because he gets more quicker?

Burping him after feeds - a bit of a pain if you're co-sleeping, but I thought wind might be waking him up judging by some of his noises.

Keeping the room warm enough - I realised that some hours after the heating went off over night, the bedroom was actually getting quite cold and DS had freezing hands when he woke up for those night time feeds. Wondered if he was actually waking up cold and needing to cuddle up with me to warm up again.

My DP gets up at 8 or 9 every morning and takes DS off me, even if he is still asleep. I put earplugs in at that point and DP keeps DS as long as he can without a feed (or occasionally with an expressed or formula feed). This means I get a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep to keep me sane, plus DS wakes up properly each morning so is definitely tired by the time he's supposed to be going to sleep in the evenings. Sometimes DP manages to tire him out enough that when he brings him back to me for a feed in bed at 11 or 12, he sometimes feeds and then has a nap, giving me even longer to sleep. None of this is any use if you don't have a DP or have one who has to be in work though. Might work at weekends?

[tiredybear]

GlitteryFluff - it varies, i think he's hungry around 10ish when he wakes so I give him a good long feed, both sides if poss. I think the later feeds are him feeling a bit peckish but wanting mummy too.

DoodleCat - just reassuring to know I'm not alone! :-)

catsofa - thanks for the tips - have tried most of them. I now have a little electric heater in the bedroom that clicks on when it gets chilly. I'm glad your DP is so supportive. Mine is too, he gets up with DS in the mornings, but at the moment, after about 30mins or so, only mummy will do....maybe he's hitting the whole separation anxiety thing a bit early?
Yeah. I'm enjoying eating whatever I like too! a tiny silver lining! :-)

Thought for ages it was something I was doing wrong or not doing but am beginning to think it's just how he is.......

[Artandco]

I stopped feeding mine overnight by that point ( they fed in the day until 3 years)

I would feed them later though than you do for last feed as bedtime later here. So 9pm feed in living room. Then put down to sleep ( never feed to sleep). Then at 11pm I would wake him slightly and dream feed ( so feed when they are half asleep in dark).
Then between 11pm-7am I wouldn't trees if they woke, only resettle or offer water if thirsty.
Stopped feeding overnight from about 4months here. I don't think it's needed if they are fed enough in the day ( demand feed, roughly every 2 hrs plus solids at 8 months)

[Etak15]

My 4 have all done this youngest is nearly 1 and he still wakes for a little feed in the night (co sleeping) and sometimes wakes after I've put him to bed but before I've gone to bed. I think it's just habit they wake up and just expect mummy to be there! - (it's not like i might ever need to do anything else like eat or go to the toilet or look after the others!) eventually they learn to sleep alone. But even as toddlers mine used to wake up in the night - only when they started nursery at 3 and have tired busy days did they sleep through! Then there's other things that will disturb your sleep like changing wet beds like I seem to be doing every night at the moment with my 3 yr old!