9mo breastfed baby and sleep

[Dozeyland]

Hiya,

My 9month old girl wakes up for a feed once a night, but can also fidget for a while some nights.

She has 3 meals a day and is an active child.

I was just wondering why she is still waking for a feed, she eats well, and does a lot in the day...

She normally does 8:30/9pm-3am FEED - then until 7am.

On the odd occasion she'll sleep through, but more recently she's been a bit out of character and gets upset easily sometimes. I think teething is a factor?

MAybe she just loves mummy's milk?

[RitaMorgan]

Probably because she's used to waking at that time for milk/comfort, it's become part of her routine. That's not to say she's not hungry then as well of course, as her body is used to getting the calories at that time. Are you happy to keep feeding in the night?

[Dozeyland]

I would prefer her to sleep through!

But to me, she's still my baby, and i know that she loves her milk, it's just a bit confusing when she eats very well, quite active, and still doesnt sleep through. but i guess i should be lucky that she's not waking more than once.

She is a fidget though, but as you said I guess it is that she's got use to it now, eventually I would want her to sleep a whole night though! :)

[RitaMorgan]

You could try gradually pushing the 3am feed further back until it gets til morning. Start off by not feeding her til 4am, if she wakes earlier get her dad to cuddle her/offer water. Once she's not waking til 4, push it back to 5 and so on.

[aswellasyou]

I would love that sleep routine from my 10 month old daughter. It doesn't really bother me waking up two, three or even four times, but when we've been in bed for nine hours and she's woken eight times it gets very tiring.

Anyway, I don't have any advice, just jealousy!

[Yesmynameis]

Hi OP, no advice as such, but just wanted to say I am in the same boat with my 9mo DD.

She was waking once for a feed but in the last couple of weeks has also been waking for an early morning feed too before going back down for a couple of hours. The reintroduction of the 2nd night feed has coincided with her being poorly and then cutting her 1st tooth (all related I'm sure). Now the tooth is through, the 2nd feed is getting later and later and I'm sure will disappear again within a few nights.

I have thought about night weaning off and on over the last 3 months or so, but every time something makes me reluctant. This time, it was reading up on 9mo sleep regression, which has persuaded me to leave her be a bit longer.

I'm going back to work when she is 13mo, so I've set myself a deadline to rethink this again when she is 1yo. That way I've got a month to be a bit more proactive about cutting out that night feed (or not, depending on how I feel at the time).

As I said, no real advice, but just wanted you to know that I feel your pain, and that you are not the only one with a 9mo who doesn't do 12 hours without a feed overnight :)

[Dozeyland]

Thanks for the replies everyone :)

yesmynameis I definitely agree on the link to teething!

[AngelDog]

There's also a developmental spurt at 8/9 months (37 weeks) and another at 11 months (45 weeks), and again at 12/13 months (55 weeks) - babies usually wake more and want more night feeds in the run up to developmental leaps IME. You can read about them in The Wonder Weeks.