I'm so fucking fed up of breastfeeding. Its 5am, Dd2 has been awake since 4.15 feeding again for the 5th time tonight. She's constantly in bed with me because she wants to feed all bloody night. She's 8 months, she eats bloody loads in the day but still wants to feed constantly throughout the night. I'm so bloody tired, this is happening every night, i'm totally touched out, she's biting throygh feeds as her teeth come through, she pinches, scratches at my chest and it is driving me fucking crazy. She will take formula but then immediately wants feeding from me straight after. I'm knackered and fed up and i fucking want my body back.
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Infant feeding
TheFantasticFixit ·
05/11/2014 05:31
But how?!
She won't be settled by anything other than me feeding her. Formula doesn't settle her. My husband works early (he's up at 4am) so invariably i have to do this by myself all night. It's not as simple as just stopping because she screams blue murder for me. I can't leave her to cry, even if i wanted to (which i absolutely don't) because my toddler will be woken by her.
I'm so done with it, but i can't see how to get her off me. Every night is like this, she feeds constantly through the night, it's not just one feed.
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TanteRose ·
05/11/2014 05:31
agree - you sounds exhausted and angry 
its not worth it if its making you feel so awful.
BUT it may well be the lack of sleep - remember if you stop bf'ing, its no guarantee that she will not want a bottle in the night, which would be more faff.
as Random said, if you can get your DP on board to try and get a bit more sleep, it might make you feel better able to cope with the breastfeeding during the day.
also - nip the biting, scratching etc. in the bud NOW. It can be done - be firm and take her off the breast EVERY time she bites. Hold her hands so she doesn't scratch - or get a breastfeeding necklace or something she can hold onto.
IF you can get over this tough patch, you could still carry on for a while longer (I fed mine until 17 months (DD) and 3 years (DS))
but it really is up to you 
and 
Chocolateorangegirl ·
05/11/2014 05:32
Couldn't read and run. I have a DD 8 months old and feel your pain. I've just put her down after a feed know. I could have written your post maybe 2 weeks ago but then she suddenly started to go longer stretches. While breastfeeding is certainly convenient I'm not sure how much bonding I'm doing while cursing her for biting/scratching/pinching & general sleep deprivation. No miracle advice but one night at a time. I also find vast quantities of 
help.
RandomMess ·
05/11/2014 05:45
Parents or in-laws coming to help an option?
It sounds like you need to have a decent catch up on sleep one Friday evening when your dh can help (or whenever his weekend is) and then have 2 days of him supporting you whilst you work on changing her sleep association during the day.
MoreSnowPlease ·
05/11/2014 10:04
This reply has been withdrawn
Withdrawn at poster's request
curlyLJ ·
05/11/2014 11:03
No advice, but just hand-holding and much sympathy. My DD2 is 6.5m and is also waking 2.5/3 hourly every night for bf and I have had enough too. She goes to bed around 7 and is awake at 10, 1 & 4 at the very least. She is hard to settle after the 10pm feed too and as she's in her own room I am finding this one particularly hard as I can't even get any sleep until she is settled. Bringing her in with us has varying levels of success. This morning she didn't go back to sleep after the 4.30 feed until 7 when I had to get up as my 4.5yo has to go to school I don't even think she is taking that much milk, it's the comfort she's after (plus habit I guess)
She's so bloody distracted in the day that feeds last approx 5 mins, so I am guessing that's what the issue is. I have started to supplement with formula with a plan to switch to bf only first thing and before bed (and hopefully drop at least 2 of the night feeds!) but I have no idea if this is going to help or not. Like you I have had enough and am not enjoying bf so much any more. Let us know if you find a solution...
TheFantasticFixit ·
05/11/2014 11:40
Thank you everyone, thank you so much.
Last night i really felt as though i hit a wall with it all. It's been now weeks of this ultra comfort feeding, through the night and i'm so exhausted by it. DD2 just adores cuddling and comfort suckling, she rarely feeds enough for let down to come, so I'm sure it's only comfort. I find that the hardest thing to stop because i feel so guilty that i'm taking away one of her favourite things when she's so little.
I'm definitely going to mix feed, and i realised this morning that I think her bedroom is unfamiliar territory for her so when she wakes up in the night, she isn't comforted by being in her bed, her room. So although i'm usually a no routine sort of person i think she will have to start a routine of regular naps in her bedroom. I think part of the reason she loves our bed is because its cosy and comforting to her - especially my arms, and especially my nipple.
Has anyone tried to introduce a pacifier this late? DD1 had one but we gave it to her when she was just a few weeks old. I have comfort blankets ready for her so will start introducing those too. Does anyone have any other ideas on the comfort front? Obviously me, but just to a lesser degree because my back cannot take the twisted sleep that i'm getting, or not getting, at the moment.
My eyes are stinging this morning. Dd1 was mix fed from the off due to a traumatic labour, and i had PND so went onto formula fully at 4 months. I so wanted to breastfeed this tine round but i'm starting to feel those dark thoughts creeping in and I can't go through that all again - neither can my babies, or DH.
Thank you so much for your kind words. It meant a lot last night, and this morning. 
OP posts:
TheFantasticFixit ·
05/11/2014 13:40
Thank you Random, and thanks for being there in the early hours. You really helped
OP posts:
TheFantasticFixit ·
05/11/2014 22:14
Thanks Gen, to be honest i didn't expect to do it even this long.
Tonight, she's taken a bottle of formula, and had a small breastfeed and has gone to bed - her bed! We've tried three different dummies to very little success so far, but will keep trying.
Random i think you are right, it's just reinforcing new bedtime /sleep routine.
Keep your fingers crossed for me
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RandomMess ·
06/11/2014 06:46
Hope it went well. Just keep offering the dummies and a few "cuddly" options she may or may not take to something.
Well done on the ebf front, I think you've done amazingly well - I couldn't stand sharing a room with my babies, the noises kept me awake 
I did pick up put down method with mine but they were much younger (my 4th loved being cuddled to sleep - like I was going to have for that!) so it worked very quickly but I found it great because you were never leaving your baby to get distressed I think it also helped that the mindset is very much is that you are gently teaching them it's okay to lay in their cot alone to go to sleep, they haven't been abandoned if they need you, you appear. So in a way it gives them security that their cot is a safe place to be IMHO.
I hope that makes sense and last night was ok, it's short (ish) term pain for long term sanity. You'll also be amazed at how much racket the older ones sleep through, one of mine slept loads better when she started room sharing with the others 
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