5 months with no sleep!

[Abbie11]

Hi I'm just looking for a bit of advice, my LB is 20 weeks and hasn't had a night feed for a while, he just won't sleep through he wakes up distressed this could be once but is more likely to be 6 or 7 times! Some times he will take his dummy and go back off but sometimes it can take 40 minutes to settle him again! He doesn't nap in the day very well either maybe 20-30 minutes 3 times a day! Has any one got any advice on how to help him settle?
Thank you

[OffMyAyersRocker]

Why hasn't he had a night feed? When he's distressed are you offering him milk, could he be hungry?

[ConstanceMarkYaBitch]

Sounds like he needs a night feed, he's far too young to be going all night without food, no wonder he'w waking up and distressed.

[mintbiscuit]

Agree with PPs. Babies appetites and growth patterns change a lot so definitely worth trying a night feed when dc wakes. At 5 months mine were still feeding 1 to 2 times a night (bf).

I would also work on day naps as well rested babies sleep better at night. Dc could be stuck in horrible overtired cycle which can affect night sleep too. Try reducing awake time and perhaps add in a fourth nap if the other 3 are short. Dd is 20 weeks and she is on 4 x 40 min naps a day to prevent overtiredness. She can only handle 1 to 1.5 hrs awake time. If left any longer she fights the nap.

[Abbie11]

He started not waking for a bottle and that's why his night feeds stopped, when he wakes I do offer him a bottle but he doesn't want it sometimes he will drink half an oz and go back to sleep so it's as if it's just a comforter for him
I will try and increase his day time naps

[ConstanceMarkYaBitch]

But if drinking a little milk makes him go back to sleep, surely just do that? I don't really understand the problem here.

[Purpleboa]

Yeah I think you still need to be feeding him. My DD is 18 weeks and is still on two night feeds. If she doesn't want feeding she'll let me know. I can understand why you'd maybe be worried about creating sleep associations. But I think there's too much stress on this - when they're this young, they need what they need. If he's making feeding cues I'd avoid the dummy and respond to those.

Re daytime naps - have you tried a sling? That always helps with ours - although an hour is good going for us!

Good luck.

[FATEdestiny]

Baby's sleep is not linear.

It is NOT the case that all babies start off with their worse sleeping, gradually wake less as they get older and need fewer and fewer night feeds. This works for some babies, but not all. If this was your expectation then it may be time to adjust your expectations for the sake of your own sanity.

For what it's worth my DD started sleeping through (12 hours no feeds or wakes) on four occasions. Then started wanting night feeds again. She was 'sleeping through' at 7 weeks old. Again at about 15 weeks old. Again at about 8 months old. Again at 12 months old. On all of these occasions after a period of time without night feeds, her development changed and night feeds were needed again.

DD is my fourth child. This could be compared to my second child, who started sleeping through at 6 months and never needed another night feed. Or my third (formula rather than breastfed) who's last night feed was at about 7 weeks old.

Just because your baby didn't need a night feed previously OP, does not mean they don't need a night feed now. Indeed, your baby seems to be telling you that he DOES want a night feed. So feed him.