Feed or settle?

[Firsttimer16]

My ds is 13 weeks old. From about 8 weeks he has been "sleeping through" from about 7/8pm to 5/6am. We didn't really do anything to make this work, he just gradually started dropping the night feeds. He has silent reflux so is of medication and can be quite unsettled during the day so I think he exhausts himself. He's BF apart from one formula bottle at 7pm which sees him through. In the past few days he's started waking - last night he was awake from 1-4am screaming. Not too sure why, I think a cold and possible sore tummy.

My question is seeing as he has done a month or so sleeping through without feeding - should i be trying to settle him without offering a feed? As he's so little still I don't want to hold back anything from him, but equally as we've got to a good place with his sleeping I don't want to go backwards. He can be very difficult during the day and has not been an easy baby by any means, and cried almost solidly for the first 6 weeks of his life! but the nights gave us a bit of respite!

[fruityb]

My DS slept through consistently from about 4 weeks old - don't know what we did either but it worked. However he did wake up here and there and we have fed him as it was what settled him back down again. If he'd been asleep from about 9 (as he did) but woke at 1 we'd try and settle him. But if he stayed awake or woke again then he'd get his bottle.

Play it by ear - I didn't run down to make his bottle if he woke and would try and settle him which he usually would. But if he wouldn't, bottle.

He's seven months now and if he wakes we don't tend to feed him unless it's obvious he won't settle without. He doesn't wake often and is easily settled with dummy and Ewan the sheep.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

BF babies tend to go through phases of feeding more overnight and feeding less - growth spurts, boosting supply, developmental leaps etc. Personally I'm in the feed to sleep camp so I'd always offer, especially if he's awake for long stretches and not going back to sleep.

I know you say days have been hard but you have been very lucky with the nights, especially for a BF baby. My 12 week old DS tends to do about 4-5 hours and then 2-3 hours.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Meant to add that I think a 4-5 hour stretch is great compared to what DD was like.

Try feeding and see if you get more sleep? Good luck!