Help i need some sleep....

[laneydaye]

hi everyone, my dd is nearly 4 months and bf, she wakes every 2-3 hours through the night for a feed and i cant cope......
We get up after last feed at around 7.30am and then she goes about 5 bloody hours before needing her next feed,,, how can i get her to go 5hrs through the night and feed more in the day?
I need a good nights sleep because im starting to be a bit nasty tempered........HELP

[MarsLady]

Can you express and get your DP to do one of the night feeds? We do this and it makes all the difference. I found that having one long spell of sleep enabled me to function so much better the next day.

[collision]

I would stay in bed at 7.30am and sleep for the 5 hours! What am I saying....my ds is 3.5months and that IS what I do!!!

[HappyMumof2]

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[janx]

Hi
I too wake my dd up to feed and yes some people are opinated about this - but it will save your sanity and a happier mum will have a happier baby. I have a 5 month old and she sleeps from 7pm - 10pm then has a feed and then goes to sleep until 6.30/7pm. She is a very happy baby and I feel so much better for having a good nights sleep.

[Riebee]

Laney sorry no advice but I do know how you feel.
My ds is 4mths and wakes up every 2-3 hrs at night. some days I don't know how I put one foot in front of the other. It makes me feel really crappy when it seems like every other baby sleeps most of the night. My ds only has the odd half hour nap in the day too if I were you I would seize the chance to have a sleep in the day, I know I would if mine would sleep a bit longer.Having said that he is asleep now and I'm sat her typing

[helsi]

I would defo try and get dp/dh (if there is one) to help if possible. Can you express as marslady suggested? I found it difficult and then we changed routine so that dh and I alternated the wakings. You get used to catching a bit of sleep now and then if you do that. If you can express could you maybe ask a good friend/relative to coe over during the day to feed while you catnap?

[Allyco]

laney sorry no advice but know exactly how you feel. Is it your first baby? I am onto my fourth and none of them slept. They are however all very intelligent and bright and someone once said babies who don't sleep are like that so I hold onto that thought. Having said that would sometimes like one that slept regardless.

[moondog]

I also woke my ds to feed him in the day,something I didn't do with dd, and in retrospect, I think she wasn't getting enough in the day.(Both b/fed BTW)
Ds now 7.5 months and still wakes but it's tolerable. I'll happily do one feed around
1:00 am but am starting to ignore the grunts and snuffles after this, and he does last until 7:30 am.
Amazing thing is that now he only has three (big) b/feeds in the day!!! It's dead easy!!! (No formula either.)

[Clayhead]

No advice but sympathy. Both dd & ds woke every 1-2 hours at this stage. I couldn't get dh to help as he works shifts and often isn't here.

Interesting what Allyco says. My kids were awful babies but great toddlers. No much use when all you need is sleep though...sorry.

[Allyco]

moondog I think I hate you

Clay - my DH works shifts too isn't it a pain. they are never there when you need them and mine always have their pukey illnesses and stuff when he's on nights

[MrsA]

Hi laneydaye

I so know how you feel. my DD is 3 n half months old and is pretty much the same, except she only wants to sleep in my arms or in the bed beside me - do you have your baby in bed with you?

For the last 10 days I've nearly broken my heart trying to get her to sleep in her cot. I give her a formula at 8 which feeds her to sleep and pop her in her cot, then at 11pm myself or my DH mostly pick her up (while she is still asleep) give her another bottle, don't wind her and then back into her cot, it works. i was told if she sleeps beside me she smells the milk and keeps waking up for a little drink (she isn't hungry). Anyway my DD slept till 6.30am the first night but is waking up earlier and earlier, last night it was 3.30am and she ended up back in bed with me so i may not be much help but i'm trying. I'm going to do that pick up put down routine the baby whisperer suggests - supposed to promote independant sleep, i promise i'll do it next week, ha ha. People do suggest you sleep when baby sleeps but it's so difficult. one other thing you could try is give her a dummy during the night if she will take it. Is she actually having a big feed?? I feed my DD laying on my side with her lying beside me so I can sleep and she can feed, just prop a support behind her back - i think that's what has given me the problems with her refusing her cot though.

I hope you get some rest soon

[moondog]

Allyco, he's faaaaar from perfect!!! I'm always instantly awake for every snuffle and moan. Don't think I've had a proper night's sleep since I was about 5 mths pregnant.
Amazing how dh sleeps through it all though.....

[Clayhead]

[thread hijack]

Yes, exactly, they always have their worst illnesses when he is on nights.

I co-slept and fed them whilst dozing, that made it more bearable. We don't bother with independent sleep here (much to my HV's disgust).

[laneydaye]

hi everyone oh and thankyou....

i have a 4 year old so sleeping in the day time for me is out of the question, also i have tried expressing and she just wont take it from a bottle, tried a beaker and although it was messy she did take some of the milk.
Much to the dismay of our hv i think im goingto give a little baby rice she will be 4mth on sun..
She is watching us eat, chewing on anything, slathering all over and although i know she is teething i think she maybe getting hungry sooner than she should......

oh i dont know, i feel very mixed up about the whole business(pressure to do this, pressure not to do that) guess i still dont know what to do!!!!!!!

[laneydaye]

i ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION..... MY DD DOSENT SLEEP FOR MORE THAN 3 HOURS IN THE DAY TIME, WISH SHE WOULD COS THEN I COULD TRY THE WAKING HER UP THING...... SHE USUALLY FEEDS ABOUT EVERY 2 TO 2 1/2 TRYING SOME NEW BOTTLES AND TEATS TODAY....

YOU NEVER KNOW ......

[laneydaye]

OH AND SHE WONT HAVE A DUMMY!!!!
HELD ONE IN FOR AGES BLESS HER SHE JUST LAUGHS

[HappyMumof2]

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[laneydaye]

This morning i fed her at 6am, she had a good feed then went straight back in her crib (as normal) She was then disturbed by my ds and although i tried she wouldnt go back to sleep until i fed her at 9am..... tonight im gonna try waking her up around midnight wether shes hungry or not and make her have a feed, see how that goes.

[HappyMumof2]

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[laneydaye]

thankyou............

[laneydaye]

Well despite all the negative feedback yesterday i put my dd to bed at 9.30pm woke her up at 12.00 to give her a feed, she then slept 4 hours solid i fed her and she slept another 4 hrs so ive had the best nights sleep ive had in a long time.
Im not for a second saying its cos of the one tsp of baby rice i fed her at tea time, but i think had i not got any sleep at all there would be a few who would say i told you so.
Still not sure of the weaning thing but at least i feel a bit better for the longer sleep....

[HappyMumof2]

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[MrsA]

laneydaye, don't wake her tonight for a feed just take her out of bed asleep and pop a bottle into her mouth - she should stay asleep - them pop her back into her cot, you don't need to wind her, works for me

[laneydaye]

Do i give her a feed?
formula or breast?