Nearly 6 month old still feeding every 1.5 hours

[Failingmiserablyrightnow]

I have a baby 1 week off 6 months who is still waking to feed every 1.5 hours. I am absolutely shattered and don't know what to do. We have a (pretty wonderful) teen so i'm not a new mum but feel like one. For context baby is exclusively breast fed, just about to start weaning which I am praying will change things. She has cows milk protein allergy so i've had to cut all dairy out of my diet. I'm already vegeterian so I am hungry but trying to make sure i'm getting enough so that baby is getting what she needs. She is tracking 25th centile well and weighing again tomorrow. She has a gorgeous personality, super curious and alert and meeting milestones so no concerns in any other way. Haven't put her on formula as I heard the one she will need is horrible and often rejected but maybe i should try as I am definately on the verge of giving up breastfeeding.
She won't be put down for naps at all so only naps in the day if she is on someone. Actually she generally likes being in your arms full stop and getting ready, doing housework etc is always a challenge!
She has a good bedtime routine. A good splash in the bath, get into pjs etc in a quiet, dark room and then a feed and goes down okish but will wake every 1.5 hours sometimes more. Mostly she will have a 5 min feed then go back to sleep but sometimes she cries and i have to pick her back up and settle her again. She is fine in the morning. It's like she needs no sleep! She doesn't sleep in my bed as i'm frightened of smothering her cuz i'm (very) tired.
She feeds often in thay day too. My boobs never feel full and i haven't worn breastpads for months. Do i not make much milk and she needs to feed often???
I'm wondering what I am doing so wrong. My sister has a baby a week older who is pretty much sleeping through. My teen slept through in her own room from 6 months but there's no way this one can go in her own room as i'd be in there every hour!
I guess i'm after advice from anyone who has been there. I won't do cry it out before that's suggested. Hubby can't do night feeds to give me a break as baby feeds so often i don't have enough to express.
Please tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel. I so want to enjoy this as this baby was a surprise and I won't have another and I don't want to keep wishing her babyness away because of this sleep/feeding issue and when I'm back from mat leave I will miss it!
Please be kind to me. I really can't take any negativity. I am completely frazzled and feeling like an utter failiure already...

Also tried every dummy known to man. She just doesn't like them and sucks her fingers instead and the verge on spending £100 (!!!) On an all weather sleeping bag that claims to help them regulate temp in case that's playing a part. Can you tell i am desperate?!

Baby isn’t hungry, baby needs to learn another way to get back to sleep so there’s a few things I’d do.

1. Get husband to settle baby back to sleep if it’s less than 4 hours since last feed.
2. introduce a new sleep association like bum patting which you do as baby is feeding and drifting to sleep. After a few days unlatch while still drowsy and continue patting to sleep. Then start from more awake. Eventually you’ll be able to bum pat back to sleep without feeding.
3. look up how to tell when baby is actively feeding and when they’re comfort sucking.

Thank you so much. I will take this all on board

Sorry OP, that sounds hard. My first born was the same and I coslept to get through. I know have a 3 month old who I think just naturally is happier being put down. But we combination feed him too and I’m sure he sleeps longer off a bottle and maybe it doesn’t have so much of a comfort associated? It’s such a personal thing but if you’re at the end of your tether why not try baby on a bit of formula to see if they like it and maybe sleep longer. Or at least you could share the load a bit then. Good luck. X

Sorry you are going through this OP. I am wondering why you don't just wean onto solid foods a bit earlier? A few years ago everyone was told to do it at 4 months, then the advice changed so i wouldn't take it as a hard fast rule. If she is still waking after more food then it could be a sleep issue and she is feeding for comfort not hunger.

It doesn't often get talked about but this is so normal for lots of babies. That doesn't help though, it's bloody exhausting. I ended up cosleeping with both of mine who were like this. One of them used to feed without even waking me. It was still really very hard. With the other one, my dh used to take them sometimes and just walk up and down with them for an hour attempting to give a bottle to give me a full 4 hours of sleep which used to help a lot. Hope it improves soon, it's brutal!

My first was like this. He suddenly dropped a night feed at 7 months and after that it was much easier. Good luck!

Sounds like you are doing brilliantly

Personally, I would start weaning ASAP, also start combination feeding with an appropriate allergy formula milk.

Both mine were eager for food and once I introduced formula (after being exclusively breast fed), they both slept for longer.

My friends who had babies with similar allergies had them on formula after ebf and their lives improved immeasurably and their babies thrived

I would try a bottle of formula at bedtime to see if that makes any difference. I'd also send DH in to settle her if she wakes before 4 hours. She shouldn't need to feed every 1.5 hours at this point so she's either not getting enough when she feeds or not actually hungry but drinking for comfort (or there is a medical issue, but doesn't sound like that's the case). Has she been checked for tongue tie?

I think some babies are just far more likely to develop sleep habits than others. I agree with a PP - I suspect she’s having 5 minutes every 1.5h as it’s the only way she knows how to link sleep cycles. I can safely say neither food nor formula made our situation better as it’s nothing to
do with hunger. If anything food temporarily made sleep worse. We night weaned at 10 months (not quite sure how I survived being woken every 90 minutes for ten months) and DS slept through almost immediately. He did cry but was never left alone to cry. As PP said we spent a while habit stacking before hand. She’s too young currently but ‘Jay Gordon night weaning method’ has some good ideas. Good luck!

Then what I means to carry on with is once act sleeps with but pats in arms then you can do the same in the cot, then but Pat and shhh then shh and hand on baby still. Then just shh then they will associating lying in the cot with sleep. I did it at various points with all 3 of mine.

Don't have any recommendations for you as my now year old did this until he was 6-7 months but I hugely sympathise and can only tell you my experience!

Solids did help I think or it could have just been coincidence. I combi-fed him from 7 months purely just so i could do my eldest's bedtime as he was really missing me and my DP could do the baby's bedtime routine. This kind of coincided with us putting him in his cot at night which then made daytime naps easier as he would settle better in there. Not sure if the formula made much difference as he can still wake up 2-3 times a night now or very occasionally once 🙏🏻 but at least it's not 6-7 times a night! CMPA baby over here too so maybe there's a correlation.

We end up cosleeping most nights when he wakes up but my DP tends to take over now otherwise I become an all you can eat buffet as soon as he can smell me! We have found this has reduced the night awakenings once he's in our bed.

Good luck! I just try to remind myself this won't last forever and I will sleep again

@Failingmiserablyrightnow can I ask how you got on please? I have a 6 month old who is exactly the same and waking every 40m- hour and a half if I’m lucky.

DS didn’t stop feeding less than 10 x a day until he was 2 even with weaning. Decided how long and badly you want to breastfeed and go from there really.