Two hourly waking throughout the night!!

[stephinthealps]

Please, please someone help!
My 19 week old is more or less totally BF just one bottle of formula for last feed of the day which was around 10.30-11pm but has recently moved forward to 9.30pm. He has never been a brilliant sleeper and a normal pattern would be bottle at 10.30, BF 3am, BF 6.30am. Which to be honest I can live with. For the last couple of weeks he has been having a bottle at 9.30pm then BF at 1am, 3am, 5am and tnen again at 7am but not being that interested in that feed. I have introduced some babyrice at 11am and he is now seems happy to go for 4hrs during the day between feeds and is distracted and tetchy when feeding so am sure he is getting his calories quietly at night! Sorry for the ramble but what on earth can I do? I am near the end of my tether and fed up with everyone MIL DM DH and friends telling me he should be going through the night and asking me what is wrong with him?

stephin - Totally sympathies to you. I cannot help you but I can offer support . My ds is going through a similar phase at present. He is 16 weeks and from around 11 weeks was able to go 8 - 10 hrs at night. Not now though . I did have a prob with settling him at night as he will only go to sleep on breast (he is exclusively bf) but that is improving and he can go down at around 7:30 /8:00pm (still sucks himself to sleep tho). Trouble is he often sleeps for around an hour and then wants sucking back to sleep. Last night he woke at 12:30am, 2:15am and 6:00am. Way too often for my liking and stressful as I don't want him filling up at night and have a feeling that he just wants a suck rather than feeding iyswim? I look forward to you getting more responses and shall cash in on them if you don't mind!

Hello
went through something v similar with DS when he was same age (he's now 26 weeks). Put it down to jabs, teething and had started weaning. It was murder for about 3 weeks, having previously slept well - only waking for a bf at about 4 in the morning. It gradually settled down (tried calpol/nurofen a couple of times) and 2 weeks ago he dropped the nightfeeds altogether and although he still wakes in the night, he now sleeps til 7/8 in the morning (sometimes for the remainder of the night in our bed, oops!). And don't let anyone tell you they should be doing such-and-such by a certain age, they're all different! There's nothing wrong with him it's just another one of those pesky 'phases'!

sorry to go on, but also should have mentioned he was mostly bf but due to the fact he fed so regularly during the day (glued to the sofa!) I introduced a bottle during the day which also seemed to help. He also still needs a dummy (oooh, bad mother ) to help settle him to sleep during the day.

Thanks for your support! I just gave him a bottle at 11am to see how much he would take as he just doesn't seem interested during the day. He took 3oz which I know is nowhere near enough! We use a dummy too for daytime naps but not at night. He seems genuinely hungry at night and regularly empties both breasts - little tike!

A pal of mine had a nocturnal baby too in terms of feeding and around 23/24 weeks he started showing less interest in the night feeds. I think she just fed him once (he was bottle fed though) and then offered cooled boiled water to him instead. Like my ds, he too eventually settled and now sleeps through.

I've had a couple of frequent feeders through the night too. I think some babies are just like that. It's tiring and tempting to think that there is some secret remedy. It'll pass - as these 'phases' always do. Tell your mil, dm, dh and uncle tom cobbley that it's just the way your baby is at the moment and nothing to worry about (and to go away and leave you alone now)

I hate the fact I am expected to have some answers!! I am just worried he isn't eating enough and I hate it when he cries and pushes the breast away it is hard not to feel rejected - stupid and irrational I know but it just makes me feel helpless!

I'm afraid I introduced solids - loads and loads of solids - really early with both ds1 (16 wks) and ds2 (18 wks) because of this sort of problem. Amazing what one can do with sweet potato! Anyway, their sleep/feed patterns improved immediately (as did mine). They have both survived so far and are tall healthy fellows with a serious interest in food (DS1, just turned 3, doesn't like sweet potato anymore, but hey, maybe I overdosed early on; - at a Chinese restaurant this wkend he had fried rice, noodles with greens and mushrooms, a pork dumpling, prawn rolls...!).

Introduced solids early (3-4m) to my ds1. It didn't make the slightest difference to his sleep pattern.

I have been giving him some baby rice for the last three days and it doesn't seem to make the blind bit of difference!. You know I think he may be teething as he seems very interested in chomping down on the spoon and fusses at the breast where his cheek is squashed the same side as he chews the spoon - if you get what I mean. I must admit I am not too sure what I am doing and am not terribly happy about introducing solids now but I just think it is a Mum's fate to feel guilt!!

Ah yes, the guilt factor. Know it's useless to say it but don't feel guilty! And who really does know what they're doing? It's been said to you before I'm sure, but follow your instincts and if you think he might be teething, which is probably quite likely, then get him something to help with it. You are the one that knows him best and therefore you can listen politely to all those around you (including HV and other pros), smile and then YOU decide what to do and be proud of your decision.

oK i MAY JINX THIS NOW BUT MY DS WAS THE SAME.
AT 19 WEEKS HE WAS GOING 5-7HRS BETWEEN NIGHT TIME FEEDS BUT THEN SUDDENLY STARTED WAKING AT 10PM ISH FOR ANOTHER FEED THEN 1 AND 4AM. tHE LAST WEEK HE SEEMS TO HAVE DROPPED THE 10PM FEED AND IS NOW GOING 8PM, 1AM AND 4/5AM. i GUESS WHAT IM TRYING TO SAY IS DONT INTRODUCE SOLIDS IF YOU DONT WANT TO, THE AMOUNT YOU GIVE IS SO LITTLE ANYWAY ITS UNLIKELY TO HAVE ANY EFFECT AND i THINK ITS JUST A PHASE THEY GO THROUGH WHERE THEY NEED THE EXTRA FOOD.
BTW DS IS NOW 21 WEEKS

Been giving Charlie the opportuity to feed really regularly today and we seem to be making headway. He went down fine tonight (fingers crossed). Thanks to everyone for your advice and support.

Hi Steph, my ds is now 24 weeks and has been waking 2 hourly for a long time. I could have written your post.
I started weaning my ds at 21 weeks hoping it would help and it has made no difference.
Daytime feeds went through a phase of being difficult and I think this was due to teething, Calpol half an hour before a feed really helped.
I also tried stretching feeds during the day thinking if he could go 3-4 hours during the day he may do at night but no!
I think the best advice is to ride it out, do what ever it takes to get any rest at all! In the last couple of weeks my ds has had the odd 'good' night where he has woken 2-3 times instead of 4-6 times so I'm hoping we're are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
Ignore everyone they have the power to make you feel awful, on top of very little sleep I know how upsetting it can be, lie to them if it makes it easier

Hi, had a similar thing with my ds too. Thought solids would help but made no difference. In the end, the gaps just got longer and longer, and moving him into his own room at about 8 months made a huge difference (think my husband's snoring was waking him!).

True we moved him out of our`room too and that helped. But I do think the solids make a difference - and i'm not talking small quantities here, ds2 is a bottomless pit!

ps But of course this wouldn't work with a lot of babies - each case is different,
i'm not claiming to have a solution and ds2 has other sleepissues now - 25 minute naps!