help please- 9 months & not sleeping...

[julwil]

and yes it's probably all our fault!

DD is 9 months old. Still breastfeeding to go to sleep - always at nights and usually during the day.

She goes to bed between 7-8 no problem at all, good routine but wakes 2 or 3 times during the night. Usually we can get her back to sleep one of the times by shushing and patting (between 6-8 months this worked each time) but now she's mobile she just thrashes round the cot and cries until she has the breast. We're trying to break the breast-sleep habit and continue the patting and shushing routine but right now feeling that it's not possible, she cries and cries until out of desperation I give her the breast.

Any advice very welcome, I'm exhausted and not feeling rational

How much does she have to eat before bed? Perhaps she's going through a growth spurt and is waking up because she's hungry?

Perhaps give her some supper half an hour before bed & see if that helps?

She usually has dinner around 5.30, then usually a yoghurt at 6.30 when we're eating dinner. You could be right, will try getting some extra food into her before bed, thanks!

Its not all your fault at all - I strongly believe in doing whatever you have to do to get through what can be a very difficult time.

My ds turned one last week. He is still breastfed to sleep and proceeds to wake through the night, countless times. The easiest and only thing that settles him is a 3 or 4 minute feed and he's asleep again. I'm sure many people will say he is waking up out of habit and quite possibly he is but that is how he is. I've come to terms with the fact that I am not going to get much sleep - and ds isn't suffering at all from his disturbed nights which is the main thing.

Ds certainly isn't a hungry baby - he has such a healthy appetite and eats well throughout the day. Such a happy baby too!

I'm certainly not a fan of letting my ds get upset or letting him cry it out which has been suggested. For the sake of a 4 minute feed - I can live with that. Maybe one day he will grow out of it? He has never appreciated a dummy and has no soother of any kind. I'd have loved him to take a dummy!!

You really aren't alone and certainly doing nothing wrong - in my opinion. It is extremely exhausting though. I've brought my son up alone since he was 5 weeks old and to me I feel breastfeeding has helped me remain sane and feel so close to such a special, much loved little boy.

I'm afraid I don't have much advice but I can only appreciate what you are feeling. One bit of advice I have read somewhere which would be good is to let daddy try to settle DD so she can't smell you and of course the milk! If I had this option I think I would try it but a little at a time so as not to make baby too upset.

Sorry for such a long reply - its nice to know I am not alone with this worry. x

Mine is almost 9 months, still BF to sleep as well, and waking regularly through the night. She won't even go to sleep until after 10pm so you are doing better than me!

Thanks so much for your messages. It's good to know I'm not the only one in this situation, just feels like that at 3 and 5am...