what are signs that 4 month growth spurt is over? PLEASE HELP.

[kookiegoddess]

I'm having a nightmare time at the mo. So bloody tired. DD is 17 wks and having an endless growth spurt. Thought that feeding to sleep at night was the solution (that I'd get more sleep that way) but I think that she smells milk as soon as she gets hungry/is in lighter sleep and then wants it immediately - she likes to sleep with her hand on my boob or with her nose pressed against me. So am now tempted to only offer bottles at night (am going to try this this evening as I am completely exhausted and she was up every hour from 3am last night) and am leaving her in her own room in own bed tonight. She is 17 weeks now and the night waking started with a cold before christmas and is now generally 12.30/1am (after 10.30 feed), 3/4am, 5am, 6am... I'm hating life and motherhood and have got to find a way to get thru this. Really don't want to give up BFing so would rather offer some bottles and mix in with BFing rather than just put her on the bottle to get her to sleep thru.

have to go to bed now but will hopefully hear some responses from you all tmw!! ANY ADVICE APPRECIATED.

I had exactly the same issue. My son started waking every hour after midnight aged exactly 3 months. I was told it was a growth spurt and so fed him every time he woke. After a few weeks, he had one night where he slept until 4am. The next night he went back to waking every hour. I tried giving him a bottle in the evening after BF (exclusively BF until that point) and he drank the lot! 10oz. What I finally realised was that it was not hunger and so I stopped feeding him at night. He still woke but didn't cry, and I'd just give him quick pat and back to sleep. I was planning to wait it out until he just started sleeping through. But the point is, it was a pattern by then - ie 4.5 months. I was so broken!!!!! I took the big step of then letting him cry in the night and 3 days later he slept from 7-7 and we haven't looked back. It was a tough 3 days but no worse than the continual getting up in the night. At that age, as long as they are having good feeds in the day - offer a bottle after every breast feed to be sure - they do NOT need feeding in the night. The problem is they don't know how to get themselves back to sleep without the breast. I would highly recommend going through the crying if you can. The methodology we followed was: Cry for 20 mins, go in offer water, cuddle until calm. Cry for 20 mins. Repeat. When the crying starts to get intermittant, leave him. Only count the 20 mins from onset of full on crying. Also make sure good sleep during the day - again, leave to cry for up to 20 mins. Good luck, I truly know how hard it is.

PS as soon as he starting sleeping through at night, everything got better. He got back on track with his weight gain, was so much happier during the day etc etc. All the feeding in the night was exhausting him as much as me I think.

We've just come through this, started at 17 weeks & finished at 20. Rather than controlled crying we've been consistant with DDs naps to make sure she wasn't over tired and only fed in the night if it's been more thn 3 hours. Otherwise patting and stroking but no boob. She's back to one night feed at 4ish without the cc guilt. Hang in there, it too will pass!