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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

bf at 5 months -ready to give up

7 replies

headinspin · 03/10/2010 10:04

My 4m baby suddenly became really unsettled at night- he had been going down easily and at times slept 10-5 (otherwise he would wake up once)- then he suddenly stopped going down easily and woke up much more- even as much as hrly through the night. I have tried everything - the hv suggested solids and DS has been having firstly one small meal at lunch then solids at breakfast and lunch -from approximately 2 1/2 weeks ago - he is now 5 months and he is still not sleeping much (last night he went to sleep and 11 woke up at 2.30 and was awake until 5.30-6 - only sleeping intermittently on me. he now appears to be constipated as well. I don't know what to do. I think he has day and night muddled up and is eating less than he needs during the day but i don't know how to increase it. I express when I can but he feeds so often i don't seem to have much spare milk- is formula the answer

OP posts:

nickytwotimes · 03/10/2010 10:08

HI headin.

Welcome to the infamous 4 mth sleep regression.

I am also in the middle of it.

Your hv shouldn't have recommended solids - they can make things worse. Personally I'd take him back off them.

Formula won't help either as ffed babies go through this too. It is a developmental phase and a growth spurt. It SUCKS, but it will pass. Meanwhile call in as many favours as you can and do an advanced search on here on 4 mth sleep regression. There is tonnes on it asn good links.

Guacamole · 03/10/2010 10:14

Gosh... I could have written this post last month. We are still struggling to get back on track, but we are getting there slowly.
I too considered formula; but couldn't get my DS to take the bottle. I continued with breadtfeeding and although we had a difficult and tiring patch it's really improving.
Not really got any advice, just sending you a bit of moral support.

ShowOfHands · 03/10/2010 10:14

It's a growth spurt, coupled with a well documented sleep regression. At 4/5 months they are going through massive developmental changes- rolling, sitting, more aware of their environment, using massive amounts of calories. They need to feed feed feed to let your body know they have changing needs. It's miserable and hard work but your body does adapt. If you interfere with this by giving formula/solids, your body doesn't get the message. Your baby bfeeds less than it needs to and the supply and demand process breaks down. You may also, as you have found, give a baby whose body is not ready for solids constipation and a sore tummy.

Babies sleep patterns change with them. Their sleep pattern at 8 weeks often bears no resemblance to their sleep pattern at 10 weeks, which again is different again 2 weeks later.

I know it's hard and it's very tiring. But it's better to think about how you can make your life easier than try to change the needs of a tiny baby. Can you accept more help? Sleep when the baby sleeps? Co-sleep? Ignore the housework? You do whatever you need to get through it.

There is no link between solids/formula and better sleep. They may take longer to digest and force a bigger gap between feeds but then you find that it's for a reason. They are not the most suitable food for a baby and you can end up with a constipated, unhappy baby.

I found 4/5 months really tough. But it got better. I promise.

rubyslippers · 03/10/2010 10:17

Oh yes - 4 month sleep regression

I would feed, feed and feed in the day

Cut out the solids

A split feed before bath and bed, so feed, bath, feed and bed

A feed at 10 pm as well just to get as many feeds as possible in during the day

Formula probably won't make any difference and if he is constipated, breast milk which is so easily digested is the bees thing for him

It is really, really hard and you have done brilliantly to keep going

Just take each feed at a time, and sleep, rest, be horizontal as much as you can

Original poster

headinspin · 03/10/2010 10:42

thanks. I should have said even before this started I was feeding 2 hrly all day- so it is hard to see where to get the extra feeds in- i was trying to feed longer but he tends to fall asleep when he has had enough.
it wasn't so much wanting more sleep that made me try solids- but the fact that he is hungry...
I had heard about the 4month thing- but only after I started on solids..
how long does it last for
I am just concerned as I am due back at work soon and expressing for 2 hrly feeds or more and no sleep just isn't possible

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 03/10/2010 10:44

well he won't be having as much milk during the day because he is filling up on solids, which are more filling but far less calorific, so not what a growing baby needs.

if it were me i would stop the solids and just feed, feed, feed

jaggythistle · 03/10/2010 12:36

try not to worry too ouch about going back to work.

i yet back when my DS was nearly 6 months and his feeds had settled down a lot by then. i didn't start solid food till he was 6 months and i still got away with just 2 expressing breaks at first, plus feeding just before i left and when i got in. eventually cut down to expressing once and now he is one and eating well i don't need to at all.

if you can just feeding away hopefully you will get through the growth spurt ok!

good luck! :-)

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