18 weeks and still 2 hours btwn feeds!

[Rosieegg]

Hi all,
My LO is 18 weeks and almost exclusively breastfed still. He's a big boy and growing v well, which I'm so grateful for, but he still wants to feed every 2 hours, 21/2 if I'm lucky. Nights were getting better, with him going 5 hour stretches, but in the last few weeks he's started waking every 2 to 3 hours, and sometimes less. And the feeds seem to go on forever, I have to take him off because he wants to comfort suck for ages afterwards. It's like having a newborn again. He was colicky until about 10 weeks - that went away but then seems to be coming back now as well, with him wriggling and pulling off during feeds and crying in pain with the wind.
Any advice or suggestions very welcome, or even knowing that other people have experienced similar! I'm exhausted

Might be the 4 month sleep regression? Is he too nosy to feed properly in the day? My DD has been like this for last few weeks...there are loads of threads about it if you search the archives...x

Thanks, I'll try that

OP, am in same boat, DS is 18 weeks too, was sleeping form 11pm -6.30am until 3 or 4 weeks ago and now cant seem to go more than 3 hours in night without waking for feed. He is EBF. He doesnt comfort suck BUT instead tries to suck his thumb whilst feeding.... I am assuming its the sleep regression thing, as he can be restless at night too, instead of being sleepy he just wants to play and gurgles away really loudly to make sure i dont sleep either. He is mega alert at the moment too. Am just assuming it will pass....

the comfort sucking may not be comfort sucking. he may be working hard to increase your milk supply for a growth spurt. if you let him suck as he appears to need to, you might find in a few days you have stacks of milk that he promptly devours and then spends a few days sleeping off! cue new babygros and clothes all round .

Not sure it's the same as the sleep regression that I've found on the other threads on this site - he doesn't get playful and restless, just wants to feed or be comforted then goes down again. Tried not giving him food, but he just screams and I think he's too young for controlled crying yet.
I'm now wondering about silent reflux - it may also explain his colic. He doesn't vomit so much any more, but often seems to choke or gag a little while after feeding, brings bits of curdled food into his mouth, also always seems stuffed up and is not often happy on his back. We resorted to putting him to sleep on his front as there seemed no other way for him to get any sleep. Even that doesn't seem to always work now though as quite often I'll get him down after a feed and he wakes up wailing and seemingly in pain. The colic that seems to have started again is sudden screaming and bouts of really upsetting crying, along with being very unsettled again during the day, wriggling, tummy noises and lots and lots of wind.
I'm sure it's just something he needs to grow out of and mature, but I want to know if there's something I can do to help. It's so sad and upsetting when he's crying and screaming.

I did think about another growth spurt, but it seems different to the other ones - previously when he's had a growth spurt he stays feeding for an hour for each feed (and is then ready for another within an hour!) and I notice my milk supply going up. This time he's not really feeding, just comforting. However, he is a very big baby - I think his whole life has been one long growth spurt sometimes!!

Could he be teething? Mine have all been very 'sucky' when feeding.

My 18 week old DD is a big girl and also still feeding 2 hourly in the day. Doesn't bother me but then she only feeds for 10 minutes or so. She's also gone from waking once in the night (doing a nice big 5/6 hour stretch initially) to waking 2 or 3 times and sometimes just being wide awake gurgling and chuckling to herself. Think it's just that 4 month growth spurt/sleep regression thing they talk about.

Not sure what to suggest in terms of helping with the crying and screaming, a trip to the GP/HV certainly wouldn't hurt though if you feel he may have silent reflux.

Thank you for all your suggestions guys....lots to think about!

Links about the 4 month developmental spurt / growth spurt / sleep regression here, here, here and here.

Maybe he's getting near to needing solids. I held off to 6 months with both mine and they were miserable. I do wonder if solids would have helped. This new guidance is only just over 7 years old, so everyone before weened at 4 months. I couldn't go against the guidelines but afterwards I wondered if I was being foolish.

Angeldog, those links are fantastic! You do get to worrying over every little thing because you're sleep deprived, but somehow having a better idea of what it's all about makes it more bearable and brings things back into perspective. Thank you to everyone who's replied. I think there might be some teething and wind going on too, but nothing more than that to worry about I hope.

Glad they were useful. We're in the middle of the 8/9 month regression at the moment and I'd be tearing my hair out if I didn't know about this developmental stuff.

(Although it helps having gone through developmental-related sleep setbacks before and it having improved afterwards. :))