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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Night feeding

32 replies

Em32 · 16/11/2005 09:50

I've got an 11 week old who is still (mostly) waking up twice a night to feed. She somewhere over the 6kg/12lb mark and I don't think she really should need to wake twice. I'm exclusively breastfeeding so not sure how I can encourage her to feed more in the day and reduce her night feeds. Any suggestions? Her brother slept through from 12 weeks but was on formula at that stage (she won't take a bottle but that is another story) so I think that had something to do with it. I can cope with waking up once if necessary but am struggling with twice when coping with the two of them.

OP posts:
KiwiKate · 16/11/2005 10:57

Switching to formula won't necessarily help her sleep longer anyway! Our ds slept WORSE when on formula.

I now have 8wo dd and also am exclusively bf.

Not sure what you can do to cut down night time feeds. They all have their own feeding pattern.

I tend to stay up quite late and feed her often before I go to sleep. Then when I feed at night, I keep it all dark, don't talk to her or do anything other than just feed/burp then back to bed (I don't even change her - she doesn't poo at night and hardly wees). This seems to help her get right back to sleep.

(these early days are difficult, aren't they )

KiwiKate · 16/11/2005 11:00

BTW - my ds who was mixed bf and formula fed, slept through for the first time at 18 weeks. Slept through one night only! then continued to wake at least once a night most nights until about 10 or 11 months.

I hope your dd does better than our ds did.

Kelly1978 · 16/11/2005 11:02

11 weeks is still very young. It is hard work, but some babies jsut don't seem to want to drink enough during the day. Hve you tried a dream feed? My dts still wake up sometimes and they are 7 months. They were def still up twice a night a lot at 11 weeks.

highlander · 16/11/2005 11:49

BF babies often still need 1-2 feeds at night until they are 1 year old (advice from my HV in canada).

Original poster
Em32 · 16/11/2005 11:54

Thanks - I've been trying to avoid the dream feed as I can't keep my eyes open to stay up that late but maybe it is a chicken and egg thing and I might feel more able to cope with doing that if she wasn't waking up in the middle of the night. Maybe we were just lucky with ds -currently trying to persuade my husband that I don't want to go back to work (it isn't working - wry smile) there is no WAY I am going back to work if dd still waking in the night to feed at 10 or 11 months!

OP posts:
agalch · 16/11/2005 12:38

Hi Em32
Sorry,don't want to alarm you but my dd is nearly 16 months and still wakes most nights for a quick feed. I'm not sure if it's because i'm bf her but one of her brothers was bf and did the same thing.Her other big brother was bottle fed andd slept through from around 13/14 weeks,so who knows?

Original poster
Em32 · 16/11/2005 14:48

Not alarmed - might give me some more ammunition!

OP posts:
agalch · 16/11/2005 16:56

I am a childminder so i work from home anyway thank goodness!!! If dd and my current mindee are napping at same time i can at least have a cuppa and put my feet up.

Tipex · 16/11/2005 20:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

agalch · 16/11/2005 20:56

how old is your ds tipex?

Tipex · 16/11/2005 21:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CarolinaMoon · 16/11/2005 21:04

my ds is 12m and still wakes for a bf at around 3 or 4am. Don't think there's much you can do about it tbh if she needs that feed.

Flum · 16/11/2005 21:05

I think 2 night feeds at that age is pretty average. They know when they are hungry. You could try waking her up for a feed just before you go to bed.

notasheep · 16/11/2005 21:07

2 night feeds sounds very normal,my babe is still waking up for one at 14months and he isnt on the boob anymore

dinny · 16/11/2005 21:09

my ds is 14 months and usually has feeds at about 11pm, 3am, then 5am. can you feed her in bed so you can sleep while she's glugging away?

agalch · 16/11/2005 22:50

my dd is 16 months and i fed her at 7.45 and she went down fine,have just had to go up 10 mins ago to give her a feed,i fully expect to feed her once maybe even twice during night.I'm glad it's not just me who has broken sleep!!

KiwiKate · 16/11/2005 23:13

Em - a 12 week old sleeping through is quite unusual.

I agree, You can't POSSIBLY go back to work now

Tatties · 16/11/2005 23:15

Yep, me too Agalch, glad I'm not the only one who has broken sleep and Tipex I get fed up with it too after 7mths, as much as I know it's what he needs and I can't do anything about it.. I fully expect to be up another 2-3 times before morning.. Oh joy

agalch · 16/11/2005 23:20

think we should all come back on 2moro and commiserate(sp?)with each other about how many times we were up during the night.off to get my 2/3 hours before my dd demands booby.

Tatties · 16/11/2005 23:24

Good idea, although I usually block it out of my mind the next day.. I can't always remember how many times exactly I've been up! Night night then

agalch · 17/11/2005 07:12

Well i'm up and half awake as is my usual morning routine.dd was up at 1am and ended up in my bed again,up again at 4am and wriggled and snuggled and wrapped her arms round my neck and slept like a baby(still asleep)but i ended up with neckache and more crap sleep.oh well never mind there's always tonight

Serah · 17/11/2005 08:06

This thread has made me feel so much better. DS had his usual 3 feeds last night (2 to be fair to him, I count his breakfast in bed at 7 as night ) and I was plotting ways to break it to everyone on Mumsnet so it didn't look like I was some kind of idiot for allowing it! (Hes 11 months btw). I think I only worry about it due to all the stories I get about babies sleeping through from 3 months but am so happy we're normal! (Well, within certain parameters, obviously )

agalch · 17/11/2005 09:12

i think we all have to do whatever gets us through the night. having my ds2 aged 10 you realise they are not babies for very long but it still a nightmare having broken nights.thats why i have grey hair and look about 70 each morning!

Original poster
Em32 · 18/11/2005 13:10

Ok so maybe my oldest was a rarity then (damn damn damn!) Although both my friend's babies have also slept 7pm - 7am from LESS than three months. I know I know

OP posts:
piccolamamma · 20/12/2005 21:03

our dd is 10 months and started sleeping through the night, 3/4 nights out of 7 a couple of weeks ago. then her teeth started coming up again and she wakes up once every night. but i'm hoping that once some of the teeth come through i'll get a few full nights again.

she slept through the night much after we'd been to baby groups (other kids toys etc) and with three big meals a day.

my friends got their babies out of night waking by sending dad in with water... how many dads will do that?!?