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Infant feeding

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

BF 5 month old feeding every 1-2 hours - I'm exhausted

2 replies

TransatlanticCityGirl · 12/12/2011 20:41

My BF DD has always been a good sleeper. From 12 weeks old, she was able to sleep through for 10-11 hours straight. She didn't do this each and every night but did it regularly enough to prove she was capable. Most of the time, she would wake up once around 2am (bedtime at 8pm, up at 8am). She was a very easy baby up until about 4 months old.

In mid-October, we travelled to another timezone (5 hours behind GMT). She suffered from what I believed to be a bit of jet lag on the way back. It became impossible to settle her in the evening - sometimes we'd spend up to 4 hours trying to get her down. Finally we resolved that problem, but she's been waking more and more frequently with each passing week. Recently, she's waking as much as every 1-2 hours at night, and my partner and I are absolutely shattered.

So why am I posting this in the Breast and Bottle Feeding section?

The other thing she's been doing is not drinking much during the day. She's highly distractible. I cannot talk, look at my phone, or do anything at all when I feed her. I have tried feeding her in a quiet dark room and to mimic the atmosphere at night as best as I can. I even tried under the duvet once to no avail.

Most of the time, she drinks just enough to lessen her hunger, then sits herself up and refuses to take anything more than a sip followed by looking around followed by a sip followed by looking around..... which means she is constantly on and off the breast all day. And I have to proactively offer it much of the time or she won't drink at all.

In the evening (from her last feed before bed) she is able to concentrate and will drink much more substantial amounts. I cluster feed her throughout the evening, and then she'll wake for another feed on average every 2 hrs.

I'm not sure what to do, apart from letting her starve one night (and putting up with the endless crying) in hopes of it re-setting her.

Help appreciated!!!!!!

OP posts:
nethunsreject · 12/12/2011 20:49

www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/distractible-baby.html

Or perhaps even better www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/reverse-cycling.html

Some good tips on that link.

It is bloody hard, but it will pass.

She has just noticed the world and it is amaaazing.

Maximise your rest - this is your priority atm.

Any support groups nearby? Her latch might need refining as sometimes they can get a bit less efficient when they are so distracted.

Smile and Brew

Albrecht · 12/12/2011 21:57

Yes we had this. I used to feed him immediately after a nap when he was too sleepy to notice all the exciting stuff. Quiet room and feed as many sides as you can. Get as much into them in the day as you can.

Might be a growth spurt too. Developing that brilliant brain!

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