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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

BF in the middle of the night thread...how to stay awake!

999 replies

MummyPigandDaddyPig · 16/06/2012 01:59

( distributes tea biscuits and nursing pillows allround....)

How do yo stay awake at night feeding??? Am struGgling to stay awake and have a sore thumb from playing solitaire on the iphone...alternates with reading muMsnet, daily mail and facebook....

What else is easy reading websites, games apps that dont require any brainpower that I cana entertain myself with? Any tips how to stay awake? Am seriously tired here!

Have cosleept with my dc's from approx 8-10 weeks, which makes night feeds easier, but I have weeks to go until then and wont dare to bedshare yet as older dc's still turn up in qour bed at night....

OP posts:
Saritabean · 22/07/2012 05:08

OMG... Periwinkle been having a really fussy 24hrs again you'll be shocked to hear and feeding only one side at a time, refusing seconds but feeding every 1-2 hrs... Crying lots, belly making loads of gurgles etc (we thought it mainly due to wind) and then she's just gone for 6 hrs without a feed.... Not sure if I'm :) or :( !!!!

I certainly feel better for the sleep, so let's hope she does too and she settles down to some good long feeds over the next 24hrs!

Hope your nights' are going well...?!

ImissMiniPop · 22/07/2012 11:47

Blimey 6 hours is amazing. Hope she is as good today well done on the weight gain too :) how old is periwinkle now? X

Saritabean · 22/07/2012 23:23

Hi minipopsmum, periwinkle is now 20.5 weeks old, 10 weeks corrected today! Hope minipop is doing well and his belly is settling down a little and the feeding's going well.

Fingers crossed for a good night all round! :o

ImissMiniPop · 23/07/2012 00:25

MiniPop's been a bit weird iwth his feeding today, seems to want to guzzle loads and I mean loads (for him) like 100ml at each feed, but then he squirms around like he is in so much pain (probably from guzzling so much so quickly). Really trying to get him to breastfeed, which would hopefully avoid issues liek this.

He did well yesterday, but just doesn't latch on properly. :(

See you all on here in the early hours, about 2 or 3 for me I reckon.. :o

Gonna try and catch some Zzzzzzz before then.

Saritabean · 23/07/2012 02:19

Hey all!

OMG!!! Another long (5.5 hr) stretch... 8.30 - 2 amazing!!! And a good sleepy feed now - I can't quite believe how different she can be one day to the next...! :)

Wow minipopsmum - 100ml per feed- you have a hungry one there! How old is he now?

Hope everyone else's night going ok... Not heard from a few people for a while which suggests less night feeds...?! :)

TeaandHobnobs · 23/07/2012 02:51

Hey everyone!

DS has been much better the last couple of nights, going for 3hrs pretty consistently, which has been nice Smile I've also been sleeping in the other room the past two nights, with DH just coming to wake me up when DS is hungry - I think that DS not being able to smell me next to him has helped him go a bit longer too, and being in the other room allowed me to get some slightly better quality sleep.

Periwinkle is doing amazingly there sarita! Here's hoping the weight gain continues satisfactorily and she keeps herself out of trouble Wink It is funny how they can change their feeding pattern so quickly.

I guess minipop could be having a growth spurt? DS went through a stage a coupe of weeks ago where he just seemed to be feeding all the time, and that did coincide with a big change in his size - everyone who saw him before and after that commented on how much he had changed in size.

Right, first feed down, nappy and clothes changed, not too much vomiting (so far...) - time for some more sleepage! See you all in a couple of hours Wink

Bibblebobbleparsnip · 23/07/2012 04:28

Sorry been MIA- I too have been dozing my way through the night feeds of late. Have found the "put a timer on for 10 mins trick" very useful so thanks to whoever posted that (couldn't remember & CBA to look!). BabyParsnip seems to have suddenly got much faster at feeding these last couple of days, either that or she's not eating as much Hmm Am having a slight wry smile as we're being monitored for growth/jaundice by hospital- but in comparison to the teeny one's on here she's a real chunk. She was 9lb 8 at birth, and is just being slow gaining (my other 2 were the same), but no one seems to believe me that she's fine & doesn't need anything other than my milk & time! Back to hospital again tomorrow for yet more blood tests- seriously, they should leave me to it & give some more attention to someone who needs it!!!! Sorry, rant over!
Sorry scaryg that the op didn't achieve what you wanted. How long will you have to wait for the next one? My sister is a physio & sometimes works with tiny babies who have open chests after/between surgery/ies, must be heartbreaking to go through for you Sad I was bad enough when my (then) 20 month old went for a 20 min op to have his eye/nose probed- pathetic, eh?!
Right-oh think baby parsnip has decided to use me as a dummy, so best sort her out...

ImissMiniPop · 23/07/2012 06:47

MiniPop is 8 weeks old today, 38 weeks really (or minus 2 as I like to call him).

I really don't know what to do, he will scoff down so much and then be in agony with his tum. It took me over an hour to settle him after his feed today, and his tummy seem to be giving him so much discomfort.

Do I let him scoff as much as he wants, or do I just limit his intake and reduce his discomfort? He wakes up starving, I don't want to not let him have it, but I don't know what to do for the best.

He had 90mls at 3am, he would have taken more if I'd let him, but every time I tried to give him more he just choked and coughed up, then it took me an hour to settle him and he still wasn't asleep, so had to put him back to be awake (actually v impressed he settled himself in the end).

He should be fed at 6am, but he's still sleep, might leave it until 7 am (4 hours since start of last feed) and then wake him up. HV says he is still too little to go too long without feeding.

You'd think I'd be grateful of the extra sleep instead of worrying :o

ImissMiniPop · 23/07/2012 22:14

Well, Minipop had been a funny thing today, feeding every two hours and I can't settle him for very long after feeding unless it's on me!

His tummy seems to be really troubling him, it makes him squirm and cry after feeding.

He's got very bad wind, but have spent ages winding him, without much coming up.

Could be an interesting night! (by interesting, I really mean 'without sleep'!)

TeaandHobnobs · 23/07/2012 22:42

We've had a "trying" day too - I swear DS has been latched on for 75% of the day. I assume it's the heat making him thirsty.

Bizarrely he still complains of feeling cold, despite how warm it is. He still has blankets on at night! Weird baby.

Hope minipop does settle, and hope the other babies have good nights too.

Bibblebobbleparsnip · 24/07/2012 03:38

Need sticks for my eyes tonight!

Babylon1 · 24/07/2012 03:43

I have a pair we can share bibblebobble!!

Ds being very hit and miss with sleeping through, last night went from 10pm til 8am but not today!!Sad

Keeping me on my toes!!! Grin

Susieloo · 24/07/2012 03:44

Hello I'm new can I joinSmile, ds is two weeks old tomorrow and was quite happily going 3+ hours in the night but last night and tonight he's awake every hour, must be the heat, my eyes are stinging they are so desperate to close.

Saritabean · 24/07/2012 04:11

Hi susieloo, congratulations on your little bundle of sleep deprivation poonamis milk sick JOY!!! :o

They certainly keep you on your toes don't they....! Periwinkle up 2-3hrly again tonight... Needing the matchsticks too!!!

Bet it is the heat that's thrown them all off. I hope you're all doing better than you'd feared... Hmm :)

No breakfast biscuits for me tonight :( My mum's come up to help, and for the first time has told me I've visibly put on weight... It's all due to trying to get periwinkle to gain weight, and i've obviously overdone it a little!!! Wink

ImissMiniPop · 24/07/2012 05:12

Sticks needed here too! :) hi susieloo & congrats on little one.

Minipop woke early years had just fed, writhed about in discomfort thrown upon and is desperately trying to fight going back to sleep.

sarita I have breakfast biscuits, I feel bad for you now. Glad you have some help though. Makes such a difference.

Susieloo · 24/07/2012 19:15

Anyone else think they are in for a long night with the heat? Ds has been fractious all day and is just waking up from a mammoth sleep so I don't think he will settle very well tonight at all, glad he is waking himself up to have a drink though, any tips for keeping him cool, I've got a fan in our sauna of a bedroom and I'll keep him in a nappy until it cools off about four ish, anything else I can do? X

Saritabean · 24/07/2012 23:08

Hi susieloo!

I would reckon your DS will be perfect with what you've done/doing temperature wise... My DD is still very skinny due to having been prem, with virtually no fat on her, so the temp here- 23 degrees now- is perfect for her with one clothes layer and one blanket!!

And for once she's been feeding really well today with little fuss and very settled... Very unlike her!!! Hope it lasts for the night! Hmm

ImissMiniPop · 25/07/2012 00:42

Good luck Sarita, fingers crossed for good night. Minipop is now 7.1lbs :o he guzzled 100mls then refused to go to sleep. Managed to get him off 90 mins later and now he's too tired for a proper midnight feed!

Hopefully it won't be a repeat of last night's action..

Luckily it's colder in our basement flat, so no issues with Minipop being too warm.

Susieloo · 25/07/2012 00:54

Thank you sarita, I keep looking at the weather forecast hoping to see some rain or cloud coming our way in the next few days. Lack of sleep is starting to kick in now and I'm only two weeks in, need to make more of an effort to sleep in the day when he sleeps, easier said than done though!!

Babylon1 · 25/07/2012 04:58

Hi susieloo, I found it nigh on impossible to sleep during the day when ds sleeps. Mostly as I've got two DDs who demand my attention!!!

It does get easier though Smile my ds was 12 weeks last Friday and now sleeps on average from 10pm (last feed) through to anywhere between 3am and 8am.

It's unusual for me to have to do more than one night feed now. Although there were a couple of days last week when we were back to 2 hourly feeds day and night Sad That was a killer Sad

Anyhow, congratulations on your newborn, enjoy every second of him Smile

Saritabean and minipop, glad DVD ate both doing well Wink

Sarita do not worry about weight gain, all in good time huh?? X

Babylon1 · 25/07/2012 04:59

Obviously I'm glad DCs are doing well, not DVD ate - stupid iPhone!!

Susieloo · 25/07/2012 07:39

Thank you babylon, did you find that sleeping all the way through happened naturally or did you have to do anything i.e. waking early from naps etc?

Im totally in awe of all of you that have other children as well as a newborn, no idea how you do it!!!

Saritabean · 25/07/2012 07:58

He he he babylon1!!!!

I know- I am feeling better about her weight gain in general, she's just got quite a way to catch up!

She's 10.5 weeks corrected and at 6.3lb I have a feeling I'll be night feeding for a long long time being as she's so small.. :(. Oh well, at Least I have MNers to keep me company!!

ImissMiniPop · 25/07/2012 12:07

So last night was a bit of a mare - 00:00, 01:40, 03:20 and 06:20. Then a long sleep, and I had to wake MiniPop up for feeding at 10:30... now the little imp won't go back to sleep again - an hour after his feed! Shock

Not sure what is going on... Confused

MiniPop is minus two corrected, so we've got a long way to go before he sleeps through the night :o

Original poster
MummyPigandDaddyPig · 25/07/2012 22:30

Hi ladies, lovely to hear all the babies are doing well, and congrats Susieloo and welcome!!!
BabyPiglet is doing reAlly well and we had one night of sleeping through this week, them back to normal 3 o clock boobfeast again. Shes fed constantly today in the heat, boobs are drained and she is still up for more...it will be aloooong night!:)

OP posts: