Breastfed baby of four months feeding every two hours.... even during the night!

[TiddlyBears]

My son is four months old and exclusively breastfed, we are waiting until 6 months to start weaning. He is big for his age ? born over 8lb and now a little under the 91st percentile (his dad is very tall!).

I am still feeding on demand and he seems to be hungry every two hours, you can almost set your clock by it. Is this too often for a four month old baby? Despite having previously slept quite well at night he is now waking every two hours or so for a feed (albeit a short one) throughout the night. My supply has been good so far so I am confident he is sufficiently full.

Any thoughts you have will be much appreciated. Is it time to start trying to space feeds out more? Do you have suggestions on how to reduce the number of feeds at night that he requires? Can you ?overfeed? a breastfed baby? I am becoming really rather tired!

Apologies for the random question marks - I typed this in word before posting!

My DS is four months & still feeds pretty much two hourly. I think a lot if them do. Sometimes he can go longer but I prefer to tank him up more in the day in the hope that he will sleep longer at night. It's not really been working though.

He has been waking two hourly at night for a few days on & off which is a killer! They go through another growth spurt around now, which is what I've put it down to. I'm so tired too..

Four-month growth spurt. Often mistaken for "needs weaning". Totally normal.

Sounds like you're doing a great job. Keep going!

sounds absolutely normal

there is a BIG growth spurt around this time (hence why a lot of people wean so early) and that is probably why he is suddenly waking at night as well.

if you continue feeding on demand it should be over with in a shorter time as you will allow your supply to match his demand and he'll settle down again.

What they said!

If you don't already, do try co-sleeping to ease the pain of frequent night wakings. If he can just 'help himself' with you barely having to wake up you'll feel much more rested come morning.

Thank you all so much for your replies, it's so reassuring to know we are not the only ones! We know a couple of babies of my son's age and they all seem to be perfect sleepers (or perhaps their parents are telling fibs!). Last night we woke almost hourly for feeds.... I am shattered, yet the milk-guzzler is bouncing around and rearing to go!

OP, I second everyone else. Sounds like a classic growth spurt time and also some babies do feed every 2 hours (do you always eat and drink at exactly the same times as everyone else that you know?). It's just exhausting for you - can you be v nice to yourself today, lots of snuggling with baby and resting for you?

I'm not sure if this helps or not, but it might help not thinking of him as being 'big for his age'. If his Dad is very tall, your gorgeous DS is not 'too big', he's just right and is likely to be tall himself. As far as I'm aware you can't overfee d a BF baby. Both DS1 and DS2 are on the 75th centile - this is just right for them as both DH and I are tall, it doesn't mean that they're too big (everyone else is too small ).

Yes, this happened with dd between about 15 and 17 weeks. HV insisted it was time to wean, but I was convinced it was just a growth spurt. The day dd turned 17 weeks she suddenly started sleeping for longer at night again and we didn't wean till 24-ish weeks.

Oh and I coped with it by co-sleeping for that period - I know this isn't for everyone but I would not have survived otherwise!

Mine fed every 2 hours until about 7 months, even after starting weaning. He was quite sicky so needed feeding little and often. If I fed him both sides he'd just throw the lot up. Co-sleeping helped.

Yes totally normal.
A few more weeks and he should have just past his growth spurt

You could try an extra long feed before bed which may give you a little longer gap in eve. I would feed, then when had enough do bath/ pjs/ nappy etc do ready for bed ( prob takes half hour), then offer breast again and he may continiue feeding.

If you put him down at night at say 7.30 this may give you until 10.30/11 so you can have a bit of baby free time to eat/ shower/ chill
Whenever you go to bed ( so say 10.30pm), wake him if he hasn't woken, feed before you sleep then pop him down for 'the night'. I would expect a bf baby to feed at leat twice between 10.30/11 'dreamfeed' and waking 7 am. Which would be every 3 hrs min so 2hrs really not extreme

Just think your baby is having his growth spurt now, friends may get next few weeks so they may wake more then

I think you may be right cairnterrier - he looks in proportion for his length(well, as 'in proportion' as babies can look) so it may be just a case of him taking after his dad in the height stakes.

GoldenGreen and noblegiraffe - we have been co-sleeping for about half of the night. I am terrified about sharing the bed with him when it's dark but as soon as it's light (from 5am-ish) I settle him next to me.

Thanks for your suggestion forevergreek, I think I may well try a dream feed this evening to see if that helps.

Luckily he's a very lovely, easy-going baby during the day so despite being blurry-eyed, a little sleep deprivation isn't the end of the world!

Sorry Tiddlybears, have just re-read my post and I sound like a right know-it-all, really didn't mean to sound like that and I'm v now.

He sounds absolutely gorgeous. Hope you get a bit more sleep tonight!

PS have you tried tracing through your red book to find out his likely final adult height? I'm going to need a step-ladder with our two

Exactly the same thing happening here with my DD. She's 3.5 months (lost track of weeks!) and has started waking every 2 hours at night. I'm shattered!
Going to try dream feeding as her first waking was 11.30pm - an hour after I'd gone to bed.
I keep telling myself it will pass and it's what she needs but I really nerd some sleep!
And I'm the same as you - I co-sleep after about 5am but don't do it all night. I am considering it though.

Cairnterrier - you have nothing to apologise for, I very much appreciate all of the suggestions!

VintageNancy - are you having anymore sleep now? How did the dream feeding go? I put my baby to sleep at 19:30 and he's woken 4 times thus far............ it's going to be a long night!

Last night I tried a dream feed for the first time.
She went to sleep around 9pm, dream feed at 10.30, first waking at 1.30am, then 4.30, 6.30 (when I brought her into bed with us) & then awake for day at 9am. So an improvement on the 11pm wakings & then every 2 hours that we had had.
Fingers crossed for tonight (I'm in US so 8 hours behind).

Hope you get some sleep tonight!

Oh God love you all, this brings it all back! My dd is nearly 5, but I remember those growth spurts .
My dd was a slow feeder, and by the time I settled her again, it seemed like I was getting 20 minute naps, and then it was time to go again.

My friend from Sengal says when you feed your baby, an Angel stands behind you patting you on the shoulder.. be better if they could lull the baby to sleep.

The bloody 4 MONTH SLEEP REGRESSION can eff right off.

Sorry, going through it with my twin boys. It's a nightmare. A nightmare I tell you. (Has improved the last week as I'm getting their daytime naps sorted. I feed them when they wake up, play around a bit and once it's about 2 hrs from when they woke up I put them down in their cot for a sleep. Actually works. I was beyond shocked!)

You have my sympathies!

Oh rednellie - twins with sleep regression - I think you win, hands down!

I'm up giving my 5th (or 6th, I've almost lost count) feed of the night.

I've also got a 2 yr old DD who has decided sleep is a hobby she can do without. Do I get wine?

........ And 10 minutes after I put a very sleepy boy down, we are up feeding again.

On the plus side, you can't beat that feeling of having a milk-induced sleepy baby curl up on your shoulder when being burped (but refusing to actually burp).... and you have a double dose of that rednellie

Where do you live rednellie? I'm in California :).

I'm attempting to settle DD for bed now. Wonder when she'll wake up!!

Don't despair! All of my children were over 9lbs and the first over 10lbs, also feeding madly at night during growth spurts. it helped me to offer many feeds during the day and a 1 and a half-2 hour play after the feed. At night I tried to resettle if hourly waking but allowed feeds if asleep 2 hours, with no playtime after, dim lights and whispers to remind baby mum praying for lots of sleep!! As always this time feels so like it will go forever but children move on to new and exciting challenges for their parents before you expect. Care for yourself with lots of time out from chores, reduce the pressure by lowering the standards at home for a bit- be aware sleep deprivation puts us at high risk of Post Natal Depression, so allow yourself an outing e.g.coffee with a friend. Dad/a friend or relative can have have on-one baby time while you get nails done or just chill with a good friend.

I'm up the coast from you Vintage in Canada. It's lovely up here, but we're moving back soon.

And yes, Tiddly, two little babas nestled on either side of you is rather special. The buggers!