Nearly 6 months and three night feeds- help?!

[pommedechocolat]

Dd2 is nearly 6 months and on bm and three small meals a day (no meat) and still feeds three times a night.

Why?!

I am shattered!

Is this normal and if so when will it stop??

I think she could do without her night feeds now, I would try to drop them gradually one at a time (sorry if you've already tried and failed, its not clear from your post). Sometimes they need to get hungry enough during the day to eat more and then then feel fuller at night so are able to drop a night feed - does that make sense? You could try offering water instead or getting DH to resettle her so she doesn't think its food time. If she's drinking at least 500ml milk (hard to tell if you BF but if you expressed before a feed in the day you should be able to estimate the total milk drunk during the day) then I would up the size of the meals. DS has just started sleeping through at that age and think its cos we have just got the food amount right.

have you tried reducing time sucking? we went quickly 15 to 5 mins (as realsied she was actually sleeping for most of the feed). and then over 3 weeks we have it down to 3 mins (6.5 months). She cried the 1st time I took her off (and every now and then) but I sat her up and burped her (never really fed to sleep), put her down matter of fact like we'd finished and she goes back to sleep quite quickly or at least is quiet and then drops off. Also during that feed I sometimes interupt it by pulling away slightly or taking her off so she has to be a bit uncomfortable to continue and also is used to me taking her off so doesn't associate it with crying (because most of the time she goes back on). Actually I don't mind having the feed still just in case she is hungry or thirsty but can tell from how she strats sucking whether she needs it for anything other than habit.

Sorry Nigglenaggle, but expressing is not a good way to guage how much a baby takes at a feed. A baby will always be more efficient than expressing, but will have fluctuations in nutritive and non-nutritive sucking during a feed.

It's also perfectly normal for babies to nurse for nutrition, hydration and comfort during the night at 6mo and beyond (way, way beyond!)

Whenwill's method echoes some hints given in the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley - a very lovely gentle pro-bf book to help babies get better sleep. 6 months is a little early to encourage total night weaning (not usually recommended until 12-18mo), but you could certainly take a few tips from a book like that.

As it is perfectly normal for babies to continue night nursing, it's often easier to try and change our behaviour than our babies (who, after all, can't read parenting books, can't tell the time, and only know they need you in the middle of the night for whatever reason). Do you co-sleep? If done safely it's a great way to get more sleep.

She won't night nurse forever, so some minor adjustments could mean a more restful night for everyone without any tears and tantrums (from either of you :))

Co sleeping doesnt really work for us - I have tried. I sleep so lightly I might as well not bother and feeding lying down doesnt seem to go so well for us.

I would be absolutely fine with 2 feeds and quick settling but last night was three wakings - an hour to settle for each and then up at six.

She hasn't improved since being a newborn.

She also seems grumpy and tired a lot of the time to be honest. I think all of us need more sleep! It is affecting things badly - dh passing out with sleep deprivation, me being a rubbish mummy to dd1 etc.

I am trying to reduce amount at each feed, not offering both boobs etc.

Naps/schedule everything a mess really :(

I should add that she was diagnosed with silent reflux and is on omeprazole.

have you tried taking her off meds. dd had reflux-first vom. then silent but big improvement at 4 months. though do u think its that that makes her hard to settle? any teeth yet?

do you go to her straight away? i found when dd starts waking more (e.g. on hol. or after ill) the worst thing is to try and leave her as she gets more awake. if she knows she'll get you straight away as soon as she stirs (and you know it will turn into a feed) dd stopped waking (that's how we went from 2/3 to 1 feed).
do you keep it dark and quiet etc. and feed not to far from her cot so less time to wake properly. do you have a post feed routine that settles her in your arms before putting down?
can you offer more frequently in day?

Pick her up and feed her before you go to sleep? this didn't work for us as an attempt to get her not to feed when I was sleeping but if it is one of the 3 feeds it might be easier for you? also how about trying to put back to bed after the 6 o'clock feed (or very soon after) if you don't need to be up and out.

Yeah, tbh I'm dishing out advice that may work for you, but isn't for me! DS been up every hour for the last 3 nights and cosleep

whenwill - I have always wondered about the meds and being awake as it is listed as a side effect but I'm a bit scared to try her off them! No teeth yet and cannot feel anything at all. I have been trying Bonjela though.

The reflux definitely got us into the feeding more at night thing as at her worst it was so much easy for her to feed drowsy.

I totally feed to sleep everytime. I know it's bad but it seems easier...

Last week I started leaving her a few mins before going to her, maybe that's made it worse. Will revert back to straight away.

puddlyjumper - hourly?! Good god. These babies!!

(stupid phone) co sleeping doesn't really work for me either. Do persevere with feeding lying down though as that definitely helps me. At elastic I have to be awake I'm lying down supported.

See if you can get hold of No Cry Sleep Solution, it is good and at least makes you feel pro-active! Someone told me its the most intelligent babies that sleep the worst. DS must be a flipping genius!