help! crisis of confidence ebf'ing 4 month old.

[Rubbishnipples]

After a rocky start to bf'ing, dd and I finally got everything working well at 10 weeks. She slept through the night (bath, feed and bed by 6.30 and a dream feed at 10 and sleeping till 6am) from 11 weeks, but has been quite unsettled since Friday, now 17 weeks.

For all of last week she was waking at 3/4am to feed and then going straight back to sleep but from Friday she has been waking up about 1/2am for a feed and then waking again at 4. However, this waking at 4 cannot just be placated by a feed, and if I put her back in her crib she is wide awake. Last night I just left her in bed with us between 4-6am and this seemed to help a bit with getting some more sleep.

A lot of other things have happened since Friday: I am pretty sure she is teething, had 16 week jabs on Thursday and has learnt to roll over as of 19th. Also, since 11 weeks she was only pooling once a week, but since last wed she is going about 6 times a day.

I guess I am just finding it tough when all my ff peers have babies that sleep through and aren't having an sleep issues it makes me question myself. I am not all that bothered about the sleeping through but he side awake at 4am is a little irritating! Also, am I teaching her bad habits re: feeding to sleep? And is it OK for her to be in the bed with u or will she beam dependant upon this.

Sorry, these probably seem really silly worries but I just wondered I anyone else had been there and what they did.

Thanks

thanks raspberry.

her poo is normal colour and still seedy but it is quite runny. i though that may be due to increased saliva. what would it look like with tummy upset?

She slept through at all? Wow. Jealous!

About this age my EBF DD was behaving similarly. She continued to be EBF for quite a lot longer. The FF myth dies off eventually! It just seems like magic at the time.

We did a bit of co-sleeping with our DD when it was necessary that everyone got some sleep. She now sleeps perfectly happily in her own cot (aged 21 months.) The parenting books always made me feel absolutely dreadful - like a totally deficient mother who was "ruining" her daughter's ability to sleep/self-settle/becoming independent etc. Trust me, my DD is quite independent and quite able to sleep etc. She just doesn't always manage it. Neither do I. I bet there are times when you wake up in the middle of the night and stay awake for no good reason either - not hungry/thirsty/angry/hot etc. Just awake.

Also the jabs might have had an enormous influence.

You are doing brilliantly. If all else fails, get the HV to check out her health - as Raspberrysorbet says, check poo, temperature etc.

Might she be starting to teethe??? Not impossible at this age.

If this is becoming a regular issue, can you express and have your OH take turns? Good luck

mimmy, properly lol'd at 'ruining' your dd - i too feel exactly the same and when i am awake in the middle of the night this is usually what i am worrying about!

My dd got her first tooth at 17 weeks and second one just came thru this week 20 weeks so that could be it. Also my dd slept thru till about 9 weeks then it all went a bit to pot. Total myth re ff babies sleeping longer. In fact recent studies show bf babies sleep on average 20 mins longer. Your sleeping pattern now seems pretty normal!

ok. it smells normal but is runny (but not sure if runnier than normal).

you've gotta live conversations about poo!