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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

4 Month Old-How Many BFs In A Night?

54 replies

woopsidaisy · 01/01/2013 07:58

Hi. I have asked this before when DS3 in first month. But is it still normal to feed this often at night? Other mums are getting longer stretches now, why am I not?!This is last nights feeds.
7.15-7.45 Then asleep in cot.
8.40-9.10
11.00-11.20
1.40-2.00
2.50-3.15
4.00-4.20
6.00-6.10
Then usually again at 8.15.
He goes a few hours through the day between feeds.
This is the same story each night. He is a big baby, but I wouldn't have said he was a hungry baby. Not weaning until 6mo. Any advice? Or is this the norm?

OP posts:
Original poster
woopsidaisy · 01/01/2013 07:58

Should have made it clearer. He is 4mo. My other DSs are older, don't remember this though.

OP posts:
Kveta · 01/01/2013 08:03

sounds normal, sorry! do you wind him after every feed, and try and get him to take both sides each time? not that that guarantees sleep, but wind may be waking him? it's exhausting though, isn't it?

3ForMe · 01/01/2013 08:07

When I ebf my ds1 he fed/wanted comfort/a drink every two hours until he was around 4 months old.

Even dc2 who was ff fed every two hours for about 4/5 months, and dc2 was, and still is top of the charts.

Every child is different. But ime, certainly with bf, sometimes it's just the comfort and a little drunk they're after rather than a feed.

And it's awful when other mums say their baby is sleeping for long stretches when your baby isn't.

I'm afraid I can't offer any advice, I'm sure some helpful mnr's will be along soon. But you're not alone with the regular feeding/comforting, and I know it's easy for he to say now-but it doesn't last forever. Though I completely sympathise how exhausting and frustrating it can be at times.

belindarose · 01/01/2013 08:07

Sorry, mine's still like this and 6 months old today. He's a small baby and has been underweight. He's been weaning for a month (hospital advice/ orders) and it has certainly made no difference to the frequency of his feeds. Now he's opting for a 5am get up time as well. Exhausting! Hope yours grows out of it soon.

NotAllItsCrackedUpToBe · 01/01/2013 08:17

My DS was exactly the same. Everyone told me he wasn't feeding properly and I needed to "make" him go longer, but as I got older and I started to express I found I always had loads of milk so I think he was just hungry and needed a lot of milk.

If I had my time again I would have co-slept to get some sleep and worn him in a sling in the daytime. I would have had a more contented baby and I would have been less tired.

I know all babies are different but I wish I'd listened to my instincts with mine and not listened to other people's (well meaning) advice, when they had babies that were different to mine.

NotAllItsCrackedUpToBe · 01/01/2013 08:18

As he got older, not as I got older!

LarkinSky · 01/01/2013 08:19

Dd2 is bf at roughly 3 hour jntervals since she was 2 weeks, except when she's had a cold/cough and wanted more. I have encouraged this by using a dummy to stretch her out between feeds:I became so tired I couldn't cope with dd1 so set out to do things differently with dd2. Now at 9 weeks she feeds typically midnight, 3/4am, 7am and so on. She might do a bit of cluster feeding in the evening, while we're watching tv.

I do a mix of her sleeping in crib and co-sleeping (she normally starts off in crib, is in my bed by morning). I go back to work when she's 5 months and am determined to have her 'sleeping through' soon (ie 11pm to 6 am).

I dont often weigh her but i know she's at the top of the charts.

3ForMe · 01/01/2013 08:22

Have to agree with Not and say go with your instincts.

LarkinSky · 01/01/2013 08:22

Oh yes I also use a sling to make her go further between feeds/ sleep during the day. I suspect being so busy in the day looking after dd1 helps this too. It certainly is helping me lose weight!

Original poster
woopsidaisy · 01/01/2013 08:23

Thanks Ladies. I had a feeling that they would be the answers!Grin It is just so annoying when everyone asks if he is sleeping through the night yet-as though he should be. And shriek in horror when I say he gets up every 2 hours or so. It makes me feel like everyone else's baby did sleep through by this stage. And don't get me started on the looks of pity for DS3 when I say I'm waiting until 6 months to wean...those looks say well you are obviously starving that baby, he wakes as he is hungry.
He never takes from both sides when feeding. Just one side each feed.Is that ok?

OP posts:
Piemistress · 01/01/2013 08:35

There is a big growth spurt at 16 weeks / 4 months which might account for it. My DD definitely went through a similar spell. She is 6 months now and has one or two night feeds. I know I get the Shock face when I tell people this but I.don't believe that all my friends babies are sleeping 12hrs at night, for some reason I think they embelish it

ChristmasKnackers · 01/01/2013 08:40

Don't listen to other people, I know it's hard but babies really are not designed to sleep through the night and if they do then the parents are just very lucky. Mines 16 weeks and has started waking every three hours after going much longer. It's frustrating, but it will pass and you will miss breastfeeding when they get older.

NotAllItsCrackedUpToBe · 01/01/2013 09:28

If you burp him then offer the second side and he doesn't take it then he's full and it's fine.

Original poster
woopsidaisy · 01/01/2013 09:36

Thanks, that has reassured me. It helps to know others are the same. Now I'm off to join the 'How to stay awake for night feeds thread!' Smile

OP posts:
ElphabaTheGreen · 01/01/2013 13:42

I'm afraid that's pretty much exactly how my 7mo feeds, and it has been that way since he was 3/4 months. We're well into weaning, and there's been no let up on the frequency of the night feeds even if I tank him up on something filling like rice pudding. Co-sleeping does make it easier, but I also can't help but think it encourages him since he now sleeps with boobs in his face ('Oh! Don't mind if I do!' Hmm)

5madthings · 01/01/2013 13:46

Sounds normal to me! Plus its growth spurt and sleep regression age.

I co-slept tl survive.

Mine only fed off one side at a feed as well. You can try offering both sides but it never made any difference with mine.

HopAndSkip · 01/01/2013 14:51

My DD is 5m/o (corrected age 3m/o) and she feeds about 4 times a night, though only really one proper feed now, the others are just latching on to fall asleep again. She co-sleeps which means i barely have to wake up too, she wriggles until i wake up rather than crying, then i can feed without getting up and so stay half asleep. Might be worth a try if you're really finding it hard.
It's nice having night time cuddles too! Smile

MsFlippingHeck · 01/01/2013 17:40

My 10mo feeds every 2 hrs at night. It's a party every night. Zzzzzz

geekette · 02/01/2013 00:26

Not sure what those "other mums" are on about. Are you sure their babies are the same age as yours?

Mine just turned 18 weeks and I have a thread on here about the same behaviour. Apparently normal...

There seems to be truth in the change at 16 weeks.

ILikeOwls · 02/01/2013 20:36

Grin you all just made my day. DS is waking every 90 mins to 2 hrs overnight to latch on for comfort/back to sleep or actually feed. I felt all alone till I saw this Grin

ThoughtsPlease · 02/01/2013 22:04

I have to say I really don't understand this, I have EBF 3DC, the youngest is now 7 months, and they have all slept for 11-12 hours a night without feeding from between 7 and 12 weeks.

If you are happy to carry in with it that's great, but if not I believe it can be changed.

ThoughtsPlease · 02/01/2013 22:04

*on

geekette · 02/01/2013 22:16

Thanks Thoughts. It was comments like that which made me feel like a bad parent when my lo wouldn't do as predicted.

No, we are not happy to carry on with it. But I am not prepared to starve my kid so that it does what your kid did.

That most likely is rude but I am still smarting from comments like that one and i know i have the exact opposite night ahead of me and accepting my condition is the only thing that is keeping me going.

Piemistress · 02/01/2013 22:25

To be honest I don't think it's common at all for breast fed babies to sleep 12 hours a night at 7 weeks old ?

Squiglettsmummy2bx · 02/01/2013 22:28

My DS is 11 months old & still feeds all the time during the night on a similar schedule to the op. I'm sure it is more comfort than hunger as he eats plenty but I'm sure I'll get more sleep eventually & we co-sleep so he doesn't disturb me too much. Everyone I know who bf has said similar.