I am a human dummy between 3am and 6am! Advice?

[josiejay]

My 18 week old DD is EBF, she is on the small side (9th centile) but generally feeds well and is thriving.

She wakes at 3am for a feed but then just won't come off the boob until she is finally knocked out at around 6. She falls asleep several times during this time but then will wake up when I put her down. No amount of shushing, rocking or pacing will help, she just wants the breast. I'm inclined to think she's not hungry as she isn't exactly gulping milk down, she just wants comfort. She won't take a dummy, just spits it out.

How do I break this cycle? I'm exhausted - once she's asleep my toddler is usually about to wake up!

[bigkidsdidit]

if it makes you feel any better, both mine have done this, my breastfed DS1 and now my fully ff DS2. Obviously DS2 doesn't breastfeed but from 3.30 ish onwards he WILL NOT be put down. I think when they are in the very light sleep cycle they need the contact.

Desperate though isn't it, when the clock ticks round to toddler waking time!

[bigkidsdidit]

oh x post!

my ff one does sleep better than my bf one but that's because I think I am inclined to try more methods to get him to sleep - if he's had a bottle an hour ago and wakes I'm not oging to go downstairs and make another, I try other methods. so unlike DS1, who I fed to sleep and ended up in a pickle with, he can self settle. But that's anecdata! And neither of them were any good at all in the early hours, I think that is not bf related, and in fact at least you can bf him and not have to sit up rocking back and forth

OP I just asked DH when he thought DS1 grew out of this and he said he thought it was about 5 months. So you might not have long to go.

[girliefriend]

If it were me I would feed her and put her back in moses basket, I am not a fan of co-sleeping and don't think it is safe to advocate it to someone unless you know 100% they will stick to safe practices.

So my plan would be to feed at 3am and put back down, if she struggles to settle do whatever you can to soothe but do not bf. She will eventually settle herself and if she is a sucky baby she will take a dummy if you perservere with it ime.

I bf my dd for nearly a year but refused to be a human dummy and also would have gone stark raving mad not sleeping between 3am and 6am (and i didn't have a toddler to then get up with!!!)

[bigkidsdidit]

Not to hijack the thread, but that does assume fathers do no nights with the ff babies doesnt it. Mine does 3 nights now which saves me.

Anyway good luck op. may it pass soon!

[OddFrog]

I am a part-time co-sleeping human dummy! DD is 8 months now and it has been a similar pattern to yours, OP. I have finally had enough and introduced a bedtime bottle this week, but until now (and until I see if the bottle works) I find if I really need a deeper sleep, or just need a break from her, my DH has some success settling her away from me. If they stay in the same room it doesn't work, but when she realises bf is not going to happen, she gives up. He has a whole new repertoire of lullabies now!

We have tried just about everything and have fallen into our current arrangement by sheer exhaustion, but I do hope you can get a few good nights to keep you going to help you through tonight

[LAF77]

josie I feel for you. I bed share with my sons cot sidecar to our bed. I work full time and sometimes we have bad nights. Feeding whilst lying down gives me some rest.

Perhaps your DC is teething and the pain is making her wake for comfort. We just don't know as our babies don't have the words to tell us.

You are doing a great job as a mum to 2. It's hard when you are knackered, but check out options like sidecar the cot to help you through this phase. FYI, I found the heights of the beds didn't match up quite right, so I stuffed some spare duvets and books under the mattress to even it out.

[LAF77]

Oh and I discovered Berocca with Guarana. That helps to kickstart my days too!