I dont understand

[SiobhanJ]

My LO is 16 weeks and breastfed and about 3 weeks ago he began waking in the night for a feed again after sleeping through since he was 8 weeks. When I spoke to my HV 2 weeks ago she suggested topping up with 3-4oz of formula as he wasnt settled in the day for more than an hour at a time. It was put down to a growth spurt. However, I'm sure he's finished his growth spurt as he's much more settled in the day and will go 3-4 hours without wanting a feed if I top him up with formula. He's still waking in the night though and now its twice, maybe three times instead of just the once. When he was a newborn he would only wake once in the night for a feed so this is really unusual. Also, last night just before his bedtime, for what seemed to me and my DH as no apparent reason, he started screaming, I tried some bonjela as he's teething but to no avail. I offered him a breastfeed from both sides but again to no avail. I tried winding him but nothing. I asked my DH to make me a bottle and he took it straight away and settled right down for bed. That quite upset me as he didnt settle for me. Whats going on? Is he waking because he's hungry and obviously not getting enough from me at all anymore? He's not putting on as much weight as he could either from me and has dropped from the 75th centile to the 25th. He's having regular dirty/wet nappies and is bright and alert for the majority of the day with only 45 minute naps twice maybe three times a day. I would love to continue breastfeeding until he is at least 6 months if possible and have tried everything to increase my milk supply, including cutting out the top up feeds for a couple of days. And yes, I do feed from both breasts and wait until he has finished feeding from one before moving onto the next. Any advice much appreciated.

Is it possible that he doesn't know how to settle himself down when he wakes? He might just be crying because he is really tired and can't get back to sleep. I just thought that as he took the bottle which ineffect allows him to sooth himself, it could be that? Tracy Hogg site has great advice on this.

1st of all my advice is drop the formula. The less you breastfeed, the less you produce, so the less you breastfeed, produce less... its a vicious circle. You WILL produce enough during these growth spurts and are hindering your supply by introducing formula as your body isnt getting the signal to change your production. Night time waking could be teething - DS suffered with this at about 16 weeks for about 2 weeks, but now has settled. Babies change patterns all the time aswell... DS has woken once a night, or 6 times a night... its not a "fault". Bonjela I found good for teething, also you can get a dummy like thing for them to chew on that you put the gel on. Make sure you get the right "stage" though. Rule out anything else like too hot/too cold during the night. I find when DS is hungry and teething at night, it takes a while to settle him on the breast... I latch him on, he screams, I calm him down, wind him, offer breast, he screams... etc. until he settles on it. Do you co-sleep?

also, do you BF on demand?

Know lots of people on here will disagree (violently ) with me, but I started weaning DS at 17 weeks when he started waking in the night again. It stopped. Don't drop any milk feeds though as he still needs all the milk. Agree with QPie about not topping up with formula, it really won't help supply.

You could express extra breast milk and top him up with that instead after he's taken all he wants from you - that should help with both your supply and with night waking if it is hunger and you want to wait longer before thinking about weaning.

Good luck.

I think it is fairly typical for sleep to get more unsettled about that age (those whose babaies didn't sleep through before would nt have noticed the change) - it is often blamed on a hungry baby - but I am inclined to believe it is more a developmental thing - their brain is becoming more active - maybe they are waking up but can't work out how to go back to sleep.

The fact that it is very easy to drink a bottle of formula (for a baby), which fills their tum up, and makes them sleepy does not necessarily mean that is what they needed in the first place.

Just try and keep things low key at night - dark, or low light, low voices, minimum talking, feed (bottle or breast) if you think it would help.

hopefully it will all resolve itself in a week or so.

From memory, 16 weeks is about the time most babies have a growth spurt. Keep giving milk, your supply will catch up in a few days. Milk is FAR more calorie rich than any solids you can give him anyway. Hang on in there, 6 months is an achievable goal

My lo is 23 weeks and went back to night feeds for a couple of weeks (until last night - 12 hrs straight again ). My milk supply had been a bit low, and now it's fine again. The only solution is to ditch the formula and feed as much as poss for a while.

Yes, he is teething and I do use bonjela before I put him to bed and he seems ok with this. He usually settles himself anyway as I put him to bed awake most nights and within 10 mins he's asleep. I dont co-sleep, he is in his own cot and has been for some time now. I do feed on demand and I cut out the formula Thursday last week and he's only had one bottle since and that was last night as nothing else would settle him, not even offering him the breast. I've tried to give him a cuddle in the night to see if he'll calm down and go back off to sleep but to no avail, he'll continue to cry until I feed him. I do keep things calm,quiet and low-lit at night, I have done since he was born.