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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Calling all nighttime feeders!! Let's all keep us company during those early hours of the morning when we're feeding instead of sleeping!

977 replies

Writerwannabe83 · 12/05/2014 20:28

This is a thread for everyone to chat to each other about their experiences of night time feeding, the good, the bad and the ugly!

There are already a few of us who have been chatting about this in another forum for a few months now but we want to migrate over here to meet more sleep deprived parents!!

Log on and post, no whatever silly hour it is, and vent away about how knackered and stressed you are!! There's a good chance someone else is up and feeding crying with exhaustion too!!

Introductions: I have a 7 week old son, first baby and exclusively breastfeed. He's normally a nightmare to settle to sleep, screaming for hours on end, but will go for 5 hour stretches of sleep!

OP posts:
Nousernameforme · 22/05/2014 03:24

We don't have a spare room so he has gone downstairs to sleep on a fake leather sofa
may his skin sweat and stick to it and also one of the Lego bricks that is inevitably stuffed down the cushions make its way into the crack of his arse

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 22/05/2014 03:27

Hahaha - that's exactly the sort of thing I'd be thinking!! Grin

Has your son settled a bit now?? Mine is in his MB, wide awake, kicking his legs, waving his arms and smiling - I'm not optimistic about him going to sleep any time soon.....

OP posts:
puggywug81 · 22/05/2014 03:28

Just fed Fin,he only fed for 10 mins then fell asleep so it probably won't be long till our next feed!

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 22/05/2014 03:33

I used to worry about short feeds too pug and I'd try anything I could to try and make DS feed some more but when they don't want it, they don't want it do they? Smile

Thankfully DS can absolutely sick me dry in just over 5 minutes now if he's having a manic feed so I just let him get on with it Smile I hope you manage to get some sleep before you're up again.

OP posts:
tgrayson · 22/05/2014 04:17

Thanks ladies (?) didn't factor in the heat. DS is in a nappy and a muslin grobag with a v light/thin blanket

I gave in, in the end but he wouldn't feed just had snuggles on the sofa then tried again to put him down. He slept for 4ish hours and is feeding now.

HV said CC should be intervals of 5mins rather than the intervals but that made him worse as he would begin to settle then I would go in and he would then get angrier.

Dh husband leaves to go to work at 5am as a driver so he will not help overnight. Not even with advice. His not that great in the day either Hmm

I'm sure things will get betterGrin

mrsmugoo · 22/05/2014 04:24

Hi everyone. DS slept til midnight then woke at 2 and 4. I changed his nappy this time to try to get a bit longer out of him if he's uncomfortable but I can't see him sleeping much past 6:30 if I'm honest.

He's asleep in my arms, going to hold him for a bit longer before I place him back down in the bed.

Anyone's baby still have a very strong startle reflex? Mine still does at 10 weeks!

PepperMallow · 22/05/2014 06:17

Thanks writer, I finally got some sleep from 2, then up at 5:30. Hoping I'll be able to have a nap this afternoon before DC1 home from school. DH still on leave thankfully so v helpful although has become an expert at sleeping through DD's snuffles and cries! I agree, really annoying to hear his deep snores whilst I'm on the verge of dropping off myself but can't due to attached feeding baby! It's the "puff" snores that seem to annoy me the most for some reason!!

mrsmugoo · 22/05/2014 07:38

DH doesn't help in the night - I don't see the point in both of us having broken sleep when it's me with the boobs and DS won't take a bottle.

I think it's best for him to be well rested for work so he can do a good job of running our business in the day. He keeps the domestic chores ticking over for me and I'm happy with that split.

puggywug81 · 22/05/2014 07:47

Thanks writer, he's feeding now and has been for 20mins he's making up for earlier!

Nouse I hope ur oh got sufficient legislation bricks in his crack!

PollyP0429 · 22/05/2014 08:09

Yup my DD is 17 weeks and still has a very strong startle. mrs mugoo confidence and speed helped me with that, the quicker I did it and the less fuss I made the better DD responded.

Hi everyone, finally got to the stage where I can zombie feed! No idea what time it was or how long, only that we both got back to sleep easily after. As usual DH slept through everything

KateTheShrew · 22/05/2014 09:02

Sympathies everyone, it sounds like we all had unsettled nights. Ours was awful. About half an hour after we got DS settled he was up screaming his head off. I fed him to sleep again, and thereafter he woke at 10.30, 1am and 3 am. At 3 he was absolutely wide awake and I had a bit of a cry as had only just got back to sleep after the 1am wake up! So frustrating as he doesn't seem hungry or even thirsty. Just has a couple of sucks to send himself back to sleep. But n if he wants to do that every 2 hours or more how am I supposed to ever sleep!? I ended up trying to squeeze milk into him in the hope that he'd go a bit longer before his next feed. Got him back down at 4ish and DH re settled him an few times before I fed him again at 6. Don't want to deny feeds as he's a naturaly little baby (just above 2nd centile) and we had problems with bf in the beginning which led to me expressing and mix feeding for 2 months which was hellish. Really grateful to have got back to bf at all after all that, so feel selfish for resenting current situation Sad Can't function on this little sleep though, it's turning me into a crazy person!

mrsmugoo · 22/05/2014 09:07

Kate have you tried co-sleeping and feeding lying down? It's totally saved my bacon! I can do two feeds barely even waking up now. I do sit up for the third so I can change nappy and use other boob but by that stage I've had an acceptable amount of sleep and it's not as bad.

KateTheShrew · 22/05/2014 09:29

Thanks mrsmugoo I've tried a couple of times and it really doesn't work for me. I find I have to contort myself into a really uncomfortable position (one arm always ends up dead) and even then he can't get a good latch (boobs quite small Blush). Plus I'm not a great sleeper anyway and really need my big duvet and 3 pillows! I know co sleeping is a lifesaver for some people but I'm afraid I'm really not one of them. We were doing fine with bednest cot and sitting up/reclining feeding in bed until he decided he needed two sips every hour and a half!

KateTheShrew · 22/05/2014 09:30

Thanks mrsmugoo I've tried a couple of times and it really doesn't work for me. I find I have to contort myself into a really uncomfortable position (one arm always ends up dead) and even then he can't get a good latch (boobs quite small Blush). Plus I'm not a great sleeper anyway and really need my big duvet and 3 pillows! I know co sleeping is a lifesaver for some people but I'm afraid I'm really not one of them. We were doing fine with bednest cot and sitting up/reclining feeding in bed until he decided he needed two sips every hour and a half!

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 22/05/2014 09:41

We are all having a bit of a rough time aren't we Sad

I have tried to get some more sleep this morning but it just isn't happening. He's waking up every 45 minutes for no apparent reason has a whinge and a cry and then goes back to sleep again. By the time I manage to drift off he's awake again. I'm so, so tired Sad

We were going to have a lazy day today, a pyjama day as such, but I've give up on that idea as I've realised that sleep for me isn't an option. We have now moved down to the living room and watching the JK Show. He's munching on his hands again....only 2 hours since his last feed. This is becoming a typical pattern now.

I think I'm getting cystitis too Sad

OP posts:
OwlinaTree · 22/05/2014 09:42

I'm sorry your night was bad shrew. Seems a lot of babies were unsettled last night. Mine however chose last night to sleep from 11ish to 6ish. I was Shock.

I'm not expecting it to last but I was pleased!

OwlinaTree · 22/05/2014 09:45

X post with writer - sorry about cystitis, hope you feel better soon.

KateTheShrew · 22/05/2014 10:03

Thanks, owlina.

Aw writer sorry to hear you're feeling rough Thanks

Long-suffering DH got up with DS at 7.30 so I got an extra hour. Everything seems slightly better now. Got HV coming later so will see if she has any words of wisdom. In the meantime I'm off to get dressed and vote.

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 22/05/2014 10:20

kate - I remember when my HV came to see me as she knew I was struggling with feeding and night time regimes and the minute I closed the front door after she came in I burst into tears!! I actually threw my arms around her and clung on and just cried - she must have thought I was crazy. She stayed for over an hour where I cried about another 3-4 times. I'm pretty sure she thought I had PND....

OP posts:
mrsmugoo · 22/05/2014 10:27

Owlina, is 11pm your LO's bedtime? Do you do an evening nap to get through to that time?

Reason I'm asking is that we have to bath DS at 7 and feed/sleep by 8-8:30 or we get tiredness meltdown. He's doing a 4 hour stretch from then til midnight but thereafter he wakes every hour to 2 hours. It would be good to get the 4 hour stretch at midnight!

Dreamfeed not really an option - can't get him to latch on unless he's awake/hungry & he doesn't take bottles.

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 22/05/2014 10:34

I'm the same as you missmugoo - we found an early bedtime is the only way to prevent the horror that is an overtired baby who won't stop screaming. We never used to have a set routine but now we do the improvement in DS's mood is a God send. We get him bathed at 8pm, then a feed and he is usually asleep by 21.30pm. It does mean he's up again at midnight for a feed but that's the lesser of two evils when compared to a tired baby. Those days were unbearable, constant screaming for hours. I was dubious that a bedtime routine would work at such a young age (9 weeks) but it really does.

OP posts:
mrsmugoo · 22/05/2014 10:43

Yes the routine has been a huge success here - he's always down by 9 at the latest now.

PollyP0429 · 22/05/2014 11:01

Have to agree, bedtime routine was a lifesaver. Dd slept from about 8 til between 1 and 4 when we started that.

How successful do people find dream feeding at prolonging night sleep? I haven't dared wake LO before now but last night she was up at 11 for a feed. Took her a while after to settle but she only had 1 other feed before she was up at 7:20 :O normally she up at 5/6. Wonder if a repeat is possible with dream feeding.?

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 22/05/2014 11:37

I didn't know you could do breast feed dreams??

OP posts:
PollyP0429 · 22/05/2014 11:54

I can imagine it a bit like a sleepwalker raiding the fridge writer lol. You pick baby up and feed them while still half asleep, apparently they don't even need winding and they settle easily after. I personally don't know how well it works or whetherits a good idea so I was looking for other people's experiences