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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:
Cariad007 · 25/05/2014 23:40

Right, fed and asleep on me. Am going to be lazy again and keep him in the bed with us so wish me luck!

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 26/05/2014 00:25

He's asleep on me but that means nothing. I have tried to put him down 3 times already when he appears to be in a really deep sleep but he wakes up straight away and the screaming starts again. He will usually soothe with his dummy but he's refusing to take it. I'm so, so tired but petrified of trying to put him down. I've sent DH to the spare room because I'm sick of listening to him snore! Why is settling the baby always seen as the woman's job?! God I feel fed up.

OP posts:
Singsongmama · 26/05/2014 01:17

Oh writer... I feel your pain. You're having such a tough time. The screaming really does tear your heart and head to shreds. I'm really hoping something changes for you soon.

mrsmugoo · 26/05/2014 02:15

DS went from 9 to 1:45! And the good news is that he's just fed on that side and the blockage is tonnes better so think I've escaped mastitis, seems like it was just a stubborn blockage.

I'm just settling him back off now. Would be nice to do the next feed lying down. I have the offer of sending him in with PIL any time after 6 so I can get a lie in woohoo!

mrsmugoo · 26/05/2014 02:16

Writer, can you take him in bed with you if your DH is in the spare room?

mrsmugoo · 26/05/2014 02:33

Arrrgh just woke him up coming back in from the loo with a creaky door hinge nooooo!

He's dropping back off nicely in my arms though.

Anyone else's DC do adorable little smiles as they drop off to sleep? It melts my heart!

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 26/05/2014 03:26

Hey mrsmugoo - I can't co-sleep because of a health issue I have.

I put him down at about 00.40am and one I'm up feeding again, so not even a 3 hour gap.

I can't believe how backwards things have gone with his overnight feeding and sleeping. His 4 hour screaming frenzy tonight was the first one he's had in ages, we thought it was behind us. I remember when he doing that every night, it was unbearable, I think I have kind of blocked the memory out. I can't go back to it.

OP posts:
Singsongmama · 26/05/2014 04:10

It won't happen every night writer - keep moving forward. It was just a blip. There will be days that you feel like you're back to square one but you are doing great.

Singsongmama · 26/05/2014 04:13

Glad blockage is better Mugoo. What a lovely offer from PIL - you were due a bit of a break!! Enjoy every minute of your lie in, you have earned it.

PollyP0429 · 26/05/2014 04:42

Wonderful thing I heard once, when it comes to babies, keep in mind that everything, good and bad is a phase. So the screaming WILL pass... just feels like youmight go insane in the meantime. You my deepest sympathies writer

Up with only the second feed with DD, so far, a lot shorter before she fell asleep. Considering her best long feeds have been at night, I'm hoping this doesn't mean a hard day feeding...

mrsmugoo · 26/05/2014 04:53

Writer, just under a 3 hour gap is really not bad for a 9/10 week old! I know it's not what you're user to but I'd certainly be happy with it.

I'm back up now after a 2 hour gap - after first feed a 2 hour gap is pretty good for him, he frequently drops down to one hour at a time.

The screaming really sucks though - do you know why? Is it still reflux/colic?

TwentiethCenturyGirl · 26/05/2014 05:06

DD has just done a 5.5 sleep and has woken for a feed now. Even better, her big sister has stayed asleep too. Bonus!

Writer - I'm sure things will have improved now but earlier you mentioned sending your DH to the spare room while you resettled baby. If you know DS is fed and it's a non working day tomorrow for your DH, can you not leave the resettling to him and try and get some sleep yourself? If DD is proving hard to settle, I leave it to DH to deal with a lot of the time - the only thing he can't do is feed her! At least you could have a bit of a break and grab some sleep before the next wake up then. I've always found DH to be better at resettling the babies than me. He's calmer, less emotional and they can't smell milk on him.

I also LOVE the little involuntary smiles that DD does when drifting off to sleep mrsm - so cute. I like to imagine she's having a nice dream!

Completely light in our room due to our ineffectual curtains. Hope that this isn't it for the day!

TwentiethCenturyGirl · 26/05/2014 05:14

And yes - just to second what Mrs M said - I know it feels crap but that is still good going for a tiny baby. One of my best friends had a baby who never slept for more than an hour until they did some sleep training at 6m. Imagine! I would die! Happy ending to the story though - she's now a fantastic sleeper at 14m and sleeps perfect 12 hour stretches. She deserves it!

DD1 was a fab sleeper until about 13 weeks and then went backwards for weeks. She did eventually improve again but it was crap when I knew she could do longer. They go through all sorts of weird and wonderful phases!

PastaandCheese · 26/05/2014 05:29

Ha ha twentieth I've always noticed the smell of milk can send them wild and then I think 'urghhh, do I really smell of milk'.

Baiocca · 26/05/2014 06:02

Got a 17 weeks old. He has dropped his night feed about a month ago, for a few weeks he was going 9pm to 6-7am. During those weeks I kept waking up as I was engorged so while he was sleeping through I wasn't! One of the joys of BFing nobody tells you about! Now my boobs have settled but he is not going so long anymore, typical, generally he is up around 5 am, sometimes even earlier. He does not go back to sleep after that so I am still dreaming of a lay in until 7am one day.....

Misty9 · 26/05/2014 06:14

Morning all. First feed was at 1 and lying down so back off quickly. Then restless sleep until 5.30 when she fed then promptly threw it all back up again. Bloody fast letdown :(
So change of clothes and now waiting for poo action but very awake. Need to try and get her in crib as I can't sleep well with her in bed.
Oops, just puked again. Poor thing.

notadoctor · 26/05/2014 07:28

DS slept from 9pm until midnight, my DH let him sleep on him downstairs and I snuck off to bed at 10ish.

After he brought DS up for a feed it took until 1ish to get him down and then he woke himself up an hour late with an enormous fart!

Got another stretch 2.30 -4.30ish and then more wind troubles!

Down again just after 5am until now.

So, broken but not too bad. I'm hoping that as his digestion improves so will his sleep as wind seems to be his main problem!

KateTheShrew · 26/05/2014 08:05

Hi

Singsongmama · 26/05/2014 08:11

Midnight, 1, 4 and 7, munch munch munch. Wish I could detach my boobs and strap them onto my DH.

Misty - not a very settled night for you. Fast letdown is a blessing and a curse, isn't it. I always have to sit very still and quietly to avoid distracting DS cos he ends up choking.

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 26/05/2014 08:16

You're all right, I'm probably expecting too much from DS. I think I'd got accustomed to his longer sleeping patterns and naively thought we'd 'cracked it'. Now it's morning I can see that he's just being a normal 9 week old baby but it's hard to think rationally through the exhaustion. Thanks everyone for your reassurance and kind words x

OP posts:
KateTheShrew · 26/05/2014 08:19

Oops!

Hi all. Sorry I've been AWOL for a couple of days. Sadly it's not because DS has suddenly become a perfect sleeper but because my parents have been visiting and we've been busier then usual.

Sorry to hear about the screaming, writer. I agree with singsong, it's probably not a sign that he's going back to the constant screaming of the early days. We still have random screaming nights at 18 weeks but they tend to be isolated. Also re resettling, can your DH not help sometimes? If I've fed DS and he still won't settle my DH will take over provided he's not got anything too important at work next day. It really takes the pressure off so might be worth a try for you?

Last night started well for us. He slept 10.30 till nearly 3 Shock But then was awake again at 4.30 before I'd had a chance to get back to sleep. Back down at 5ish then lovely DM took him when he woke again at 6.30. Just woke up to feed him now. Not a big lie in but it'll do!

mrsmugoo · 26/05/2014 11:01

He woke up for the day at 7:20 so I sent my DH to change his nappy and put him in with his grandparents and I slept til 9 which was bliss! He's napping in my arms at the moment so all is calm!

PastaandCheese · 26/05/2014 11:59

I hit a new all time low. Woke up and fed DS at 5 and managed to soak my pj top. Just took it off, threw it on the floor and fashioned a new top from his muslin before going straight back to sleep.

Singsongmama · 26/05/2014 12:41

A new low? Piffle!! It sounds like a well thought out feat of engineering and something to be proud of. We have to play the hand we are given!! I commend you!

Misty9 · 26/05/2014 17:07

singsong fast letdown is the bane of my life currently. She threw up every feed until late afternoon :( the washing! I've started taking her off at letdown and catching the flood in a muslin, which seems to be helping - but discreet it is not! waste of milk too I've had about enough of bf and all it's problems at the moment :(
Just ordered a dozen more muslins...

Bloody knackered today so I don't think operation crib will be tonight. Plus ds is being very hard work and had a late nap so bedtime could be hellish fun.