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

[Writerwannabe83]

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!

Up for second feed here

We just had a three nappy poo! Night poos are very rare here but I've been dosing with gripe water to stop his farts accumulating over night and I think it got things moving!

The good thing is, he fed again after the nappy change so should be nice and full and has gone back off to sleep nicely in my arms so fingers crossed I get at least a two hour stretch again now.

Morning everyone

DS is up for his first feed after having slept for over 6 hours!!

It's been almost 8 hours since his last feed

He's feeding nicely now and will hopefully go straight down afterwards.

mrsmugoo - thanks for those tips. I definitely think I need to take him somewhere more quiet when he starts showing signs he may want a nap. I tend to just try and rock him off in the living room whilst the TV is still blaring..

I agree with Mugoo about naps...persevere and you LO will learn that nap time is coming. I know 1.5 doesn't seem long but honestly, try it. I think that the first nap of the day sets the tone of day, it's like a false start to your day..up and feed and small activity and down. I had to learn to just leave my baby in peace and stop talking, cuddling, singing etc! (Ie over stimulating) And yes, if it gets to 2 hours I start to get the pram organised. Writer - your LO might be too young to have settled into own nap pattern but I'd aim for 3 a day. Heck, there are days where 3 naps seems like a real achievement!!

The dreaded 4am here - wet pyjamas and a change of clothes. Fed and sleeping ( not very deeply) in my arms.

Cariad, our daughter has left me with bruises on each breast!

12 wk growth spurt in this house. Fed her 3h straight in the afternoon.

Putting her down in about 5 mins. Fingers crossed the cosy little bundle will stay asleep. Don't suppose she will sleep longer than an hr :( that's what normally happens at this time of the morning.

V tired but yesterday was a better day as I got a 20 min swim while dh walked her round the car park of the sports centre. Then we dared to go for a very early dinner at the local Italian. For the first time ever she slept in a stationary buggy. Small luxury. So glad we dared to try. Possible one hit wonder alert.

Thanks for the daytime nap tips. This one doesn't unless in her buggy or has a huge feed. Even if she's in the dark.

Good luck everyone

Hi Yorkie, these little treats are so magic! I remember DS sleeping as we scoffed our first lunch out....we ate so fast!!! It's so hit and miss.

Oh no, little awake eyes + seagulls and crows = unhappy sleepy mummy.

Have just fed DS and am making a determined effort to settle him back off - I want more sleep!

I agree with singsong about 3 naps being an achievement. it really is! I judge the success of my day on his naps now.

We got another hour and now we're up for the day.

At the moment DD has all her daytime naps in her bouncy chair, but next week I might try putting her down in her cot to see what happens!

Another 3.5 hour sleep over here. He's feeding again now then I'm pretty sure he's up for the day.

I had DS all day yesterday between 11.30am-20.30pm because DH was playing cricket so I think when DS has finished his feed it's only fair DH takes him downstairs and lets me have a few more hours in bed

How long do you allow naps to go on for? When DS has napped previously he can easily sleep for 3 hours.

I let DD nap as long as she wants, sometimes it is twenty minutes, and other times have been several hours! Yesterday she napped about four times for a good hour each time but I think that's tied to the growth spurt.

This one only sleeps for average 45 minutes.

Strike 1! Up for an hour and 20 mins down for a nap already!

It's such a difficult topic as although it can frustrate me in the day that he won't nap, I know that his long periods of sleep at night are because he's tired from not napping

I had a good 9.5 hour sleep last night and a few days ago it was 10.5 hours.....I don't know if I'm prepared to jeopardise that with naps

The problem we have is just how long it takes for him to fall asleep after his last feed. I tend to spend about. 20 minutes cuddling and winding him and then just put him in his MB. He is very happy and content in there but it normally takes an hour before he goes to sleep.

DH has taken DS downstairs and I'm wondering whether he'll have the initiative to wash and dress him I'm guessing definitely not.

A very unsettled night was had here. Fin was uptill 11.30, then he went down till 2.30 when he had a nappy change and a feed then back up at 5 and 7 which doesn't sound too bad but inbetween the feeds he was really restless straining and grizzling so he slept but I didn't!

We are moving him from mb to cot in our room tonight, fingers crossed we might both get some sleep!

Hope everyone has a nice sunny Sunday.

Another difficult night/morning :( DS went down around 11 and slept til 130. I then took him into bed to feed him and we bith must've fallen asleep as he the thing I knew it was 4ish and he was sucking again. After nearly an hour it was obvious he was comfort sucking so tried the dummy. He was having none of it so DP took him and from then on he's screamed on and off til I fed him again, slept a bit, then screamed more. He refused the bottle I'd expressed last night. He just had a small feed and is grumbling again. Don't know what to do with this kid!!

DP used to be able to settle him and put him to sleep but not anymore it seems. Which makes it kind of hard for me. He takes DS to ostensibly give me a chance to rest but I can't rest if all I can hear is DS screaming.

Could your dp maybe take him out of the house in the pram or for a drive just to give you a break, sometimes my oh takes Fin for a drive around it gives me a break and Fin usually falls asleep in the car.

Oh he does, just not at 5 in the morning which is when I need it most! DS has now fallen asleep on the boob thank god, and we'll take him for a walk later. Funny, he's as good as gold when we take him out and everyone comments on what a well-bah aged baby he is. Little do they know!

well-behaved that is!

I know that feeling, I can't tell you how many people have told me I'm lucky to have such a well behaved baby and I think come back at 3am and see if you still think that!

Totally agree ladies - "oh your DS is so calm and contented" comments are lovely but annoying all at once.

Writer - proper length naps during the day shouldnt stop DS from sleeping long spells at night. Babies need sleep boosts through the day for their little brains and bodies to rest and catch up!

Oh cariad - you have my sympathies. I used to roll my eyes when everyone told me they didn't believe me when I moaned about what a difficult baby DS was at times! I used to tell them to come round at 9pm and say that!!

I took your advice mrsmugoo and 1.5 hours after DS woke up I started winding him down for a nap. He was a bit reluctant at first but within 20 minutes he was fast asleep. He slept soundly for 2 hours, woke up for a feed and went straight back to sleep again. He's still asleep now!

What a difference compared to yesterday - he's only been awake for 2 hours (cumulatively) out of the last 6.

He woke again at 2.30pm, had another feed and went to sleep again.

I can't believe how much he's sleeping - I hope he's not feeling poorly