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!

Oh God writer just read my last post over and it sounded terrible! Obviously your MIL is still with you, I didn't mean to suggest your outcome would necessarily be the same as ours. Just trying to say (in a very inept way, clearly!) that I understand a little bit how hard these situations can be.

Frankel Some babies seem to be badly affected by the sleep regression and others don't seem bothered at all. DD1 was a pretty good sleeper to start off with - it took hours to get her to sleep but once she was down she would follow a very similar pattern to your DC. However it all went haywire just before four months - the dreamfeed stopped working and she was walking more frequently and from earlier in the evening. Her wake ups also became longer - sometimes for over two hours. It was a killer! I cant remember how long it lasted for but I think she was unsettled for a couple of months...

However lots of my friends didn't have any problems at all with their little ones, or if they did they only lasted for a week or so. I suspect it might be luck of the draw to be honest!

DD2 is 12 weeks and is a pretty good sleeper. Last night she fell asleep at 6:45, had a dream feed at 10:45 and slept until 6:50. I can't ask for anything more really. I am wary of being too pleased though because I know it might go to pot as did with her big sis. However DD2 seems generally more chilled (second child syndrome!) and despite us doing nothing differently, can settle herself to sleep. I'm hoping that this will make the sleep regression a bit easier this time round if it hits.

Off topic but has anybody else noticed their hair falling out yet! Just washed mine and handfuls have come out. I'd forgotten about that little post pregnancy joy!

DS literally doesn't have anything to regress from! Has been doing 3/2/2/1 on a good night since birth. Have had the odd 4 hour stretch and numerous nights where it's been hourly all night and nights like last night where he's been so unsettled that I haven't slept at all between two feeds.

I would sell my soul for one wake up per night!

People keep asking when we're going to start giving a bedtime bottle of formula to get more sleep now he's 3 months.... But he won't take a bottle! Plus if he has wind/tummy gripes, then formula isn't going to help one bit. Breast milk is the gentlest and easiest to digest.

Frank - my experience is this - he was a great wee sleeper, one or two feeds and then just before 4 months he had a spell of dreadful nights lasting a few days where he screamed if he was put down, woke up a lot etc and it has settled into now he gets up 2 or 3 times in the night each time for a feed of long enough that makes me think he is genuinely hungry. He may change again but who knows. Every baby is different and they just change themselves without warning! I think and hope that weaning may change sleep pattern next...is that right? Anyone with older babies please jump in with info!

Morning everyone!

Writer - so sorry to hear about your MIL. Having a new baby is such an exhausting and emotional time, it must be incredibly difficult having to deal with an illness in the family at the same time. Sending you positive thoughts!

Frank - DD1 wasn't affected at all by the 4 month sleep regression, she'd been a rubbish sleeper and gradually got better as she got older (until she became a toddler when it all went to pot!!) I think it is probably luck of the draw, so try not to worry until it happens.

mrsmugoo - I sympathise with the questions about when I'm going to start giving formula before bedtime - I was first advised to do this when DS was about 9 days old

kate - don't worry, I know what sense you meant your post in MIL has only just turned 60 and prior to this illness (which started 10 months ago but has rapidly worsened) she was an incredibly fit woman. She used to swim 60 lengths at the pool before work every morning and her and her DH would go on bike rides for absolute miles!!! That's why it's so hard to understand how she has gone from being so fit and healthy to now just wasting away. My DH is trying to put a brave face on. I'm trying to minimise all his stress by taking on extra duties round the house and doing the majority of care for DS but it's making me feel tired and run down.

I haven't gone to my BF group as DS is still fast asleep. He had a very short feed at 07.30 and dropped straight off again. We had a very busy day though yesterday and he had no sleep at all so I think he's making up for it. I have used the time wisely by sorting out all the dry washing, putting another load in the machine, done the washing up and drying up, cleaned out the cat litter tray, renewed the steriliser, sorted out all the recycling, cleaned one of our mats (the cat bloody we'd on it) and cleaned the kitchen floor. I feel exhausted now!!

Weaning made no difference to DD1's sleep singsong. She really took to solids but they didn't make her sleep anymore/less. She just gradually improved and once I was confident she wasn't waking because of hunger, we night weaned and she started sleeping through. Think that was at about 10/11 months. She was an early riser though (5am) and I actually found that harder than waking at night! She's still an early bird now at 3 and has never slept 7-7. She just doesn't seem to need that much sleep!

Thanks for info twentieth. And YES, my hair is falling out in clumps every time I wash it, brush it, tie it up or touch it. The hoover is on non stop and I'm so sick of picking hairs off clothes/furniture etc. Drying my hair is the worse.

Mugoo...You are a caring and brave mum, putting yourself and sleep second so your LO can carry on with breastmilk. A lot of people I've met in RL say their baby is EBF "with just one bottle at night" - it annoys me - not how they are feeding as I'd never judge or comment on other peoples choices but it is the wording.

Thanks for the info on sleep regression. I shall wait with bated breath to see how it affects DD

Can't say I've noticed my hair falling out any more than usual but then again it didn't get any thicker during pregnancy either.

mrsmugoo I got asked why I don't give a formula "top up" too. I am very pro-EBF for the first 6 months and also I don't get to the gym as much these days so I need breastfeeding to help keep the weight off!

I always thought I might give a bedtime bottle of formula by this stage but as I said, he won't even take a bottle of EBM let alone formula!

But now I've done 3 months EBF and gone through all the pain and issues I have with BF, I might as well just carry on to 6 months. I will still BF beyond 6 months morning and night but he will have to have formula in the day time then as I will be going back to work in October.

I'm with you missmugoo - I went through so much upset and hard times to establish feeding - God knows how many times I had to phone helplines and go see people for BF support - that it seems so backwards to then give formula. It's taken me so long to perfect BF that I plan to keep going as long as I can

I think I'm going to give up with bottles and just try a sippy cup in a month or so.

My DS has to be in the right mood for a bottle. He'll usually take on during the day but never at night and sometimes only from me which defeats the purpose!

Am a little worried about him as it's been 8 days since his last dirty nappy. He doesn't seem uncomfortable though and has plenty of wet nappies but I'm not sure whether I should take him to the doctor again. They didn't seem too worried last time.

Is he showing any signs that a poo is brewing??

DS had a big dirty one today after 24-36 hours of showing signs one was coming

He's not as farty today as he usually is but surely one must be on it's way if he hasn't been since last Tuesday?!? To think that this is what my life has reduced to - worrying about too little poo than too much. Am also planning a day out in Central London tomorrow so need him to go before that rather than during!

Cariad - a friend of mine saw a pead recently for her baby and they said for an EBF baby a poo every 15 days or 15 poos per day is all within the realms of normal!

We had a good day here - 3 catnaps and a longer sleep 4-6 so bath time was all smiles and giggles. He's tired though so just feeding now for bed. Hopefully he should be down by 8:30. DH is working away so I shall probably join him!

Tough day here. Ds still unwell and whinge crying most the day. Up three times since bedtime and now asleep in our bed, poor thing. Sigh.
Relatively good day for dd with two decent naps. Not sure how I'd have coped otherwise! Now however cluster feeding and very unsettled. Just when I'm most tired. Joys. Four in a bed tonight then. Thank goodness for super king size :)

And chocolate!

Aww that sounds tough Misty! Hang on in there...sending hugs.

DS is conked right out so I'll hopefully not be back for few hours. He had a really big feed and he wasn't overtired at bedtime so fingers crossed for a decent stretch.

Hi Misty - sorry you are having a tough time

Mugoo - I've been expressing and giving DS his sippy cup for 3 weeks. To begin with... it all just dribbled out of his mouth. Then...he took it and spat it out. Then....he started to swallow some and spit some. Now....he drinks it! Today was 1oz with no spills, it's not a full feed obviously but we do an ounce a day to practise. He grabs the handles and pulls it to his mouth but I do all the pouring/tipping and make sure he's only getting wee mouthfuls. It's a small step towards independence. We had a terrible time with trying to give him bottles so sippy cup had been great but it's a long learning process!

Thanks both. It all feels a bit relentless at the moment.

Currently sat on sofa with baby on my chest but don't want to go up only for her to wake in an hour. Suppose I ought to get some kip, but I find no matter how much sleep I've had i struggle with 90min awake periods in the middle of the night! Anyone else feel the same?

I'm wanting to introduce bottles soon too but not quite sure how to go about it. No energy for expressing right now with everything else. I'll add it to the 'when things settle down' list!

Yes I totally feel your pain - was awake 2 hours yesterday from 12:30-2:30 because I put DS down and he woke up twice really quickly before I'd gone back to sleep.

I've just done my first feed here - he lasted 3 hours. At 12 weeks this isn't the greatest long stretch! I went to bed at 9 so I've had 2.5 hours. I do feel kind of exasperated as there's simply nothing I can do to lengthen this, I just have to hope he starts going longer as he gets bigger.

I just wish I'd stop reading threads on here from people complaining their week old will only sleep 3 hours at a time!

Yup Mugoo, mine is 19 weeks and managed 3 hours. Most mums I speak to are horrified by this and say their child of a comparable age sleeps through...is what I'm doing really best for him?!?

It took me ages to get my head into a place to express. Only been doing it for a few weeks so just keep it on your list...there comes a time when you can face it!

Sending out good settling vibes.