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!

I'd say 3 nights out of 7 he will poo at night.

The problem we have is that normally DS will sleep for longer periods and if we don't change his wet nappy when he wakes for a feed it means he will only wake up a few hours later because his nappy is completely full, or as like what happened last night (and has on a few occasions) he wakes up because he's soaked in urine.

Personally I think the really shit bought them because they were the cheapest nappies that my DH bought aren't helping matters!!

Yep Writer, I have a moby and an ergo and he hates being in both of them.

Lol - babies are little sods aren't they I swear they know exactly what they are doing when they manipulate us into being held My DS pulls what we call 'booby face' to try and make me believe he's hungry so that I'll pick him up to offer him a feed - he rarely wants a feed though, he just wanted a cuddle and then refuses to be put down again

Thank you Writer. The packing is almost making me wish we weren't going anywhere mind!

Google the Pantley Put Down. It's a very gentle way of putting a baby into its basket hopefully without waking them. Works well for us.

Writer I think you will notice an improvement if you get Pampers Baby Dry possibly in a size bigger for nights.

I always use a size bigger (more absorption but less risk of leaks at night as they don't move as much (!)) unless the child has just gone up into the next size up anyway iyswim? It makes a noticeable difference for us.

Try a small pack and see how you get on and use your Asda ones in the day when you can change him frequently.

With DS I have to be careful to ensure his penis is pointing straight down. If I don't get this exactly right he leaks out the side. Never had that issue with DD although she did use to wee up her back into her hair......!

Oh mrsmugoo I can't remember if you've tried noise with your DS to help him snooze?

DD loved Radio 4 on very low and DS loves a white noise app I have on my phone. He likes the tumble dryer noise that is on it. Just gives them something constant when you attempt the transfer.

Perhaps you've already tried this though??

I mean things like - who gets him up? Do you move room to feed? Do you put lights on? Talk? You say you change his nappy - is this before/after every feed? I'm just curious - mums might be able to offer tips to keep little one sleepy and more ready to settle. I bet you've tried most things! I know I have but I'd like to read any advice in case there's anything else I could try!

Hi Rachie - glad to hear unsettled nights don't last forever - that's the hope we need on this thread!

The hairdryer - the noise works like a charm if he's fighting a nap! (Sometimes, if it worked every time our electricity bill would be sky high!)

When he wakes up my DH puts his bedside lamp on which is the opposite side of the room where the MB is. DH will go and get DS and change him - this is still in our bedroom. Me and DH will probably exchange a few words but we don't have conversations or anything. Once DH has changed the nappy he will hand DS to me so I can feed him which I do sitting up in bed. DH will then go to the spare room to get some uninterrupted sleep before going to work.

DS will usually feed for 20 minutes before he starts to drift off, I then sit him up to wind him - I did consider not doing this but if I don't it just causes him to vomit when I lie him down in his MB. Sometimes he stays sleepy during winding but other times it will put him in Wide Awake mode, which is the norm these days.

The last 3 nights with him have been very difficult - he seems to be right out of character. However, we've had a really busy week, constantly doing things every day which meant DS's daytime sleeps were frequently disrupted. That's the only thing I can think off that's been different.

As a result I cancelled my plans for today as I really want DS to have a peaceful and restful day. He had a feed at 08.30 and then fell asleep for 3 hours and then I fed him again at 11.30am and he's now asleep on my shoulder.

She cries if I leave her more than a few minutes and is ravenous at each feed. It's such a shock after her being such an amazing sleeper until now. She's really chunky now though I'm already seeing the difference! Hoping for better tonight!!!

Currently feeding DS. He has fed 2 hourly all day, I don't know what's got into him. I'm just hoping it isn't a pattern that will continue into the night and early morning....

It could be the heat writer. DD1 always fed more frequently when it was warm. Alternatively, growth spurt?

Well it has been warm the last few days - the atmosphere in the bedroom is horrible, so humid and muggy. Normally me and DH would sleep with both the windows wide open but obviously we can't do that with DS in the room.

He's just had a really horrible episode of diarrhoea - Chocolate brown, runny and sticky

Dd has been up this sort of time the last 2nights after sleeping through most of the last week,,, we think she's getting thirsty cos of the heat. She gets a bottle but has only taken approx 90ml each time so obv isn't starving. Hoping she sleeps for a long stretch after like she did last night..

How odd, unsettled babies, maybe it is the heat. You could probably still open the window a crack, as long as it stays above 18. We have vents in ours that let in air, gives a bit of circulation without really affecting the overall temp of the room - we have a gro egg so can see at a glance if it's too warm/cold.

Choc brown poo? Maybe worth just calling HV about that one Writer, just to be on safe side. I agree with some other folk about nappies, slightly large pampers (12 hour kind) work at treat for us so DS doesn't need changed every time. If you can crack that, maybe he'd stay sleepier? Or maybe a night light that is on all night so the lamp isn't off then on, maybe little angel thinks light means playtime!!! It's a pain but we sleep with night light and are now totally adjusted to it, our bedroom never changes brightness. I really admire anyone who stays in bed to feed, I just can't do it, I have to leave bedroom and sit bolt upright to avoid nodding off!

No sign of caramella...hope all that guzzling during the day means you getting some good sleep now.

Misty - how is boob? (If you don't mind me asking!!!)

Hope everyone is having a settled night.

Up again :-(

Hi all, up fir a feed after a 3 hour sleep! For my lo 3 hours is really good going and a big improvement from last 2 nights. Don't know if it's a coincidence but we gave him a bottle of expressed milk before bed, so it's worth trying. I agree with previous posters, it really is very warm and so we've got window open (unfortunately this gives me a front row seat to the loud and obnoxious argument happening under our window ) my son seemed to be thirsty rather than hungry as he just had little feed and seems to want bit stay asleep...fingers crossed as I'm going to put him back down. Oh and I second pampers baby dry, we rarely have to change him in the night.

Well DS is awake and feeding: 5 hours since he fell asleep, 6 hours since his last feed.

His nappy was only wet this time but will see what his next dirty one is like. Why do babies only have health issues at the weekend when the GP/HV isn't available?! He's also very mucousy.

Morning all. I don't normally use Internet in night as it wakes me up too much. But she's filled her nappy and I need to stay awake to change her when she's finished feeding. Cluster fed most of evening and slept until now! But least I think she has. Co sleeping so she may have latched earlier but I doubt it.

singsong boob much better thanks i think I've managed to clear it with massage and ibuprofen. How about you?

Right, nappy change time.

Great. Another poo. And ds will be up in a bit.

Morning all

I hope sore breasts and wet nappies (hopefully not together) are getting better, good suggestions given. I found DS used to be wet through quite frequently. Possibly because he used to have big feeds but I don't think the fact that it didn't just go straight down (IYSWIM) helped.

We saw MW yesterday and she seemed quite alarmed by the amount of dried blood in DD's posset. In as much as it must be quite painful for me. She checked latch etc and agreed with us that DD might be a little tongue-tied, so we're going to the clinic on Monday.

In the meantime DD has terrible wind which results in her being in pain which seemingly only feeding can keep at bay. Last feed at 12ish after cluster feeding all eve and I've just had to wake her now at 5.

Hoping, in the nicest possible way, that I won't hear from you because you're all asleep!

Oh dear Rachie, not a great night for you. Hope little one settles for a bit so you get some rest.

Boob much better thanks.

You poor thing pepper. Are th3 cracks healing? It mighr be worth trying nipple shields to protect them. I use Avent ones which you can get in big Boots and also amazon.

Writer, glad you got a longer stretch and hopefully that nappy was a one off.

Misty, I took the antibiotics for my mastitis but I did toy with trying to clear it without. It's good to hear it can be done, how long did it take to improve?

Mrsmugoo, have you thought about getting out and about with your lo? I find the days I am at home trying to get dd to nap properly ie not on me, can be quite draining. If she is in the pram or car seat she will nap on the go and I feel better for being out and about too. I was dreading attempting the school run with 3 but if anything it has helped!

Morning all -DS slept for 2 hours and is up feeding again. He's got a really nasty,dry, barking cough, it started last night and he's doing it again this morning. I wonder if that's why he was drinking so much yesterday because his throat is sore and the milk provides some temporary relief?

He was wet through this morning again - I have told DH the nappies are too shit for words and we are going to go to Morrisons and get our usual brand- plus some for overnight.

DS is full of huge smile this morning - it's lovely!!

pepper - I had a cracked nipple at one point and feeding was so painful. I bought nipple shield (two different brands) but I couldn't get one with them. I made the decision to always feed off the unaffected side and express from the cracked nipple side. I only had to do this for 24 hours and it made the world of difference - with expressing and using Lasinoh cream the cracks healed.

Morning all. I have been away because my children are sick. DD has been away from nursery for 2 days and Ds got his vaccines, then a cold, so life has been swell with the two of them. At one point I wanted to lock myself in a room but with a new born that was not an option.

It turns out I have an infection. The pain had become unbearable. Will see how it goes in a few days. Ds is back to his every 2/3 hourly feeds. Yesterday he was on a roll. He fed every hour and my boobs have been complaining. I am on my phone so won't be able to address a few things or give a proper shout out.

We are celebrating the national day today so we are all going out dressed in our red, blue and white outfits. It is a good day in Norway and if anyone wants to see Norwegians at their best then today is the day:)

Hope you all have a good afternoon and that our little darlings sleep a bit.

Hi everyone

Yes we do go out and about quite (most days at least to the shops) often but pram/car are not guaranteed to get him to sleep and he usually wakes up as soon as the motion stops. If I'm out the whole day he can easily go with no sleep and then he's hideous come evening.

Also white noise has no affect in him whatsoever - I have the dram sheep and multiple apps on my phone. Nothing works for him.

He had his jabs yesterday and slept for 3 hours in the pram while I did errands and went for a drink with my parents.