Calling all night time feeders - always up feeding when we should be sleeping! Let's keep each other company PART 2!!

[Writerwannabe83]

I think to start the new thread off we should reintroduce ourselves and our babies for the sake of our own memories and also for any newbies who may join

I have a 10 week old DS who is EBF. Has been sleeping through the night for the last week and I'm just waiting patiently for things to go downhill as I'm sure they will

He only slept for about an hour - he obviously needed a quick rest to digest his breakfast

Your relaxed morning sounds lovely missmugoo!! The weather is awful over here, its pouring it down so I'm tempted for me and DS to have a pyjama day

Evening all. DS is down and I'm about to join him. Have had a chilled day today, Ieven managed to grab 45 mins nap this afternoon.

I wish I'd had a nap today - for some reason I feel shattered!!

I put DS in his Crib at 21.00 and it took him 45 minutes to drop off but he seems absolutely out of it now!! He hasn't really slept well today, the odd 30 minute nap here and there but nothing substantial.

I hope you have a better night mrsmuggo

Hi all, we are having very varied nights here. He sometimes goes through from 11 till 4/5/6ish, then other nights he's up at 1 for an hour, 3 for an hour... Hoping this is the 16week regression and this is as bad as it will get!

Currently attempting the first night sort of in the crib. He's in the Moses basket inside the crib! Fx he sleeps!

Put DS down to sleep at 10.30, let see what the night has to hold!!

I've just fed him, he lasted 2.5 hours. Honestly, for 15 weeks this is crap for a first stretch :(

I always do my best to tank him up with milk before bed.

Up again. Joy.

Aaaaand up again. 4th wake up. Every 2 hours. Barely slept an hour between feeds and an hour at the start of the night.

This is terrible. My DH is away so I have no one to step in and help me. It's torture sleeping in bursts of an hour :(

Sorry mrs

DS managed 7 hours thankfully. Will get DH up with DS1 when he wakes

Oh poor you mrsmugoo, it really is torture. Would a relative or friend stay with you one night to help? Or does you LO feed every time he wakes?

Hello!
New to mumsnet and wish I had seen this thread lastnight!
My 6 wk old son will either go 4-5 hours at night, or like last night ... Every 2 hours. It makes me feel like weeping! DD who is now 4, pretty much fed at 10pm and 2am from pretty early on ....
DS is a big boy tho with a very healthy appetite. Was 9lbs when born and 12lbs when I last had him weighed at 4wks - so I guess he must be getting what he needs!!
Anyway, just wanted to say hello and will check back in tonight when doing the 2 hourly feeds!!!

Welcome Olivia

DS was on crib refusal last night so in the bed with me it was. Which meant being up every two hours as being with me means he thinks I'm an all hours self-service milk bar! DP took him about an hour ago but I couldn't get back to sleep. Sigh. Better luck tonight hopefully!

He feeds every time midnight! He seems hungry, although he eats all bloody day too! I'm sure this is what makes people switch to bottles.

I have to make a wry smile when I read of mums with newborns bemoaning only getting 2-3 hour stretches of sleep. Sounds heavenly. Try only getting one hour at a time...at almost 4 months!

Oh mrsmugoo sorry your having a bad time again.

Hello Olivia.

Fin had a fairly good night just restless ashewas full of darts!

Oh dear mrsmugoo, I really feel for you. My son has nights where he is still like that, at 4 months, but it's not every night and you must be so shattered. It will get better eventually, I know that's not helpful but it will one day. I know you have probably considered this but will he drink an expressed bottle from someone else at night? My son was a bottle refuser but last week I left him with my husband and he magically took it when I wasn't available.

I just don't know what I can do to make it any easier?

I'm desperately trying to get him to take a bottle. He took 50ml the other day but hasn't taken any since. It's heartbreaking throwing EBM down the sink :(

My DH has never had to settle him off to sleep literally ever, so just doesn't have the knack like I do. He seems to agitate him even more then just give up in frustration. He couldn't get him to take the bottle and was looking to me for advice, which I could t give - I have boobs!

I'm so sorry to hear that, I agree about the ebm, I threw away countless bottles and it's frustrating. The only way he took it was when I went out of the house. It's still a roulette with my baby whether he will sleep or not and I understand your exhaustion. Has your husband tried to settle him without you in the house? Maybe leave for half an hour when you know baby is not hungry?

mrsmugoo - sorry you've had a rough night. I agree with trying to get DS to have a bottle of EBM from your DH but it should ideally be done whilst you are out the house. Babies have a very strong sense of smell and if DS can smell you and your milk nearby then the chances of him taking a bottle are slim. Maybe you need to go out for a good few hours one day and just leave DS with DH and see how things go. I know exactly what you mean though about DH's not having the knack to settle them and getting frustrated/agitated but they'll never learn unless we give them the opportunity to. If I hear DS upset whilst he's with DH I wait about 15-20 minutes before intervening to see if DH can calm him down whereas before I used to rush straight in. DH is definitely getting better at it but I also believe that when babies are upset they just want their mom. It's really difficult.

DS slept for just over 7 hours last night before waking for a feed, and then slept for another 3 hours once he'd filled himself up. I still felt really, really tired when I woke up so DH took DS out for just under 2 hours so I was able to get a bit more sleep. They went for a nice walk and then did the weekly shopping in ASDA which is great as now I don't need to do it

Welcome Olivia

Well I have reached my limit - tonight we try a bottle of formula.

I can't sustain this level of sleep deprivation.

I'm guessing you've had a bit of a rough day mrsmuggoo

I hope DS takes the formula and if you struggle with a bottle maybe you could try with a doidy feeding cup. I hope the formula has the desired effect and you get some rest - you have done amazingly well to get this far EBF, I don't know how you've coped x

mrsM one thing I will say is do not beat yourself up for giving formula. I did to begin with and made myself miserable. At the end of the day you need to be well rested in order to be able to look after your baby and if giving formula means you get that rest then great.

Just like the EBM he just spat the teat out and gagged on the milk.

Haven't had a worse day than any other really, but have been around my friends who have babies of similar ages to DS who all either sleep through or wake once at 4/5 and it's just getting on top of me how he's barely made any progress and it's all still 100% on me every single night with absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm pretty stoical when it comes to night feeds and broken sleep but sleeping barely an hour at a time is torture. I feel like I can't go on, but I literally have to! I'm this baby's life source.

Have you tried doidy cup or any of the cups designed for small babies? I can't remember how old your DS is?