Night feeders thread part 3 - Up all night feeding? Come join! [title edited by MNHQ]

[mrsmugoo]

Part 3!

Quick recap - DS, 17 weeks, EBF (stubborn little bottle refuser), crap sleeper! Super knackered Mummy, surviving on 1-2 hour sleeps :(

So I am hoping for a better night tonight seeing as bedtime went smoothly. Last night was hideous and I've eaten a twirl, a bounty and a salted caramel brownie today just to get through the day!

Gah, his lordship only woke once in the night but was up before 6am this morning. Got him back to sleep but by then I was wide awake! Might try and get a bit more kip in a bit otherwise I'll really start to feel it around midday. Perhaps he's picking up on the fact that I'm a bit stressed out. We are moving in a week but are dealing with THE shittest letting agency ever. Apparently speaking to our employers and seeing copies of our payslips isn't enough proof that we are getting paid by said employers - they want to see our bank statements for the last 3 months too. They all use the same email address (a Yahoo one, no less!) so different people keep asking us for the same documents repeatedly. Anyway am just hoping it's sorted today as we haven't even signed the contract yet. Rant over!

Welcome tallulahbelle, I'm not normally this ranty! (and naturally autocorrect wants to change ranty to randy!!!)

He slept until 5:30 in the cot then I brought him in with me. We're just getting up for the day now.

Well I made the transfer ok and he slept for just under 7 hours. He woke at 04.45am, had a quick feed and was back fast asleep again by 05.00am. He then slept another 3 hours and we've just got up.

If only we could cut out the histrionics at bedtime things would be great!

polly - I'm sorry you are feeling a bit cap, sometimes a good tearful breakdown is the only thing we have the energy for x x

talulah - welcome and congratulations!! I had a CS too so I know how you feel Just make the most of the fact you can't do anything by snuggling up with your baby all day

Thanks for the advice mrsmugoo and batman i tried massaging it and ibuprofen which helped a little, massaging was agony! Hoping a few good feeds from Fin might clear it up.

Hi tallulah congratulations! Have you got any lanisol for your nipples, that helped me till they toughened up.Also savoy cabbage leaves in the bra.I could do with some of those now!

Morning all, business as usual last night though no screaming just plenty of wake ups.

Talulah what about a pump? I found it more bearable on my nipple and was able to relieve the engorgement that way. And everyone's right, nothing else is more important than you and babytime right now.

Cariad that just sucks, last thing anyone needs is extra stress. Can you not hand them in personally. Give them to a manager or something?

Anyone got any ideas as to why LO gets so bloody hungry at night?? She was fed almost every 2 hours to a T yesterday and she still got me up 4 times, and gulped every time!

Argh! I'm so fed up with this heat. Very unsettled night and grumpy as anything this morning (me and the baby ).

Polly, could it be thirst rather than hunger that's causing your DD to be feeding so often? Babies often feed more often in the heat I think. Either that or growth spurt!

I have spoken to a HV this morning about the issues we are having with DS's sleep and a plan has been put together. A change to our method and the introduction of controlled crying starts tonight. I'm dreading leaving him to cry and scream but we can't go on like this anymore.b

Good luck writer.

Good luck writer we're having similar issues and my HV also suggested controlled crying. I've tried it a couple of times so far but I'm sorry to say I cracked way before DS did! We'll have to try again, though, as the bedtime screaming is getting ridiculous. Hopefully you'll have better luck and a less stubborn baby--

After doing research on the internet and talking to other mothers on the Sleep Forum me and DH have decided not to do CC. Have you been in that forum polly?? There's lots of really helpful posts and advice from other women going through the same thing.

I'm really not keen to persevere with CC either. HV basically told me that if I keep feeding DS to sleep he'll never learn to self-settle and it will be worse for him in the long run?!! But when he cries every fibre of my being tells me to pick him up. So I do. And feed him to sleep every time he wakes. Am I being ridiculous to think that he'll just grow out of this need in his own time? I'm so tired at the moment I feel incapable of thinking straight

I'm sorry Kate but I can't remember how old your LO is.

Up until a about 2-3 weeks ago my DS was able to self settle, however now he's in this sleep regression it just doesn't happen. When he is crying of a night time I do all I can to settle him but ultimately he only quietens when he's at the breast. He doesn't really have a feed as such, just gently suckles until he drops off about 5-10 minutes later. Part of me is saying, "Don't do it, don't get him in the habit" but I believe that needs must and if being on the breast is the only thing that stops him screaming then I'd be stupid not to do it.

I know that prior to this regression he was very capable of self setting and didn't require feeding to sleep so I'm holding on to the fact that this is just a phase.

You say how tired you are and at the end of the day, you need your sleep just as much as your baby does. Just do whatever feels right and works for you. It's easy for the HV to tell you what to do but she's not the one listening to the screaming night after night.

Have you tried a dummy??

When DS used to have one it was an absolute life saver!! He'd suck away on it for about 5-10 minutes then be asleep.

The kellymom website has a section about feeding to sleep - it may make you feel a little better
kellymom.com/bf/normal/comfortnursing/

Thanks writer.

He's six months. He's always fed to sleep at night, but used to be able to settle himself during the night if he wasn't hungry, and didn't need to feed to sleep for every nap.

Now it's every nap and he wakes multiple times after I put him down at night (e.g sometimes every 40 minutes for a couple of hours) needing to be put to the breast each time or he screams the house down. So the feeding to sleep is part of what's making me tired. However I just can't let him cry it distresses us both too much plus he's going through a lot right now (teething, learning to crawl) so I think he needs the comfort.

He did used to take a dummy, but not any more -- it's mummy or nothing now. He even screams and arches his back when DH tries to comfort him

It's exhausting being the only one who can settle him, but it just feels wrong to let him cry. So I guess we'll continue as we are and pray that this phase passes as suddenly as it arrived.

Thanks schmoop - that was really interesting to read and very reassuring

Thanks Schmoop, it's nice to see something that doesn't trot out the "rod for your own back line" smile]

Have you ever co-slept kate?

Co sleeping is not for me. I've tried but I find it really, really uncomfortable and I get less sleep that way! I'm a poor sleeper anyway and to get a good night I need lots of pillows, duvet (when it's not this hot), the works. Not really safe for the baby. But the most important thing I need to sleep well is to not be worrying, and I find that much easier if I know DS is in his cot (which is right next to our bed). I know co sleeping works brilliantly for some people, but I'm really not one of them, I'm afraid

It's not for me either, I was just curious

I've had DS in bed with me on two occasions - both were when it got to about 05.30am and I was desperate for some sleep. On the first occasion I accidentally fell asleep with him (was very panicked when I woke up and realised) and the second time I was just lying next to him with no real intention of going to sleep. I'm like you, I wouldn't be able to stop worrying!!

It's a very personal decision but I can honestly say that CC has been my best parenting decision yet - over the course of one weekend DS learnt self settling and we are all getting so much more sleep now. I'm positive those few short crying episodes will never be remembered but now I have an independent sleeper.

mugoo, how long did your DS cry for before he settled himself, if you don't mind me asking? I have no concept really of what's normal/expected.

Can I join in please, I have a newborn he is 15 days old. Breast feeding didn't work for us fully, due to my past medical history I don't produce enough milk (same happened with my first) had input from lactation consultant etc. I was still offering the breast but he gets so frustrated I decided to stop. Now fully ff and I have forgotten what an absolute faff it is. I am very jealous of all of you who have been able to bf.

Kate - he never cried longer than half an hour. I was always in the room with him. Plus it was never a full blown scream but more of a "I'm tired, I want to go to sleep" cry.

Once he found his fingers the first time the crying was less and less and now it's about 3 weeks later I only have to put him in his grobag and his fingers are in straightway.

I tried pick up/put down but it sent him into mad rage as he couldn't understand what was going on and he just desperately wanted to go to sleep!

Kate & Writer - scienceofmom.com/2012/02/13/why-sleep-matters-to-babies-and-parents/

Welcome sausages and congratulations on your new son I'm sorry BF didn't work for you but you can ultimately only do what's best for baby. How is his feeding and sleeping overnight?