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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

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

954 replies

mrsmugoo · 08/07/2014 20:45

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!

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puggywug81 · 13/07/2014 06:39

Hi Frankel I'd love to beasier able to use a cover but Fin screams if I try and cover him,I guess he just likes an audience!

puggywug81 · 13/07/2014 06:53

Mrsmugoo hope the dress rehearsal went well.

Cariad I hope things improve for you soon.

Johull of hope the return to Bf'ing works out for you,have you been expressing to keep up your supply?

Also I'd like to apologise to everyone as I seem to be incapable of seeing my typos until after I've hit post then it's like really? How did I not see that!

tertle · 13/07/2014 07:24

Thanks cannot. You seem to have a good sleeper on your hands there! After DD's wake up at 5am i pût her back down only to have her wake up again at 630.... Put her in bed with me and she fed /napped for another 2 hours. I joined in with the napping! Now up for the day and praying for a long siesta this morning. She can do 2 hours but also 30 mins...

Original poster
mrsmugoo · 13/07/2014 08:07

Morning all!

My clever little man slept from 7:30-7:30 with just one feed at 5:30!

I pretty much spent the entire night watching the baby monitor of course, so I didn't have a brilliant night sleep. Plus DH missed the last train home so that woke me up three times in the night too!

I could have maybe left him when he woke at 5:30 as he didn't cry, but I didn't want to risk him becoming too awake and then deciding to get up for the day, so I went in, fed him and then we both cuddled up together in my bed.

What a turnaround! The self settling really has been a major game changer. Although I will probably be prizing his fingers out of his mouth at age 7 and cursing that he ever started sucking them!

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Original poster
mrsmugoo · 13/07/2014 08:09

I should add - he did actually wake up multiple times between 7:30 - 5:30 but each time went back to sleep by himself with no fuss (fingers in mouth).

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Original poster
mrsmugoo · 13/07/2014 08:36

Johull - I did have a pretty tough start to breastfeeding and he decided to stop latching for 48 hours from when we brought him home from hospital (coincided with my milk coming in, I think the change in shape freaked him out) I expressed and cup fed for that first stressful weekend home with him until he decided to latch in again!

So I've never had a break from him being at the breast as long as you, but if you've been expressing and still have a hand decent supply then I imagine if you took a couple of days and just took yourself off to bed with DD and did a lot of feeding and skin to skin you could reestablish. A baby's suck is so much more efficient than a pump.

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Original poster
mrsmugoo · 13/07/2014 08:53

He's also just rolled back to front and fallen spontaneously asleep on his sheepskin... WHO IS THIS BABY??

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FrankelandFilly · 13/07/2014 09:25

So glad things seemed to have improved rapidly for you mrsm Grin

We had a much better night, I only had to get out of bed twice and even then she was half asleep so dropped straight back off when I popped her dummy back in. She then slept till 8am! I really hope this is the end of the sleep regression, but I'm going to wait until she's slept better for a week before relaxing!

Original poster
mrsmugoo · 13/07/2014 09:49

Same here - not counting my chickens until I've had a consistent week of it.
I'm so proud of him though!

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Cannotbelieveit · 13/07/2014 10:22

Ryder then slept after his feed 6.30-10! DH got up with ds1 at 8.20 and took him and sorted his breakfast! Think that's the longest I've stayed in bed even since ds1's birth!! Mind you ds1 is still in pain with his teeth so he was up 7 times last night and pooed one of those times too Shock

johull · 13/07/2014 16:12

Right...

I tried to breastfeed again today and it's gone... Ok-ish. She latched in just like before & sucked for 10 minutes each side. She then fell back to sleep. I'm worries because she has 180ml per feed and don't think she got that much in only 20 minutes. I was amazed that she remembered how to latch after 2 weeks of bottle feeding. I feel very lucky. I'm going to continue. I'm going to try and do all the night feeds on the breast but have a bottle on stand by. I'm pretty sure I'll end up going through the cluster feeding stage again but it'll be worth it in the end... I hope.

johull · 13/07/2014 16:38

Question for the experts; does it always have to be cluster feeding at the start? She feeds for 10, sleeps for 10 and that's how it continues. Is there another way? Or us this just a 'phase' that I have to go through? If so how long does it last? Don't get me wrong I'm thrilled she's feeding again- I'm just intrigued to know.

Cariad007 · 13/07/2014 17:53

DS was pretty much on the boob constantly for the first couple of months but I can't remember exactly when he stopped cluster feeding, sorry.

Original poster
mrsmugoo · 13/07/2014 18:48

I think the key to successful breastfeeding is feeding on demand - so just literally going with what they want.

I remember a night in the first week where he fed constantly from 7pm to 4am and I was begging my DH to drive to a 24 hour supermarket and buy a dummy!

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notadoctor · 13/07/2014 18:51

Hello all! Been off the thread for a while because we've been having much better nights but think we've hit a regression so am checking back in ahead of tonight!

DS is 15wks and EBF. He's a super chilled out little thing although he's not a fan of putting put down when asleep so spends most his sleep time either in the baby carrier or co-sleeping in bed with me. I also have a 2.5yo DD and she was a terrible sleeper! We worked v hard at trying to get her into good habits and it never really paid off so taking the path of least resistance this time!

Mrs M - great news on the self settling. Sounds like you've really earned a break! And good to hear about other sleeping babies too.

Johull - it's great your baby has taken to the breast again - well done her! She'll probably need to go through a bit of a cluster feeding stage again. It's good for supply, I think. Both mine were like that for 4-6wks I'd say - more so in the evenings.

Writerwannabe83 · 13/07/2014 20:51

Haven't been here for a whole because someone has kidnapped my baby and replaced him with a nightmare Sad

I used to have a nice calm baby, who slept well during the day and night, settled himself to sleep lovely and would frequently go through the night.

I now have a baby who refuses to sleep, wakes during the night and does nothing but cry, and cry and cry when placed in his crib.

My DH and FIL are downstairs watching the football and I've had to hand DS over to them because I'm about to crack up. There's only so much screaming I can listen to.

Yorkie78 · 13/07/2014 20:52

Hey, checking in for tonight. Baby full of cold and does not want to be out of our sight. Her sleeping has been so much better for about two weeks so I'm dreading what this means. I was just beginning to reclaim my mental health. after everything that happened with the end if my pregnancy and the baby's first couple of weeks. Pleased to hear about the sleeping babies. They do exist :).

Yorkie78 · 13/07/2014 20:57

Writer sorry yours has got off to a rubbish start. Why does this happen. We are back to her sleeping on a cushion on us. Hope it's just the cold but coincides with wonder week 19 or 14/15 based on adjusted age. So am thinking we are heading for a similar nightmare. Thinking of you.

FrankelandFilly · 13/07/2014 20:59

writer do you think it might be the sleep regression? This article is worth reading, as are most of the others on that site'

Writerwannabe83 · 13/07/2014 21:07

I don't know what it is it it's making me feel frustrated. It's like having a 6 week old colicky baby again and I only just survived that the first time round.

DS has stopped crying now he's downstairs, I can hear the odd giggle and chortle so he must have cheered up. My DH just asked me when I wanted DS to be bought back up to me and I said "never" Grin

I'm going to have another 10 minutes quiet time and then start the process again of trying to get him to go to sleep Sad

I will go and have a read of that article Smile

FrankelandFilly · 13/07/2014 21:17

Have you read The Wonder Weeks? It says that babies go through a big developmental "leap" sometime between 14.5 and 19 weeks (from due date, not birth date). It also says:

"By now you probably recognize the leap behavior of your baby and have noticed that he is often crying, cranky and clingy more during these phases. These general characteristics, also called the "3 C's" are associated with each leap.

While making this leap, you will also notice that:

Your baby's head has to be supported again more often;
He asks for more attention, almost claims more attention;
He has firm mood swings;
He wants more body contact during feeding;
He seems to lack his usual "spunk" or seems absent.

As every leap your baby is going through is more intense for him, you will find that it becomes more difficult for you as well. It is quite normal that you will be more annoyed with his whining behavior. You may sometimes feel as though you have had enough and, occasionally, find yourself desperate for him to hurry through these behaviors. You are not alone. In fact, these parental feelings are some kind of signal that your baby is going through a leap. And, while a leap is not easy on your baby or you, it will be over soon. Take a deep breath and count to ten... that really helps!"

Writerwannabe83 · 13/07/2014 21:21

We'll I'm going to count to 10 and then get DH to bring DS back upstairs.
My head is hurting just at the thought of it...

Original poster
mrsmugoo · 13/07/2014 21:30

Hope you get him down soon Writer.

I'm off to bed in the spare room now. DH is up working late so he's going to be in charge of the monitor until he goes to bed about 2 and then come wake me to go back in our room so I'll get unbroken sleep til 2 hooray!

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Cariad007 · 13/07/2014 21:48

Bah, DS is crying and refuses to sleep despite having two decent naps today. Have Calpolled him as he seems to be in pain from teething but not sure what else to do as he's inconsolable :(

Cariad007 · 13/07/2014 21:50

Has anyone's baby had mucusy poo? DS's has been like that for a couple of days. Apparently it can happen when they're drooling a lots/teething but I wish the teeth would just bloody well come through now! Oh maybe not given that I still bf him...