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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Night Feeders Part 4 Up All Night Feeding, newborns, sleep regressions, toddlers, every knackered Mummy welcome!

979 replies

Cannotbelieveit · 09/09/2014 09:26

Here's a fresh thread!

Let's start by introducing us/babies again Grin

OP posts:
Sammyviv · 21/09/2014 02:34

Me three, well
This is his second feed so how comes he will go 3 hours when I first put him down and then I get to this time of night and he will only settle for half an hour at a time? I think it's because he doesn't feed for long he just falls asleep after 10 mins

It's going to be my first day on my own with DS tomorrow Confused as DP is off to the football, I'm a little nervous but guess I need to get into practise for when DP goes back to work.

Sammyviv · 21/09/2014 02:48

SLEEPYHEAD
Talk to me about this? I just researched it. Do they work then? How do people find them? It's kinda the rolled up towel trick but on a posh level?

OliviaRinHerts · 21/09/2014 03:24

I'm up. And he has a wet bum which has soaked through. Probably made him a bit grizzly but I think sammyviv that as you say, he is only feeding for a Short while before he falls asleep. During the day he feeds for longer. I don't offer him the second boob at night as he falls asleep after five mins. Will try and keep him awake for longer during this feed actually....

OliviaRinHerts · 21/09/2014 03:38

The sleepyhead was recommended to me on this forum as a way of safely co sleeping ( and feeding at night) and yes making the baby feel snug. Go to the john lewis website and check out the reviews! It is amazing how many say this works although as always there will always be one or two where it doesn't work but I'm going to give it a go.

Wet nappy changed... Clothes changed. Lo did a poo whilst changing him. DH likened it to chicken korma which made me giggle. Sheet changed... And on with the feed....

Suea76 · 21/09/2014 04:13

Hi ladies,
Hope it's ok to join this thread. My lo is 7 weeks old and I don't know what to do for the best he is ft and just won't burp tonight after his feeds he just keeps falling asleep. Do I just leave him or keep trying? xx

AuntieMaggie · 21/09/2014 04:41

Sammy - my ds is like that - one longish sleep then wakes more frequently for the rest of the night. 3 hours at your ds's age is good. He's still so tiny and will be growing loads the first few weeks and as his belly is so tiny will need to feed often. Night milk is supposedly different too.

Welcome sue - can you feel the wind in his belly? If not and he's not uncomfortable I would let him sleep but perhaps keep him upright for a bit when be falls asleep on your shoulder or something. I'm not too worried about burping ds at night as he seems to swallow less air as he's less frantic and more relaxed during feeding.

ds slept for 5 hours and he's having his first feed now. I still feel absolutely shattered though.

Writerwannabe83 · 21/09/2014 05:08

Welcome suea - and congratulations on your new baby!! I used to have, and still do have, the issues regarding winding and sleeping so you have my sympathy. I used to spend ages trying to wind my sleeping baby and I used to think, "what's the point?!" I probably try for about 5 minutes now and if there's still no burp I give up. It usually means he will wake up at done point with trapped wind but there's nothing I can do about that. One trick I do find that works well is to put DS over my shoulder and sway myself from side to side whilst patting/running DS's back. Sometimes that added sideways motion helps dislodge the trapped air.

DS slept until 04.30am so he went his usual seven hours. It had been almost 9 hours since he last fed so I was happy to put him to the breast and he had a really good feed. Normally I change his nappy at his feed to prevent it leaking between now and his next feed (he wees loads) but tonight I haven't in the hope that if I just feed and put back in his cot he will drift off. I wonder if me fiddling with him and going his nappy contributes to him being very awake during his middle of the night feed which leads him not wanting to go back to sleep for 1.5 hours Confused

Tonight I put him to the breast as soon as I heard him grizzle and he fed well despite being sleepy - he then went straight back in his cot without rousing. Is this that equivalent of a dream feed?

As a result he was fed and back in his cot (and asleep) within about 12 minutes which is a massive, massive, MASSIVE improvement.

I'm pretty sure that when he next wakes up he will have a very, very wet nappy that may possibly have leaked but we shall see Wine

(Writer, first DS, aged 6 months today)

Sammyviv · 21/09/2014 05:19

Hi sue
Welcome! Grin
With the burping thing, are you breast feeding? The midwives advised me to try and always burp, they said at such a young age over the shoulder is best but I like the other ladies don't do this religiously at night. I'll feed then pop him on my chest and run his back, if a burp comes up great but if not I don't worry myself. Having said that, quite oftern he grizzles in the night and all I have to do is pick him up and he will burp and then he's fine and settles.
I wish you could hear my little one he squeeks in his sleeps, it's the cutest thing. Only weird thing tonight is he's fed once but been asleep but grizzling in his sleep so I've just popped him on my chest where he seems to have a more restful sleep, but alas I don't.
Think I just heard a rumbling in the tummy which means a nappy change

Original poster
Cannotbelieveit · 21/09/2014 05:41

Sleepyhead was/is magic for us as DS was a very early roller and would wake himself, it also makes him feel secure as he's been in his cotbed since day 1. We currently use the larger sleepyhead (grand I think
It's called.)

I don't wind DS as I found for him it just made him posset. He has gripe water before his last feed each night and that helps.

Welcome and congrats sue!

Just fed again and he's back to sleep

OP posts:
mrsmugoo · 21/09/2014 07:11

Ugh, just ugh. DH had a nightmare at 2:50am and cried out in his sleep waking both me and DS, making him cry.

I had managed to get a whole weetabix into DS for dinner and I was hopeful that he could get to 4am again because he will sleep 3 hours after I feed him and put him back down so if we can get to 4am then he'll go back down to morning.

But as he was woken before 3am he woke again at 6am. He had a half hearted few sucks so wouldn't feed back to sleep and wouldn't settle in with me so I popped him back in the cot with a soft toy and got back into bed to doze until 7.

So bloody cross! Woken in the night and a hideous early start. I would have got DH to do the early shift but he stayed up late working and we've for an agreement he'll be getting up early all next week.

OliviaRinHerts · 21/09/2014 08:17

Sorry you are awake so early. Sometimes all we need is a little longer in bed to make the day manageable and I know how impossible day time naps are

Ds woke about 20 mins Ago and I fed him for all of about 5 mins before he fell asleep on me. He only wants cuddles and the close contact with our chest half the time. Has anyone used Ewan the sheep? I think along with sleepyhead I might buy him today. It has a pink light and sounds of the womb and heart beat and some people swear by him. Again, read john lewis reviews . I think They can have technical issues so will buy from john lewis and keep the receipt in case

Suea - welcome! Hope you managed some sleep. I burp less at night as the feeding is calmer but do wind during the day. Our ds likes the position on his tummy on my thighs for winding but it is trial and error

I've bought infacol just in case - it's a medicine but I haven't used it yet but worth getting gripe water or something similar in for when you might really need it at night time !

mrsmugoo · 21/09/2014 08:37

I was given a Ewan - I didn't find him that great tbh as he didn't go loud enough and he only plays for 20 minutes at a time - you'd be just as good downloading a white noise app for your phone. the pink light doesn't really do much - you could just as easily put a red bulb in your bedside lamp to achieve that.

somethings I will really recommend - ewan isn't one of them.

Sammyviv · 21/09/2014 08:55

Someone bought me a slumber beat I'll get the correct name for you but it's a bear that makes all those noises but it's also sound sensitive so it goes off if DS cries or gurgles. I use it every night especially when I put him down, whether it works, I don't know but maybe it does help a little

So DP is finding it hard to settle DS latley, i think his patience is wearing thin already Shock but like you say sometimes all they need is a cuddle. Im hiding in the bathroom and have the radio so I can't hear him crying, all I want is a quick wee and shower.

Cariad007 · 21/09/2014 08:57

We are at DP's parents' this weekend and DS went down in the cot no problem at around 9 but woke at 11 and then staunchly refused to go back in it. I guess he's a bit disconcerted by being somewhere new. So we had to keep him in the bed (smaller than ours btw) between us and he wanted to (painfully) suck on me almost constantly. I feel like a wet rag that's been wrung out this morning. Have DP's sister's baby shower this afternoon and am hoping nobody takes any photos as I must look like utter shit!

Writerwannabe83 · 21/09/2014 08:58

Morning all, DS slept well after his 4.30am and I woke up at 08.30am to find him peering at me between the bars of his cot and grinning at me Grin

His nappy hadn't leaked so I will definitely stop changing it overnight now!!

KateTheShrew · 21/09/2014 09:15

Good morning ladies. Welcome sue Smile

We had a bad night here too Sad although DH took him for a good chunk of it so at least i got some sleep not enough though I've been up since 6 as DH definitely deserves the lie in this morning!

Sammy I read somewhere that babies sleep gets lighter and lighter as the night goes on, so they naturally wake more often the closer it gets to morning and they have their longest stretch of sleep at the beginning of the night. I don't know if that's true, but it was certainly the case for my DS. It's annoying because it often means that they have their longest she'll before we even get to bed!

notadoctor · 21/09/2014 09:55

Morning all! Happy 6 months birthday baby writer! My LO is 6 months next week. Can't believe how quickly it's gone.

Sammy - good luck for your first day without DH. It's nerve wracking but I'm sure you'll be fine.

We have a Ewan too. DS isn't too fussed by it but my niece (who is almost 3 now) has one as well. She has used it since she was newborn and it works like magic on her. They're all so different it's hard to know what they'll respond to!

Original poster
Cannotbelieveit · 21/09/2014 11:07

Ewan works on both my DS's but I suppose I use it more to soothe ds2 and for ds1 it's now a great sleep cue along with his Aden and anais silky edged muslin! He can sleep if he has those 2 things. We have used ewan since birth with them both.

DH left me in bed til 9.30 and took both boys in the lounge Grin

OP posts:
Writerwannabe83 · 21/09/2014 11:09

Are the sleep aids such as Ewan the sheep supposed to be used from birth? Would there be any benefit of me trying to introduce it now at 6 months?

We are currently 45 minutes into his first nap of the day Smile

I feel like I spend a large part of my day fretting about his naps Grin

Original poster
Cannotbelieveit · 21/09/2014 11:24

I think if you want to use as a sleep cue it's better from birth.

For both my boys they know their bath means it's nearly bed.

We are having great trouble with naps at the moment. Ds2 just plain refusing to nap at all! Yesterday he went from 8.20am til 3pm with no naps!

OP posts:
Suea76 · 21/09/2014 11:35

Hi Ladies,
Just wanted to say thanks for your responses last night.
My LB slept from 8 - midnight 0030-3330 4-630. Does this seem about right?
I know I am lucky compared to some but an absolutely shattered. He's asleep again now but I have to cook a roast dinner for OH family as they are all coming for a visit and all I want to do is go to sleep.
Moan over.

Sleep aids do they work? I have been bathing my boy at the same time ish every evening since birth then bottle then sleep.

Writerwannabe83 · 21/09/2014 11:41

That sleep pattern sounds really good suea - even though it probably doesn't feel good for you. As has been said the lengths of time they sleep decreases with each waking they have. My DS will have a good 7-8 hour stretch but after feeding his next stretch will only be 3 hours. I remember when my DS was as young as yours as he never slept longer than 2 hours at a time, it was exhausting!! I can't believe you are cooking a roast dinner!!! Tell your OH it's his family so he can cook Grin

The only thing we have that makes DS realise it is bedtime is his sleep bag!! He knows when he is zipped in to that it means he's going to bed Grin

Original poster
Cannotbelieveit · 21/09/2014 12:08

Sue you shouldn't be cooking! They should be running round after you whilst you rest!!

Babies/children love the known/routine and need to know what's coming next hence why we do the bath every night and put in sleeping bags etc. will have to tackle the feeding to sleep at nightime at some point but I'd rather wait til after 6 months for that Shock

Just put DS in his cot in his grobag and he cried for less than 5 mins and then to sleep so will have to be consistent with this for naps. Hearing him cry and not going to him does go against all my instincts but he had not slept since 8.10 this morning and too much was going on in the lounge distracting him. Parenting is one long guilt trip eh?

OP posts:
Writerwannabe83 · 21/09/2014 12:14

I hadn't considered putting him in his sleeping bag for naps - I was worried that would confuse him and he's think it was night time??

Original poster
Cannotbelieveit · 21/09/2014 12:17

I think at this age it's ok! Just in the very early days I kept day and night very separate. Also as I bath them each night that part of the routine is different iyswim?

OP posts: