Night Feeders Part 5. Calling all women who find themselves feeding when they'd rather be sleeping!!

[Writerwannabe83]

This is a thread for anyone who wants support when things seem tough - especially for the women whose babies don't like sleep!!

We'll do the usual introductions:

I'm a first time mom to my 6 month old, EBF son. It's been a rocky few months, lots of ups and downs but we've finally reached a point where he's asleep by 7.30pm and only waking once during the night.

He very rarely naps in the day - and when he does it's only when he's in the car or his pushchair. It's very frustrating!!

And the last little thing about us is that we have just started the weaning journey - it's fun but messy!!

Hello Claire and Arron!!

Bloody hell I've hit a wall! All dizzy and weak. Hope it can be remedied with food and water!

Oh dear squizita - I hope you are ok?

I just got back from visiting another childminder but she wasn't in when we arrived at the arranged time I sent her a message and she seems mortified, said she was upstairs with her son and hadn't heard the door. She wants to rearrange but DH wasn't too impressed. I'm all for giving people second chances though and it was just a genuine mistake (for want of a better word).

Arron had been quite tired this afternoon so my intention was to get him ready for bed as soon as we got home but the little sod fell asleep on the car and he is currently asleep in his car seat on the living room floor. Don't really know what up go really...wake him or let him sleep

Pint of ginger beer, pasta dinner and a slice of cake and I'm feeling much better.
Tiredness manifesting as fussy anxiety "is she sleeping too much?" "Is she eating too much?" "Too much poo or not enough" "will my dad's terrible cologne upset her" I buy him Dior but he saves it for best and uses 70s fumigation stuff Just the tiredness.

Claire I would wake him up and feed him? If you do it all quietly in the dark etc he might only wake slightly, feed then go back to sleep.

Started last feed a little earlier tonight but probs just means I'm gonna be feeding him at midnight!!

Mine is napping at her usual feeding time. Best case she is on a feed 3 hourly thing ... worst case she's building up to a cluster!

He woke up himself and so bedtime feed is now taking place. He's got this really annoying habit now of whenever he's feeding he will keep grabbing at my face, twisting my nose, tapping my chin and putting his fingers up my nose!! It's really bizarre and makes feeding him a bit of a nightmare.

He's in his 2.5 tog sleeping bag tonight for the first time. The temperature is only 18 in the bedroom and will no doubt drop lower. He looks so cosy. I'm wondering if the reasons he's been waking so frequently is because he's been cold?!

It's all such a guessing game

winter I was thinking the same, well more is he struggling to fall asleep cause he is cold!

I'm Sarah, and ds is Elijah :)

Just fed after a poo nappy. DD is having a snooze now. Making little snoring huffing sounds which logically I know are normal...
Am "looking after" her (i.e. flaking out on the bed next to her sleepy head bed!!).

Hi Sarah and Elijah!

DS has only just fallen asleep after LOTS of grizzling and moaning. I don't know what I'm going to do about the bad co-sleeping habit I've got in to, he just refuses to be in his cot!!

Hello I'm Sarah but actually a lot of people call me Bairn in real life too! My toddler is Jess and my baby is Abby.

I know Abby is only 8 days old but she's been ridiculously easy so far - surely Jess wasn't this easy - I'm sure I was really tired and stressed last time round! I think the main difference is I am less exhausted from the labour and that Abby will sleep without being held, which seems kinda like witchcraft… may not last I guess... she's been out for the count since about half 7 and toddler is asleep too, we've had a nice meal. I'm going to bed now to clock up some hours before the night feeds !! Good luck!! See everyone later!!

Writer I remember 6 months being quite a hard time, are you feeding him solids yet? I know there is this general belief that babies sleep better with solids but I found it sent sleep crazy, I don't know, much be weird for them trying to digest actual food.

squizita glad you're feeling better, are you eating ok generally? I also get overly anxious when I am sleep deprived or hungry. I am trying not to be too bothered by my post natal body and eat lots of healthy stuff and plenty of it… kinda tempted to diet a bit but not a good idea really. I am doing some rather naughty things (like block feeding) because giant boobs bother me so much… really hope it doesn't fuck with supply but last time I was engorged for months on end it was shit. I mean I'll still have the giant boobs for a while I guess. Who'd be female eh...

I'm a bit jealous of everyone who's got massive boobs after baby - I've gone from a 34D to a 34DD and that's it! If I don't feed DS for a few hours they get pretty big but seeing as he's pretty much always hungry they more or less look the same as they always did.

34DD or 32E is my pre-preg size. I am not very big elsewhere so any bigger than that looks stupid and just makes me look top heavy and overweight. I am jealous of your lovely 34DDs… last time after a year they were that size again… just a year of looking like an idiot/not fitting in my clothes then… WAIL!

Having my 2 boys 13 months apart has been crazy boob wise! Pre first preg I was 32G and now I'm 34J, not funny! Miss my underwires but the underwired nursing bras don't go to that size

Your sons are only 13 months apart cannot? Wow, you don't waste any time! Though you've wasted more time than a woman from my work who has just had her second baby while still on maternity leave for her first, who doesn't turn one until later this month!

Wow cannot that is amazing, must be such hard work but at least you get all the baby stage over with sooner rather than going back to it 4 years later like me. I have found it much harder to adjust to being up half the night after getting used to a full nights sleep again! My niece recently had her 2nd son just 11 months after her first

Just feeding here before I go to bed. DD was asleep before 7.30 though so not too bad. She seems to do her longer stretch after her 3am feed strangely.
She does seem to wake yelling at the moment and I've already had to resettle once since bedtime, so I do think her teeth are coming. Have only given teething granules and gel tonight so far - you can't keep giving Ibuprofen as a precaution, can you?!

Cariad she beats me then! I went back off mat leave for 2.5 months and then started mat leave 2!

It's hard and it's not, tbh apart from these 2 night feeds that started at 4 months old with DS2 everything else has been plain sailing so I can't complain

We want 2 more children so will hopefully be doing it all again in a few years and think a close gap may actually work better again!

Cannot blimey you're on the ball!

Wee Yeah trying to eat well. Just so hectic it's easier to grab a biscuit or forget. I only get thirsty not hungry when feeding too so can lose track and miss lunch! Hungrier between feeds though. Use milky drinks and juices/smoothies to try to bypass the not hungry when I need food thing.

I got measured for a bra last week ... 30G. Bit cheesed off in a way, 34 E I used to think I was, you can buy in cheaper shops and prettier designs. Though Bravissimo and hot milk are ok.

Just done the 1 am nappy and feed. She woke herself up with a little spit up and hiccups. Gulping and over excited! Just waiting for her to hopefully soothe down. She's hiccuping away in her little bed thing.

I'm Sam (sammy,Samantha) and my 4 week old boy is called Hudson.
Hellllooo everyone else
Squizita - I too found that lack of sleep made me anxious (still does) I had all the questions buzzing around in my head. I mentioned it to MV and HV, sounds like it's all normal feelings to have. You guys have told me that not the professionals. Also keep eating it's essential, I'm using it as an excuse still you need all the energy you can get.
I was thinking of having 2 babies close together but now we are getting married in may I'm going to wait till after the wedding, I want to be able to have a few drinks and enjoy my wedding.

Hudson has fallen asleep while feeding again which means I'll only get an hour or so between feeds.

DH is now trying to get dd to sleep. She's been wide awake an hour and was crying cause I wouldn't play with her and she wasn't hungry but didn't realise. Hope it works.

Still awake. Fed her to sleep 3 times. But cannot lay her down she wakes. DH can't feed her, I can't put her away from boob = 3rd hour wide awake didn't even think newborns could do that.

You have my absolute sympathy Squizita, it's really, really horrible when they're awake for hours and you are exhausted. I've been in the position of feeding over and over again to get DS go to sleep and feeling the utter dismay when he wakes again. Do you co-sleep? Does DD use a sleeping bag? - I've found transference from breast to cot so much easier since DS starting using one. Because they are so warm and snuggly in their bag they aren't aware of being moved away from your warm body and being placed in a cold Moses basket.

Arron slept from 20.30-00.40am and fell asleep pretty instantly after a feed. Rather than keep him in bed with me I put him in his own cot and because he's in his 2.5 tog bag I think he was warm enough to not even notice he wasn't in my bed.

He then woke up at 03.50am because his nappy had leaked and his vest, his babygro and his sleep bag were very wet. Poor thing. The fact I had to change him induced an absolutely insane screaming episode which bought DH upstairs to check we were ok - our spare bedroom is on the floor below the main bedroom.

Arron is now dry and clean, bag in his 1 tog sleep bag because we don't have another 2.5 and he's feeding.

Looks like he's found a way to creep back into my bed as it isn't warm enough for him to be in his cot with just his 1 tog.

I can't say I kind too much though as I love snuggling up with him

Naughty Ryder was up and fed at 11.30! But on the upside he's only just woken for a feed

Arrrgh- 2 hourly night feeds plus toddler who wants to get up at 5am - not a good combo!!!