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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Comfort night feeder

13 replies

Guapina · 07/12/2006 22:22

DD is just 7 months and is eating everything we give her in the day (3 meals plus between each meal I BF and last feed at bedtime). I wouldn?t mind her feeding once at night but it is usually 2 or 3 times and I am going back to work after Christmas and will need my sleep. I can tell it is a comfort thing more then hunger, I have tried expressing and giving her the bottle DH has tried too but she wants the nipple...I have tried leaving her and comforting her but I cant stand her crying and do the worst thing...I give in cos its the only thing what will get her back to sleep and I am too tiered to argue with her...family and friends have said to give part formula but I don?t want to...I really want to try and BF for as long as possible....any suggestions??? Thanks Guapina

OP posts:
EmkanaCookTurkeyLikeICan · 07/12/2006 22:37

co-sleeping?

jamiesamfreddie · 07/12/2006 22:43

I couldn't stand the crying when we tried to leave ds1 to cry at night when he was 6 months old. But dh could, and I was banned from upstairs at night until poor old ds1 had cried himself out. It didn't actually take that long, but I would have given in.

I continued to bf during the day for another 6 months (including pumping when at work two days a week). I hate controlled crying but it worked for us.

Original poster
Guapina · 07/12/2006 23:22

EmkanaCook...I am too scared to co-sleep and I feel it would be another habbit we would have to break...thanks for your suggestion though

Jamiesamfreddie - I guess letter her cry seems to be the only way...it kills me though and DH doesnt hear her in the middle of the night, someimes I wake him cos I am jelous he is getting sleep she still sleeps next to me, maybe its time for her own room and the crying wont seem so bad....thank you for giving me hope...I hope she starts sleeping through soon

OP posts:
floraflora · 11/12/2006 21:41

I have similar problem - though no solution as yet. DS is 6 months in 3 days time, BFs every three hours and has done since word go. Quite early on i developed survival technique of co-sleeping and feeding in bed through night (have to say quite like the cosy element of it) - consequently people said I looked remarkably fresh and not sleep deprived. 6 months on the voracious little blighter is starting to take it out of me, especially since he is teething and therefore likes to comfort feed (sometimes only an hour after he came off last). He also comfort feeds to ease the discomfort of passing wind or filling nappy. Am weaning him gently, currently on 2 meals of fruit / veg a day which stretches him a bit during the day but doesn't make a difference at night. When I've been ill and not had enough stock of frozen b.milk DP has given bottle of formula last thing at night (didn't want to have to give formula), which theoretically should have stretched him out a bit - but didn't! So, I'd say that's not a fool-proof way of doing it.
Like you, I can't bear him crying. I don't think we should feel guilty about being weak - a mother is just programmed to be like that. (2 dividing walls and a pair of ear plugs make no difference to me!)
DP is making 'got to break the habit before he's got us where he wants us' noises. I haven't the energy to try and alter behaviour at the mo (- back at work part-time, own business, too much to cope with), and feel especially bad about it since I know he's teething, BUT I know will have to tackle it sometime.

mears · 11/12/2006 21:48

Guapina - I took my babies into bed to feed and sometimes fell asleep with them They never had a problem sleeping in their cots when they were older. I think when you are knackered you should do whatever it takes to get sleep. For me that was feeding in bed. Don't worry about habits that may never develop in the future. Deal with the present situation.

katerj · 12/12/2006 09:43

We had the same problem but hopefully have sorted it now as dd (6.5 mths)has slept through the last four nights! What we did was to make sure she ate plenty of protein, fat and carbohydrate at tea time (although like you I think her night feeding was more about comfort than hunger). Then I expressed breast milk, diluted it with water and when she woke at night offered it straight from the fridge. She objected bitterly to this the first night but eventually went back to sleep until morning - second night she screamed for a couple of minutes and then went back to sleep - the next night she slept through.

pinktinselanddollymixtures · 12/12/2006 18:18

Hi,
I cant really offer much help. Just to say my dd (5 months) is a bit like this. I have been co-sleeping with her since she was born. It means minimal disruption for me and her in the night.
Yes, ideally I would love her to sleep through, but some babies just take longer then others.
Hope you manage to sort things out.

tortoiseBells · 12/12/2006 18:20

my ds2 is exactly like this - he's 7 months, and waking 2,3 or 4 times in the night. The only thing that will settle him is a feed, but only for 5 or 10mins. I'm sure he's not hungry - just wants that comfort. No suggestions I'm afraid - but just thought you'd like to know that you're not alone.

moondog · 12/12/2006 18:21

Guapina,my children did this.
I didn't cosleep but they were in the bedroom with me very nearby which made night feeds easier.

It won't be forever.
You can honestly waste more energy trying to stop her crying in other ways than by just giving her a feed.

'Giving in' is not the 'worst thing' either.It's sad you feel like this.She's a tiny baby still and she needs you.

vnmum · 12/12/2006 18:47

my DS is 12 months and still wakes 3 - 4 times a night for a BF. i tried moving him into own room but i wont do CC and nothing else would get him back to sleep so after 2 hours of trying to console him one night i gave in and fed him. then after a week of getting up and feeding him in his room i was knackered so we are now back to co sleeping, hes happy, im getting more sleep and i know it wont last forever. the first few years are such a short time in your childs life that i feel i cant push them away when they are obviously not ready for it.

mamijacacalys · 12/12/2006 19:10

Agree with Moondog, Mears and PinkTinsel.

Am co-sleeping with my 5 mo DD. She goes 7-7ish but wakes at 1 and 5 for feeds. I have started weaning but she only has a few spoons of puree 3x a day so milk is still her main food. I don't think the night feeds are just for comfort as she has been similar since about 10wks. Sometimes she wakes up more often due to teeth. I am going back to work in Jan and will continue to co-sleep - don't see the point of trying to change the routine yet due to all the hassle that potentially goes with it.....but am generally quite laid back about these things and go with the baby rather than trying to impose behaviours.

I co-slept with my DS until he was about 1 as I went back to work after only 3 months with him, otherwise I would have been to zombified for words.

Hang in there and make the most of the time your DD is a baby. It doesn't last forever!

Sorry for long post BTW.

bodenbetty · 12/12/2006 21:15

nothing much helpful to add excpet you are not alone!! My Dd seems to be doing much teh same thing. i just console myself with teh fact it is easier to get back to sleep when it is stil dark than it would be at say 4am on a summers morning.....

Original poster
Guapina · 12/12/2006 22:44

Thank you all for you suggestions and for letting me know I am not alone. All my friends with little ones use fomular and are shocked when I say DD doesnt sleep through. So thank you for all making me feel normal and not a bad mum, I know that sounds extream but I am sure you understand the new mum pressures of other mums judging. DD is such a good baby, I am very lucky. You are right she wont be so little for long. I cant do the co-sleep thing all night, I am too scared, I have done it some mornings and it is very nice. I need patience...she will get there...all your comments have helped thank you

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