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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

How do I stop a bf baby wanting night feeds

56 replies

whomovedmychocolate · 15/05/2007 20:16

She's seven months next week, 21.5lbs (98th percentile) and has been feeding at least twice during the night since birth.

Frankly, I'm knackered AND we want her to sleep so we can get on with making the next one .

I won't do the controlled crying thing so please don't suggest it (that's why I'm posting it here and not in the sleep section).

She can be calmed with shush patting most times but frankly at 3am it's just been easier to whop her on for a quick feed so I can get back to bed (yep, rod, own back, MiL has already given me that lecture thanksverymuch).

She eats three meals a day (BLW) and feeds every four hours during the day. She will drink water from a cup if it's offered.

I don't want to talk to the evil HV because she'll just tell me (once again) that mine is the heaviest baby she's ever seen and that I'm risking blah, blah, blah (TBH I either leave or switch off once she starts down this path so I'm not totally clear on what rubbish she spouts).

DH is happy to help me with this (he's finally made the association between me being knackered and me being ratty).

So how do I do it? If I could just get her down to one night feed during the next month I'd be so very happy.

All advice welcomed (except those of you who think I should just ignore her cries, that's not my way of doing mummying).

OP posts:
Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 15/05/2007 22:01

Actually VVVQV I think what I need to do is blooming well go to bed and not camp out on Mumsnet when I'm knacked

But yes you have a point.....

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Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 15/05/2007 22:03

Warthog, she cries, kicks the bottom of her cot to make noise, throws toys out the pram and generally makes it known that she's only going to get louder. When I go into her she thinks 'bingo' and immediately starts rooting like a pig in a truffle patch. It'd be funny if it wasn't so early.

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VeniVidiVickiQV · 15/05/2007 22:04

If I see you post again this evening......

cylonbabe · 15/05/2007 22:48

stop giving her breastmilk at night then......
comfort her, give her water to drink, a dummy etc.
but if you just give her the breastmilk, then why on earth would she stop wanting it? she's a baby. you're the mother.

cylonbabe · 15/05/2007 22:50

dd wanted to be fed all day long and refused solids even at 6.5 months. i had to be tough, and it took four days. but once she realised she was only going to be fed every four hours, she started her solids, and slept through till her 6 am feed. it was hard on us both, but the tough love thing was necessary.

emkana · 15/05/2007 22:52

tough love indeed

emkana · 15/05/2007 22:53

Dd2 refused solids until she was 12 months.

I kept breastfeeding her, because I felt that she knew what she needed.

She is now nearly four, eats fantastically and is very healthy.

cylonbabe · 15/05/2007 22:54

emkana, it was either that, or give her vitamins, whilst being stressed out by her constant cuckling. like chocolate's baby, mine wasnt unhealthy or overweight or anything. it was the right thing to do.

hatwoman · 15/05/2007 22:54

I haven't read all the posts but agree trying to squeeze in an extra feed in the day might help, and also, assuming she's asleep in the evening you could try waking her for a feed before you go to bed - have to say that tirck never worked for mine who were impossible to wake - but I know it works for some people

cylonbabe · 15/05/2007 22:55

well, that worked for you.
but chocolate has said she wants advice on how to stop feeding her, because that's what she wants to do. and i have told her how i stopped feeding dd all day long when i really wanted her to stop.

emkana · 15/05/2007 22:55

With regards to nightfeeds co-sleeping worked well for us.

cylonbabe · 15/05/2007 22:57

personally, i hated co-sleeping. and with the younger two, i would feed them sittin g up in bed, and then put them back in the cot. worked very well for us. they got their feed, and i got my sleep.

warthog · 15/05/2007 23:32

hmmm wmmc, well i'd tackle the problem of night feeding first. you never know - she might start waking later! one thing i've noticed is that as soon as my dd started getting a full night's sleep with no interruptions, she'd sleep for longer. almost as if the better quality sleep meant she wanted more.

i used to think that i'd put her down later to make her extra tired so she'd sleep longer in the morning but if anything, that made it worse. so now, if she wakes early, i put her down early. you could try that.

Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 16/05/2007 07:35

Morning everyone,

A fairly good night, she woke at 10:35 when I went to bed and had a big feed and slept till 2:50 when she had another feed and then woke at 4:50 for a feed which lasted till 6AM - I guess she was actually properly hungry at 4:50.

Tonight I'm going to try waiting till 3am to feed her (tackling one feed at a time and trying to eventually crash the 3am feed into the 5am feed and see if we can go from there.

Now to see what a mess the little monkey can make of fromage frais with fresh cherries from the garden (global warming must be real - I have cherries ready already and it's only May!)

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glassslipper · 16/05/2007 11:28

whomoved - my dd slept through

glassslipper · 16/05/2007 11:28

that was a 'wow' grin by the way. not a mine is but your isnt for those who havent read my posts below.

Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 16/05/2007 17:09

Glassslipper - and long may it continue! Good for you!

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Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 16/05/2007 17:09

BTW what are you going to carry your shopping round it if you don't have those big bags under your eyes?

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deestingsduznotappen · 16/05/2007 17:17

You could try bottle feeding in the night (ebm or formula) but gradually watering down the feed. A very sensible HV suggested this to some of my friends and they all said it worked!

Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 16/05/2007 17:29

Thanks, but I'm NEVER EVER getting my breastpump out again

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glassslipper · 16/05/2007 17:42

I hated my breast pump to whomoved. Used it once i think/ Its easier to b/f isnt it.

Try cutting the feeds by a minute at a time. I'm sure that is what has worked for me.

Although I'm not counting chickens. I'll see what happens tonight...

deestingsduznotappen · 16/05/2007 18:29

Okay, perhaps offer water first and then bf!?

Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 17/05/2007 12:16

Well I had a crappy night. She woke at 10:35 and had a feed then at 12:50 and I took till close to 2pm to shush her to sleep. Then she slept till 4am. So I guess that's progress of sorts. She only bf for ten minutes at 4, but is now ravenous (and tired) today. So maybe we've broken the back of it.

She also woke at 6 for a feed but I don't mind that so much. I think she was just awake and lonely.

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bohemianbint · 17/05/2007 12:29

I was really anti-routine until DS was 4 months and as I was tearing my hair out I turned to...you know..that woman we can't really talk about. I don't follow her to the letter at all but I followed her night time advice and all I can say is that it worked really well for us, but I understand it's not for everyone. Did last feed at around 10.30pm until he was on 3 good meals a day and he was fine, slept through 7-7.

Oh, and also never did the CC thing either, not really for me. Hope things improve soon!

Original poster
whomovedmychocolate · 17/05/2007 12:49

BB - I will NEVER give any money to Gina Ford by buying her books because I fundamentally disagree with her methods.
You can mention her now btw.

On an unrelated subject:
candyman....candyman....

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