Advice needed breastfeeding and sleeping through at 3 mths.

[tori32]

Does any one have a breastfed child who slept 7pm-7am from 3 mths? If you did then can you tell me how to achieve it? Thanks?

my nephew just starting 7-7 several weeks shy of his 3rd month, 100% breastfed

It depends on the child. None of my 3 did.

hi captainahab do you know the secret of success? Its just that I only lasted 5 weeks bf last time and am due again in March. My dd who was bottle fed slept through from then. I can't cope with no sleep so I know I will not last with bf if he or she is still feeding at night after about this time. Everyone I seem to speak to who breast feeds well always seem to tell me they are still night feeding at 6 to 9 months.

With DS, he started sleeping 10pm until 7pm at around 3 months and was breastfed.

(won't tell you about DD though ).

Why are you asking, tori? I really don't think there's any way of making it happen, and actually, in my opinion, it would be incredibly unusual for any 3 month old, however fed, to reliably sleep 7 to 7. They just can't take enough food on at once to last that long. Remember, they are only babies for a tiny period of time - before we know it, they'll be teenagers and we'll be desperate to get them out of bed!

Luck. Sheer damn luck.

my just 5 mth old ds2 has gone 11-7 a few times...
I feel lucky if he goes 11-7 with one wakeup and expect him to wake.
Quite normal to still feed 3-4 hrly at that age or even more for some hungry babies

Both dd1 and dd2 slept through from 7-7 from 3 months, both totally bf (dd1 I went on to mix feed, but she was 100% bf when she started sleeping through). Dd2 is 6 months and was exclusively bf until we started weaning last week. I did (and still do for dd2) a late feed between 10-11pm, but they mostly stayed asleep for this.

I'm not entirely sure how I did it. I tried to ensure that they fed as much as possible in the day (but doesn't everyone?), to the point that I would wake them if it was more than 3 hours since last feed, in the hope that they would then not need to feed at night, and somewhere along the line it worked.

Am happy to answer any questions you can think of, but think it was mostly a case of personality (both dds just are good sleepers) and slowly but surely moving that way whenever possible.

None of my four did. They all began sleeping through round about the one year mark.

I use 12 months as the time to start refusing to feed them in the night. DH normally takes over when they wake and strokes them. They soon realise there's no chance of milk then drift back off. After a few days or a week perhaps they don't seem to bother to wake any more.

seeker- I'm asking just to find out if it is possible because everyone who I speak to says generally they don't. I just wondered if anyone has got a baby who does sleep through all night from a young age that could give me advice on their bf e.g. whether it demand feeding all day, or combined with expressing etc. As I said I am due in March 08 and want to be successful this time. Last time I was so tired bf that I came close to handling dd roughly and know that I cannot cope with hardly any sleep. Thats why I have asked for advice. As soon as I put dd1 on bottles she slept through because she was taking full 8oz bottles at every feed. She was also 9lb 12oz at birth. If this baby is a similar size, which seems likely because DH is 6'4 then I think the same could happen in so far as not satisfying his or her hungar.

Thanks for your advice silverfrog. I think that might be where I went wrong last time. I was letting dd sleep for 5 hours during the day. The other question is did your lo feed from both breasts at every feed in the first weeks or did you just alternate left then right at feeds?

I can understand your concerns about not satisfying hunger, but from personal experience, it is possible. Dd1 was a small baby (6lb 6) but soon made up for that once she was here - she put on nearly a lb a week for the first 6 weeks or so, and shooting straight to the top of the charts where she has stayed ever since. She was a voracious feeder, but I did manage to keep up with her.

Hi tori, DD1 was 5 months and DD2 was 3 months, both were breastfed. I think it was more luck with DD2 as she just seemed to drop it but DD1 was an orchestrated weaning thing. I got a good book (available from libraries) which helps although I think the link shows the updated version cos the cover is different. I fed off both breasts in each feed from day one

oops, x-post. I'm trying to remember (and its not even that long since dd2!)

I think, for the most part, I was guided by the baby. Dd1 definitely had both breasts from very early on (see previous post - hungry baby!) but was just a super-fast, efficient feeder (I don't think I ever fed her for more than 15 mins total!)

Dd2 only had one breast very early on, but I think by 2-3 weeks I was offering both breasts. She would feed very well from one, (until she stopped of her own accord) and then I would pause, whilst winding (she always swallows a lot of air), and after a few good burps would then offer the other breast. she usually took at least some milk form 2nd breast, and qiuite often fed for another 10 mins or so.

Thanks for reassuring me. So what is the best way to bf? Had conflicting advice some saying start on one side and then after so long try on the other. Some saying feed on left and then next feed right. What do you do with a sleepy baby who falls asleep after 5 mins on the breast?

My 3 were all breastfed on demand. The first slept through at 6 weeks, although initially that was 10-6 it did build up to 12 hours quite quickly. The second didn't sleep through until 15 months, the third didn't sleep through until he was about 2.

I wouldn't choose to have them sleeping that early through tbh, as I used to leak so much milk and wake up very uncomfortable and wet.

Sorry you two hadn't got your last posts when I x posted! Think that is where I went wrong in that I probably would have increased supply more quickly if I had fed from both breasts from the start due to her size.

hmmm, thinking back, maybe dd2 did have both breasts from earlier. I was definitely very keen for her to have both breasts, as stimulation is the key to milk production, so I did try to ensure that both sides were getting stimulated as much as possible.

I found Clare Byam0Cook's book "what to expect when you're breastfeeding and what if you can't" quite an interesting read (but only came across it for dd2), and I believe there's a DVD version for advice on latching etc (but not seen it myself)

Sometimes it just depends on your baby, they are all different.
I breastfed on demand and even through growth spurts I just sat it through and fed, fed, fed!!
If your baby is one that will sleep through the night one of the reasons will be because she is getting enough throughout the whole day, it's not just the last feed that will see her through its the whole day that counts.
Hope this helps? Not everyone likes to feed on demand but it really suited us and I'm lucky that she sleeps through.

Thanks namelessnewbie. I need my sleep to stay sane so would be quite happy to wake leaky!

mine did! Then at 3.5 months started waking again. Until he was 6 months when he started again. I think its sheer luck I'm afraid.

Thanks absandme. Yes that does help.
Thanks for the book recommendation (gets pen and paper!)

My second child is not sleepign through at 6 months and I do everything that people on here do.

I also know at least 5 ff babies who have not slept through till well over a year too

Co-sleeping helps a lot, imo.