Back to 2hrly feeds at night.... help... bit long winded sorry

[kelmcd]

My DS is 18wks and for the past month his feeds during the night have been getting closer and closer, they are now 1 1/2hrs-2 apart and i am shattered.
He is mixed fed and wonder if this is the problem. He has all bottles during the day and boob at night when he wakes. When he does wake he feeds for 10-15 mins and then goes back to his cot.
Ds is in his cot in our bedroom (only have 1bed flat) and TBH i think if he were in his own room he would probably settle back down but because he is right next to me i pick him up for a feed when he grizzles. I am scared that if i dont get to him quickly that he will wake completely and stay awake for a couple of hours.
Does any one have any tips or hints for me?
Do they have a growth spurt at this stage, could this be the reason for him waking?
If i gave him bottle during the night will he sleep for any longer??
Has anyone else experienced the same thing?

I'm not sure on the mixed feeding as I just BF but have you thought about co-sleeping? My dd woke every couple of hrs for a feed for many months and although it was tiring it wasn't too bad as she sleeps in my bed - we would both fall straight back to sleep as soon as she was latched on. He might be waking because he wants to be close to you, and keeping him in your bed might help this.

thanks for reassurance
My Dh and I decided that we wouldn't co-sleep as we were both afraid of rolling on him, unlikely i know but it swhat we decided. He hardly wakes up when he stirs so they are more like loads of mini dream feeds and he goes back to cot with no prolems.
I have started giving him very small amounts of baby rice which he takes really well, its not every day mind you! (I am also aware of the 6mth recommendation)
I guess we will just have to ride this stage out

its just a thought but could you try bf a bit during the day as well. This might help with supply so that he would take more in each time he fed during the night. it could be that your supply is being comprimised because there is not enough stimulation during the day AND you are too tired because of not enought sleep. Babymooning or something during the day might help to break the cycle.

Babymooning???
The reason i have stopped during the day is because it was far to stressful!! Each feed turned into a screaming session from LO who point blank refused to feed from me, it may sound like an exageration but it was upsetting us both and i wasn't going to force him on my boob in case it stopped him at night aswell!

point taken? apolgies
can you face expressing?

Hi Kelmcd, My DD was doing this recently too... I also wondered if I was just picking her up too quickly to BF to try and settle her. I decided to try cutting out caffine after 3 pm and limiting myself to 3 cups a day (which is hard with a tea addiction like mine!) - the first day I tried it she slept over 6 hours on the trot again - I succumbed to a cuppa around 7pm the other day and she woke every two hours again! Not sure if it is just a coincidence or there is a connection though. The other thing that occassionally works is putting music on (whole CD usually required) doing this has settled her the last 2 nights and she has gone back to sleep for a couple more hours - meaning about 8.5 hours in between feeds. Hope he settles soon, am thinking of you, you must be absoulutely shattered, I know I was when she was doing it.

witchandchips - sorry if i sounded rude, didn't mean to, I hadn't actually thought of expressing, will give it a go and see how i get on, thanks.
What is babymooing, i haven't heard that phrase before!?
PPC - hiya, nice to hear from you, how are you?! I must admit i have been having more caffine cos i am tired and having coffee for a boost plus i probably drink too much coke aswell, doh!! I haven't had any coffee since this morning so i wont have any more or coke and see how i get on

Kelm, just to add that my ds who is 20 weeks now, must have been going through a growth spurt or something as he has been feeding lots and lots too. And I'd say its been going on since christmas, so from 17-20 weeks. The last few days he has settled back down into feeding 3-4 hourly. Hopefully your ds will too.

Hi Kinki, thanks, thats good to hear!