Co-sleeping not an option but how can I make night feeds more manageable?

[Babyisaac]

DS (15 weeks) wakes at 1am and 4am for feeds. During the day he can be finished in 20 mins, however it can take up to an hour during the night as he can't stay awake. I used to have him next to me in bed but we both fall asleep then so I sit up now. Any amount of tickling etc doesn't really work. If he hasn't fed properly he will wake up an hour later.

Any suggestions?

Babyisaac - I can't help much but wanted to say I know how you feel! My DD has almost exactly the same waking times and similarly falls asleep so night feeds take at least an hour with her waking up if she hasn't finished. And taking her in bed means we both fall asleep so I also sit up now.

Tips I've been given for waking her are to rub her ear, blow on her face, tickle her feet and/or to take off her growbag so she's a bit cooler. Sorry to report that none really work when she's very sleepy but you might try them if you haven't already. Alternatively you could try the motto of the Jan baby post natal thread: "this too shall pass"!

Sorry not to be more help but I'll think of you at 1am...

Aw, BW it's not great, is it?! It makes it even worse when I hear that friends of mine who have babies who sleep through! One of them commented, "Oh, that's awful, I couldn't do it" to which I replied, "Well I have no choice, I can't exactly let him starve, can I?!"

Thanks for the empathy - we'll both get there. At this rate he'll be getting stripped down to just his nappy but that seems cruel. Someone else I know said they used to type emails to friends in the night because the tapping on the keyboard kept the baby sucking! Not something I wish to resort to - I intend to stay in my bed if I can!

Will be thinking of you too at 1am tomorrow morning...

Hi Babyisaac - have you tried waking your DS to feed before you go to sleep? I feed my DD (6 weeks) around 10:30-11pm ish before I go to bed, to try and encourage her to go longer during the night (she then generally wakes between 2-3am and then 5-6am). Still twice and still not ideal, but hopefully the times will get later so I will be able to count it as only 1 night feed!

Good luck