HELP - 4 month old feeding every hour through the night

[pleasechange]

DS (exclusively bf) has never been a great sleeper, but at 3 months was managing to sleep for 3 to 4 hours at a go during the night.

For the past few weeks, the night wakings have been getting worse. Now he's waking every 45 mins/hour or so during the night for a feed. It's wearing me out and I'm getting no sleep. I'm also in agony physically from the constant waking/feeding during the night. I do co-sleep, but am still tired and in agony as I'm having to sleep on one slide all night which means my hip/arms hurt on that side!

If I don't co-sleep, DS won't sleep in his cot for more than 45 mins anyway, so I'm constantly up and down which is no better

Everyone is suggesting I try ff at night to see if this helps. I've been reluctant to try this, but am really now at a loose end and cannot go on like this. Do not want to wean before 6 months

Does anyone have any suggestions/similar experience?

could it be a growth spurt?

I guess so but it's been going on for about 3 weeks now - not sure if that's to be expected or not? He constantly dribbles and puts everything in his mouth, has flushed cheeks and so is maybe starting to teeth

Sounds like it could be teething.

For the last two weeks we've been having a similar problem with my ds (six months next week) waking up every hour or 2 in the night. It's pure torture. Our intense sleep deprivation started after a round of vaccinations - don't know if it's that, teething or a growth spurt that's unsettled him so much.

I noticed that he'd feed more enthusiastically if I didn't feed him every hour so I'd try to pat him, rock him, dummy him back to sleep without feeding him every time he woke up. I kept the 11pm and 3.30 feeds and he really does seem to take in so much more in these two if I don't feed him every hour. I also used a white noise CD to help him back to sleep without a feed. It doesn't work for me (we also co-sleep, sort of) - I can't sleep to the sound of static but it conks him out quite effectively.

On Sunday we took him to a heated indoor pool for a swim and that night was one of the best we've had in two weeks. I don't know if that was because of the "swim" or because Saturday night was so spectacularly awful. But since then, we've had two nights of only 2 wake-ups plus restless stirring from 5.30 to to 6.30 am. Wonderful! I feel like a new woman.

Thanks sweetbasil, I'm glad you seem to be coming out the other end of the tunnel now, hopefully!

I know what you mean about torture, that's really what it feels like in the middle of the night! I'll try not to feed him at every wake tonight - last night it all became a blur and I don't know how much he fed

we had a similar thing with DD, who would sleep from 11pm-4pm and then 4.30 to 6 or 7 until she reached three months, and then she started waking every hour or so. she's 15 weeks now and has just come through the other side. for the first few nights of the sleep strike she was crying as if she wanted a feed, but hardly feeding at all before dropping off again to sleep. so i stopped feeding her and tried rocking her to sleep, which sometimes worked. but after a week of this she actually was taking big long feeds, and so i thought it was a growth spurt (which can last a week or two apparently). now she's sleeping for five hours or even six and we didn't formula feed, she just seemed to get over it on her own. don't know if this helps, but it seems like its a phase they grow out of IME

Thanks mrsduff - 5 or 6 hours sleep sounds like paradise. DS is doing exactly what you describe, crying for food but only taking a bit. I hope this really is a phase (forgot to buy the carton of formula to try tonight, which is maybe a good thing)

I could have written this post. Send help 😔 it's been three weeks of torture, my DS won't take a bottle anyway but I honestly don't know what to do to help him and me sleep longer stretches.

@ThisAlertTealHedgehog I think the DS in question might well be an adult now so I’m not sure if the OP is around or will remember what this time is like

How often are you feeding during the day? Offering a feed every two hours during the day can help and have you tried doing some Breast Compressions during the daytime feeds?