Please help! Feeding and sleeping problem

[Essie3]

I'll try to keep this brief, and it's going on the sleep board too.
My baby is 6 1/2 months old. Exclusively breastfed, refuses point blank to take a bottle. For the past 3 weeks, he's been spoon fed a bit, and we're on lunch and dinner (!) by now.
The problem is his sleeping has become pretty disastrous in the last week.
We used to put him to bed at 8pm, he'd sleep. Dream feed at 11 / 11.30, and he'd sleep then until 3am-4am, and then again to 8.30-9.30am. Although this wasn't sleeping through, it worked for us (until the magic sleeping through happened!).
However, for the past week, he has been waking every 3 hours for a feed. For 2 nights running, he's woken at 10.15 in the evening, and then every 2-3 hours from then on. DH is knackered and tries to settle him without feeding but nothing doing so far. I have no alternative but to feed him as he won't take a bottle or cup of any kind, and I'm becoming increasingly run down, dehydrated and tired.
Neither DH or I are able to see a way through this, and I have to go back to work next week. I'm so panicky about it now that I'm making myself ill; it would have worked with the once-a-night waking, but not this 3 hourly wake up thing. Plus, if he won't take a bottle I'll have to drive backwards and forwards to feed him.

Please, please someone suggest something. We're desperate.

Our 'routine':
He wakes, feeds, we wash and dress him. About 1 1/2 hours later he has a nap. This varies from half an hour to 1 1/2 hours.
3 hours after initial wake up he gets a milk feed, and around 12.30 he gets puree. He normally eats the equivalent of a small Hipp jar (the first tastes sized one) and it's a fruit or veg puree.
He has a nap after lunch, feeds every 3 hours or so.
6pm we sit him down and feed him again, although this can be a bit hit and miss. Sometimes he eats a lot, sometimes hardly any.
7pm we start bathtime, and I bfeed him at around 7.45. He's normally down pretty easily by 8pm.

What's he eating Essie? Is he having a protein lunch? That will fill him up more. But I read no protein at tea cos too hard to digest. The DTs have been sleeping better since I have stopped giving protein at tea.

What will he eat? You have to try to fill him up! I went through this with the DTs, they were waking all the time.

Good point, he's mainly having fruit and veg. Is he allowed meat? How do I deal with meat? Someone on the sleep board has also suggested carbs at teatime, which I will try.
Time to pay a visit to the purees thread!!

Yes, sweet potato or potato at tea time with parsnips or something like that, something 'heavy'. You could give him lentils at lunch, or beans, or fish. He can have meat (I have not given meat to DTs yet tho cos some say 9mths).

With fish I buy frozen cod/haddock from Tesco and poach it in water and milk for about 12mins and then give them a third to one half a fillet between them. I give it to them with sweet potato and throw a bit of spinach in as well, something green. You can save the rest for the next day or freeze it.

Are you averse to giving him formula in his food or with baby rice? If you can get more milk down him during the day in his food that might help.

I have found that the DTs will drink milk from a bottle when they are sat in their high chair (they are older tho - 8mo) - they refused a bottle before.

Essie - I would suggest trying to get more food into him through the day, it might not help at night but may help you in the day. Since I got Ethan onto food nighttimes are a mess but in the day he takes a lot less milk from me. Will try to keep off the protein at teatime though - thanks Neenz.

So our routine(as such)
bfeed on waking in the morning,
breakfast at about 9.00 (baby rice/porridge)
bfeed at about 11 ish
lunch at 12 - main and desert ( I have started with meat and he's fine, he's had pork, turkey, beef and chicken)
bfeed at 2.00
tea at 5.00
bfeed at 7.00
then throughout the night as and when!!!

Don't know if this helps at all.

As he's been exclusively bf until now I would recommend some emb rather than mixing formula with food - not that it's the only option anyway! Maybe some porridge or something before bed? I always made DS' with just water and it's still lovely and creamy.

ebm is great if you can get it, but not always available! the DTs were exclusively bf till starting solids but took fine to follow-on milk in food and it is much more convenient for just making up at mealtimes and throwing in. i tried to use only ebm but I just didn't have the time to express that much!

Agree with more food during the day in case it's hunger, get as much into him as he will take, which might be more than you would think. No rules saying it has to be just breakfast, lunch and tea, he might like some snacks too if he's having a growth spurt. Essie I'm just using cow's milk in C's food, as it's supposed to be OK for food (not as drink) from 6 months on.

Might be teeth, ears or a cold, therefore short-term - have you tried dosing him with Calpol for a couple of nights to see if it makes a difference?

I know it feels terrifying to think of going back to work with these frequent wakings but I think the panic makes it worse for you too. Both of mine were still waking several times a night when I went back to work and I managed to get by, one does adapt to it if it goes on for more than a few days. OK so I wasn't particularly productive for a few months but my career has survived!

Drink lots of water. Sounds trite but the dehydration makes you feel awful. I downed 3 pints before bed last night (there was a time that would have been a good night ...)

And remember all this is really short-term. He will probably take milk somehow when you start back to work, whether from bottle, cup, syringe, spoon (or even just mixed into baby rice or food with extra water to drink), especially once he realises holding out won't get him anywhere. But even if not, worst-case scenario, it's not long before he will be eating and drinking enough to get away without daytime feeds. You will be fine (and we will all be there for you in the transition!)

Thanks so much, ladies. We have a plan of action now - carbs, food, and less stress for me!
Good point about the dehydration Systems. I tend to not think about it but realised that I was getting through a pot of vaseline v. quickly on my lips...er, dehydrated, then?

Yes me too Essie with the dry lips! Also agree with givig him Calpol for a couple of nights to see if it helps. Also agree he will be fine with the bottle thing. All in all, a superb post, Systems!

Would only add you can use cow's milk but I use formula because it has added vitamins and iron in.

does cream cheese count as a protein?
i just gave my DD toast with butter and creamcheese for tea, with mashed banana and yoghurt. Too much protein?

Probably not too much Tinsel. I am not really sure. What percentage protein is in 100g of the cream cheese? I think meat is about 60% protein but cheese much less so prob OK.