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a breastfeeding/sleeping question

28 replies

GrizzlyMacDuff · 02/01/2011 08:18

or rather, me telling you how it is and you telling me how to change it, ok? Grin

DS 13 months, sleeps in our room, in his own cot til about 4am, then in with us most nights. breastfed, and currently sleeps/feeds the following pattern. It is tiring and I want to stop it. Although, it is significantly better than it was...

breastfeed, then into bed around 7-7:30pm. a routine which is loose, some flexibility due to having an older child to put to bed too.

wake somewhere between 11pm and 1am. Occasionally before then, around 10pm, sometimes as late as 3am, but mostly 12:30am or so. Quick breastfeed, back to sleep. He wakes crying at this point.

He wakes for the morning somewhere between 5-6am, wanting milk and will suckle for about 1 hour. Day normally starts around 6:30am, when my other child also wakes, so if he wakes at 5am, he feeds/dozes/suckles for 1.5 hours. If I try to get him back to sleep and remove from boob at this time he cries, arches back, generally upset, and once he stops doing that, he is awake.

so, that is the consistent routine, that happens every night without fail, with the very occasional later sleep before waking for boob at 6:30am, or breastfeed then sleep without boob til 7am.

However, he then more often than not, and recently seems to always wake another 1-3 times. a further one time is common/usual, but more is becoming regular again (he used to wake through the night hourly). He does not wake upset, he wakes, stands/bounces in his cot, sort of clicking his fingers at me (i am certain if he could click them he would) going 'diddle diddle eeat? 'diddle diddle eat?' at me, and getting more and more impatient if I don't respond!

I normally attempt to console him without milk, but after a fashion (and some stonking middle of the night headbuts in the face) give in, so i know that I have made a Rod for my Own Back.

Last night, he went to sleep at 7:15pm, woke - 12:30am, 3am, 4:30am, 5am, 6:30am. When he woke at 5am I refused to feed him, i cuddled him, while he screamed and cried 'eaaaat, booobooo' at me, but went to sleep without milk.

He has just started walking, just started being able to say 'booboo' and ask for milk himself, just started being able to communicate with the whole family to some extent, so developmentally he is going through changes - is this why he wakes so often at the moment? is it because I feed him? Is it because he is in our room? He clearly can go through for a while without milk, and often does as he on occasion sleeps 7:30pm-3am (7.5hrs) so can't be that I have created a baby who relies only on boob to sleep, or else he would not sleep that long right? or am i wrong?

I long for a solid sleep of 6 hours. Or, 5 hours, that will be ok.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
GrizzlyMacDuff · 09/01/2011 07:22

well a good start!

bed at 8pm, later than normal due to taking time to sort out room, get DD to bed etc, but we finished routine in there, cut out our bedroom completely so he associates a new routine with his room. Stories with DD as normal, into his room, change into pjs (although normally this will be done with dd most of the time), cuddles, songs and milk. Asleep straight away, and he normally wakes for a settle about 1 hour afterwards and did not this time.

10:30pm - wake, milk, back to sleep (15 mins?)

1:30am - wake, settle with no boob, took a while but, after I put him back into bed, he did not cry, but looked around, and sort of patted his toys/bears, and just sat there, so I stayed and shushed, no more cuddles or touching, and he eventually put his head down, lifted it up a few times then went to sleep - took about half hour i guess.

5:30am! woke and brought into bed, had milk, went to sleep then DD woke and DH got annoyed so the house was awake at 6am! Apart from DH who went back to bed.

And I am now watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks with two happy children. DS will need a nap earlier/longer but that is ok!

OP posts:
PinkIceQueen · 09/01/2011 21:45

Sounds good GMD, hopefully this is the start of things to come and everyone will be feeling much less stressed and more rested now. Really pleased for you Smile

Deux · 31/01/2011 12:26

Hope things are still going well. Sounds a good bedtime routine.

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