8MO still feeding through night?

[circlehead]

My 8MO DS still wakes around 3 times a night for a BF. Is that ok? From what I have read, he should no longer require night feeds at this stage but he does seems to be genuinely desparately hungry ie trying to latch on before I have even got my boob out, guzzling a whole boob of milk like his life depends on it (which I suppose it does... anyway).

He is generally weaning well, will eat when/what I eat mostly, and is starting to take surprisingly big portions! But this does not seem to impact on his sleep... I'd say he's dropped 1 night feed since weaning began. He has dinner around 6, usually a BF just before bed and drops off around 7.30 (no problems settling self to sleep) but wakes around 9.30 for BF again.

I have always been very go with the flow with DS and know he will sleep through when he is ready. I'm not happy to do controlled crying etc because as I say he appears to be genuinely hungry and just cries louder if I try to settle him without a BF, no chance of him going back to sleep without.

I guess your little one didn't read the same books as you?
It's only a problem if you find it difficult.
Mine were still waking up for night feeds until I started to refuse them, variously at age 12, 19 or 22 months.

My 8 month old breast feeds every 2 hours through the night, but unlike your LO he's not so good at self settling. I do it 'cos it's easy. We live in a small house and he shares our room. Starting to think I need to do something about it soon... I'm very tired

lljkk - how did you refuse? did it take lots of tears? It not really a problem for me as such, just want to know how far away the light at the end of the tunnel is!

MC - I know what you mean about it being easy, it just seems to make sense - baby crying, mum stressed and disturbing household's sleep vs. quick BF and everyone's happy. I do often wonder whether my DS feeds for comfort but he does appear to be starving.... My DS is in with me as well and I also wonder whether it's because I am so close and he can smell my mlik?!

Oh well, it can't last forever...

Refusing: not really tears, more like loud whinging. I still cuddled, I still let them in my bed or wherever we fed, I still did everything else we had done in middle of nights before, just no access to breast between say 10pm & 6am.
Beware, though, ime night weaning directly leads to all weaning off breast, sooner rather than later. Just be ready for that.

lljkk - thanks for the heads up about weaning altogether. My DS can happily go from about 9am till 5pm without wanting a feed as he obvioulsy makes up for it at night anyway. I thought if I went cold turkey on him he'd increase day feeds hadn't thought he might give it up all together. Circlehead does your LO take EBM from a bottle of take a dummy? Mine won't, he wants milk direct from the source and no silicone substitutes!

My ds is 1yo and only gave up doing this about a month ago, still feeds evening and morning though.

MC - He's never had a dummy but will take EBM from closer to nature bottles when being babysat, although doesn't seem to take as much/feed as often as if I am there with my boobies! He still has about 6 daytime feeds + proper food... I guess he's just a hungry boy!!

Zoedee - I won't get the camp bed out just yet then!