breastfeeding and sleep

[fiona85]

my baby is 11 months and still wakes up every two hours for the breast, the problem is its not a feed she is looking but a (human) dummy. its getting to the point now where im totally exhausted. shes walking now and on the go constant during the day, she eats plenty during the day and gets her milk at least 3 times during the day and she dosent take a normal dummy. has anyone got any advice xx

You must be exhausted to have been getting up every 2 hours for 11 months!

She needs to learn to settle herself back to sleep when she wakes in the night. At 11 months if she is eating well during the day, she shouldn't need milk in the night- you said yourself that she isn't feeding. There are several methods you can use to teach her, and most will involve some crying. The Baby Whisperer's method is called Pick Up Put Down, there's also a method I've heard mentioned on here called the No Cry Sleep Solution, or you could do what I did and just leave her to cry and work it out for herself. You'll have a few unsettled nights of crying but then she'll learn. However I know this isn't for everyone- try googling the other methods I mentioned.

Good luck.

VeronicaCake wrote me a lovely plan here that you might find helpful.

My dd still goes through phases of that kind of waking, then six weeks later she sprouts a tooth or four.

For what it's worth I have been going through something similar...and decided that DD also 11 months needed to sleep for longer periods as I was so exhausted and really felt she needed some long stretches too. I did feel it was just habit for her...I did a version of Jay Gordons nightweaning starting on Tuesday just gone. One hour of crying first night, half an hour the second and she is now settling with water and a cuddle. She's gone from waking 6-8 times a night to twice (though it's early days!)...
Just thought my experience might be helpful and my DD is a total boob monster and even she's been ok! I ve tried to give lots of time for nursing on the day and extra cuddles/ being in the sling...
X

For night weaning I involved my DH. He offered water in a soft spouted beaker (which DS refused) and cuddled/sang him back to sleep. It was quite difficult emotionally though as for the first few nights DS was very upset.

thanks everyone for all your advice im deffo goin to try some nightweaning, hopefully with Gods help i get somewhere .....