How did you night wean?

[Tertius]

I have a breastfeeding eight month old and she can just about self settle (if very drowsy and the conditions are right and I pop in and out). She does know that she falls asleep in her cot (sometimes). She still wakes a lot for feeds and I do feed her as I want to get back to sleep.

I found my son (who is now 3) could self settle from wide awake but still woke for night feeds til nearly one. He only stopped because my milk dried up so it all happened really naturally. One night he just didn't fall asleep on the breast (during the night) and went back into his cot awake and after that slept though. Milk over.

I am so so tired now as I can't catch up during the day, I have done a bit of cosleeping to help but find it makes her wake more.

I really do not want to do anything that entails hours of crying. And I can't really use my DH as he works long hours and travels a lot and can't really get any tireder than he is. I am at least not working yet. I am wary of methods that involve me being awake for hours in the night for many nights as I don't think I will be able to function on much less sleep than I am getting.

I think I should try and put her down in her cot awake after a feed during the night. This did help me cut them down a month or so ago. But now she is teething they have gone right up again!

Is stopping breast feeding my only option? So sad if it is.

I'd be so grateful to hear some stories of how you night weaned. But I don't think I could actually manage to do cc or CIO. I am totally soft.

I am wondering if I can just hang in there til she is nearly one.........

I really feel for you. Until very recently I was also up most of the night with a boob monster. Co-sleeping also didn't work terribly well for me. Is there any way your DH could take some holiday or scout ahead in his diary for a week he's less busy?

We haven't completely night weaned, as I feel DS at 7mo is too little really to go 12 hours without the comfort or nourishment of a feed (and I miss him, and my boobs are like a bag of rocks by morning if I don't feed at least once!).

It took us 2 nights of me sleeping on the sofa, so far away from DS whose cot is right next to my side of the bed. DH did all the settling. It was a tough night and DS ended up in bed with him. Only 1 feed though. The 2nd night DS was happier back in his cot and did NO night feeds. Didn't 'ask' for it at all.

3rd night, and since then (a week ago), I feed him to sleep at 7pm; he doesn't even stir until about 2-3am when I feed him then back to sleep with possibly a couple of DH settling moments until 7am.

Trust me, a fortnight ago I wouldnt have believed it. I was shattered, ill and desperate. DS is still difficult for me to settle, but he'll accept a cuddle/rocking a lot more readily than he ever used to. It really did need DH to start the process though, so if that's really not an option for your circumstances then my apologies for rambling on!

Have you read the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley? Full of very gentle and BF friendly ideas, and absolutely no CIO!

Up until really recently I as also up half the night bfing my 9mo, and we have successfully nightweaned. Still very much enjoying bf during the day.

I started by cutting down each feed by 30seconds as recommended in the millpond book. It seemed to go on a while as we'd always seem to get interrupted by teething etc, but once we'd been at one x 1min feed for about a week he stopped waking all together! Using this technique we went from 3 wakings gradually down to one and then none, and hardly any protesting. We did start with an advantage though - he never actually fed to sleep in the night and always went back down awake - but v v drowsy. Now he wakes maybe once a week and can rock him back to sleep, one two occasions in last month I have fed him when he's woken in a bit of a state from teething and needed the comfort.

Hope that helps! I remember all too well how those night waking a make you feel - ugh - hope you manage it.

I've night weaned and still BF my 16 mo old once a day, when he gets up in the AM. Agree with others that getting someone else to take over night feeds for a bit is key. Also stopping feeding to sleep at bedtime - just move the BF a bit earlier in your routine - helped us loads. If you can bear it try waiting a bit when she first wakes - I realized I was stumbling in and sticking my boob in DS's mouth for every grizzle when actually, if I just waited a few minutes sometimes he would just roll over and go back to sleep. Good luck!

I stopped night feeding DD when she was about 7 months but carried on breastfeeding. I would wake her up at 10ish (if she hadn't done so herself) then just cuddles in the night (or I offered water, but she never wanted that). This worked pretty quickly (few days of unsettled-ness) and she slept more soundly as a result. it was lovely for me.

I kept up the 10pm dream feed for ages - till at least a year, as I was scared of messing things up, but when I stopped she didn't mind so I prob could have done it earlier.

If she was poorly or teething I would sometimes still feed at night on occasions.

Good luck

Marking place for when i am more awake, i can feel my sanity oozing out of every pore :(

Thanks everyone. Some really helpful and hopeful tips there. Would be amazing if I could nightwean and keep up b feeding in the day.

I might try the cuddles / rocking thing myself before using my dh as he really is too busy with work.

I need to focus on getting her to fall asleep in her bed though.

You don't need to stop breastfeeding to stop night feeds.

I stopped night feeds with both DC at 4 months.

We started offering cuddles and water. Within 2-3 days DD no longer wanted milk at night. We did cosleep (and still do if DD wants to come into our bed) but that's because it is how we, as a family, get most sleep.

Thanks again.

Well, once this teething bout is over I will garner up some energy and give it a go. Teeth are causing her real problems though...... Aaaahhhhhhh