8 month old sleep wearing me down

[jan2011]

my 8 month old wakes up mulitiple times a night for feeds. i bf her in my bed, then put her back in the cot. shes been like this for months, but seems to be now taking even less in during the day, and more at night. its starting to really wear me down im just so tired all the time.

she is too distracted to feed during the day. the only way is if i go to bed with her for about 2 hours and feed...sometimes i can sometimes i can't. i try the whole dark room thing. the heats making her not spoon feed as much too.

i try to get her a nap in the morning and one in the afternoon - this all depends on routine and if i can feed her to sleep and sit with her on my knee/ go to bed with her.

please does anyone have any suggestions? she does seem hungry in the night.

That sounds tough.

I had some sleep problems with my DD of a similar age. Is you baby having solid food as well? A friend of mine suggested making sure my baby had a tea which was quite high in carbohydrates to help her feel full through the night.

Unfortunately it didn't make any difference, but she swears by it, so it might work for you?

thanks, i will try it . she hasn't been having much dinner i think the weather is getting to her. but like you say, it doesn't seem to make too much difference one way or another. still, anything is worth a try, so i will push the carbs at teatime!

My 7mo is bf and also still wakes in the night for feeds. I think he has been struggling with the heat too. He has also been having constipation issues which at times also reduces his appetite and ability to get a good sleep.

I saw the HV yesterday and her suggestion was to get as many calories in during the day as possible so I am trying giving snacks as well as meals and continuing to follow the meals with bf. I'm hopeful that by filling him up more during the day he will sleep better at night.

Am also trying the carb thing and protein such as yoghurt or cheese as snacks or at the end of a meal to fill him up too. I will be watching this thread with interest as I'm worried about returning to work in a few months' time and being totally wiped out before I even start.

thanks looby
its so tiring isn't it. today i was asked was i 'still bf' my dd. i don't want to stop but it is getting exhausting.

sorry your lO has constipation - have you tried giving more water?

i have been trying to give her a bit more food - she really is just not a big eater and its always a struggle.

i hear you about work. i start studies again in a few months, and instensive training in a month and im wiped out.

i should just keep my mouth shut too. when i tell people in rl she is up at night feeding etc, they act all shocked like and as if this so shouldn't be happening and makes me feel really guilty. to top it off my brother and his wife have a one week old and all she does is sleep!

That's because it's natural for one week olds to sleep all the time. That will soon change for them!

I do think that BF babies tend to feed at night more and for longer as they get older than FF, simply because it's so easy to pop the boob in to settle them if they wake rather than go downstairs and warm a bottle.

Some do need to retain a night feed after they're fully weaned (on three meals a day including protein) but I would say one feed per night should be sufficient if solid intake is going well (lots of ifs and buts here!).

The aim is to get the food intake during the day to a point where they just aren't hungry at night - in this hot weather, it's not easy. Is your LO on three meals a day?

It does sound like she's waking for comfort, not out of hunger - and if it is hunger (every time she wakes) then her daytime intake needs looking at.

The other thing that I'm getting from your posts is that you feed to sleep. If this is the case, you'll find that she will probably wake in the night looking for a feed even if she's not hungry as that's her settling technique. Have you tried settling her without a feed?

I think maybe it's a weird sort of karma - DS1 was and still is an amazing sleeper and his brother is totally the opposite. He was FF though, I think you are probably right Daisy and the fact bf is so comforting and easy probably doesn't help.

Jan we have been to the GP twice and tried a couple of different laxatives because it's an ongoing problem, he drinks loads of water throughout the day and eats all the fruits etc recommended to ease the problem naturally. I'm hopeful it will sort itself out soon, I'm reluctant to give him medication for it all the time.

My LO is now on three meals a day and has been for a few weeks now. He loves his food, eats a lot and is on the 91st centile for weight. I'm hoping he isn't just one of those babies who just needs more food - in spite of his intake during the day his night feeds are big ones which leads me to think they aren't just for comfort (I stopped feeding to sleep a while back).

Jan I have been reading 'The No Cry Sleep Solution' by Elizabeth Pantley and started putting a few of her principles into practice. It sounds as though the two main influencers of night sleep quality are eating and good daytime sleep.

Not rocket science but probably worth being disciplined about - if I'm honest I think this is where we got it right with DS1 but have struggled with with DS2. Obviously personality and bf vs FF come into play and I've found it tricky to be disciplined with the baby with a toddler screaming around the house. I feel like we are at the point and have been for a while where we are so tired we just do the easiest thing and it turns into a self-perpetuating problem.

Ive never really been a 'laze by the pool and sleep holiday' type person but right now that's all I dream of!

You can try cuddling and offering water when they wake if you are happy they're not hungry (ie if you've fed only an hour ago). Once they realise they're not getting the boob, they soon lose interest. That is of course if you want to stop the feeds - some people feel strongly that if the baby wants it, they should have it at this age.