So my 8.5 month old isn't the worst sleeper in the world - he can be put down awake and goes to sleep on his own and usually takes 2-3 naps a day with a bit of help. However he has never got close to sleeping a good long stretch - we put him down between 6.30-7.30 and he sometimes wakes around 10, then 1/2, 3/4 then comes in with us or he is awake for the rest of the night. He feeds on at least 2 of his wake ups and I seem to have got in the habit of letting him sip from the boob for the rest of the night after he comes in with us.
I go back to work in 5 weeks and am really going to struggle with so many wake ups and he won't take a bottle so it's only me that can feed him. From the reading I have done I know some people think that babies don't NEED milk in the night at this age but other sources suggest that some babies feed in the night well beyond their first year.
I don't know what to do for the best. I desperately want to get some real rest but not at the expense of my babies health and happiness.
Has anyone successfully managed to get their baby to drop night feeds at this age and how traumatic was it? Letting him CIO or doing cc is not an option for us although I do acknowledge their will be some tears involved