Would you night wean? And how?

[weebairn]

If I wasn't going back to work I wouldn't mess with my baby's sleep, as I think it's manageable. However I have just gone back to work and I do a few (2-3) night shifts once or twice a month. I will be out the house 8pm till 10 am. And I am anxious about how she will cope.

Baby is 10 months old. She eats fine. She is a fantastic napper (2x 2hrs in the day frequently, very easy to put down). So far she has been ok ish when I've been at work (9am-5pm) though cried and fed a lot when I came home. She self-settles for naps and bed. She goes to bed easy peasey at 6.30pm and doesn't get up for the day till 7am. She does however feed 3 times in the night. I think she is hungry. SHe is a big baby, 75th centile.

In the night, she cries (i leave her for a few minutes to see if she'll settle herself) and then I feed her, quietly in the dark lying down. After that I put her back in her cot (I don't need to settle her) and she goes right back to sleep. Usually it's 9pm, midnight and 3am.

When I tell people she wakes 3 times a night they think this is awful, but I honestly think this is easier than my older daughter who slept long stretches but took hours to put down, had to rock to sleep etc.

I can't find anything other than boob that calms her down in the night so I don't quite know where to start. My boyfriend will have to take her for night shifts. She has never had a bottle and we tried her with one recently, she hated it. She drinks well out of an open cup in the day (usually just water when I'm not there) but so far just cries in the night if offered anything other than boob.

WWYD? Just power through the night shifts when they happen, or night wean? Any tips?

well, my DD is 10 months old and tracking the 91st centile, so is similarly big. She has no night feeds. She usually has 3 milk feeds a day (first thing in the morning, before bed and before lunchtime nap) then three meals a day.

So yes, I would night wean if it was me

As for how, I'd just go cold turkey and offer water only at night. Grit your teeth and get through it, it will get easier.

That's a lot of feeds to drop at once. Even if she managed it would she not feed more in the day? I'm often at work in the day.

Working shifts is shit :(

How long did your baby take to night wean and how many feeds were they on? I did night wean my older daughter but she was much older- 14 months- and only on one feed a night. I always felt a bit bad about that too.

If I wasn't going back to work id happily continue with the way things are as bf is so easy for night wake ups... Ah I don't know.

I'm not sure my boobs could take dropping 3 feeds at once. I'm prone to over supply.

I did my first set of nights when DD was 12months. I came on here and asked the same question! In the end I didn't night wean, and she was fine when I wasn't here. DH took her in to bed for a cuddle and she slept fine. She's 15months now and I'm planning to tackle the night feeds any day! I was also prone to oversupply and did have to pump overnight first set, managed with hand expression second set.

Oh and my DD was on 1-2night feeds at that point. I've always been a path of least resistance sort of mother mind!

Coincidentally, my baby is also 10 months and 75th percentile. He doesn't wake to feed anymore, so perhaps your baby is able to go through the night but just needs guiding in the right direction?

Could she not be having enough milk in the day to see her through the night? She might not be hungry for as many day feeds as she needs because she's been eating in the night. If you drop the feeds, either gradually or abruptly depending on how you want to do it, hopefully she will naturally adjust. I did do this with my son, it seemed hard at first but he did adjust very quickly in just a couple of nights and now we are both happier for it.

Do you offer her milk from both breasts before bed? I know the modern advice is often to alternate boobs between feeds, but I found my son's sleep improved markedly when I offered both sides for that last feed of the day. At this stage I also try and make sure he has a decent sized potion of solids at dinner time.