17 week sleep issues

[mazzamoo123]

Hi there,

My DS is formula fed and during the day it is quite a struggle to feed him but generally I manage to get about 6-7 oz down him at 7am, 11am, 2.30am and 6.30pm. He naps well during the day (an hour in the morning, 2 hours at lunchtime and 15 mins in the afternoon) and he is able to self-soothe (he goes into the cot awake). He's 17 weeks and about 16lb. At night, he's just not getting any better than he was 6 weeks ago! In fact over the last 3 weeks he's got worse! He wakes at 11pm and then again at 2am (I rock him back to sleep) and 3am (I feed him). He guzzles the milk at night and often isn't hungry at 7am as a result.

Can anyone help me get him to sleep longer at night? I'm so exhausted!!

I know there is a sleep regression at 4 months but this seems to be a permanent thing as it's been going on for ages!! I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Help!

I know nothing about FF but can't you feed him at 2am to see if he sleeps until 6/7?

IME 3 wake ups is perfectly normal.

The sleep regression at 4 months is perminant change in the physiology of sleep.

I would suggest baby is hungry and wants feeding at 11pm and again 2am. If you'd rather avoid night feeds (understandable) then feed more frequently in the daytime. Calorie loading through the daytime means less is needed at night.

You give your times for feeds but don't give times for naps, so I've guessed. I would suggest:

Instead of

7am feed
10-11am nap
11am feed
2.30pm feed
2.30-4.30pm nap
5.30-5.45 nap
6.30pm feed
7.00pm bedtime
11pm feed
2/3am feed

Try instead limiting awake time (time between waking from one nap and going to sleep next time) to 2 hours and 3 hourly feeds. It's also good routine to feed upon waking, rather than upon going to sleep. So instead try:

7am feed
9-10am nap
10am feed
12-2pm nap
2pm feed
4-5pm nap
5pm feed
7pm feed and bed
11pm feed

That's the same six feeds, but making them more frequent means fewer are needed in the night.

If you are still doing night feeds at that, it's not unreasonable to give 2 hourly daytime feeds. So 7am 9am 11am 1pm 3pm 5pm 7pm and an 11pm dreamfeed. Or thereabouts.

Thanks so much. My nap times are actually pretty similar to what you suggest.

7am feed
9-10 nap
11am feed
12-2.15 nap
2.30 feed
4.45 nap
6.30 feed and bed

I don't feed him at 2am because he isn't that hungry - I have once or twice tried and he only takes an ounce before falling asleep and waking again 2 hours later. I just have to put white noise on and rock him once or twice before he goes back to sleep if I don't feed him and then he takes 2-3oz at 3am and goes through till 6.30/7am.

I will try giving him smaller but more frequent feeds in the afternoon. He just isn't that interested in eating, despite being quite a big baby!!

Thanks for all your help.