So, did anyone do exclusive bf to 6 months and NOT get sleep problems?

[SenoraPostrophe]

contraversial sleep thread alert! if easily offended please look away now.

I was just wondering if anyone did the 6 months bf thing without getting sleep problems. because I weaned dd at 4 months and had no problems. ds2 otoh slept through at 3 months, but started waking again at 4 and a bit. now he's in the habit of waking and I'm so tired I can barely speak.

my mum had 5 babies, all weaned at 4 months, all good sleepers. Lots of friends had good and bad sleepers, but I can't think of one who delayed weaning AND had a good sleeper. I used to say the solids/sleep thing was a myth but I don't think it is now.

so anyway my thought is this. In our efforts to reduce food allergy in delaying weaning, are we raisding a generation of neurotic, sleep deprived infanst who are at greater risk of abuse (well, shouting) from their neurotic, sleep deprived mothers?

I think it is completely normal for infants to wake each night, even several times each night. I think co-sleeping, breastfeeding and living in extended family groups all help to make this an easier time for a new mother, but our "modern" lifestyle of baby in a cot in their own room, feeding on schedule, and busy mothers trying to fulfill many roles, sets us up for feeling like failures and struggling to cope if our children are not sleeping through.

I would honestly advise anyone struggling with sleep to co-sleep and try to doze while feeding. I am sorry you are feeling so exhausted. Is there help you can call on during the day? Are you going to bed as early as you possibly can?

I have a friend who's DS was exclusively BF til he was 6 months old. He is a GREAT eater AND sleeper!!
(not me though )

I bf all 3 dc till 6 months (is more common here in Germany to wean at 6m) and had:

ds1 was rotten sleeper, aged 10 now, still is.
ds2 slept through at 9 wks to about 5/6am, had phases of being hungry/fed at night but settled easily, is still great sleeper.
dd also no problems - was even better than ds2. Only lately (aged 4) has problems sleeping but that can't be the bf'ing

I BF'd DD until she was 1 and we started BLW 1 week short of 6 months.
She slept through from 6 until 6 from about 3 and a half months, and then at 8 months started waking again for a feed, then at 11 months she started sleeping through again.

Does that help?!

I agree with you Franny BUT I have tried to 'relax' and co sleep woith dd2 so that we all get some sleep but now I have an insomniac 22month old and a newborn in bed with me. I'm not getting any sleep, dh is in the spare room and I have no idea how to sort it out.

I do co-sleep and I do doze while feeding. but a) that gives me a bad shoulder in the morning and b) I don't sleep anything like as soundly that way. I also don't feed on a schedule.

I wouldn't mind so much if I hadn't had those blissful weeks of him sleeping through!

But anyway I am coping, thanks. And I don't feel a failure, just frustrated (and tired!). I wasn't posting for advice as such, it was just a thought. I see what you're saying about extended families, but why did so many people have babies that slept through from 4 months then?

right, so no support for my theory then.

at least it's keeping my brain awake!

I aimed to bf exclusively for all 3 until 6 months, but never made it. They all started weaning at about 5. Just they way they are. Advice at time eldest was born was start weaning at 4 months. By the time DS2 was born 14 months later it was 6 months.
Wouldn't get hung up on it myself.

so I think I do agree with you. Having re-read your OP properly now ....

Dd was fantastic - weaned at 6 months, no sleep problems EVER.

Ds2 slept through at 3 months, started waking at 4 months, was weaned at 6 months, and still wakes once or twice a night (10 months). He is a little thing though, so I quite like him having the extra feeds, but am shattered. Don't know if was as a result of leaving weaning till 6 months. Ds1 was weaned at 4 months and no sleep problems there.

All babies like all adults are different.
The act differently they make different noises they poo differently and (and this is important) they sleep differently.
If they were all the exact same we wouldn't need mumsnet!!

Re-reading my post, I hardly recognise the zonked tearful wreck I was at times. But I do remember with dd thinking how much better I felt because she (and therefore I) slept for longer stretches.

Can only sympathise, it will get better

that makes sense purple

Can I swap mine for sleepers then please???

Nope! But I am not sure it is the BF as I will not start weaning until tomorrow and this week she has done her usual trick of fooling me by sleeping 12 hours straight then 2 nights later waking 4 times. She has done this since about 10 weeks. Although her wieght gain has slowed alot in the last couple of months.

trinity hon, if we were aloud to swap for sleepers I would've done it a looooonnnngggg time ago!!!!

I think it is impossible to draw any conclusions about any of the parenting options/choices because it is impossible to replicate circumstances

even the same family with apparently all the same variables in place things are not as similar as you think

this applies all through life

this is why scientific trials are so hard to set up and verify