9 months old terrible sleep

[Purdyandwheezy]

My breastfed 9 months old will wake up every 1-2 hours in the night and the only way to get her to sleep properly is to feed her. If I try to just put the dummy in or pay her to sleep, she seems asleep but then is shuffling about again 10, 15, maybe 20 minutes later.
I need to stop breastfeeding in the next month to start some medication and am really worried she is just going to not sleep without milk and I will be up every hour making bottles!
She can self settle at bedtime (sometimes with dummy sometimes without) but this is after a bottle of formula so again after milk.
Has anybody any experience of night weaning at this age? I just don't understand why she seems asleep then wakes up after 10 minutes when she hasn't had milk.
I would love to hear if anybody has been in a similar situation and how it turned out.
Thanks

I would be consistent with the dummy, that will probably be your 'best bet' for replacing breastfeeding comfort for independant comfort.

Using a dummy on and off, infrequently at sleep times, is no use though. If you want to be baby's comforting method to get to sleep, it needs to be used consistantly for every time baby goes to sleep.

You won't get any association with dummy=sleep if dummy sometimes is used and sometimes isn't. Likewise the sleep association will lessen if dummy is used at non-sleep times.

Keep dummy for sleep time only and use it consistantly, every single sleep time and every resettle.

Thanks FATE, I haven't been thinking of the dummy in that way before but what you have said makes sense. We have been trying without the dummy first thinking if she can self settle then that's better, then if that doesn't work putting the dummy in.
Will try moving bedtime milk to before bath tonight then settling with dummy. I know I need to just bite the bullet and stop feeding but it's so hard to think how much worse it could get for a few nights when already so tired.
At this age would you just go cold turkey with the name get feeds and offer dummy every time then?

*night feeds

It depends on babies calorie intake in the day. It is assumed that by 12 months baby should have a diet adequate enough to give enough calories through the daytime, but my children were at this point before 9 months old so I knew they didnt need night feeds.

There is also the matter of comfort. Night breastfeeds are more about comfort than calories. I wouldnt be happy denying such a young baby any comfort at all. Not a problem if baby is comforted enough by the dummy instead. But if the dummy isn't comforting baby enough, I wouldn't have it in me to deny baby something comforting until older, again probably over 12 months old.

So if you can replace the comfort of a night feed with dummy sucking and if baby is getting sufficient calories and hydration through the daytime, then yes, I would just go cold turkey on the night feeds.

Hi! I'm in the same situation so sorry no advise but interested to see if anyone has the magic answer (wishful thinking I know 😂)
DS is 7 months old and wakes to breast feed 1-2 hourly all night. I used to feed to sleep and thought that was the problem- however he now feeds half an hour before bed and settles with dummy (I lie next to him as cot is pushed against my bed).
Funny enough I asked health visitor yesterday for advise, as I need to night wean when I go back to work in 6 weeks.
Her advise was either to co-sleep and continue to feed all night, trying to maximise your sleep. Or night wean- put baby in his own cot in his own room and DH has to settle all night 😱 No night feeds at all-cold turkey. She said 2-3 bad nights would probably 'break the back of it'.
Not sure if I'm brave enough tho...poor baby will be hysterical all night.
No idea why, same as you, they are comforted for bedtime, naps with dummy but not night wakings? HV thought that was odd too x

I think I'm going to work on using the dummy every time so she gets more used to it for comfort. It's definitely only comfort feeds in the night as I can just feel it's different, no strong let down and I can never hear her gulping like in the day.
We night weaned my son at 13 months off the breast and offered a bottle every time he woke and after 10 days of that he slept through. Hoping the same will happen this time but she is a lot younger and I have a month max left of breastfeeding.

Even worse for you when the pressure is on isn't it 😕 Good luck I'm sure if you've done it b4 with DS then you'll quickly manage it again this time?!
Not sure what I'll do as DS settles for naps and bedtime with dummy anyway...but no way is that good enough for wakes through the night!...although....it might have to be when I face up to 'tackling it' and refuse boob 😱😂

Ps Have u heard of the Jay Gordon method? I've only just read about it...it's meant for babies over 12months I think but whether it would still work with slightly younger babies?? Might work for you as a quick fix? Think it's over about 7-10 days you follow the plan of night weaning x

Thanks, I'm sure I did a version of that with DS to stop rocking him to sleep. Ended up being able to read his story then cuddle to sleep on my lap. It was amazing really, we used to go out to cafes in the day and I'd be able to just get him to sleep on my lap so we could have a pleasant lunch out. Can't believe I'd forgotten about that method. If I'm remembering right it's the one where you very very gradually reduce your input at bedtime. We never got to the stage of being able to leave the room though x