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Original poster

Baby waking every 1.5 hours through night, please help!

19 replies

MumToBe1980 · 22/04/2020 21:16

My girl is 6.5 months old, she is bottle fed in the day having 4 6oz bottles and 2 meals. The problem is that she will not go to sleep at night without breastfeeding, and then wakes every 1.5 hours through night and will only settle back to sleep on my breast. I am Co sleeping but am exhausted and not sure how much longer I can function on so little sleep. I am ready to stop breastfeeding her altogether and do not think I am producing much milk as my breasts have never been full and have been more healthy snack than fillling meal for my baby.

So has anyone else been in a similar situation? I was thinking should I just try rocking her to sleep to start with? She won't take a dummy but am going to persevere with this as thinking she may benefit from comfort sucking.

Any help please?

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AuntieMaggie · 22/04/2020 21:27

No advice but watching with interest... My 6 month wakes every 1.5 hours too. Breastfed and just started solids (the sleep thing started before weaning). He's recently started taking a dummy but doesn't take a bottle and we don't co sleep. I'm exhausted too Sad

GetTheSprinkles · 22/04/2020 21:39

My 5mo did this 'waking every 1.5 hours' thing during the 4mo sleep regression but seems to be somewhat coming out the other side now.
He's currently waking up 3-5 times and when he does wake up, he usually has a very quick BF and then nods off again quickly. Would love to stop this habit but we co-sleep too and when I'm exhausted it's so easy to just pop him on the boob.

SomeoneElseEntirelyNow · 22/04/2020 21:43

We had this with DD at 5 months, she woke every hour. Generally during the day she goes 3 hours without feeding, so in the night if she woke up and it had been less than 3 hours, DH went in and cuddled her/rocked her back to sleep. If it had been more than 3 hours, i fed her. Eventually she stopped waking unless she was hungry.

LittleTopic · 22/04/2020 21:44

Is she teething? Our DD’s sleep went up the wall when this started, around 6 months. She’d previously sleep 7 hours uninterrupted Sad she’s 11 months now and will sometimes take a bottle in the middle of the night if she is teething as it’s the only way to settle her...

Wnikat · 22/04/2020 21:45

Try patting/ rocking to sleep instead. And loud white noise all night.

RandomMess · 22/04/2020 21:46

It's probably sleep association, if they always go to sleep breastfeeding then that is how they get to sleep...

How do they go for naps during the day?

Sexnotgender · 22/04/2020 21:47

Can she go to sleep by herself?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 22/04/2020 21:49

The only solution is to teach her to get herself to sleep at bedtime. She literally doesn't know how to get to sleep aside from breastfeeding. So the options are continue breastfeeding her back to sleep (safe co Sleeping would aid this) or work on alternative ways for her to fall asleep at bedtime (dh doing bedtime with a song or story or bottle but kept awake til she goes into her cot).

puds11 · 22/04/2020 21:51

Sleep regression. Nearly killed me! I moved her into her own room and a bigger cot (she was in a snuzpod) and that seemed to do the trick!

Samisaman · 22/04/2020 21:52

Oh god I remember this. It’s bloody awful and it actually made me mentally quite unwell. Probably not a popular opinion but I took her off the boob and weaned her then I booked my self in to a hotel and slept right through from 4:30pm. The weaning was totally for me and I felt wretched and guilty but I was done in and crying all the time. My other two were not like this. She didn’t have any reflux or in pain I think she just liked to graze and suckle and it got to the point I didn’t want her near me Flowers

I downloaded a book called the baby sleep whisper and that did help to be honest till she was about 18 months when it all started again. She’s only just sleeping through at three and a half.

Good luck!

Samisaman · 22/04/2020 21:52

Should have put a Blush in stead of flowers!

Notajogger · 22/04/2020 22:30

Look up Sarah Ockwell-Smith, she has some really useful articles & books.
Is it a long sleep regression maybe? If it started 4-5 months?
Also boob fullness is no indication of supply.

crazydiamond222 · 23/04/2020 13:15

My now 6 month old was the same between 4 and 6 months with 1 or 2 hourly wakings. He now only wakes up twice.

It may just be age but the following may also have helped:

  1. Moving him to his own room - he now settles himself back to sleep more rather than me feeding him to sleep as I am not hearing him stir and he is not disturbed by me. I find white noise really helps.
  2. My husband puts him down awake in bed whereas before I used to breastfeed him to sleep.
  3. Weaning - he is having a lot more food in the day so may be less hungry at night

Do you have a partmer who could help your LO settle at night? I think the breastfeeding sleep association is probably the problem.

Original poster
MumToBe1980 · 23/04/2020 17:57

Thanks for your comments 😊

She does not settle herself, I breastfeed her to sleep for most naps, although my partner has managed to rock her to sleep for a few naps. I suppose it was just easier to put her on the boob in the night as she would generally be back asleep within 15 mins. Samisaman I am certainly looking at weaning, was hoping to continue until this coronavirus pandamemic had passed but am so ready to stop now, happy that I have reached 6 months.

I will try to stretch her out to 3 hours, tgat seems like a logical start and see how we go. Funny enough she was only awake twice last night, amazing, feel like a new woman!

Will take a look at the book and, article recommendations.

Unfortunately we only have 2 bedrooms and my boy is in the spare so no chance of her own room for a long time. We are looking to move but obviously it's going to be at least 6 months

OP posts:
RandomMess · 23/04/2020 18:19

Ah well you need to stop feeling herself for all naps, start with daytime first.

It is sleep association she needs a nipple in her mouth to go to sleep and suckle.

Original poster
MumToBe1980 · 23/04/2020 21:47

Any ideas how I stop the sleep association? Im not at a point where I want to do controlled crying although I have friends who have used this successfully, just not for me.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 23/04/2020 21:54

I did pick up put down which means you comfort them until calm then put back down - repeat lots. May be better if your partner can do it for a week or so as he doesn't smell of milk etc

I would introduce a cuddly toy (sleep with it a while) and a nap routine.

RandomMess · 23/04/2020 21:55

I mean a routine you follow when you put her down for a nap and pay attention to when she is getting tired.

burritofan · 23/04/2020 21:56

Try Kerry Secker's ecourse; I've just gone from feeding DD to sleep to cuddling her.

Six months was bloody awful for us. Then it got better! Then worse again! Then of her own accord down to 2 wake-ups. The frequent night feeding doesn't mean low supply – it's probably upping your supply, if anything! It's comfort rather than food.

Have to say that self settling doesn't necessarily help: DD can settle herself just fine at times but still wakes up; will sometimes settle herself after wake ups then wake up again. There's a lot of other factors: overtired, undertired, teeth, developmental leap, regressions, being a baby…

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