Getting my 7 and a half month old to sleep through...

[Juicylucytoo]

Right, I haven't had more than 4 hours sleep in one stretch since he was born in June. I excluxively breastfed for 6 months. Then around Christmas I started to introduce Formula. He gets Formula (7oz) at 3pm, 7pm and 11pm. I then breastfeed at 2am, 5/6am, sometimes 9am and then again at Midday.

For about the last 2-3 weeks I've noticed that he is only snacking at his lunchtime and 3pm feeds.

So, I have finally decided to give up the nightime "on demand feeding" thingy (normally 2am-3am) and started last night with only offering water and trying to rock him to sleep.

At 4.15 I gave in and fed him.

Am I doing it right?

Do I perservere to get him on the right sleeping / eating pattern?

Please share any experience / advise.

Feeling like a mean mum by not feeding him, but now extremely knackered

Thanks

PS Have also posted this on feeding page x

I think your DS is in the habit of waking for a feed at 2am, and it may take a few nights to break this habit. Although you may feel tired from being up til 4.15, you have delayed this feed, and started to break his habit. You should look at the recent thread by theprecious which showed that by not feeding at 3am, her DS now sleeps through quite regularly, but it took a few nights to get there. I think you need to give it at least 3 nights to know if its working.

You could try offering water instead of milk. Or maybe try offering formula instead, so you know how much he's taking on, and then you could either reduce the amount gradually, or else dilute it more every few days so eventually its almost water...

I thought my DS was waking out of habit at 2am (although he was younger than yours) and I tried to settle him first with cuddles, but if that didn't work, i'd give water (he'd only take about an oz) and then I'd feed him.

He is now 7 mo and doesn't feed at all between 7pm and 7am although it doesn't stop him waking! But he is easy to settle, so at least we don't loose much sleep.

Thanks pulapula. Will see how we get on tonight and maybe have some formula to hand.

He's had good feeds at 3pm and 7pm today, so I'll see how much he takes at 11pm and take it from there.

my ds was waking overnight due to habit. i switched bf for a bottle of water. he was most unimpressed but after that night (which was very long) didn't ask again! took a little longer to get him to sleep through but if was a definite start.

could also be worth sending dp in with the bottle as he will like the comfort of the breast as much as the feed.

you aren't mean!

good luck for tonight.

DH is away tonight, so on my own

I tried water last night and he was certainly not impressed.

Now wondering if I should try water or weak formula tonight. Any suggestions?

personally, if you don't think he's hungry, i would give water. (not least cos if he doesn't 'need' the milk, the last thing you want to be doing at silly o'clock is making up a bottle.)

but that's just me.

Hi JL.

right am posting this on the sleep one as I dont think its feeding related especially as I know he often wakes more than you said.

I think for my twopence worth please feel free to ignore me. That maybe you need a bit of baby boot camp remember when I couldnt get Archie to nap in the day time and he was a nightmare. Well maybe you need to do a bit of that to Oscar. I know you are quite flexible in your daily routine but am wondering whether a bit of baby boot camp might do the trick. Also I know you will be bored to tears after a couple of days but I reckon you need to do 5 days.

So here goes set a time that you want O to be awake and what times you want him to eat sleep etc. Stick to these ridgidly. Also decide that bedtime will be say 7pm so start quiet time then bath into his room dim lights formula or boob and into bed. Then I think you said he sleeps well at this point. Go into him at 10.45 do not wake him lift him give him formula or boob then straight back to bed no lights on no talking to him no eye contact. Then cross your fingers. I know he is unlikely to stay asleep as he is in the habit of waking, comfort feeding, being brought into bed with you. At this point during the night if he wakes I would say CC. It takes nerves of steel and I would only do it when DH is home so you have back up actually get DH to do the night shift continue with the no lights no eye contact etc when you go to him. Then persevere through to say 6.30 when he can get up and begin the day. I would then be very strict on naps and mealtimes same time etc stay at home or only go out during times you want him awake dont allow him to nap in the buggy.

I think that if you do this for 5 straight days you will have cracked it. You need O to sleep for your own sanity not just for you TTC.

Good luck my love. Do it this week then lets meet for congratulatory cake next week.

I agree with juliewoolie, you need to get tough! Also agree that you should only do it when your dp is around for back up.

Lack of sleep makes it harder but it should only take a week tops if you have those nerves of steel.

Good luck and enjoy the sleep that is coming your way, you've earned it

(Can I have some of the cake please?)

Thanks JW!

Right, will talk it over with DH. He's away until Tues night, so may start the whole thing on Wed.

Will try O out with water again tonight at 2am, but may give in sooner than last night as on my own.

I agree with the last 2 posts. Get tough! I did GF routines from 6wks and have ahd a baby who slept from 7-7 from 12wks and had no night feed from 8wks. DD is now 2.0 and has only had me up in the night approx 5 times due to 2 viruses. Does take nerve but it works if you persevere.

how did it go last night?

Oh dear, all went a bit Pete Tong.

He went to bed at 7 as usual. Woke a few times (lost dummy), nothing unusual, but then from about 8/9 slept through until 3.15.

I didn't wake him for his 11 o'clock feed or move him to his own bed.

At 3.15 I figured he must be starving so fed him and moved him to his bed. Low and behold he woke again at 5.25 and would not be settled without a feed. As I want to loose the earlier feed and not that one, I didn't try water at that stage. He then woke up at 8 and it was game over. He fed again at 8 and has just fed at 11.30.

I think I need to formulate a new plan for tonight

You need to put him to sleep in his OWN cot from the start. Put him down awake so that he settles himself to sleep and do the check every 10mins with a stroke of tummy, head etc, don't pick up.
I would feed at 2230/2300 regardless of him sleeping/awake. Put back down.
If he wakes in the night give water only. When he stops drinking it or after 2 oz put him back into the cot, cuddle first to settle but not asleep. Ignore cry for 10 mins then do the stroking head etc but not pick up. Leave for 10 mins and repeat. Persevere for at least 5 nights. Times get shorter for crying and eventually you will not need to go in. When he cries in the night leave it at least 5 mins before going in to see if he will settle off again.

JL stay strong my love do as Tori suggested

May the force be with you.

Hi ya, just thought I'd tell you what worked for us and give you some advise.
At this age my ds started to sleep through as I started preparing him for a month in advance by cutting his nightime feeds one by one in a space of 4 days, so if he wakes at 12am and 3am for feeds, during the 12am one, get Dad to go and sh sh him back to sleep, even if he cries, just leave him to it until he falls asleep by himself, I would not give even water. Then when he knows that at this time he's not getting anything, he will most probably won't wake up.
Now drop the second night time feed the same way and there you go. Be prepared to leave him to cry himself to sleep just reassuring him every now and again you are there but do not pick him up and he most be in his cot in his room.

You must do this only if during the day he is getting enough to eat and drink (at this age should be 4 7ml bottles I believe and 3 meals and 2 snacks as recommended by Annabel Karmel. If he is getting all these there is no reason for him to drink anything at night.

I finished bf and started doing this and worked for us, OK, we had screaming for a few nights, but we gave him the gift of sound sleep.
He is 15 months now and sleeps like an angel for 12 hours every night, sometimes 13.
Do it now at this age, I suggest, as the older they get the more difficult it gets (seen it!)

poor you.
it started off well. i would second the feed at 10-11 regardless whether asleep or awake. that way if wakes later you know he's not hungry.

(no strong feelings on cc either way, just not done it so can't advise.)

here's hoping.

Right.

Decided before reading this that it was time to start him off in his own cot (great minds think alike and all that Tori ). He is used to it now and I heard somewhere you should introduce changes together and not one after the other for best effect.

He moaned abit, but no noise since 7pm, so, so far so good.

I will wake him at 11pm if he's not awake by then and feed him.

I think I will go with a diluted milk feed at 2am when he wakes, as when I tried water he wasn't having any of it and I don't know if I could go through that on my own.

I will try and dilute more tomorrow night and so on. I'm rubbish at CC and as DH isn't here tonight there is no way I'll attempt it on my own. I will just give in and undermine the whole thing.

That's what I've decided for today and I'm determined to try and stick to it.

Thanks for all your help. Will let you know how I get on.

babes dont wake him at 11 just pick him up shove the boob in or a bottle keep the room, dark dont make eye contact hard I know and put him straight back down after.

Good luck.

JLT - My LO is about 2 weeks younger than yours.

We have exactly the same problem as you. Same habits... same TIMES even (maybe they are calling each other to chat???!!!)

I do the same as you try and then when I get too tired... its easier to BF.

I see that many posters think at this point its habit, so I am going to be brave like you and give it another shot to sort it.
Like you, I have tried not to feed but often tiredness gets the better of me and I feed/ take to bed etc.

But i am close to breaking point now so while its I am going to try again.

Your are not alone!

how did it go jlt and tt?

Well, don't know why but...

Got him up at 11 in the dark (as always) and fed him. He took 5oz and was asleep again before I put him back down.

Then at 2am when he cried I went in and put his dummy back in. I was waiting for more noise, but he went back to sleep!!! HURRAH!!!

He was awake again at 5am and wouldn't be shushed back to sleep so I fed him.

Whether I've managed to break his habits permenantly is, of course, another matter...

I'd like to push the 5am feed out to 7am, but I will see if he starts going long on his own first before I take any further measures.

Will let you know how tonight goes.

How was your night TT?

Woo Hoo!

fantastic!

I failed miserably.. but have an excuse! DS1 developed chicken pox last night and I was up 3-4 times between midnight and 2.30 am. So when DS2 woke up as normal at 2.30am and then gave him dummy, he went back to sleep. But then was awake 10 mins later... and then another 10 mins later.

So I took him into my bed (DH is away at the moment) and we went to sleep until 5am.

To be honest, I can't even remember whether I fed him at 3am . It was that kinda night!

I will try again tonight, but am cheered by reading your email and that it has worked for you.

Spots appearing on DS2 tonight now. Argh!