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

Firststar = you're doing great!!

Well, not really sure how long this is going to take. Last night was as follows:

7pm 2oz Formula + 2.5ml Medised
11pm 5oz Formula + 2.5ml Medised
3.20am Tried to shoosh him back to sleep. Gave in and fed him. (Think I should have had water to hand).

Don't know how we will get on tonight, but DH is away until Friday, so I'll see if I feel like doing it on my own.

Hope you have a better night tonight Swaliswan

keep going lovely ladies, medised rubbish for sleeping in this household my mad child becomes more mad! JL did I see you got a stretch of nearly 5 hours the other night - WELL DONE.

Yes JW, ONE night of nearly 5 hours!

Right, off to bed now as on my own tonight.

Good Luck Everyone!

Last night I decided to revert back to feeding DD whenever she woke so that I can start again with reducing the night feeds but using a gradual reduction method this time. DD went to bed at 7pm and chattered happily for a while before falling asleep. She woke up at 2:15 and at 4:45 for half an hour each time. She then got up at 7ish to start the day. I hope that the next couple of nights don't detriorate into frequent wakings for BF before I start to reduce the feeds again.

Message withdrawn

Well, crap night here too.

Went to bed as usual at 7pm, but wouldn't take a whole feed (about 4oz) and wouldn't settle. I tried to give him some Medised - bloody hard on your own - but he was having none of it. I tried twice and I think in the end he just about got 2.5ml! Up and down to him like a yoyo but eventually he went off.

10.45pm started screaming like a banchee (sp), so I had to quickly cool down the 11pm feed. Took about 5oz.

1.46am woke and took 4oz Water (would probably have downed more if I'd had it - will do tonight).

3.20am woke and wouldn't be settled. I didn't have water ready, so ended up feeding him about 3.30.
Woke at 6am, didn't really want milk, just wanted to play

Today, I am well and truely KNACKERED!!!

Firststar - If you find that wand send it my way!

Good luck with the battle Ladies. Great to not feel alone.

Oh yes, forgot to mention that he wouldn't settle for about an hour after the 3.20 feed either

I'm so tired that I'm going to bed in a minute. I really feel for you JLT. DD has been given medised tonight as she is so snotty but it doesn't make her drowsy (she does sleep better when she isn't so snotty though). We're off to the cranial osteopath tomorrow for follow-up treatment. She'll have some work done on her sinuses and a general check-up. She always sleeps terribly for a night or two after treatment but she does sleep better once her head has settled down. I'm a bit suspicious that she is having a few problems that need to be sorted out from the head growth-spurt that babies have at about 8 months.

That's interesting Swaliswan - didn't know about this 8mth growth spurt. Maybe that's why DS is so unsettled too - he's also snotty as...

Hope you have a good night. xx

JLT really had it bad you poor thing! I hope that O sleeps better for you tonight. We have major sleep issues with J (2yrs9mths) and i think i can count on both hands how many times he has slept through the night in his life! You are doing really well. It is bloody hard having to get up every night (dh has been doing it pretty much since Ella was born) and then have the energy to do the cc etc. The advice that JW and co have given is fab. We wish that we had been a bit harder on J right from the start because who knows whether he might be sleeping through by now. With Ella we have been harder on her (although to be fair she is pretty good), we have done the cc and only offered water in the night and all bar a few nights she has done 7.30pm-8am for about 6weeks. We are toying with the idea of a night nanny for J but trying to justify 650quid or thereabouts for a week isnt easy.

Anyway, after all that waffle, have my fingers crossed for a good night for you x

Thanks AM. I am just so tired in the night at about 3/4am that I just give in. I need to talk to DH when he gets home tomorrow and see what plan of action we are going to take. My Mum is coming down to look after him for a w/e at the end of the month and I don't want her to have to get up and do 4am feeds (she's nearly 71)

Last night was a complete disaster
1.45am Woke - went back to sleep with dummy
2.40am Woke - dummy didn't work, but 7oz Water did the trick
3.20am Went back to sleep after shooshing, but only until
4am Fed him. And to add insult to injury he bit me while feeding about 3 times, which I react sharply to (it bloody hurts!), but he's only 8mths and I don't think he's worked out what he's doing wrong.
5.30am Unconsolable crying as snotty as I don't know what and his mattress is wet from it all (can't blame him), so I took him into bed with me.
7am It's all over and playtime is upon us.

Roll on tomorrow when DH is home and he can at least take over the 7am shift on Saturday.

Oh yes and to top it all off I'm getting DS's cold. Fab.

Hope you all faired better.

Last night started brilliantly with DD sleeping from 7-4:07. When she woke up she wasn't exactly crying but was making a strange sound. When I turned the light on low I could see that her head was where her feet should be and the cot is tilted! Anyway, I fed her from one side until she stopped and put her back into her cot. She didn't settle though. After a while of ignoring her and getting angry that I knew DH was awake and couldn't be bothered to try and settle her himself. Eventually he got up and started talking to her. Then he asked me if she had been fed yet. I just sat there thinking WTF?! Why does he talk to her when he knows that she is hardly going to fall back to sleep listening to him chattering away to her and as for the fact that he is STILL looking for milk for her when she is 8mo pisses me off so much as I know that it is partly because of his refusal to try and settle her in any way and always insist that she is fed to go back to sleep since she was born that we are in this situation now. I wouldn't mind if he did his fair share of night time duty when he isn't working but he just says that he can't because he feels tired in the morning. Again, WTF?! He doesn't understand why I'm so upset with him and so tired that I am nauseaus, dizzy and have a bad headache. He is still in bed atm

Sorry for the rant, Ladies

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Swaliswan - ranting is what this site (and this thread) were made for!

Firststar - How fab. You are my inspiration!!

Well, I don't really know if I'm doing it right, but last night I introduced CC. He woke at 2.45am, so I gave him water and as he didn't resettle I left him for a minute then went in for 30 seconds. Didn't pick him up just stroked him. I continued this until 4.00am when I gave in and fed him. Still wouldn't settle, so continued with 1 minute out / 30 seconds in until he finally gave up and went to sleep at 4.45am.
He woke at 7.30 this morning. The poor little thing must have been exhausted (needless to say his Mother is "quite" tired too

Oh and to add insult to injury I've now got his cold.

Role on the return of DH tonight. I will probably be in bed when he gets here (due home at 7)!

I think that I managed 4 hours sleep last night My sleep clinic book has turned up today though and I've picked out a few suggsetions to try from monday. Until them I'm going to do anything for a quiet life (ie feed DD whenever she wakes) as I'm so tired!

Hi everyone,

Please please can I join in?? Need some tips...

Am awake early in a zombie like state, dh is fast asleep in back room (his sleep gets disturbed and he needs to work - lucky him) and dd is asleep...

I was lucky in that dd slept from 9pm to around 5am from 6 weeks. She is now 6 months.

I started weaning her a few weeks ago and she has three meals a day but also breast feeds. I have mixed fed since she was born but her meals have kind of replaced her fromula feeds so now she only has 1 maybe 2 bottles a day and brest feeds the rest of the time.

For the past week, she has been waking every 1.5 or 2 hours and I'm not sure why. I'm prob my own worse enemy because thinking it was hunger, I'd bf her to sleep in bed where she then stays but I've noticed that she hardly feeds now so I think it might be a comfort thing.

You ladies seem really clued up on this so can I ask a couple of questions??

1. Could it be the weaning or teething?
2. How can I get her back to her previous good habit and nip this in the bud!!
3. I havent heard of water feed? Is that good?

Look forward to your advice.....

xx

Yes it could be to do with the weaning or it could be teething. It is also a typical growth spurt time that can last a couple of weeks. At about six months they also go through a developmental spurt according to my book. I know that DD did. It lasts for a few weeks so you may want to wait a few weeks before replacing milk with water. You are right on the cusp of when it is considered that babies 'don't need night feeds' but every baby is different. It sounds to me like a growth and development spurt all rolled into one.

If you want to help with the development spurt it may help to know that your baby is learning about relationships between things and people. Your DD is learning about distances between herself and other objects/people (hence why separation anxiety often starts about now. your DD is learning about object permanence (a fancy term for learning that something/someone still exists even though she can't see it. This may mean that she is extra clingy and wants reassurance at night time. Your DD will be learning that things have relationships eg sound in the kitchen is related to food being prepared, a key in the lock means Daddy is home. You can play games with your DD to help her make sense of the world with this new development. Peekaboo is particularly good as is putting objects in boxes and showing her that it is still there when you open the box back up. You can hide ducks under foam in the bath. Babies of this age also develop their balance more so singing songs where you bounce DD on your lap or rock her from side-side and forwards-backwards will help and she will probably enjoy them.

I know it's hard to have the energy to help your baby through a development spurt but playing in a way that helps them does help them to sleep better sooner.

If you want to do something more proactive about sleep, you could try making sure that you are promoting good sleep habits ie predictable bedtime routine, not feeding to sleep and appropriately structured naps.

thanks swaliswan - hve taken your advice on board!! developmental stuff is interesting - never thought to link that to her sleeping.

i appreciate that i've had it easier than alot of people given that she previously slept through but knowing she hs done it makes me keen to make syre its not me introducing bad habits!!

what do you think i should do when she wakes up at night? breast feed her then back into her crib?

Use your intuition. If you know that she is hungry, feed her. If you think that she just needs some reassurance, try and settle her in some other way if possible without picking her up. Give her a bit of time to settle herself but don't let her escalate her cries too much. Try and get a good book and read about good habits. I know that I've taught my DD bad habits so don't listen to me too much!

Sounds like growth spurt time to me too Justme27. I would continue to feed until you feel like it's just habit and not hunger, then introduce the water.

If you were bottle feeding in the night I'd recommend diluting the feed gradually as everyone I've spoken to this has worked for.

However, what do I know - I still gave in at 3.20 this am and fed my DS! But my excuse is we're both full of cold and need all the sleep we can get, even if it isn't in one stretch!

Thanks everyone. Had a dinner out today so that kinda ruined any hope of routine but will try and get back to the proper bedtime routine tomorrow.

My instinct is that it is a combo of teething, growth spurt and weaning so maybe I'll give it a bit longer.

Will keep an eye on this thread for tips!

Good luck to you guys with your nights!

xx

Hi everyone,

found this thread very useful. Have 7mnth DD. Used cc to drop 2/3am feed (have bf on demand since birth) as needed sleep!

Am now trying to stop the 5am feed. Having had 3 years of 5am waking from now 4yr old DD am determined not to repeat that torture.
I have just done CC from 4.30 am, gave in at 6.30 as thought poor baby must be starving and she has had the smallest bf ever and now wants to play!

JL2 sounds like you have had a nightmare. You are doing so well. I don't think I could do 1 minute out 30 seconds in for so long.

If it helps here is a brief version of what I did-
Decided I was not going to feed at all between 11pm and 5am. With food and milk in daytime my dd couldn't need milk at night (easy to say in the daytime, not so easy at 2am.)

For 4 nights did CC. Dreamfed at 11pm. When she woke again I went in after 5mins, said night night and kisses but didn;t pick her up.
Then went in after 10mins, then after 15. Went in every 15 mins for following 3 hours! I didn't give in as have read that just makes it worse. I watched TV!
2nd night she cried 45 mins and by night 5 slept 11pm to 5am.

Am tring same for 5am feed but gave in after 2hours this morning. I really want her to sleep before I feed her so she knows I am not giving in to crying but if it gets to 6.30 and husband and other DD getting up have to get baby up too.

I hope you all had a better night last night. It's so hard at night when you are so tired and would do anything just to go back to sleep.

Swaliswan - I do all nights with mine as BF her but DH gets up at 6.30am with both dds and I don't get up until last poss moment when he leaves for work bout 7.15am. He also gets up and lets me have 2 hours at weekends. I feed youngest then go back to sleep. Can your DH be persuaded to do the mrnings as you are doing the nights. You must be exhausted.

Also I know what you mean about DH always thinking crying = baby needs feeding by mother!

Also JL2 I would wait til you are both better before trying to sort nightfeeds out again.