8 month old wakes up every 2 hours

[SuzyQ88]

Hey team! So I have an 8 month old and am due to go back to work in a month and a half…. However…. She still wakes up every 1.5-2 hours all night long and that’s unsustainable whilst working a full time job!

She’s exclusively breastfed (not by choice she just refused a bottle) and often wants it for comfort to go back to sleep. I guess I have to try and wean her off that for some wake ups as she doesn’t need it all night! 1 or 2 feeds probably will stop any hunger!

She is in her own cot in our spare room and I’m sleeping in the bed in there as I’m up and down so much and inevitably she comes into our bed around 1/2am as I just can’t do it, however, I have to stand up to rock her back to sleep, she doesn’t want lying down feeding anymore (I guess flow to slow!) and sitting rocking doesn’t work either. So no matter what I’m on my feet rocking her every 1.5-2 hours.

Help! How do I get her to sleep for longer stretches? Not adverse to some sleep training if necessary but don’t want to leave her crying, and there’s no way I can just leave her crying in the middle of the night, not for her, not for me, not for the sleeping toddler and not for the neighbours kid who shares a wall!

Thank you lovely ladies!

Will she drink water from a beaker? You could try night weaning her but if she only knows how to get to sleep by sucking then it could be very hard work. Basically your husband will have to deal with her overnight until she gets used to not being fed at night time.

Sorry. I meant ideally your partner would sort the night weaning out but you can do it yourself if that isn't an option.

Does she take a dummy? If it's just the sucking she needs for comfort.
Have you introduced a special blanket or comforter yet?

She's just doing it for comfort at this stage. I think you're partner will have to take over for a few nights to break the habit she's in as she associates you with milk and comfort. I would use that time as a point to implement a new routine so no more rocking to sleep etc. if you're partner can't help then I would brace myself for a tough few nights but if you know she's fed and dry then just don't offer boob, just persyat with bottle of milk/water or dummy and hold for a few then put her down but stay beside her with hand on her chest maybe to comfort her. She will be upset but eventually she will learn to go to sleep a better way and sleep longer. I'm sure others will be along with better tips or ideas but it's what I did. It's exhausting going so long with broken sleep, I was a complete zombie