Controlled Crying while Breastfeeding - Any Experiences?

[cookiebookie]

That's it really. Has anyone been successful with CC while BF?

Yes. Both dc had 2 or 3 nights of CC at about 9 months. CC got them both out of an unhealthy pattern of waking very frequently and unable to settle back to sleep.

Both still breastfed at least twice a day, but obviously also on solids. What else do you want to know?

Thanks eekamoose. Well my DS is still BF every 3 hours but as you describe, is a v frequent night waker needing BF to get back to sleep and I don't think he is hungry. Of course it is a comfort feed and some would say he needs it but I think he has a sleep issue and the BF is just his way of dealing with it, and it's beginning to interfere with his sleep. I want him to wake less frequently (i.e. to sleep more than a 2 hr stretch without a feed). He also only sleeps for half an hour for each nap, but he needs four of those naps to get him through the day. I was hoping CC might help lengthen daytime naps aswell as I've heard it can. I suppose my real question is, if you're doing CC and BF, if they cry for more than 3 hours the first night(ouch!), at which time they would normally feed, do you feed them but just make sure you don't feed to sleep? BTW DS is 5MO and not on any solids.

I should add that after 3/4 am he can wake every hour til morning so it CAN'T be hunger!

We did CC at 10 months - DS was waking twice in the night for a feed but then staying awake for 2 hours afterwards! We just said no to any more night time feeds due to his age. I sent Daddy in as it didn't seem to work with me doing it. However yours is only 5 months old and quite possibly still needing the milk at night? so I'm not sure CC would work?
I did also use it a bit in the daytime to structure his naps so he would nap for 2 hours after 'lunch' - a week of taking him for a long walk in the pram to get him used to a 2 hour sleep then a week of crying down in the cot at naptime - horrid but it worked for me.

I would get him a dummy.

Cookie - that sounds very tough for you, but I would not and did not think CC was the right thing to do at 5 months old. However, my babies were born before the current guidlines to milk feed exclusively until 6 months, so my two were already weaned by 6 months (and also both of them had slept several nights through without breastfeeding) before I decided the time was right for controlled crying.

I feel for you, though, I really do. But don't have advice to offer in your particular situation.

Hopefully someone more up to date than me can help.

Wait for solids to settle in and this may sort itself out anyway. You could try a heavier feed for the last feed, like expressing off the foremilk? At five months I'd just go with the baby, sorry!
OOO and a dummy is a great idea!

Thanks for your replies.
SachaF You're right, he may still need some of the milk at night but I suppose I think he's getting too much at the moment. I know in theory you can't overfeed BF baby etc but he's eating more frequently in night than day and has good long day feeds.
CoteDazurHave tried to encourage dummy use on nmerous occassions he spits it out.
eekamoose and Twelvelegs I hear what your saying about solids and I suppose it was in the back of my mind to wait until we'd started. Can it really make a dfference to their sleep on it own or do you think it just makes it easier to deny them some night feeds because you can reason that they don't need them when they are eating more in the day?

Thanks for your replies.
SachaF You're right, he may still need some of the milk at night but I suppose I think he's getting too much at the moment. I know in theory you can't overfeed BF baby etc but he's eating more frequently in night than day and has good long day feeds.
CoteDazurHave tried to encourage dummy use on nmerous occassions he spits it out.
eekamoose and Twelvelegs I hear what your saying about solids and I suppose it was in the back of my mind to wait until we'd started. Can it really make a dfference to their sleep on it own or do you think it just makes it easier to deny them some night feeds because you can reason that they don't need them when they are eating more in the day?

It absoulutely will make a difference to night waking, along with movement down the line.... try getting outside more too, my first 2 dcs spent many a day out and about and they were great sleepers. I don't deny my babies anything I'm afraid until they're much older... my dc3 was a truly bad sleeper and co slept until she was nine months.