Sounds silly...but how do you do your night feeds?

[Jane7]

I think I'm getting mine all wrong. I tend to rely on feeding my three month ds to sleep after he's woken hungry. But then he often burps or needs his nappy changed (annoying habit of poo-ing every time I feed him) which wakes him up, then I have to put him back on the boob to get him to sleep again. Do you think that's a very bad habit?
If I don't he roots and cries and makes a fuss. How do you get your lo to sleep after a middle of the night snack...

dd still drops off on the boob

but she is 17m

[insert rod / own back comment here]

at 3m just feed him

I used to feed DS to sleep during the night, but it took bloody ages! I still do sometimes if it works. I figure since I don't feed to sleep in the day time he knows how to get to sleep by himself, so he will naturally stop being fed/rocked to sleep as he drops the night feeds.

Are you feeding both sides? Does he poo after feeding both sides or could you change him after feeding on one side then do the other side? By about three months my ds didn't need masses of burping after feeding, usually just holding him upright, his face on my shoulder, and I'd rub his back a bit and he'd give a little burp, which didn't stop him falling back to sleep at all. Like MrsB I bf ds to sleep until he was one, he's actually pretty good at getting himself off to sleep now, just happened naturally. Personally I wouldn't worry at this stage about self settling and just bf him back to sleep. But I'm an old softie and can't bear the sound of a crying baby.

I feed my 8 month old to sleep. In fact, while we're here, can someone please explain to me why this is supposed to be A Bad Thing? I've often wondered.

Headfairy - i feed ds both sides but i'm never sure if he really needs it. he often does very possety burps which suggests that he's taking more than he neeeds. but he's greedy bugger and he'll always take the boob if i offer it too him. do you think i should try just giving him one boob at night feeds? has anyone else done that?

I don't think it is a bad thing Alice.... whatever works I think. We have been lucky that ds didn't mind if it was boob or bottle (if I was at work or was out) he's always settled with something in his mouth. I still give him a bit of milk in a bottle if he wakes up at night and doesn't settle with a cuddle and he's 16 months now.

I agree AlicetheCamel - I'd love to know more about feeding to sleep. I really struggle to keep my ds awake for his 7pm feed and he drops off like magic if I leave him on the boob. I've been trying to take him off early while he's still awake or wake him up before I put him in his moses basket, but then he just makes a fuss to have the boob again, so I give it to him and we're back to square one. Any tips would be wonderfully appreciated?

Jane7 I'm no bfing expert, but I always followed the line that if he'll take it, keep giving it, as babies take what they need not what they want. Mind you my ds was a slow weight gainer so I was glad for him to take as much as possible. I only mentioned the whole changing his nappy between breasts is because sometimes it's suggested for people who have very sleepy babies who fall asleep very easily on the breast as a means of waking them up a bit so they take more from the second night, thus ensuring a longer sleep at night.

ds sleeps in his cot until first feed needed - midnight last night - then we co-sleep and feed lying down. feeds to sleep, sleeps, roots around and wakes me for next feed as needed! sometimes only one more feed til morning although was two last night. by feeding lying down i can go back to sleep while he feeds!

but then ds stopped pooing at night at 3/4 weeks.....

i don't think there is a right way and if you're bf it's difficult to stop them falling asleep at the breast as milk contains oxytocin which is soporific....

I don't BF, but I have a similar method of getting my 7 wk old DD off to sleep in the night. She drinks most of her bottle, I burp her and change nappy if needed, then she drinks the last little bit (or I will top her up with a little bit more) to get her back to sleep. Do what works!

I wait until she wakes during the night then change her nappy before feeding her... then keep my fingers crossed I don't hear too many rumblings during the feed!

one boob then change then the other boob. My DD used to poo in the night without fail too! I think it stopped at around 5 months

I haven't read the whole thread but I used to have the same problem as you. Poo less of problem now DS nearly 5 months. Anyway, I tended to overcome it by doing most of the feed, waiting for the poo (!), changing baby and then finishing the feed (looks like MrsMattie does the same). We did the same when DH was giving the 11 pm feed as a bottle of expressed milk. Oh, and we use a dummy (decided it is worth settled baby now in exchange for a bit of weaning of later)

Jane, my 3 would have been the same around 3 months. Like you I'd feed, they'd poo, I'd change them by which time they'd be awake so I'd feed some more to settle. Then sometime around 3 months they'd stop pooing mid feed and so they wake, quick feed and all back to sleep.

And it feels like it's never ending but it does come to an end, I promise!

If he's rooting he's still hungry. At 3 months he still needs that feed. DS used to helpfully poo during first boob, then change, burp, etc. then second boob could take anywhere from 5-30 min at that age. No harm in feeding to sleep until it stops working.

jane7, that's what my DS was like at that age too. At 13mo he still goes to sleep on or just after the boob too - but now he rarely poos straight after, thankfully, but goes straight back to sleep (if it's a night/dream feed).

At 3mo, just do what helps him - if he needs to feed after changing, then only give him one boob before, wait for the poo, change him and then give him the other boob to go back to sleep. The auto-pooing will stop soon enough.