Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Flip

Original poster

Weaning and sleep - help, am desperate

12 replies

PennyBenjamin · 11/02/2009 09:39

DS is now 23 weeks, and we have started weaning him on advice from the HV - please don't flame me for this, I wanted to wait until 6 months and then do BLW, but he hasn't put on any weight in 4 weeks, and has dropped from the 75th percentile at birth to the 25th now. He is demand fed, and we had already tried topping him up with formula to no effect.

We have now been doing solids for a week, and have been going slowly, just baby rice, pears and now a few veggies - he seems to like the actual eating part a lot, and has managed to put on 200gms. However, since we started his sleep (which was never too good to start with) has got even worse - last night he was up 7 times between 11pm and 7am. He has also seemed very "colicky" since we started on solids - very squirmy and uncomfortable - although he doesn't seem constipated.

Please help - is it normal for sleep to get worse before it gets better with weaning? Is there anything I can do to help his digestion? I know a lot of people will post that we should go back to just milk, but I am so worried about his weight, and milk (even with topping up) just doesn't seem to be enough.

OP posts:

mookickkick · 11/02/2009 14:00

Not sure I can help but I didn't want this to go unanswered. In our case, DD's sleep is all over the place but generally better since weaning began. However, it might just be a coincidence. Anyway, we did the formula top-ups and that was fine, so I was able to wait until 6 months. How many milk feeds does he get? I also demand fed but often found that if I offered a boob that say before going out somewhere dd would always take it! If you want to continue with solids, it'd probably be best to give him food at lunch. Maybe avoid the gassy stuff like broccoli. To be honest I can't think of much else you can do until his digestive system is up to it.

Original poster

PennyBenjamin · 11/02/2009 18:57

Thank you so much for answering, much appreciated.

He is currently getting at least 5 milk feeds a day (more if he wants them), basically what he would normally have, with solids as extra in between, so I haven't cut back on the milk feeds at all, just adding in the solids. He is now on 2 lots of solids a day, one mid morning, and one early evening, but perhaps I should do breakfast and lunch instead.

I was wrong about the constipation - very dry poos today.

OP posts:

Jojay · 11/02/2009 19:07

I remember DS being a bit uncomfortable in his tum when we started solids, and he was 6 months.

I think it passed within a week or two. I think it's just their bodies getting used to it.

He also got nappy rash for the first time around that time, as his poos changed, so watch out for that.

neenztwinz · 11/02/2009 22:25

Can you add milk into his food? That way he is getting even more BM. Stick to just milk and baby rice in the evenings - give him fruit and veg at lunch time. Can you offer him water in a bottle? I am no expert and my babies never had constipation but i think too little fluid is usually the cause.

I agree you could maybe offer another breastfeed?

Don't worry, 23 weeks is not the end of the world. And don't worry if he is not gaining much weight, as long as he is not losing weight then I would not worry at all. He should be doing lots of wet and dirty nappies as well tho.

arthymum · 12/02/2009 09:43

Are you feeding him at all when he wakes in the night? I ask as we have just had exactly the same experience - no weight gain in a month, started slowly weaning at 23 weeks, all going fine on that front. My DS started waking 4 or 5 times a night but I fed him each time as he seemed hungry. It carried on for maybe 5 nights but he's now stopped the extra waking. I interpreted it as a growth spurt and although we haven't had him weighed yet I can tell he's put on weight - suddenly has fat belly, not fitting clothes! And my supply has increased.

Admittedly, my DS didn't have the colicky symptoms you describe but it might account for the night waking? Just a thought.

Original poster

PennyBenjamin · 12/02/2009 10:34

Thank you for all your replies. I have been adding milk into his food, but good idea to just to baby rice in the evenings. Am also trying to move his bedtime back a little to allow more time between the solids and sleep.

I have been feeding him in the night, as I was worried about his weight, but I've been doing that for two weeks now, and no improvement. I actually think he's waking for reasons other than hunger (like wind/discomfort), but needs the comfort of feeding to get back to sleep, so am trying to cut that down to avoid him getting into the habit of waking for food if he doesn't need it.

Last night was a bit better (although better these days means only waking every 2 hours!)

OP posts:

TortillaDeMaiz · 12/02/2009 13:03

you should keep the feeds in the night as these are important to maintain your milk supply. make sure he's latched on well and drinking. if not, get him off the boob and make him start again. maybe change breasts as well. he could also be teething and, like you said, he's using the breast for comfort.

i remember my DD was very colicky if i gave her baby rice too late in the evening, so i would actually give some fruit in the evening or a mixture of both.

for the constipation, try to make the purees a bit runnier or offer some milk in a cup after the meal.

i hope it all goes well, i think it's good to try increasing his weight if he didn't gain much before weaning.

sunshine75 · 12/02/2009 13:06

I weaned dd at 5.5 months. Her sleep was hell up to 7 months (not sure if it was connected). I thought I was going to have mental breakdown!!

Then at 7 months she stopped feeding through the night (by now she was eating pasta/rice etc). She still wakes up ocassionally, but hasn't fed through the night since.

It will get better eventually.

MrsJamin · 12/02/2009 13:49

I'd go easy on the amounts you're giving if your DS has constipation, it might be overwhelming his system.

Original poster

PennyBenjamin · 12/02/2009 16:48

Thank you all - will try all your suggestions, and hope things get better.

Fingers crossed!

OP posts:

annatee · 12/02/2009 18:54

Hi there my little one seems the same - very windy in the evenings if I give her any solids late in the day, she is 6 months in 2 weeks and been trying giving a few things to taste, baby rice and sweet potato that kind of thing. I have eased off on the solids for now as she doesn't seem starving - but yes trying things earlier in the day also seems to improve matters!

MiniMarmite · 13/02/2009 19:31

Hi Penny

Just a few thoughts from me...

My DS has had runnier poo (nice) since we started weaning rather than drier so it sounds like your LO may not be getting enough liquid. As he is happy to take a bottle, perhaps you could express one time to see how much milk you are producing.

It might be worth only giving breakfast and lunch for now if it makes him uncomfortable to eat just before going to bed. My lo was harder to settle for his lunchtime nap at first simply because he was pooing more frequently.

There may some advantage in structuring the feeds differently - it may be that he is taking a small amount at a time. I was keeping my DS on 3 hourly feeds at one point because we were on holiday for 6 weeks and I didn't see the point in changing his routine but he just ended up snacking. When I changed it to 4 hourly he took much bigger feeds each time...I was following the baby whisperer book at that time.

Hope things improve for you

Flip