14 week old waking out of habit?

[Jodieplus2]

My little boy is still waking at around 2.30am & 4.30am. I thought it was for feeding, but he seems to feed quite well at 2.30am (falls asleep on boob after about 10mins), but now the 4.30am one he feeds for about 3 mins then falls asleep. He fusses again when I put him back in his basket, but a bit of shush/pat & dummy helps him settle after a few minutes.

Is he just waking from habit & if so, how can I overcome this? He won't seem to settle unless put to boob. Can I draw out the 2.30am waking to become later so he just wakes once?

We are on about a 3 hour EASY.
I DF at 10.30pm.
I am trying to increase his day feeds by topping up with expressed milk after some feeds.

Thanks
Jx

[yaya]

if he's not taking a full feed that it is prob a abitual waking. U could try w2s heres a link,,,
hhttps://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64168.0. Have u tried cluster feeding before bed to get the oz in?
ALso, how does ur baby fall asleep? this may help to understand nightwakings

[Jodieplus2]

great, thanks, the only problem with w2s is that it is not at a set time every night, usually between 3.45-4.45am, so I would not know when to use the method. I take it I would have to use the slightly waking method by brushing his cheek etc. rather than the holding while he jolts since it is in the night?

I do ususally try to cluster feed, I feed at about every 3 hours during the day, but at 5pm then 6.30pm before sleep at 7pm.

He has got very good at going to sleep at night & usually just settles himself after becoming sleepy from feeding. He is always slightly awake when I put him in his basket.
During the day we use shush/pat which takes around 5-10mins to settle to sleep.

Thanks
Jx

[Jodieplus2]

ok, my little bot is 15 weeks now & has never slept through once, I am on the verge of tears, I don't know what to do any more. Last night he woke at 1am, was awake until 2.15am (he used to go back to sleep easily after a feed, but the past few nights has really fussed). Then awake at 5am.

His wakings are so eratic, some nights he lasts until 2.45am, but others only 1am. He always wakes at least twice.

I am so tired & do not understand what I am doing so wrong. Has anypone elses baby got to 15 weeks & not showed any sign of sleeping through?
Jx

[barbarab]

hi jodie, my little girl is 14 weeks tomorrow and she is still not sleeping through, she is also erratic with her sleeping pattern - sometimes she can go to bed at 7pm and not wake till 3am, other times like last night she goes to bed at 7pm, dreamfeed at 10pm and then she woke for a feed at 1am and 4am but she didnt take much milk so i think it was more out of habit, just like you.  I really need a good nights sleep - my son didnt sleep through until 4 months so i keep thinking, just a couple more weeks but he was a lot heavier than my daughter, she is only around 11lbs and only takes 5oz 5 x per day if i am lucky. 

Let me know if you have any more luck or if you want to chat, let me know, i am here for you and know what you are going through, love a sleep deprived mummy!! x

[Jodieplus2]

oh it's so nice to know I'm not alone on this. Thank you! I really start to doubtg myself & think I must be doing something so worng. But I guess I must take a step back & remember he is only 3 1/2 months old & will sleep through when his time is ready.
He is not a big baby either, weighe 12.5lb last week (not as small as your lo, but not as big as a lot of babies I see his age) so maybe that makes a difference. I bf him, so can't really tell how much he takes, but he only feeds for around 10-15mins at a time, so I don't think he is taking that much.

Thanks again for your support, I wish you a good nights sleep soon. Hopefully we can be there to support each other & bring good news soon!
Jx

[Colin Macs Mom]

If it makes you feel any better my DS didn't sleep through regularly until 7.5 mo.    Sleeping comes much easier to some LOs rather than others. Plus temperment has a lot to do with it too. But really, most LOs still need at least 1 feed at night well past where you are now. Some even up to a year!

[Kimberly®]

Have you tried letting anyone else settle him at the second waking? I suspect it is habit, maybe someone else may have better luck.
1 feed is not uncommon, neither is 2 actually, but if the feed is that short then he probably doesn't need it.

[barbarab]

hi jodie, wondered how you got on this time with feeding? Molly went to bed at 7pm and slept till 1am and then woke at 5.45am for her next feed and has gone back to sleep.  I was doing the dreamfeed but it doesnt seem to work for her as she still wakes up at the same time so I dont mind getting up once if she sticks to this pattern, but it will probably be all different again tonight.  I was breastfeeding the same as you and she was doing really well but expressed and then eventually changed to bottle as i am due to go back to work. 

So how did your lo do then? Hope you got some sleep, lol x

[Jodieplus2]

I stopped the df last night as I thought it may be affecting him more, & he woke at 12.45, 3.30, 5.00am.  But this isn't really much different to when I did give him df, but he settled better after each feed last night rather than grizzling for up to an hour. So I think I will carry on without the df.

I gave him formula for his last feed at 7pm, but he only took 2oz, as I had bf at 5.45pm, so I might try to get more in him at 7pm & hopefully he may go longer.
But I guess it's good he went nearly 6 hours between 7pm & his first waking. So I know if I want to go to bed early I can get some good sleep!

Kimberly- I have tried having my partner settle him for his second feed, but he just seems to get louder & louder until he has a boob!

Any other tips would be much appreciated on how to stop these later feeds.
Jx

[Stephanies Mom]

Hello,
I just read your posting and I am in a similar predicament and am getting quite frustrated.  My LO will wake up anywhere from 2 to 4.30 and won't settle down unless a give her the boob.  I really don't think she is hungry and at times will take her off after 4 minutes (she usually is done in 10) and attempt to put her back in her bassinette and many times she will fuss for a few seconds and fall asleep.  I really think it is accidental parenting because she can settle herself down during the day and has found her thumb (thank goodness....she was a pacifier addict and would cry every time it fell out, which was usually less than a minute and very maddening.)  However, I still don't know how to stop BF her during these wakings.  If I try to settle her she just cries louder and doesn't let up.  She used to wake between 3 and 3.30 and I tried w2s but perhaps I didn't do over enough nights.  She has slept through about 3 times so I know she can do it.  She has also begun to stir at 5-5.30 where we get up at 6.30 so I feel like my problem is growing because I have to BF her then too to calm her down. 

I think we may try to put her in her crib overnight as she has really outgrown the bassinette...she is 15.5 pounds at 14 weeks.  I may try not to BF her and have my husband try to settle her.  She sleeps in her crib during the day where she can settle herself. 

If something works for me I will share with you.
Good luck,
Stephanie's Mom