3 month old frequent NWs

[UmmHafsa]

Hello all!

I used BW with my older daughter (who is now 21 months) and used it since Day 1 with my son (who is now 3 months old). Here's the situation though:

My son has been on a 3 hour EASY routine starting at 6am. He is exclusively breastfed - He takes his naps pretty well during the day (3 naps total) and then usually doesn't take a catnap after the 3pm feed. I feed him last around 6pm and then he goes to sleep for the night.
- If I don't dream feed, he can sleep a good 8-10 hour stretch (so he'll wake up at 2am or 4am) and he'll take a full feed and then wake up at 5/6 am again.
- If I do dream feed at 10pm, he wakes up frequently at night, maybe 2-3 times and I just resettle him back to sleep (takes only about 5 mins of shush/pat) until I feed him again at 4 or 5pm.

He won't do a 8-10 hour stretch after a dream feed - why?!?! I wish he could do that stretch starting at 9/10pm!

Confused Mom  

[Kirsten~]

Unfortunately, I don't have any advice to offer, but I'm having the same issue with my LO. She's 8 weeks old tomorrow, and she went from sleeping wonderfully to now waking up every night at 2/2:30 or last night it was 1:30. She used to do a full 5-6 hour shot of sleep at a time, which was great. About 10 days ago, I started moving up her bedtime to more like 8/8:30 and implemented the DF. The first 2 nights that I got her to take the DF, she slept right through till 4 or 5, and I thought this was brilliant. But the last 6 or 7 nights, she's been up at 2-ish. I try to resettle her, but I usually end up in and out of bed every 15-20 mins till I feed her around 4. Last night, I picked her up and noticed her rooting, so I fed her earlier, but I don't know what's with the NW?

Like you UmmHafsa, I'm going to try tonight to eliminate the DF because then at least I know that she just needs to nurse around 2 when she wakes up. But I feel like the DF has created more NW not less!

[katie80]

Hi there, UmmHafsa.  Welcome to the boards!

He won't do a 8-10 hour stretch after a dream feed - why?!?!

You know, it just doesn't work for some babies.   It seems to disrupt their sleep and cause them to wake more, which sounds like is the case for you.  I know it would be great for it to line up with your sleep, but I think it's pretty fabulous that he's going that long already at 3 mo.  Well done, little man!

klinthwaite - Sounds like your LO is going through a growth spurt.  There's a pretty big one around 6-8 weeks!  If she settles, but then keeps waking, I'm betting she's hungry.  Feed her at night and then try to get in another feed during the day for a few days and see if it doesn't make a difference.

[becj86]

Quote from: UmmHafsa on Yesterday at 01:43:37 PM
He won't do a 8-10 hour stretch after a dream feed - why?!?!
You know, it just doesn't work for some babies.   It seems to disrupt their sleep and cause them to wake more, which sounds like is the case for you.  I know it would be great for it to line up with your sleep, but I think it's pretty fabulous that he's going that long already at 3 mo.  Well done, little man!

Agree with Katie! DS never did well with the DF - made him wake more frequently. I just went to bed earlier and thanked my lucky stars I was only getting up once

[UmmHafsa]

So if I drop the DF and he wakes up at night to feed - out of curiosity, will that time keep getting extended till I get 12 hours eventually? And if it doesn't extend should I try and up my milk supply?

With my daughter, she was sleeping through the night with a DF at 4 months and I did that till she was about 7/8 months and then she could sleep 12 hours without food. I'm wondering how this would work if I don't do a DF, should I feed him whenever he wakes up and then not feed till the morning?

Thank you for all your help btw, I've been reading the boards for 2 years now and only now had a question where I couldn't find the answer!

[becj86]

So if I drop the DF and he wakes up at night to feed - out of curiosity, will that time keep getting extended till I get 12 hours eventually?

That's my experience with DS. I did encourage him to push it out when he was waking at 5:30 instead of 6:30 by giving him EBM instead of water with his solids at dinner just to up the calories all sneaky-like

I'm wondering how this would work if I don't do a DF, should I feed him whenever he wakes up and then not feed till the morning

You may find he wants to feed ore frequently at night during a growth spurt but yes, pretty much given he's doing the stretch he is, that's what I'd do

[Kirsten~]

Thanks Katie. Do you think I should continue the DF then if this is a GS?

[becj86]

I would continue the DF, klinthwaite.

[katie80]

So if I drop the DF and he wakes up at night to feed - out of curiosity, will that time keep getting extended till I get 12 hours eventually?

That's my experience with DS. I did encourage him to push it out when he was waking at 5:30 instead of 6:30 by giving him EBM instead of water with his solids at dinner just to up the calories all sneaky-like

Ha, that's what I did when I dropped the DF with DD at 9 mo. I thought it was really sneaky too.

I would continue the DF, klinthwaite.

Agreed!

[Kirsten~]

Thanks ladies! Sorry for bouncing in on UmmHafsa's post, but I didn't want to duplicate for similar issues. I'll do the DF again tonight and pray this blows over in a few days!

[katie80]

Sorry for bouncing in on UmmHafsa's post, but I didn't want to duplicate for similar issues.

No worries, hon.  It works out just fine this way.  If you continue to have questions, you are always welcome to start your own thread.  Hope the GS goes quickly for you and you get some night sleep back soon. 

[UmmHafsa]

Thank you so much - will try dropping the dream feed and see what happens!

[katie80]

Good luck!