Hungry?? Habitual Waking?? HELP!

[eeleah]

Hi! My DD is 5 months old, EBF. She has eaten every 3 hrs at night since she was 6 weeks old. Around 3 months she did a couple 5 hr stretches but I haven't seen it since. I feed her both sides every feeding and she is on 4hr EASY.

Typically she eats 7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7pm, 10:30pm (DF which she wakes up for)… then.. she will wake up at the 3 OR 4 hr mark after the DF. So for the past week I have done PUPD because I thought that maybe it was habitual waking. She will fall back to sleep for another 2 hrs and then I feed her at the 5 hr mark instead- which ends up being only one night feed.

Last night, she woke up at the 3 hr mark, took me 10 min to get her back to sleep, then she woke up 30 min later, another 5 min back to sleep, then slept 45 min and then I fed her. Pretty much up at 2am, 3am, and 4am when I ended up feeding her. Then she slept til 8!

I know the book says that if the baby is waking up on a "feeding schedule" at night, that they need more food during the day. I don't know how to give her more since she "drains" both sides at every feed. If I try to pump in between feeds, she complains and cries at the next feed like there isn't enough milk. When I do manage to pump, I'm lucky if I get 1 oz.

So, Do I keep doing PUPD until she learns to drop the 2am feed, or do I just feed her and wait it out?

HELP!

[*Ali*]

You can put her back on the breast an hour after her usual feeds to too her up. So it would be EAEAS rather than just EAS. The important thing is to keep a break between the E and the S so she doesn't associate feeding with sleep.

Or you can out her back on the first breast again after she has drained both sides. They are never really empty as your body is making milk while she is drinking based on demand. And the milk she gets from the third side as it were will be the fatty hindmilk. Less is made beforehand and stored in the breast until a feed after about 4mo. This will stimulate your body to make more milk for next time.

Does she go to sleep independently at BT and naps? So you aren't feeding or rocking her to sleep then no?

It can be normal and necessary for them to still have a couple feeds at night at this age so she may just need a hit longer until she can go longer at night without waking for a feed. If she is settling quickly 5-10 mins then you could persevere for 3 nights with resettling her but if she is taking much longer to resettle or waking every hour afterwards then she may well need that feed.

[eeleah]

I have been putting her back on the first breast (or third as some ppl call it) at every feed for the past 3 months. I actually flip her back and forth until she doesn't want it anymore. I could try the EAEAS and see if that's enough to tank her up so she doesn't wake at night?

Ya she falls asleep independently for naps and BT. Last nite I went in at her usual 3 hr wakeup from DF and put the soother in and she fell asleep for 10 min, then work up again and I went in put the soother in, and she was out for almost 2 more hours. I then only fed her at 4am.

Based on this info, do you think I should keep with the weaning of the 2am or just go back to feeding her twice a nite and let her drop it when she's ready?

[*Ali*]

I would stick with what you did last night and just offer the soother if that is all she needs to go back to sleep without a fuss.

Maybe the dummy is becoming a bit of a prop and that is what she is waiting for but I would stick with it for now if it means a stress-free reduction in the NFs.

There may be some nights when she does need the feed so if she is getting upset when you offer the soother I would consider feeding. She will have growth spurts and such which may change her feeding habits in the future.

[eeleah]

Hi! Update

I've been doing PuPd for her 2am feed for over 2 weeks. She is still waking up. I feed her 7pm, 11pm, then she wakes around 2, and I get her back to sleep until 3, and then feed at 3 and 7:30 am. I'm not sure if I should keep doing it. The past few nights it has taken me almost an hr to settle her at the 2am feed. If I feed her at the 2am, then she wakes at 6am and I want her day to start at 7 am. I have fed her one side at the 6am and then put her back to bed for another hr or so and then feed her the second side. Not sure if that is just a better way to go?

Thanks for you help. I just don't know what's best here.

Eeleah

[weaver]

A lot of babies wake around 5-6am, have a feed, in 'night feed' mode and go back to sleep til 'morning', so, yes you should do that if it suits you.