Dream feed waker...

[stephinct]

Good morning everyone! My daughter Mary (4.5 months) wakes up when I dream feed her. I am breast feeding, but decided last night to try EBM so that I wouldn't wake her.. to no avail!  Tickling that lip with the bottle woke her up as well.. I wonder if there's a trick to doing it & not waking them up???  Also, I always second guess doing it all because she wakes up & I wonder if I've actually disrupted a good long sleep.. should I keep doing the DF?

[donna_issabella]

hi there, henry is 4 months old and for 4-6 weeks the df worked fabulously well. however, he started having plenty of nw's and sleeping fitfully, as he also started waking up when we went into the room for the df. so we have dropped the df, the first night he woke at 1 am and fed, the next two nights he slept through, although fitfully from 5am and now he wakes at about 5am and has a small feed to tide him over until 730. iMHO if the DF is disrupting their sleep, rather wait for him/her to wake out of her own accord. yes it was nice when we fed at 11 and he slept until 7, but the waking up the last week at 4-6 am with a crying baby who we knew didnt need a feed was painful. now things are better and his quality of sleep after the feed is great and he is flourishing.

hth

btw does she have any NW's after the df? or does she sleep through from the DF until the morning?

[stephinct]

Hi Donna_issabella.  Thanks for the advise.  Mary has at least one WU after the DF.  Lately it's been two, but the last couple of nights I gave her the paci at the first & fed her at the second if it was past 3am (which it was). Perhaps I should try to give the paci again at the 3am & see if she'll make it through?? Thoughts?

[donna_issabella]

you could. is she ff or bf? does she wake because she is hungry? or just for fun? do you often have to replug her with the pacifier? do you think she might be an addict, which is causing the nw?

[stephinct]

she is bf.  I don't think she's a paci addict, because she doesn't seem to mind when it falls out.  she always eats a full meal when she wakes if I feed her.  I don't know. I hate to tourture her by trying to give the paci if she's really hungry, but at the same time, she has slept through a few times after the df.  She's a tiny little thing (about 12 lbs now), so I'm not sure if she really needs to eat or not!  Any mind readers out there?   

[donna_issabella]

rofl, sorry my 8ball is broken...     

if you think she isn't an addict, see if when you give her the paci at 3 whether she goes back to sleep. if she is hungry, she will cry or not settle. won't hurt by trying. but why do you think she wakes then?

[stephinct]

I can't decide if she hungry, or just used ti getting up around then,, it seems to always be between 3 & 4.. I'm going to try give her a little more at our non-dream feed around 10:30pm & see if that seems to help.  Otherwise, I'll try the paci for a few & see how it goes.  It isn't so bad to get up once.. although I'd love to have a full nights sleep!