8 month old waking 2x night - advice please!

[pamg]

my 8 mo old daughter wakes 2x night to nurse.  during the day i don't bf to sleep and she can usually settle herself to sleep, but not in the middle of night! pretty sure it's due to habit, but want to know if it's b/c she's truly hungry.  here's her schedule:
6am - bf (nurses about 10 min max per nursing session)
6:30 - play
7am - solids
8-8:30 - settle to sleep/sleep
10am - bf
11:30 - solids
1pm - sleep
3 - bf
5pm - solids
7pm - bf/sleep
11:30pm - wakes!!! (wants to nurse)
3:30am - wakes again (wants to nurse)

i know i shouldn't cave in at night, but i'm afraid she'll wake up her 3yr old brother.  if she is getting enough during the day, then how do i stop this night waking?  she sits up if i lay her back down and sometimes she'll get to stand.  do i do pu/pd or just pd? do i wait till she stands to do the pd or should i do it when she sits herself up? she's a very good baby, but has a strong will, so i wonder if it'll take a long time - lord, i hope not!!  any help/advice would be great and very appreciated!!!!!! 

[momofclaire]

Pam,
Is she getting 2, 2 hour naps?
Does she nurse well at night or does she just go a couple minutes and then back to sleep?
Does she wake at 11:30 and 3:30 every night?  Have you thought about trying w2s?
At her age she should be able to go overnight without a feed.  I would just do pd.  I have done pd even if my dd was just sitting.  I would just lay her down and say "night night."

Welcome to the boards!
Myia

[pamg]

hi! thanks for replying!
her naps are about 1 - 2 hrs usually (probably to catch up on sleep!). 

at night, she generally nurses for a few minutes (5-10) then falls right to sleep (although, i'm so delirious that it could be longer) and for about 1 -2 weeks has been waking for the most part at 11:30 and 3:30. do you think she could just be waking at the end of a sleep cycle? for the last week or two i've been changing her schedule too, so that i wouldn't nurse her to sleep during the day. 

i did w2s when she was about 4 mos old to lengthen her naps.  this is so my fault i think - i hate hearing her cry and i know the bf will stop it.  but i think i've created a monster along the way!

[momofclaire]

If she is only getting one hour naps then she could be overtired.
It sounds like she could be waking at the end of a sleep cycle.  If you are up at 11:00pm tonight I would go and do w2s and see what happens.  Did it work well when you did it for naps?  If so, you might be able to put an end to the waking if it is habitual. 
Keep with the new schedule and don't nurse her to sleep during the day. 

[catfisch]

I'm sorry to butt-in here, but our situations are so similar!  What is "w2s"??

[pamg]

i'll try the w2s tonight if i can.  what do i do if it doesn't work - the pd thing?  for a 2nd time mom, i feel so lost!

[momofclaire]

catfisch-
w2s is a tool that is used to help end habitual wakes and to extend naps.
Here is the link that explains it.
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64107.0
If you want to post a topic in NW so we can take a look at what is going on please do. 

You won't know if w2s really works for about three days.  Even if you go in at 11:00 and she sleeps through the 11:30 wake I would still do it at least two more times.  I would only do it for the first wake of the night and deal with the other using pd.  If it works to end the first I would try it on the second.  If you go in at 11:00 and she wakes up or she still wakes at 11:30 I would do pd. 
You are giving her time to settle herself right?  I mean, you don't go in until she is really crying for you right?  I find that sometimes moms are really quick to run in at the first sound and they don't give the lo time to re settle.