when do you stop feeds at night?

[serap]

my baby is 7 months old.  does she need night feeding?  should I stop?

[Colin Macs Mom]

At 7 mo problably not, but sometimes a LO does need a feed overnight longer than normal. Only you can know for sure. Here's a couple links to help you -

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=87815.0
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=46907.0

[jenniferr]

Hi there.
Do you bf or bottle feed?

[serap]

I am breastfeeding.  does that make a difference?

I have begun a dreamfeed last night and she still woke up at her usual time of midnight and then again at 1:30....she's very strong willed.  I shhshed her back to sleep without patting both times. 

She awoke again at 4, so I fed her then, but she only fed for about 12 minutes. 

I'm not sure what I should be doing.  I'm a first time mum and am confused.  I have read Tracy's book.

[jenniferr]

Hi.
We bf as well until recently. I have an 8 mo old who still wakes up for a feeding . When we were ebf I was told that breast milk digests faster than formula and as such, LOs can continue to wake longer than those who are eff. Does your dd wake at the same times each night? For bf I think they recommend trying to reduce the length of time you offer the breast gradually, then hopefully, your DD won't feel hungry anymore and will stop waking. If she takes a bottle, you could also try offering her water, aiming for the same result. Like I said, my DD still eats once over night so these are all just theories I've heard!!! HTH.

Jenn

[*Natasha*]

I think i will move this to the breastfeed board as i think this is a feeding issue and they should be able to help you out.

[liacarmen]

I think the book The No Cry Sleep Solution offers some great, gentle advice for decreasing and eventually when everyone is ready eliminating night-time feeds. My son woke for one until he was a little over 6 months old - and I think you just have to use your instinct if their hungry or not. TBT, I usually just fed him when he woke at night because he would go back to sleep - so my advice might not be too helpful.

[serap]

yes, I have the No Cry Sleep Solution and it is very helpful.

so I guess, I just go at the baby's pace?  If she's hungry - feed...if just awake - shh/pat. 

btw...last night:

DF at 10
Woke at 3
shh/pat until 4
DD woke up at 7:30 not very hungry.

Perhaps this is my answer...she's just waking up at night out of habit.  do you think this is accurate? 

I hate being a first time mom!!!  :-)

[lyssa]

yes, I have the No Cry Sleep Solution and it is very helpful.

so I guess, I just go at the baby's pace?  If she's hungry - feed...if just awake - shh/pat. 

btw...last night:

DF at 10
Woke at 3
shh/pat until 4
DD woke up at 7:30 not very hungry.

Perhaps this is my answer...she's just waking up at night out of habit.  do you think this is accurate? 

I hate being a first time mom!!!  :-)

I'm a first time mom too and it is pretty stressful at times.  Yes, I want my daughter to STTN but I also want to make sure she's eating if she's hungry!  But I don't want to be a human pacifier either... I guess my thought is that if she were hungry when she woke she wouldn't go back to sleep after being sushed... sometimes having dad go in instead of you helps since he doesn't smell like milk... 

[liacarmen]

I read somewhere to try getting them back to sleep for whatever feels like a good amount of time for you (10 or 15 minutes?) then feed - so you know you tried, and if they still aren't settled, then feed them.

[nona]

we also breastfed. my lo went thru a short time of STTN for about 2 weeks around 5.5 months but then he started waking again . he woke around once a night. anyway, he started "officially" STTN at 8 months. i was also kinda sick w/ a bug at the time and so Dh was on nightshift duty. i think my Lo was waking out of habit. i worried about him starving in the middle of the night but i really think it is just a behavior issue at that age.

i started DF very early on and it helped some. i don't know if i would've started it at 7 mo. is your LO waking more/less with the DF?  how long have you tried it? it can take a while for it to kick in and it doesn't work for all.

another option is to slowly decrease the amount of time she BF during the middle of the night. if she takes a bottle, you could try offering one w/ diluted BM or formulaor water, as mentioned. better yet, have your hubby take over the nightshift on the weekend and responds to her NWs.

i agree w/ one of the PP, sometimes it was just easier to feed during the middle of the night (when you aren't thinking clearly) which is another reason to get your DH involved!

i totally understand your frustrations. i hope she STTN soon!

[serap]

thanks guys...ok last night, here's what happened:

DF at 10 (on breast for 15 minutes)
Wake up at 3 a.m.
Shhd and she would settle and then wake up again.
This went on for about 45 minutes with a bit of fussing, but no crying
Then she slept from 4:00 until almost 8:00 and when she awoke...she gave me the "I'm hungry!!!" cue.

however, I didn't seem to get the "I'm hungry!" cues during the night.

My feeling is that her NW is out of habit now that I'm doing the DF.  I really like the DF b/c when she wakes up, I know that she's not hungry and I hope eventually she will STTN or at least not wake up for a feeding before 5:00 a.m.

BTW...just so you know, I'm not EBF...I give her formula during the day and two hours before bed.  I only BF now before bed, at night and in the morning.  AND YES...I used to be a human pacifier :-)  I got sucked into accidental parenting of putting her asleep via the breast. 

Wow is it every so much easier putting her to bed awake and she does the rest!  No more fear of waking her up b/c now she can put herself back to sleep. 

I love this website.  I think I'm going to come here more often!

Please offer anymore of your thoughts...being a first time mom is very stressful b/c I love my LO so much and don't want her to be hungry.  That was my biggest fear b/c in the first 2 months, she was always hungry, so I assumed that every cry was hunger and what did mummy do???  Of course...put my boob in her mouth at every fussing moment!  Boy, do I ever know better now!!!

[jenniferr]

That's great news about the df. Hope your good luck continues!

[serap]

she did really well last night.  she awoke at 4 a.m. after her DF at 10 p.m. and gave me the "I'm hungry!" cue, so I fed her for 10 minutes and I ended the bf'ding session, not her, and put her back in her crib.

She was content and went right back to sleep!

I think for now, I won't feed her until 4 a.m. or later and if I do, it will be brief and just enough to get her feeling full. 

I'm so glad I have a plan of action for now!  We'll see how it goes.

btw...tonight, I put her down WIDE awake...no fussing!!!  She played in her crib and went to sleep ON HER OWN!!!  wow!  I didn't think it would work and I was so tempted to CIO, but I didn't do it.  I have to celebrate tonight!!!!

 

[jenniferr]

That's great news!