Breast feeding all evening!??

[masonette]

My 15 week old is breastfeeding all evening!  He finally settles around 10pm and will sleep anything from 1am to 5am, it varies a lot.

Is it normal for him to be breastfeeding all evening?  I'd like to put him down in his moses basket around 7pm but am not confident that he is not hungry.  Although he is 15 weeks, he was born 7 weeks early so do I think of him as only 8 weeks old for BW routine purposes?  Also, because he is on and off the boob all evening, I never know when to change sides, and seem to stop having a let-down some evenings.

I used EASY very successfully with my first son, but am struggling to get my second son into any sort of routine with the first (18 month old running around!)   The baby falls asleep on the boob after ten minutes so has not really put himself to sleep yet.

I don't really want to use a bottle in the day (the first son preferred it and I had to stop breastfeeding), although am trying a dreamfeed with the Haberman.  But would it help with the feeding all evening thing?  Or is it just how it is with breastfeeding?  I don't want him to not eventually go to bed at 7pm because he's been used to staying up later. 

Please help,I'm all confused and don't know which thing to tackle first! x

[binxyboo]

It is totally normal. Kate does the same thing, she just turned three months. She usually settles quite well for naps during the day, either in her bassinet or the sling as we are on the go a lot, as I have a toddler as well. From about 7pm onwards, she is in a light sleep, nursing on and off until about 10pm, although for the last week or so, she is going down earlier into her bassinet, at about 8:30 or 9pm.

She will then sleep until 4am, quick nurse and back to sleep until morning. Sometimes she sleeps straight through.

I think a lot of babies like to nurse a little and often in the evenings. What I do is let her nurse on one side, do a lot of breast compressions to keep her going, then she usually drifts off for a while. If she wakes again to feed, I put her back on that same side, doing compressions, and then switch her to the other side after she actively stops nursing.

It sounds like you are doing great.

[Maffoos mummy]

Agree with pp,wow you're coping really well!!!  My ds also liked an all-evening buffet!!!  He had reflux and would suckle A LOT for comfort. We did shh/pat at around 3 1/2 months old,and this was the first time he'd gone to sleep independantly since birth. It did take a few days and was really tough though,not entirely sure I'd have the energy to do it with an 18month old running around too!!

[liacarmen]

Same thing here - it was from 6 to 10 every night for months, I was glued to the couch. I never thought he would grow out of it, but he did! As your LO ages and finds there's more to the world than nursing, he'll be less interested to nurse all night.

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Hi just wanted to add that your lo is def having a growth spurt. I know its hard work but it pays off just feeding as and when they want to get through it much quicker

Kate (im also going through 'GS')

[masonette]

Bless you all, thanks for the advice, it keeps me going, you are all so encouraging!  We got a really good EASY routine going yesterday and the day sleeps and feeding were great.  Just goes to show how EASY helps recognise what the baby wants.

When the routine goes off course during the day, how do you get back on track?!! 

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Routine is def what makes life easier!! If you get off track in the day with ie not sleeping you could try putting straight down after next feed for a longer sleep. Is that what you ment?

Kate

[tricia_82]

Count us in.  We were all evening nursers too!  My DS finally settled down and started going to bed a lot earlier.  EASY helped him to feed more efficiently and less frequently. I don't know how you do it with another little one running around!  Good for you.  It will get better soon!

[masonette]

Another day of quite good EASY yesterday, it is making me feel more in control of things at last!  Samuel feel asleep (on the boob unfortunately!) at 8pm, had an EBM bottle dream feed at 10.30pm and didn't wake up til 6am, wow! 

Thanks for the advice re getting back on track with EASY, I always wondered what to do if Samuel needed another quick top up just as he was getting tired, ie do I keep him up so he's not "fed to sleep".  I will put him down to sleep when tired as you suggested.

It's not easy having a 15 month age gap, but it is very rewarding, and considering Samuel spent his first month in Special Care at hospital, I'm just grateful to have both my lovely boys at home!