Seven and a half months and never slept through and nw getting worse

[peacefuldawn]

Hello, my gorgeous little girl is 71/2 months and has never slept through. She is fully breast fed, on 3 good size solid meals and has four good breast feeds in the day - she had gradually been dropping them. I usually breast feed her to sleep but she will go to sleep in the car or pushchair for naps. She beagn really well, sometimes going up to 7 hours and then at 3 months it all changed but I do not know what did it! She wakes every hour or 2 unless she sleeps with us. I try to pat and shh her if she wakes and that may work sometimes but most of the times I feed her as she becomes hysterical. She is a big baby in 9-12 month clothes and does not need all the milk at night - she just likes it! She is a spirited baby but really smiley and happy in the day if I am close by. She has 2 naps one for half an hour and the other 1 1/2 hours typically. She has a great bedtime routine and goes to sleep like a dream 7.30-8am and usually gets up 6.30-7am.
I was wondering about stopping the night feeds? Is it best just to make the bedtime feed the last one and then gird my loins  Another post someone mentioned a magic 3 days but my girl has a real strong will and I guess it could take longer. I can not do cc, as I can not bear it. I have a g8 husband but she only wants mummy at night.
Any thoughts welcome, I feel a real failure about the sleep, as well as exhausted.
Thanks, Dawn

[Tracey3]

Hi
My ds was doing the same thing he was a dream sleeper till he hit 4-5 months he is 9 months now(and still not sleeping thru) He was waking evry hour or 2 in the night, I was told I has become a prop to him and he was used to being bf back to sleep in the night.  So you have to try and break the habit and it is going to be tough My health nurse told me to do cc I did have great results within 3 days with him sleeping thru!!but....he got sick and was teething so the bad habits started again.  When I done cc again he just didnt give in (he is also very spirited) and became very clingy to just me..Thank god I found this site.  The advise I have been given is because of me doing cc he has lost trust and I needed to get that trust back, the best method I was told to do was wi wo I have a post in nw called "8 month old nw please help" have a read there is some really helpful info in there.  I still have a long way to go but we have had huge improvements. My nights go something like this now
bed awake 7.30-8pm I just sit by the cot now but I was doing pat shh because wi wo was making him mad!!lol
dreamfeed 10pm (I just introduced this so I know he is well feed when I go to bed)
2am he wakes and I try to leave him a while to see if he will settle but usually end up feeding him
then he lasts till about 6-7am

So he isnt sleeping thru but the night wakings have improved, some good advise I got was to give him a lovie or a blankie and that at this age they still may need 1 maybe 2 feeds in the night..which made me feel so much better I think there is a lot of pressure on our lo's to be sleeping through by 6months.

Hope ths helps

[stagemanager2]

I agree with pp that this may be a prop problem. 

At about 3mo the reflex of sucking becomes a controlable motor skill.  That may be why the nw started then (we noticed ds's paci suddenly started making nw more frequent after 3mo).  When your lo wakes and you offer the breast to sleep you become what they need to sleep every time.  When your dd transitions she then wakes fully and calls for you because she can't fall asleep independantly...

this link might help you:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=104192.0

It also sounds like your lo may be a snacker?  What does your schedule look like in the day?

[louis-mummy]

Hi!

don't knock yourself, it sounds as though you are doing a fab job as a Mummy 

there are a couple of other posts around regarding stopping bf in the night which you have probably read, did any of them help you?  if you think this is the reason why she is waking then i think it a case of biting the bullet and going for it.  if your DH can help then that is a huge plus.  maybe start on a weekend and get yourslef a good nap during the day first?

my little man is textbook/spirited (feels more spirited to me!) and i thought night weaning would be really hard but it did go easier than i expected, we still have the odd bad night but on the whole he sleeps tons better.

i also couldn't do cc, i'm so chuffed we didn't resort to it like all our friends/family told us to!

good luck and keep us updated

[peacefuldawn]

Thank you so much for support and ideas!
So glad things are improving for you Tracey

Stage Manager - I think I am a prop and a tired one! I tried the Elizabeth Pantley put her down awake but after 2 weeks and no progress, I was exhausted and low so gave the book away. I think she eats pretty well and do not feel she is a snacker as she only has 4 milk feeds in the day and has been gradually knocking them off. Her routine is:
She wakes 6-6.30 has a bf
7.30 breakfast
9 bf and the nap - 1/2 to 1 hour
12 lunch - savory and fruit with yogurt
1.30 bf and sleep - 1 and 1/2 hours
5.30 tea - savory and fruit with baby rice or rice pudding
7.30 bf and bed
9.30 wakes and bf
then anything can happen, she may go half an hour to two and may be wake an hour. She was awake an hour last night practising her new hand clapping skill
9

And Louis-mummy thanks for the kind words and I know I must be doing something right because she is a happy, thriving girl, as bright as button . Have read the other post and that's where I got the idea to stop night feeds and I think I will bite the bullet and aim not to feed her after the 9.30 feed and see what happens!
Take care,
Dawn

[stagemanager2]

ya, I think your right about your lo not being a snacker... just one question... is that one nap 1hr and the second 1.5hrs?  Is there any way you could extend those?  You should be trying to get atleast two good 2hr naps in the day for your los age....

were you able to check out the link I posted?  You might want to think of just going cold turkey and not offering the breast at night... it will be a few hard nights but it will show her she isn't going to get any when you show up.  I have also heard that if your partner settles her instead of you for a few nights the lo realizes they aren't going to get food with your partner or friend or family member and will continue to sleep through the night.....

[peacefuldawn]

Hi
Re naps yes she has just two one for an hour and a half and one for half an hour to 40mins - i could try extending  them. I did read the link thank you and I bought the book by E Pantley and implemented a plan but unfortunately it didn't work for us. My girl only wants me at night and won't settle for daddy but that sounds a g8 idea.
I went for it last night and bit the bullet. She went down at 7.30, woke at 9.30 and I fed her but that was it. She woke at 12 and settled easily with a pat but then was awake 12.50 until 2.05 crying - that was v tough but I kept my nightie buttoned up . She then slept till 6am! So it was easier than I expected as she is strong minded.
So tonight we will try again and tomorrow night hoping that 3 nights will make a big difference.
Thanks,
Dawn

[louis-mummy]

Sounds great so far! 

[stagemanager2]

yay!

[peacefuldawn]

Hi, just a quick update,
Night 2 was the worse . She was up every hour and then awake an hour at 1.45 - not crying but awake but I did not give in. She then woke at 3.45 and that was her for the day. Thank God daddy was not at work, so he took her for a walk at 5.30 and let me have 2 hours in bed and 2 more hours in the afternoon. She napped less than mummy!

Night 3, last night was the best night ever . She went down at 7.30, fed at 9.30 and then that was it till 4am - six blissful hours of sleep we have not had for months!! She was so awake and chatting in her cot so I thought she was up for the day and fed her but she went back to sleep till 7am
We have been on such a high. Lets see what tonight brings. Thanks, Dawn

[louis-mummy]

Fantastic 

we still have good and bad nights but on the whole much better, its such a good feeling to know that you are finally make inroads

Hope you all have a good sleep tonight!

p.s. just out of curiosity, are you in the UK?

[stagemanager2]

yay!!!!

[peacefuldawn]

Hi, thanks for the encouragement! Last night (4) was not so good, up twice for an hour and slept no longer than 2 hours together . Has only had 2 naps today - each of half an hour, don't know how she has kept going and in such a great mood. She has eaten like a horse, I guess to make up for the reduced night feeds which is great. I will carry on but it is tough, especially in the week as my husband can't take over in the day and let me rest but Saturday was so wonderful I don't want to give up as it seems to be working.
And Louis mummy, I am in the NW of England.
Thanks again for the support,
Dawn

[louis-mummy]

I hope last night went well. 

It does seem to go like that.........good nights and bad but its early days and hopefully it will keep getting better.

Louis had a terrible night on Sunday (awake on and off between 12.30 and 4am, i even fed him at 4am in desperation  ) but think he has another tooth coming through. 
Last night he woke at 3.30am and 5am, gave him some Calpol and he slept til 8am.

Laura x

I am in the Midlands

[peacefuldawn]

Hi Laura and Stage Manager, I am exhausted today - a real tough night (Tues) - up every hour until 1.30 am and then 2hourly till up at 5.30  . It is so hard to keep going. I wonder if I am doing the right thing in still giving her the 10pm feed, I feel I have no choice with the 3.30 one as she will be up for the day. She has been really chewing on anything and I wonder could it be another tooth on its way. maybe should try some calpol.
Thanks,
Dawn x