feeding every 2 hrs or less at night - help needed (I'm exhausted!)

[Lisa J]

For the last two weeks my LO's night time sleep has got progressively worse.  She was waking twice a night for a feed (no dream feed) but now she is waking every 1.5 - 2 hrs and won't settle unless she goes on the breast, she won't take the dummy even though she has it for her daytime naps.  I am finding this exhausting especially as I have a toddler to look after during the day.  What can be the problem?  Here's what I'm thinking - OT due to short day time naps (but why has it not affected her before now and how can I fix that with a 2 yr old around?), associating breast with sleep but she only goes to sleep on the breast at bedtime because I 'top her up' before putting her down, or do her feedings need spacing out more?  She feeds every 2.5 - 3 hrs during the day but sometimes doesn't make it to 2.5 hrs.  Could you please give me advice/your experience please.  My lo is 11 weeks old.  Has anyone gone through something similar and changed it?

[Mummy of Hope & Lillie]

Wish I could help but at this stage I'm with you in suppport
Things you could look at are:

1)Is there a set pattern to her wakings at night - same time every night or random? (random could suggest hunger pattern could mean habit).
2)How is she feeding during the day is she taking in enough at feeds or snaking?
3)Are you cluster feeding before bed?
4)Maybe you should incorporate DF
I had a friend who's DS went through 6 weeks of waking every 2 - 3hrs at night from around 11 weeks old and she was exhausted. She wasn't into BW so just stuck it out but it really took its toll on her as she has a toddler too.

Better to try resolve issue I think!

Good Luck

[Lisa J]

Thanks for your reply.  I don't think the wakings are random but they are not at the exact time either usually within the same hour.  I think she's feeding ok during the day every 2.5 - 3hrs, and I do cluster feed, her last afternoon feed it about 3.30 so I feed 2 hours later, then do bedtime routine and then another feed just before bed at about 6.30 - 7pm.  I will now try the dream feed if I can stay up until 10pm.  Did your friend's baby just 'grow out of it'?.  Six weeks seems like a very long time!

[Mummy of Hope & Lillie]

HI There
Could be she has picked up a habit? That's what I'm thinking my LO has done but she is older than yours? Hopefully someone will help you.

As for my friend, bless her she just kept feeding him on demand and now that he is taking some solids is sleeping through but as I said it really took its toll on her.

Wow it's hard when you have another to look after hey! I so was not prepared for that side of having another baby!

I see you have posted a question on whether formula keeps them sleeping longer have been SO tempted to give DS a Formula bottle as a DF to see if that works! Let me know if it does if you try
 

[meltown]

could you post her routine?

[Lisa J]

Our routine goes something like this:
E: 7am
A:
S: 8.15
A: 9.00
E: 9.30
A:
S: 10.45
A:11.45
E: 12.00
A:
S: 1.15
A: 2.00
S: 2.30 (usually have to go out in pushchair to get some more sleep here but doesn't always work)
E: 3.30
A:
S: 4.45 (very difficult to get much sleep here, may be 30 mins often keeps waking up)
E: 5.30
A: bath and pjs
s: about 6.30 start to bf to sleep can take about 30 mins and often wakes up after then so I either ssh pat or feed to sleep.

Before starting EASY she would sleep for 5 or 6 hours straight but she has only slept this long a few times in the last 6 weeks.  She did once go all night with only one feed at 3.15am, the only difference in routine was a 30 min nap at 5.45 before feed at 6.15 and then bedtime routine.

Have I got the cluster feeding right?  Do you think bfeeding her to sleep is the problem?
She is having a teatime nap now so I will post today's routine tomorrow with night wakings to see if there is any difference.
I have tried to extend her naps but she gets very upset and I often don't have the time because of spirited dd1 2 year old.
She also always wakes up about 5 ish possibly with wind and I have to hold her and give her a dummy, she will then sleep on and off until about 6 when she will sleep until 7am.  I sometimes feed her during this time just so that I can get some sleep, otherwise I have to keep putting in dummy and calming her.

[meltown]

ok, some of your awake times are a bit short, and some are to long.  I wouldk start by extending the first awake time 5 or 10 min.  then if your LO wakes early then keep awake time ( eating, activity, and wind down all included in the awake time) to 1.5 hours max.  hopefully by extending the awake time in the morning you will get a little longer nap and then the other naps will be longer as well.  I think she is gtting more and more ot during the day and it is effecting her night sleep.

[Lisa J]

Thanks for this.  I will try to extend first morning awake time.  I said I would post yesterday's routine today so here it is.  She woke up at exactly the same times as she did the previous night, which suggest to me that at least one of the times could be habit?  Also, how long should I expect her to be able to go after the first night time feed, should she be able to go longer than 3 hours?  I'm thinking that maybe the 4.50am wake is a habit, in which case do I have to do wake to sleep?

E: 7.00
A:
S: 7.50 started wind down
A: 8.35 she got really upset when I tried to put her back to sleep
E: tried to feed at 9.00 but she didn't really take any
S: 9.45
A: 10.20
E: 10.40
A:
S: 11.40 in pushchair
A: 12.20
E: 12.50
A:
S: 1.30 started wind down
A: 2.25 tried to get back to sleep in pushchair but only had about 10 - 20 mins in total
A: 3.25
E: 3.35
A:
S: 4.25
A: 5.10 woke up crying but cuddled her back to sleep
E: 5.35
A: bath and pjs
E: 6.10 fell asleep on breast but then woke up so settled with paci and ssh pat.  Didn't settle properly until 7.50pm as she woke up 3 times during this time.
E: 10.00pm tried to give df but couldn't even get her to open her mouth.
E: 11.30pm
E: 2.30am
A: 4.50am held her back to sleep with paci for 20mins
E: 5.55am then started the day.

[meltown]

what time did she wak? that first A time was only 50 min, she couldn't have been tired yet which is probably why she got upset when you tried to get her to go back to sleep.

I agree that some of the night wakings might be habit too.  Iw oudl try wake 2 sleep for those.

[Lisa J]

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse it did!  She took just over an hour to get to sleep at bedtime because she was really jumpy and in a light sleep.  I then fed her at 10pm and she took quite a good feed but then woke at 12.50 and 5 more times after then!  Is this really all down to being OT?  It feels like I'm in a no win situation because if I can't extend her naps (which I will try by extending A time like you said) then she is always going to be overtired.  Does this means I will have to just put up with the night wakings.  I don't mean to sound negative I just know that lots of people suffer from 45 minute nap difficuties.  I feel sooo tired and despondent

[Lisa J]

One other thing, do you think it would help if I tried to space her feedings out more?

[meltown]

if she has a short nap she should be havign a shorter A time in between the naps so she get the most sleep she can in a day.  are you doing this as well?

[Lisa J]

I am trying to do this now.  I extending her A time before her first nap and she seemed to go to sleep more quickly and in to a deep sleep more quickly, however she did wake up after 40 mins.  I continued to do this throughout the day and make sure she had an extra nap before feeds where possible, so two of her feeds were 3.5 hours since the last one, the others were 3.  This may have messed up tea time and bedtime naps and feeds as I wasn't sure what I was doing then.  I fed her just after 5, which was 3.5 hours after last feed, instead of the usual 2 hours, then gave her A time and got her ready for bed.  However, I think I kept her up too long.  I fed her before putting her to bed and by then it was 1 hr 35 mins since she woke and she seemed wide awake.  It took about 20 mins or so to get her to sleep and then she woke up after a few mins but hasn't woken since.  We will see what tonight brings.  I hope it can't get any worse than last night!  thanks for your help btw, it is much appreciated.

[meltown]

have you tried Wake 2 sleep to extend the naps?  she may be having a hard time with the sleep cycle transition.