Author Topic: What should we do if breastfeeding?  (Read 1518 times)

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Offline Icedlemonade

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What should we do if breastfeeding?
« on: October 08, 2008, 00:09:55 am »
I read this: babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=46907.0
It would be so great if my DS also could sleep through the night!

What should we do if our situation is more or less like this but we breastfeed?
Please help~
SamSam (Dec 21, 2007) and LemLem (Jun 23, 2010), breastfeeding

Offline Lex444

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2008, 02:55:23 am »
I know, right? I, too, have this problem with my eight-month-old - and have read a lot about it.

Frankly, all of the answers I've read about reducing night breastfeeding are deeply unsatisfactory.

It seems one can either reduce the breastfeeding by number of minutes per feed gradually, which doesn't work well because it's very hard to know how much a baby is getting per minute depending on how hungry they are - my son can do a feed in five minutes or fifteen depending on his mood, appetite, the environment ....

Or you can express and bottle feed the breastmilk during the night, which seems to me like a major pain in the ar$e.

I think the most practical way seems to be going cold turkey and just offering water in a bottle, or completely eliminating the feeds and settling in another way.

I know. None of it is appealing and all of it looks like hard work!
« Last Edit: October 08, 2008, 02:57:50 am by Lex444 »

Offline Icedlemonade

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2008, 05:42:59 am »
Thank you Lex~

If I completely eliminate the feeds, my DS won't settle at all.
He can cry really very hard continuously for more than 1 hour!

And I have my problem that makes me can't express and bottle feed the breastmilk.

Maybe I could try offering water instead, but I don't think it will work well,
because he don't like drinking water even in daytime.
SamSam (Dec 21, 2007) and LemLem (Jun 23, 2010), breastfeeding

Offline Lex444

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2008, 08:47:06 am »
Frankly, I'm going to just continue to give one night feed until the end of the first year ... when I wean at that time, I'll have to work it out! I'm planning on sending my husband in with water. Good luck and would love to know if you come up with anything!

Offline Bryony

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2008, 12:56:05 pm »
I did it by reducing from two boobies to one, and then reducing the time. It's a bit hit and miss as you say - but she did get the message and start eating in the day instead!

xx


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Offline Tobysmum

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2008, 17:43:28 pm »
I too am breastfeeding.  I have tried reducing by minutes (but like the PP he can finish a feed in 5-10 mins no problem - the only long feed is usually bedtime) He protests a great deal if I try and cut the feed short - so I am thinking he must be hungry.  DS is just over 7 months and he still feeds 1-2 times per night.  He seems genuinely hungry when he feeds, so is there any point in trying to eliminate it?  I sort of have a rule that I won't feed him before midnight - as I can usually re-settle him (as long as he's had a good bedtime feed).  After midnight, then it's a different story, we have tried various methods but it's usually impossible to resettle.  So, what do you do?  Do you just accept that he needs to feed in the night until a year or so?  He's getting a good amount of solids though but always BF first (about an hour before solids usually).

He won't take a bottle (never has) - although this week he took 4 ounces of BM from a cup!!!! Yay.  Perhaps I should try the water thing but I am concerned that he is genuinely hungry - what do you do then?  I guess you have to feed.  Why then are some baby's hungry in the night and others are not?
« Last Edit: October 22, 2008, 17:46:16 pm by Tobysmum »
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Offline EllenS

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2008, 17:51:18 pm »
Bear in mind, it also depends on your LO's metabolism and your milk supply (which is highest at night).  Some bf'ing pairs, while perfectly able to get enough calories in 24 hours, are just not capable of getting enough calories during the day (we were not, especially as dd was SOOOO mobile and active).
 
If your LO is crying hard for 1 hour, I think that's likely true hunger.  Until lo is over 1 year, milk needs to be the primary source of nutrition, solids are just not nutritious enough for their rate of growth.

So, for both OP and Toby's Mum, I'd say watch baby's cues (as you are doing).  If baby will resettle without a feed, you can use the water method or cold turkey to drop that feed.   Otherwise, don't worry about it, they will drop it when their tummies are big enough to get more calories in the day.  My dd dropped hers at a little over a year.  BW is about a flexible routine, and watching your baby's needs.  Of course you don't want to starve or torture your baby just to try to make them do what they are "supposed" to be doing at a certain age.
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Offline Tobysmum

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2008, 18:07:33 pm »
You say if they cry hard for an hour - obviously I'm not going to let him cry for an hour am I?  How do we figure out if they are truly hungry or not?
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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2008, 18:27:19 pm »
I did the reducing of minutes when weaning ds of the night feeds at around 9/10 mos.  The only reason why I did this was because ds was comfort nursing to go back to sleep.  I couldn't do pu/pd as I don't want him to wake dd.  What I did was time the length he nursed at the nightwakings for several nights, then I took the average.  When I was ready to start, I made sure that I get as much bm and yogurt into him during the day.  On the first night, I just reduce the time he nursed by 1 min.  Then just gradually reduce the time till he was down to 1-2 min and I was just able to hold him without him crying.  Within 2 weeks he didn't need me anymore.  I agree that all babies are different when it comes to needing a night feed (dd stopped at 5/6 mos on her own and ds needed some coaxing at 9/10 mos).  Trust your instinct and listen to your los.  HTH

Offline EllenS

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2008, 00:00:35 am »
Toby's Mum, Icelemonade (the original questioner) was the one who mentioned the baby crying hard in the night, not settling.
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Offline Icedlemonade

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #10 on: October 23, 2008, 01:11:51 am »
Yes, I let him cry for longer time, try hard to settle him by other methods, when I'm quite sure he's not hungry.
For example, he just had a full feed at 2:00am, and wake again at 3:00am, I don't think he's hungry at that time.
But he just won't settle without my breast.

Or could I be wrong?
As Ellen said "depends on your LO's metabolism and your milk supply"?
SamSam (Dec 21, 2007) and LemLem (Jun 23, 2010), breastfeeding

Offline Tobysmum

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #11 on: October 23, 2008, 17:12:40 pm »
Ah - I see - sorry!
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Offline *Nicola*

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2008, 19:53:54 pm »
Yes, I let him cry for longer time, try hard to settle him by other methods, when I'm quite sure he's not hungry.
For example, he just had a full feed at 2:00am, and wake again at 3:00am, I don't think he's hungry at that time.
But he just won't settle without my breast.

Or could I be wrong?
As Ellen said "depends on your LO's metabolism and your milk supply"?

Icedlemonade ... what methods have you tried to resettle him? If he has taken a good feed at 2am and is awake at 3am and will only settle with your breast then I would say that you are a prop for him rather than dealing with a hunger issue.  At your sons age he might still need one (or maybe more) nightfeeds but I suspect there are other issues going on here.

If you want to post your EASY routine we can have a look.  Does your son go to sleep independently for naps and night times?
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Offline EllenS

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Re: What should we do if breastfeeding?
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2008, 03:09:32 am »
Oh, yes at his age waking 1 hour after a feed is not hunger.  Most likely prop, possibly exacerbated by a routine needs tweaking, such as possible OT?
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