Should I be night weaning?

[Samjheywood]

Hi there,

My LO started sleeping through the night from around 11 weeks old without a feed (usually 7-6am). He then became ill with a bowel blockage and started waking 1/2 times per night so we were feeding him not knowing why he was waking. After 2 weeks we finally got an anwser from the Dr and treated the bowel blockage and that same night he went back to sleeping through 7-6 without the feed. Two days later he had his 16 week injections and started waking again once in the night, we tried to resettle him but nothing worked only a bottle and as he was still young we fed him.

This went on for a few weeks but every night he woke at a different time (anywhere between 2-4) so we assumed he was hungry and fed him. Around 20 weeks he started waking 2,3,4 times per night - he was starting teething and we tried resettling and this worked most times except we were still feeding him once per night.

From around 21 weeks he had a few nights where he went from 7-7 without waking for a feed so we thought we were back on track but this has only been a handful of times and still wakes once per night anytime. He is now 24 weeks old and this week he has been waking at 4am for the past 4 nights apart from last night it was 3am and wants feeding.

Do you think this has now become a habitual thing and we should try night weaning as he has shown he can go the night without wanting the feed?

He was taking 4 x 7oz bottles in the day and the 1 in the night if he woke, but as of yesterday i up'd his day bottles to 8oz and reduced his night bottle to 6oz in the hope he may start to not need the night bottle. Whats your advice?

He is also trying solids, nothing big just sampling fruit and veg purees and has been doing this from 17weeks. I have no problem keep feeding him in the night but think it might be more of a prop and dont want to make things worse for myself.

thanks

[becj86]

He was taking 4 x 7oz bottles in the day and the 1 in the night if he woke, but as of yesterday i up'd his day bottles to 8oz and reduced his night bottle to 6oz in the hope he may start to not need the night bottle. Whats your advice?

That would actually be my advice.

Do you think this has now become a habitual thing and we should try night weaning as he has shown he can go the night without wanting the feed?

An habitual waking is on that you can set the clock by. His wakings don't seem that consistent. I'm no FF expert (never done it) and I will get someone who knows a bit more about it than I to come have a look for you. At 16 weeks, there's a growth spurt. If you didn't up the number of ounces in each day bottle then, he's probably been compensating by eating at night. If you can get those calories back into the day, you could well see the end of this night feed quite naturally.

[Samjheywood]

Thanks - I'll wait to hear back from you.

I didnt up the ounces at 16wks as this was around the time of his bowel blockage plus he has reflux and is on medication so is sick quite a bit after feeds so didnt want to give him too much milk in one sitting. Anyway, this is now under control and i'll see how i go on with the 8oz bottles and reducing the night one.

[*Kara*]

Hello

I would keep his bottles at 8 ozs during the day and see how he does with reducing the night bottle an ounce every few nights.  If you find that he isn't getting enough during the day (or he starts spitting up more with the increased volume), we can look at more frequent and smaller feeds to get more into him during the day hun.'

There are times with refluxers that we have to veer from a typical EASY to accommodate their needs

[Samjheywood]

Ok great - thanks for your help. I'll give it a go.

[*Kara*]

Let us know how it goes after a few days time

[Samjheywood]

Ok, an update on the night weaning.

I up'd his day bottles to 8oz and reduced his night one to 6oz.

The first night he went from 7-545am which is a massive improvement, the second night it was 7-445am still good but then the third he reverted back to 1245am had a feed then slept till 0600, then last night it was 7-0200 then slept till 0600.

I have now reduced the night bottle to 5oz. Last night was the first night of this.

I must add that i posted about his naps on the other board and was advised to cut out solids to see if that would improve his irregular naps (sleeps anywhere from 30m to 2hr 30m). I reduced the solids initially and gave baby rice as thought this would be gentler on his tummy but looks like i made things worse as he was waking at night with tummy ache and pooped straight after the bottle, loose stools, so think he is bunged up.

He hasnt pooped in the night for the last 4 nights, only first thing in the morning although it is still loose stools. I was advised to give him pears which i have for 3 days (twice a day) and still no change so yesterday i gave him lactoluse 1 dose and still no change so today i think i might give 2 doses and see what happens.

What do you think to the night wakings still, they are a bit irratic? Not sure whether it is due to tummy ache still or hunger? Also he wakes at different times every morning anywhere between 545 - 730am. Is there any way to try and get more consistency with this?

[*Kara*]

I was advised to give him pears which i have for 3 days (twice a day) and still no change so yesterday i gave him lactoluse 1 dose and still no change so today i think i might give 2 doses and see what happens.

I advised you to go with the pears... If he is only having pears and formula, I wouldn't expect anything but loose stools hun..nothing there to firm them up so to say.  Are they watery or just loose and consistent?

[Samjheywood]

Hiya,

Just loose and consistent. I did give the two lactoluse and he has had 3 poops today in total not big and still loose but I'm wondering if this may have helped clear him out?

Still woke up at 0230am again today after taking his 8oz x 4 bottles, could he still be hungry after that much do u think?

[*Kara*]

He most certainly could still be hungry... Some babies will get up around 40 ozs a day

Do you have doctors recs to give the lactulose?  Just wondering as it's not a great idea to use any laxative with a baby unless you know for certain that there is an issue.  If he still just went and it was loose, he isn't constipated hun.. If he was, there would have been hard bits in the loose poops.

[Samjheywood]

Oh yeah, i went to the Drs on Thursday and he gave me the lactoluse. I think things are getting back to normal as he has done a normal poop this morning, so fingers crossed.

As for the night waking, what do you recommend i do next - do i still keep reducing the ozs at night, or shall i stick at 5oz if he is still hungry? Or should i up his day bottles again to maybe 8.5oz?

any suggestions on the EW, i put him to bed at 630 last night instead of 7 and he still woke at 0555am!

thanks

[Samjheywood]

Sorry forgot to add, what shall i do about solids now? Should i start back with a few fruit/veg purees or nothing - just anxious that he will be 6mths next week?

[*Kara*]

any suggestions on the EW, i put him to bed at 630 last night instead of 7 and he still woke at 0555am!

555am is a tough time to start the day, but this is not an EW.  An EW is less than 10 hrs of night sleep... he is 11-11.5 hrs which is completely acceptable.  If you want a later wake time, you need to shift his whole day to get BT later... Like 730pm... that would get you a wake time of 630/7am.

Should i start back with a few fruit/veg purees or nothing - just anxious that he will be 6mths next week?

I would give him a couple of days to see if his poops seem better then start reintroducing.  Please remember that solids at this age are only for experimenting with new tastes and should never replace/reduce a milk feed.  This early on, I would stick to one offering a day as well... increasing to twice in a few weeks time.  And, I would stick to a breakfast offering now and intro a lunch offering next... leave the dinner time offering until closer to 8/9 months to give that tummy a chance to mature

[Samjheywood]

I dont really mind if he wants to get up at 555am, i just want to try and get some consistency as he seems to start the day at different times each day so it throws the whole day out. He has irregular naps anyway so i never know how long he will sleep but wonder if this is partly the fact that he never naps or eats at the same times each day, not sure just a thought? The feeds are roughly the same but naps are inconsistent.

What is your advice on the NWs, should i stick at 5oz or keep reducing, or increase the day ozs?

thanks for your advice, i am learning alot of things

[Samjheywood]

Any thoughts on the night bottles? I am stuck at 5oz as not sure whether to keep reducing?

Thanks