6 month old night wakings learned or hungry?

[teddy13]

HI I just got back from visiting my very sick uncle in ICU he is not doing well at all. My mom was babysitting. I told her to let Maximo nap at around 4:30 and then give him a bottle when he wakes. She was not able to put him to sleep, he screamed in an OT fit and went to sleep at 5:45pm!@!!!!!!! Now I am petrified about the night time routine. He is asleep he has not bathed, or changed his clothes. He is so fast aSLEEP I don't know if i should wake him or allow him to sleep just the way he is. Also my boobs are killing me and I am in the worst mood possible. What should I do. Please help me. It seems like asking my mom to babysit was the worst idea and it feels like if I don't do things on my own than they get done wrong. I think I am going to loose it if he doesn't sleep well tonight.

[teddy13]

Thanks. I thought I would be so lucky for him to nap like he did yesterday but no such luck. His whole day was topsy turvy from the start and he went to bed at 5:45pm extrememly OT and he is still asleep. I am hoping that tonight is not going to be aweful. I am about to go to bed myself. I am not even going to attempt a dreamfeed. I am just going to see how long it will be until he wakes. He seems very content and sound asleep. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Thanks.

[Rachelss]

Having had some very odd days here for the last few weeks, and similar concerns about how to catch up on lost sleep etc, I think my advice would be to take each day as it comes.  Maybe you can put aside what has happened and just tell yourself that you will start afresh in the morning.

Believe me, I know what you mean when you say that if you don't do things yourself, they don't get done as you would like....I am lucky enough to have a husband who is at home for a day each week doing all child care (taking 1 to/from school and then looking after 2younger ones) and it drives me crazy that he doesn't take my advice about what works and what doesn't...and then complains when things don't work as they should!!  That said, I have to bite my tongue as I am very lucky to be able to share the childcare as we do, as it means that I can keep a meaningful job and work sensible hours.  I'm sure your mum didn't mean to disrupt the pattern of the day and she probably doesn't realise the stress it has caused you.

Good luck tonight and tomorrow.  I think we're through the worst with my littlest one for the moment, so I'm here if you need any help or ideas.

[teddy13]

Thank you so much! The night routine was very little affected. It went like this:

Last feed :5:00 pm
Sleeping : 5:45 pm
Wake: 10:30pm fed
Wake 4:30am fed
Wake up for the day at 5:45am

He ate at 7:00 am and had a brief nap in the car from 9:10-9:40am ate at 10am and is now napping for the past half hour. Hopefully he will get a restful nap. Taking each day as it comes is the best advice. Its just so hard sometimes. Thanks again.

[teddy13]

Girls I have tried DF from the start, it never worked for LO. He is 7 months in a couple of days should I even bother with it now, or rather leave it?

[Fiver]

I wouldn't bother, personally.  Neither of mine had one.

[teddy13]

Ok cool.
So I will keep working on the naps, bedtime without a prop, and let's hope that soon this will all work. Right now he wakes around 12-1 at night for the first feed after he goes to bed. He is awake each morning by 5:45 am so I just put him down and it's 6:00pm. I couldn't keep him awake any longer, he woke up from a nap at 3:45pm. He ate his rice cereal with was mixed with 3 scoops of formula and he breastfed for about 5 mins. He was so full he pulled away. And now he has fallen asleep alone, unaided in his bedroom.
Thanks so much

[teddy13]

Hi do you have tips for dropping the nightfeeds? My son wakes for a feed about 5-6 hours and then again every two. I have made the mistake of BF him each time he wakes and now he expects this action. How can I break this bad habit? Please let me know so that I am implement it tonight. I need to take a stand and get this child on a good sleep schedule the deprivation is killing me and its making me a bad wife and mother to my first child. I have no patience any longer b/c I am soooooo tired. Please help.

[Fiver]

It's worth bearing in mind that BF babies will often still need a NF at 6m, and some up to a year or so.

Some people have success with resettling by any means possible, even if it's just for a short time and feeding again at the next waking.

[teddy13]

I wouldn't mind waking to feed even twice if I knew he was hungry. But he is only hungry at one of the feeds and then he just suckles to comfort nurse and he is back to sleep. So it's hard to not perpetuate a nurse to sleep bad habit. He falls asleep nursing and then freaks when he stirs and Im not there. I need to up his milk intake during the day for sure and settle him into a better nap aschedule but so far no luck. I am trying so hard to read his tired cues but I seem to be messing up and he is constantly OT