20 week old night waking...HELP!!!

[shep181]

So, I'm sure this has been asked 1000 times, but can't seem to search the site?
I have a 20 week old angel baby...great sleeper...has gone as long as 10-11 hours at night, but over the past month usually wakes for a breast feed around 3-4am, which is fine.  He is tall but low on the weight chart and i have low milk supply issues so I am fine with the once a night waking...
Background:
-Exclusively breasted but started 1tbs cereal at 5pm about 10 days ago, he loves it
-2-3 naps a day, starting to drop the evening catnap.  I will admit he naps in a swing a lot, just out of convenience, but always in crib at bedtime
-been on EASY since the get-go, eats 6 times a day and once overnight
-schedule fluctuates a bit due to his 3 year old twin sisters' schedule, activities
-sisters are just getting over croup, but other than the nw, he seems fine so far

The past 2 nights, he has been waking every 2-3 hours and takes a full feed, I am exhausted!!

Questions: 
1. Do you think this is a simple gs (just had one at 4 months)?  Or an attempt to increase supply for day feelings?
2. Could this be a response to him fighting off getting the croup?  No symptoms as of yet
3. Should I continue to feed him, I've tried rocking,etc but he really seems hungry

I know this is a critical age where bad sleep habits can develop...my gut tells me to feed him and give it another her couple days but just looking for some input???

Please help!!!!

[katie80]

If your gut is telling you to feed and see what happens after another couple days, I'd do that. He's taking full feeds and it's not that uncommon to have a GS at 5mo as well. My DS had one, as well as other LOs from my birth club. I think all of the reasons you stated are probable causes, and for all of them I'd continue to feed for another few days (up to week) before reassessing.

The only other things I noticed in your post are the rice cereal and the number of feeds during the day. With regards to rice cereal, it can be difficult for some LOs to digest. Do you think there's a chance that the increased NWs are due to discomfort?  You might try giving it at lunch or breakfast instead and seeing if that makes a difference. As far as feeding 6 times a day, that seems like a lot to me (is this including the NF you described or no?). I'm not sure what the best advice is if you do indeed have a low supply, but typically by this age, we would suggest you being on at least a 3.5hr EAS. If it's much shorter than that, he may not be taking full feeds and snacking, thus needing to still get some calories at night. That may be a question for the BF board though, as I don't want to advise something that doesn't work with your supply. Is he gaining weight steadily? Are you quite sure your supply is low?

Oh and, the search function has been disabled on the boards, because it was causing more problems with delays and crashing than it helped. So, that's why you couldn't search.

[shep181]

Thanks so much Katie!
I think the snacking is really the issue...with his sisters sick last week I was feeding at all different times to account for md appts, etc.
Last night he was up at 2 and 5:30, so a little better, but I am going to try to stretch him to 3.5 hours today...
I've been so worried about supply issues that I tend to pop in an extra feed whenever I can and that's definitely not helping...
As we speak he is fussing and I'm sure wants to nurse but took a short nap in the car on our way home from dropping his sisters at preschool (also new for us)

His current usual schedule looked something like this, give or take 1/2 hour or if we have an activity...also, his erratic night patterns keep messing up the start of our day...?

Feed 6-7am
Feed 9am
Nap
Feed 11-12
Another feed 1pm (this is usually a "guilt"feed because with feeding his sisters the 11-12 is sometimes interrupted/rushed...they go down to nap at 1 so I get to quietly feed him)
Nap
Feed 4pm
Solids 5-530 with his sisters
Feed 7:30

I know the 1pm feed is messing things up....do you think I should aim for this:
7am feed
11am feed
3pm feed
7pm feed
We dropped the dream feed awhile ago, he wasn't eating much and just seemed angry to be woken.
And as for solids, would it be ok to put them in at 12pm and 5-530pm, in between nursing, or is that going to be more snacking??

I'm going to swap the oatmeal to the earlier feed like you suggested and do fruits or veggies at night.
This morning he had eaten at 5:30, so I fed him again at 7:30 and will do 11 because I have to go pick up his sisters again.  This is soooo complicated with older siblings!!

Thanks again!!!

[katie80]

This is soooo complicated with older siblings!!

Yes, it's definitely a little give and take when there are other LOs that have needs as well.

Sorry for my delayed reply, have had a couple busy days.  I actually don't think your feeding routine is that off.  I do think it would be worth it to move to a 3.5hr routine before pushing all the way to 4.  But, you could also push to 4, but keep a top up feed in there to ensure your milk supply and also that he doesn't wake hungry from a nap.  It could look something like this...

Wake/E 7am
A (top up feed 8am... where solids eventually will be)
S
E 11am
A (solids and top up 12pm)
S
E 3pm
A (solids and top up 4pm)
E 6:30/7pm
BT 7/7:30pm

How does that look?  It seems that when the top up comes just an hr after the main feed, it's less of a snacking issue and more to ensure they're getting enough to last a 4hr routine.  It will also help keep up your supply.

And as for solids, would it be ok to put them in at 12pm and 5-530pm, in between nursing, or is that going to be more snacking??

Yes, this is actually how Tracy recommended to do solids as it keeps the milk feeds as the main ones and the solids are basically snacks or a little extra calories, but still really for practice at this age.

HTH!

[shep181]

Thanks again Katie...
An update: He's back to only waking once a night, and the past few nights he's moved from 2am, to 3am to 4am.
And I'm glad to be able to nurse at 1:00, because the 11:00 is never a great feed, he's so distracted!!

One last question...because he is exclusively breastfed (plus the solids) when should I try NOT feeding him in the night?  His sisters were definitely sleeping through at this point, but they were on formula by this time.  I'm not quite sure when I'm going to try to wean...I'm kind of thinking I'd like to start the sippy cup at 6 months and see how he does with that...he's never been a huge fan of the bottle.
I followed the Tracy's book to the letter with the twins, but everything I've read on this site states that once per night waking is normal for 5 months...just don't want him to get in the habit long term?
I don't think he's ready yet, and again he's very tall, but not very heavy, so I don't mind the night feed now...and he's definitely hungry because he never usually cries when he wakes from naps or to start the day in the morning, but in the night he is VERY unhappy until he eats, so I haven't even attempted pu/pd because I'm fairly certain he needs the calories and it wouldn't work anyway.
Thank you again for all you do...this site is AMAZING, all of my BW books are in tatters and I wish this site was avaiable when my girls were babies...

[katie80]

Thank you again for all you do...this site is AMAZING, all of my BW books are in tatters and I wish this site was avaiable when my girls were babies...

You're welcome! I feel the same.

As for dropping that last night feed, it's different for all babies (obviously ).  BFing is the one area that has changed with new research since Tracy wrote her books and we're sure Tracy would've updated them if she'd had the chance.  Basically, what the new research says is that because breast milk is easily digested and how it's made up, BFd babies likely need to be fed more often and for longer in the night than their FF peers.  I'd say from around the boards that the average age for BFd LOs to drop that last night feed and go a full 11-12hr is somehwere between 6-9mo or once they're quite established on solids.  I dropped the DF with my DD around 9/10mo and pushed the last feed out with my DS at 10mo.  I think if he continues to wake like he is, and there's no other evidence that he's not hungry, I wouldn't worry about it at all at this point and just feed him. 

[shep181]

Thanks again Katie...right on queue, baby boy slept from 8-5 last night, no waking!!  He's done this before so I'm not getting too excited, but it looks like all your advice worked like a charm!!
Blessings!!!

[katie80]