6mo seems obsessed with nursing - wakes all night to feed - losing my mind!

[Mjaz]

I don't know what's going on or where to even post as is a EASY question, a NW question BUT it all seems to be about T wanting to nurse often.  She is still on a 3.5 hr EASY unless she takes a 2 hour nap and then we get a 4 hour stretch.

She is up every 2-3 hours all night and all she wants to do is nurse.  DH and I are working hard to not feed her at night but she literally screams bloody murder, waking our sons and our neighbor!

Any thoughts?  I am so fried my mind really isn't functioning!

TY!
Melinda

[*Ali*]

Is she an independent sleeper?

Does she have any reflux?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Could you do EASAE to stretch feeds out? I kind of run feed times and naps separately now as EASE does not work! Has she always fed like this? Growth spurt?

[Mjaz]

I wouldn't say she is 100% there on being an independent sleeper but pretty close.  She goes right into her crib and gets a bit of shh/pat and she's out.

No reflux that I know of!

I stretched her to 4 hours bet feeds today bc she did two great naps.  On days when I'm running around with the other two its much harder.

Up until 4.5 months she STTN with one NW to feed around 1am.  It was bliss. This is hell!

I just don't know if she's hungry?  Has my supply gone down?  She refuses a bottle of breast milk and isn't too thrilled by solids...surely she doesn't need to feed all night though, right!?!

Thanks ladies!

[*Ali*]

Can you post your daytime EASY? I'm wondering if she is UT.  Have you dropped the cat nap yet?

Has she had the 6mo growth spurt yet? It could be it started as hunger and continued as habit.  Do you feed at every night waking or do you resettle if she had been fed recently?

What about BF offering top ups an hour after the main feed just to get more calories in her? Perhaps as a drink after solids.

[Mjaz]

Thanks, Ali.  We have not dropped the CN.  Since she is child #3, her EASY has to be flexible bc of having to drive the boys places . On a day we are home she usually does 2:45 A times and naps of 1.5-2 hours and a 30 CN.  She often cries out one hour after BT, so I feel she's OT if anything?

Usually I dont feed her till 11ish, when im going to bed.  If she wakes before 11, shes usually easy to resettle.  Some nights I'm so insanely sleep deprived that I feed at every wake.  I don't even know what time it is.  I'm also in with my 2.5 yo who is having sleep issues.  When I realize oh it's 4am and you nursed at 2am, I try to get her back without feeding.  Which leads to hours of screaming.

I try to feed her more during the day.  She's not interested in solids.  Just wants to nurse.  And I have no idea if she's hit the growth spurt.  She's 99th percentile height and weight!

I just can't take it anymore...

[Miamamma]

She sounds like my DS to the letter. I feel your pain with the sleep deprivation. I wish I knew the answer but can only offer hugs I'm afraid..will be listening in to see what advice I may be able to steal.

[*Ali*]

Can you post her EASY with times?  And any restrictions you have from school runs etc. That sounds like a lot of day sleep for a 6mo but if all her A times are 2hr45 maybe her day is too long. Has she always been high sleep needs?

I would probably pick length of time like 3 or 4hrs to start with and not feed if she had been fed within that time at night.  If she wakes sooner I'd resettle like you do for naps.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I agree it does sound like a lot of day sleep...we are opposite with low sleep needs though so I hardly remember what the normal is. We have been able to squeak by with the school run but luckily in a small town it is only a few minutes to run get the kids.

[*Ali*]

Typical sleep
6-8 months                     14-18 hours                        Two naps 1-2 hours each;
More mobility; able to                                                   10-12 hours at night
sit and crawl
Typical Amounts of Day and Night Sleep

[Mjaz]

If we're home she'll do this on a good day:

Wake: 6:30
E: 6:45
A: 2:30
S: 9-10:30
E: 10:45
A: 2:45
S: 1:15-2:45
E: 2:45
A: 2:30
S: 5:15-5:45
E: cluster
Bed: 7-7:30

Three days a week we take her brother to school at 1 and she never transfers and she doesn't stay asleep in carseat.  It's awful!  Today she did 1.5, 35 (in car) and 1:15 naps.  BT at 6:45 and she's been up 4 times already (no feeding).

The big issue is when later in the night she won't settle.  She has a set of lungs on her and she'll scream like crazy till she's got a breast in her mouth.

She just turned 6 months and she was 2 weeks early so I think she's on the very low side of the average 6-8 month scale.  I don't think she could make it from 2:45-6:30 without a CN...

TY...
Melinda

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Yeah 2:45 - 6:30 would be too much, but working from the other end is it possible to push the first A out to push the last nap closer to bed? I know you said you go to school at 1:00, is there pick up too? Any chance of having someone do pickup for a few days to try and push her naps?

[Mjaz]

I can try, but it's been 1:25 A and she's ready for bed.  She was up ALL night.  14 times.  So I guess I need to catch her up first?

I tried to withhold feeding and she either woke every 20-30 min or screamed for an hour before I caved.  I just do not know what the hell to do with her at night! 

Oh and two night ago she went 9 hours without eating!  Total fluke night, but I know she can do it!

[*Ali*]

As pp says you would have to push her A times to drop the CN.  Could she nap 9.30-11 and 2-3.30? The you could do BT at 6.45 perhaps?  Or even better if she does 2hr naps with 3hr A times.

I can't see what time you posted but are you avoiding feeding her at all at night?  I would definitely feed her if she wakes and it has been 4hrs or more from her last feed.

That is a lot of NWs.  Are you sure she isn't in pain?  Could it be teeth or have you stated solids lately that could be causing digestive discomfort?  How are her bowel movements? 

[Mjaz]

I tried to push her today.  Got two 1:15 min naps and had to do a CN . She's been fighting BT for 30 min now.

She has her two lower teeth and we were avoiding solids till we figured out her sleep!  This has been going on nearly 2 months...such a mystery to me.

I feed her at night if its been more than 4 hours unless she screams for an hour and I cave...