Author Topic: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old  (Read 2296 times)

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Offline Sylvia.

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #30 on: February 18, 2006, 00:03:00 am »
great thread, i wish i had read it when dd was 6 months old, how is everyone going?

Offline RosieMum

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #31 on: February 20, 2006, 16:10:13 pm »
great thread, i wish i had read it when dd was 6 months old, how is everyone going?

I'm still getting woken most nights but I'm slowly deceasing the milk so I'm hoping it won't be long. Literally cannot face CC anymore. It's not why had a baby....
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Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #32 on: February 24, 2006, 20:12:47 pm »
I just want to say that we tried this technique with DS and it has been a rousing success!!! I had been suspecting that his one night feeding was at least contributing to his awful night wakings, and at 6 months I felt like he was ready to give it up. Especially since I noticed he was waking at the same time exactly, and not eating quite as much.  ::)  For four nights we used three scoops rather than four, and we never had to go to two scoops! Now he only requires attention once or maybe twice a night, and he's not hungry. He's eating much better during the day as well. I'm THRILLED!  ;D
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Offline teezee

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #33 on: February 25, 2006, 14:15:22 pm »
still not waking here...at about 5 or 6 she does wake and i do give her half a bf then and then feed her at 8 to start the day - she goes about 10hrs w/o feedng and i am estatic about that!
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Offline Leah's Mom

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #34 on: February 26, 2006, 02:09:41 am »
Glad to hear that everyone is doing so well!  :) DD is now just over a year. The past three months of sleep have been incredible.  ;D Just beware though, once they start sleeping through - don't feed at night! Around 11 months, Leah started waking once in the night. A quick feed and she went back to sleep. This quickly turned into a habit and then we were back at square one! Just remember, it only takes once and the habit could start again!!!!!
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Offline teezee

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #35 on: February 26, 2006, 02:47:40 am »
thanks for the head's up - i know many tired nights that a quick feeding would be ideal and easy to do (only in the moment of course) and it's good to hear that it's definately not worth it and to keep going in the right direction!
Tawnya
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Offline gwc1023

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #36 on: March 02, 2006, 04:47:03 am »
I've started this plan with my almost 8mo - she's bf but will take a bottle now so I started by giving her only bottles in the night (still nurse her for df).  She's up twice a night almost every night and that's just too much for me - she only feeds every 3.5-4hrs during the day so doing the same at night seems silly!  I just cut back the amount of formula a bit on the weekend and I think will cut back some more tonight.  I'm really hoping this helps!  I would be happy with once a night even - my son woke once early in the morning like 5ish until he was weaned at a year, but that was okay.  Right now she feeds at 10:30ish for a df (and she often wakes for this), around 1:30, and around 5.  I would LOVE a real night's sleep sometime! 

Thanks for the idea and I'm really hoping it works here!
Dawn mommy to Gavin (5/2/02), Abby (7/8/05), and Rachel (5/28/07)

Offline susantosca

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #37 on: March 02, 2006, 08:34:14 am »
Hi everyone
i've read through all the posts above and I'm hoping someone can help with my dilemma
Olivia is 10months 3 weeks old. She has 3 good solids meals a day.

Our routine, briefly, is:
6.30am wakeup, breast feed, play, walk up to cafe for mummy's coffee
8.30 Olivia's breakfast, then pram ride home
9.30 - 11am (or thereabouts) sleep
11-1.45, shopping, play, lunch, breastfeed, bed
1.45 - 3 (sometimes only 45minutes) sleep
3-6.15 play, dinner (5.30), bath (5.45), breastfeed (6.10)bed

Then the problem starts. Like clockwork, Olivia would wake at 9.30pm and i'd give her a big breastfeed. Normally she would have one wake up at around 3.30am (which didn't bother me) then start the next day at 6.30am. FOr the last 3 weeks, she's been waking up anywhere between 3 and 7 times a night.  I'm not one for letting Olivia cry for more than a few minutes. I pu/pd to settle her but she wakes 20 minutes later. In again, repeat, and maybe an hour later, she's crying again. So you can imagine how frazzled i am right now.

I was given some advice today that i'd like some opinions on. I was told by our clinic nurse to ffeed her at 9.30 as usual, but for all other wake ups, let her cry for 10 minutes before going in, then do pu/pd and leave the room. Keep repeating for up to 2 hours, then feed if she's still crying. 

Is this too drastic? is it good advice? is it worth trying?
please help
susan

Offline Katet

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #38 on: March 02, 2006, 22:19:34 pm »
I think letting her cry for 10mins is to drastic... I personally think at 10mo, I'd be trying to stop ALL night feeds, & then you rule out hunger. Cut back on the time by 2mins every 3 nights & settle. & then when you have got to NO feeds I'd just do Pu/pd & only offer water.
I personally think if you work for 2 hours to get her to sleep & then feed then all you are doing is saying that she has to cry so long & then she gets the feed. if you give a feed but it gets shorter, then she realises that eventually it isn't worth it for the feed.
At 10months 12 hours with out a feed is achievable by 95% of babies.
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Offline susantosca

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #39 on: March 02, 2006, 23:25:40 pm »
Kate, thank you so much for your reply. Last night was terrible. Olivia was up 9 times. I could only let her cry for a couple of minutes because it was just too hard.  The screaming was horrendous. 

I'd like to try what you're suggesting, it fits in with my philosophy of meeting Olivia's needs far more than any other advice i've received. Before commencing, can i clarify a few points?  You said to "cut back  on the time by 2 minutes every 3 nights and settle". Does that mean:

1. when she cries tonight at 9.30pm offer her two breasts as normal? and time and record the feeding time for each side? (lets say for eg. Right side 8 minutes, left side 7 minutes - left always seems to be shorter)
2. when she next cries (as in protesting, not whimpering) go into her room and immediately feed her? ie. no attempts to settle?
3. offer her only one breast for each wake up? (thats what i've been doing between 9.30pm and 6.30am and its enough to get her back to sleep), so if her next wakeup is at 11.30pm i offer her ONLY the right breast but only let her feed for 6 minutes (8-2)  and then settle?
4. and then if she wakes at 2am, do i offer her the left breast and only let her feed for 5 minutes (7-2)? and then settle?
5.Do this Fri, Sat, Sun night, and then on Monday night i cut back each side by another 2 minutes?

I'm sorry to bother you with so many questions, but i've been a crying mess for so long. I get so upset that i can't seem to help Olivia. I have been trying so many things with her and i'm getting to the stage where my confidence at night is rock bottom. Your ideas fit well with me, but i need to do it properly from the word go.

Thank you again
Susan

Offline Katet

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #40 on: March 03, 2006, 02:17:24 am »
OK I'm making an assumption here that she can settle for naps/bedtime with out a feed & you are putting her down in her cot awake... if not then there in lies another problem & no matter what you do with the feeds not much else will change.

What is happening is she feels hungry at the times you have fed. So you want to cut back so she gets hungry in the day rather than the 'learnt hunger at night'.

So for all feeds I would cut back... 2mins is just a ball park... with ds #1, I actually dropped to one side & then 3 days later dropped the second side & that was it. with ds#2 I have tended to pay close attention to his sucking & when it slowed (became comfort sucking), I took him off & then calmed him in his cot in the same way I put him down at the start of the night... ie give him his teddy & stroke his legs for a minute or so... I have found that what is happening with him is a 4amish feed became a 5amish, now is getting close to a 6am, so he is just taking a bit more in the day rather than dropping it completely

Now how to address... if on other occasions you have tried to settle & then ended up feeding 90% of the time, I would say, just feed... if you mostly can settle without feeding, then try that as you have previously. the thing to do is to look at what you are doing & reducing the feeding part & replacing it with other settling ie patting or pu/pd. But doing it in a consistant way so that Olivia learns that it is the "new way" what ever you do sit down & work out what you know you are able to cope with & then stick to it 1000%. the more you change it the more confused she gets & the harder it is on everyone.

Tonight rather than time, offer the first side, then when you get to the second,offer a minute or 2 & take her off, if she gets really upset, put her back on, but keep doing that. The key is really you don't want her to fall asleep feeding at ANYTIME so she doesn't see it as a way to get back to sleep.
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Offline RosieMum

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #41 on: March 10, 2006, 11:49:47 am »
Going thru another bout of illness so I'm going to do this again once my little love is better. She's also had some cranial osteopathy so I'm hoping that will help the little flower too
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Offline ericababyelle

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #42 on: April 20, 2006, 05:13:45 am »
After teething, travelling overseas milestones and moving out of state I began to feed my dd her during the night again at 6 months.  Classic AP... I felt bad for her so I nursed her. After a month of pitying her I tried waked to sleep but her wake times were too erratic, then I tried pu/ pd which never worked she would wake 20 min after falling asleep. I kept trying to settle her but it has been two months of 2-3 wake ups per night and I am doubting I have any whisperer in me but

then I found this thread...hallelujah!!

I have still been giving her a df at 10:30 (which she often wakes for). She goes down with about 30 seconds of fussing at naps and bedtime but after dream feed wakes between 1am-3am erratically and then again at 4am-5am and then is up at 6am. These night time wake ups are so different than any others, she just gets more and more angry when I rub her back, give her her lovey, etc.

With all that said she is on a 4hr schedule, eats 3 meals has 2 1-1.5hr naps and a consistent bedtime ritual and is in bed by 7.

I have been decreasing nursing time for two nights, but she still seems starved at night and even though the feed time is less she gulps it down so quickly I wonder if she is noticing that the feed time is less??  She eats well during the day but not with the same gusto as she
does at night. Would it be better to express or use formula so you can better monitor intake? Is there something I should do differently to stimulate daytime eating?
So far this is how it has gone:
First night I gave her dream feed 11pm (slept through) she woke at 1:30 and 5 up at 6 and then
last night she woke at 10:30, 2:30, and 4:45 and then up at 6 (my dh gets up for work at 6 so that is a constant wake up)
I have been decreasing the df also, do you think it is better to tackle the 2 late night wake ups first? 
She does sometimes wake at 9-9:30pm and needs help to settle (back rubbed, laid down handed paci,lovey) do you think I am on the right track or am I off base again?

Sorry for so many questions sometimes its just so darn hard to know!! Thanks for taking the time to read!!!

Offline jbrmom

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Re: How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old
« Reply #43 on: April 22, 2006, 17:36:04 pm »
Oh my goodness my 10 month old is giving me the same trouble! She slept through at a very early age and then stopped at about 4 months and I have been nursing her every time she wakes up. She is definitely hungry so I increases her food intake during the day and that dropped her from 5 night feedings to 3. But I don' t know how to get her from there to even 1. I would be fine with 1 feeding for a while! It would be a world of difference! So if you find something that works I would really like to know!!!!! I have a very hard time listening to her cry and I know I will probably have to do the pu/pd with her but it seems like so much work and she still seems hungry at those times so it wouldn't work anyway! Let me know what you come up with!

amanda
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