LO keeps waking after DF plus NF advice

[NinNic]

Hi,

I had to modify this post a bit and also add question about NF.

LO will be 6 months 19 Dec. I have been DF from LO was about 6 weeks. For past 2-3 weeks LO keeps waking when put in bed after DF and it can take a while for her to get back to sleep. She usually wakes once at night anywhere between 2-5 am for BF usually. She is EBF, no solids yet. Should I stop DF as it doesnt seem good that she fully wakes after DF? I would like to continue with DF for a wile longer so that I don't have to BF her more than once at night. Any tips on what I can do for her not to wake? Before she would not wake, we could even change her diaper and she wouldn't wake. Now she doesn't need diaper changed. I have started DF earlier around 10:10 pm, previously my husband fed her with bottle 10:45 pm, which I had pumped, but pumping is too much work and for me to get to bed earlier I DF earlier now. Can the time have anything to do with it? She is BF before bed usually around 6:15-6:30 pm.

She doesnt feed long during day feeds, she is a bit distracted even though I sit alone in room without distractions, also think she is a bit uncomfortable due to teething as she pulls away a lot during day feeds. She can go 4 hrs between day feeds even more sometimes. When she feeds 4-5 am she is not hungry enough at 8 am to take full feed. She usually awakes around 7 am. What can I do to make her feed more during day? I feel she feeds a lot during the night feed and would like to try to cut that feed if possible. How do I do that? About 1 1/2 months ago she would last 7-8 hours at night with a feed around 6 am or even later. During that period she would eat much more during the day it seemed. I have tried to give her top ups during the day as she is awake longer, but that means she won't take the full feed during her next feed.

Please give advice!

[*Ali*]

What happens if you just skip the DF? Some babies get disturbed by it and mamas find it better to just feed when they wake up instead.

It is still well within the realms of normal to have a DF and NF at 6mo.

[NinNic]

I have never tried to skip DF. Do you think I should try to just skip it for 1 night and see what happens? If I want to stop DF do I do it cold turkey?

Last night she didn't wake up after DF, but still woke up at 2 am and she was not hungry, she did not even feed a lot at 3 am. She didn't fall asleep between 2-3 am, but did not cry like she usually would if she was hungry, just didn't want to sleep. She is in her wonder week so I think that is why she is waking up lately around 1:30-2 am and has a hard time falling asleep again even with my help. So my question is still, how can I fill her up more during the day so she can go longer at night as I know she can and has before? Can I feed her from maybe 1 breast and not both at night? She only fed from 1 breast last night at 3 am and fed much less than she usually does and lasted until 8 am for next feed.

[*Ali*]

There is a growth spurt at 6mo so that could be a bad time to try to reduce night feeds.

I only ever fed mine from one side at night despite always offering both during then day so it is worth a try.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Could she maybe need some routine tweaking to her day? Being wide awake sounds ut to me! 6 months is also when most babies drop to two naps. I also only fed single side at night with my older two. DD3 always took both sides day or night until I purposely stopped after 6/7 months I think.

[NinNic]

Thanks for both your advice.

Last night she woke around 3 am but fell asleep after few mins again and then woke at 4:30 am and was hungry, I fed her from 1 breast and she was hungry at 8 am, so that is positive. She didn't even take a full DF and didn't wake up from it.

LO has 2 naps since some time back. I have been increasing A time gradually and we are at 2 hrs 45 mins at moment. The thing is for a while now she has been waking after 30-40 mins into her naps, in morning I will get her to sleep again for 1 hr 30 mins but the pm nap it is not always that she wants to fall back to sleep again. Right now she is in bed but not complaining just lying there after waking 40 mins into her nap. Is this a sign that she needs less nap time or longer A time? She usually sleeps 11 hr 30 min to 12 hr nights, does she then need 3 hr total nap time in the day or less? I'm just confused right now. Also I've been told in the forum that naps less than 1 hr 30 min are not good enough.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Might be worth starting a new post in naps or EASY as I imagine the short naps mean she needs a tweak. Some babies have lower sleep needs and do not need the same amount of naps as others do.