Author Topic: Continue with dream feed or stop?  (Read 1851 times)

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Offline Albertalady

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Continue with dream feed or stop?
« on: November 17, 2015, 03:43:15 am »
My son will be 5 months old this week. We have done a dream feed from the beginning and it worked great for the first 4 months but I'm wondering if it is no longer working for him and we should stop. 

From 2 months - 4 months old he would go to sleep about 7:30pm, dream feed around 10/10:30pm and sleep until 5:30/6:30am. About a month ago things took a downward turn though. I'm not sure if it is the 4 month sleep regression, a growth spurt or that we took a little holiday (1 hour time change) or that he's an early teether....but he started waking up twice a night at about 4 months of age and hasn't gone back to his full nights.  Bedtime is at 7:00/7:30ish.  He has a dream feed at 10pm (ish) and usually takes 5-6.5 oz without waking up.  He often wakes up though between 1:30-3:00am  and then again around 4:30-5:30am before starting his day at 7:00ish. I'm starting to wonder if the dream feed is disrupting his sleep and if I should cut it out?

Putting him to bed is a breeze - 5 min wind down and in his crib awake...usually falls asleep within 5 mins on his own with very little fussing - so  I know it's not a sleep association that's causing him to wake up.

Any suggestions?

Offline Albertalady

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Re: Continue with dream feed or stop?
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2015, 03:48:34 am »
A typical day for us is:

WU: 7am
E: 7:15
A: 7:15-8:45
S: 8:45 - 10:00 (nap 1)

E: 10:15
A: 10:15 - 12:30
S: 12:45 - 2: 45 (nap 2)

E: 3:00
A: 3:15 - 4:30
E: 4:30 (rice cereal - just started this last week to introduce solids on advice of our pediatrician)
S: 4:45 - 5:30 (cat nap)

E: 5:30
E: 7:00 (start bedtime routine with a 2nd cluster feed)
S: 7:30pm (asleep)

DF: 10am

NW1:  usually 1:30-2:30
NW2: usually 4:30-5:30

Offline Kellyjs

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Re: Continue with dream feed or stop?
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2015, 08:24:57 am »
Hi, tbh I'm pro DF as I liked the consistency of it. It doesn't work for all LO's though.

Do you feed at the other two NW's hun or can you resettle without feeding? Is it easy enough to get him back down or is it hard work??

If you're feeding at both, I'm wondering if that first nap might be a little too early in the day hence the wu at 5.30am? It's around now they like to extend their A times pretty rapidly as they prepare for the 3-2.

As it's been going on so long, it may just be habitual WU's and you could try w2s an hour before he usually wakes, but that'll be trial and error to find what time suits and many mummy's are awake enough times during the night that setting an alarm an hour before the usual NW then lying awake waiting to see if the NW happens tends to drive them a little cuckoo! I know it did me! Xx




Offline Albertalady

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Re: Continue with dream feed or stop?
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2015, 14:38:42 pm »
As Murphy's law would have it, last night after I posted we did a DF and then he slept until 3am (ate for 20 mins, right back to sleep) and then up at 6:45am for the day. HA 

I do feed him at both NW. He eats usually for 15 mins (a daytime feed for him takes about 8 mins, so I know part of it is soothing) and then goes right back down on his own without any troubles.  Because he eats and settles right away I've been feeding him when he wakes.  Only once did I settle him without feeding. That was a night when he was up at 2:30, 4:00am and then 6:30am (I soothed him at the 4am waking).

Offline Kellyjs

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Re: Continue with dream feed or stop?
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2015, 14:42:28 pm »
Ha ha the power of a post on here for you!! We are magic yk  ;) :P

Hmm I'd continue as you are then hun. It is totally normal to have NF's at this age. As you're BF rather than bottle feeding it's not just a case of reducing the oz's in a bottle during the night and adding them into the day feeds I'm afraid.

The only thing I'd look out for is taking very little milk upon wu in the morning. Then we might have to revisit the NF's and perhaps look at reducing the length of time he feeds at 4am or so. But in the meantime, you're doing just great ok? Xx



Offline Albertalady

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Re: Continue with dream feed or stop?
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2015, 00:09:57 am »
Thanks for the reassurance. :) Sometimes it's hard to see the forest through the trees...especially in the middle of the night!

Offline Kellyjs

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Re: Continue with dream feed or stop?
« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2015, 11:28:02 am »
It is a very lonely time in the middle of the night and we do doubt ourselves. Even during the day time as well for that matter! That's why we're all here, just for the reassurance that either someone has BTDT or is going through it currently. I'm still doubting myself about DD if it helps, and that's 2yrs and a bit down the line  ::) xx