Dropping Dreamfeed (still breastfeeding)

[Burmese3]

Hi

Just wondering if there are any hints/advice for dropping the dreamfeed?  Baby is now 7.5 mths old, and it's probably time to do this soon.

She's been on solids since 6 mths, and is now on 3 feeds a day.  I've read the bit in the BW book, but it's more detailed about how to drop the dreamfeed if you're bottle feeding, whereas I'm still breastfeeding (with a topup of formula at the 7pm feed).

I do the dreamfeed around 10.45pm at the moment.  She would normally only feed on the breast for 5-10 minutes at each feed.

Any help would be appreciated for a smooth transition, as I'm dreading the early wakeups!

[kim&savannah]

If you're bfing for the df, you can try to cut back the length of time that she feeds so she isn't taking as much.  I don't really  have any other advice.  I usually pumped for the df because I was scared to pick her up  

~Kim

[deenz]

You could also bring it forward by 15min or so every couple of days, until you're that close to the bedtime feed that your dd doesn't take much.  Then just drop it.  Alternatively do as the previous poster said.  With both my dd's I was already doing the df at around 9.30pm.  So with dd1 (feeding off both breasts) I just fed off one breast for a couple of nights before dropping it.  With dd2 I could see she was taking less and less herself, so I just left it one night.

[RachelC]

Here's what we did...

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=61217.msg447453#msg447453

[Burmese3]

Thanks everyone.  Much appreciated. 

[Burmese3]

Hi - we were doing ok reducing the dreamfeed back approx. every 1/2 hr or so until we got to 9pmish, and I stopped altogether last night as I thought she would be ok to sleep through.  EEK..Ashlee woke up at 10pm, 3.30pm and cried until I fed her at 5.20am!!  Do I continue for a few days to give her the dreamfeed at 9pm and keep going with the 9pm feed for a few more days?  The thing is I have been trying to up the food, and she still continues to feed at the dreamfeed with no signs of reducing..I've had to unlatch her to ensure that we are reducing the time on breast.  Do I cluster feed her?

Help.

[RachelC]

What are her feeding times during the day?  You may want to consider clustering before bed, or even keeping the df around for a little.  9pm to morning is still great!

[Burmese3]

Feeding times are approx.
7am - b/feed
8am - solids
11am - b/feed
12pm - solids
3pm - b/feed
4.30pm (sometimes closer to 5pm) - solids
6.45pm - formula top up with breast feed and then bed

I will keep trying with a cluster feed around 5.15pmish and I guess continue at 9pm for a while.

[RachelC]

You can also keep bringing the df back to 8:45, 8:30, 8:15, 8:00... and so on until it is closer to bed.  That may help her take more at the bed time feed.

Hang in there!  She'll get there soon!  {{{Hugs}}} to you!