6mo waking 2-4 times a night

[MackMum]

OK so DS has never been one for sleeping solidly throughout the night. He often used to wake in the early morning but go back off to sleep after a few gurgles. Then we had a few days here and there where he would sleep right through till 7am wakeup (HEAVEN!), but the past few days he has started waking around 3:30ish, then 5:30ish and on and off till 7. Yawn!! Im starting to think it's hunger - despite him having a good DF at 10:30. Yesterday I gave him one side at 5:30 and he went on to sleep till 7:30 when we woke him. Last night he woke at 3:30 so I gave him one side then, but he still woke on and off from 5:30ish, not settling - and when he did get breakfast at 7 he went back to sleep on the boob - which makes me think he needed a full feed at 3:30. Is this a growth spurt?

We've only just started solids this week - so only taking small amounts of cereal/apple. He gets a feed at 7am(topup or solids at , 11, 3 and 7 + DF10:30. The 7pm feed is a bottle and he takes about 190-200ml of formula. I recently get the feeling he isn't getting quite enough for his 11 and 3pm feeds.

He has no props. Can get himself off to sleep on his own really well. pat/shh is becoming less effective though when he does wake. Has two bottom teeth but absolutely no sign of anything else. Has a 1.5hr nap at 9, a 1.5-2hr nap at 12:30 and a 45min nap at 4:30ish (can't handle long awake times). Bedtime is just after 7pm feed.

So is this a growth spurt? Is it a sign he needs solids? Is it developmental? (he's not even rolling yet, but can sit with some support). The first wake is often around 3:30 - 4hrs after the DF - is this a sign we should drop the DF?

[TJ & Stephy's Mommy]

When you feed 3am is it a full feed?  Does LO seem to be very hungry?

I believe at 6 months there is a growth spurt.  If it's a growth spurt, it should go away in a few days and the feedings should stop. 

Or if he's waking due to hunger, I'd try to increase his food during the day.  Either cluster feed in the early evening or increase his solids.

Usually you drop the DF around 7months, so I don't think the DF is the problem.

HTH

[MackMum]

Thanks. I only gave him one boob when he woke but got the feeling he'd have happily taken the other too. He didn't go right back to sleep either - but he sounded much happier - so perhaps he wasnt quite full enough. Considering he still woke again at 5:30ish and on and off till 7 and then took a full feed, I think he hadn't had enough at 3am.

Just a question about growth spurts - do they just eat a bit more than usual for a few days and then go back to their original intake? or do they continue eating the larger amount?

[TJ & Stephy's Mommy]

If I remember correctly, they just eat a bit more for a few days and then go back to their normal intake.  My LO didn't continue more during the day.  He just woke up in the middle of the night for food.

[Katet]

There is a growth spurt around 6mo & in bf babies it is a big one as the "consistency" of the milk changes rather than the volume so it can be a "funny one" even lasting a few weeks... I have read about mothers having more problems at this growth spurt when they offer formula too as the balance is harder to do as the mothers body regulates the milk by the time of day & it is creamier at night & actually from around this age breastmilk is often more sustaining than formula.

[Jenifer]

I posted on another thread with a similar night waking problem (https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=74170.0) - and Katet you make an interesting point.

My daughter is not being fed in the night tho - she's not crying for the boob (at least that's what I think) and I haven't offered it.  Do you think this could be a growth spurt (waking but not wanting food)?   Should I offer the breast to her at night?  I don't want to start habitual night feedings if that's not it ...

[MackMum]

Kate - really?! how fascinating! Do you remember roughly where you read that cos I'd love to know more about it.

Well, last night I decided to leave the DF and just let him wake me. DF is usually at 10:30 - he woke me at 11:30 so no big difference there.

Then he woke at 1:30 breifly, then at 3am, then again at 4 and this time didn't settle but fussed quietly on and off for 20mins until I got up and gave him some painkiller and then a bottle of formula (after months of waiting for my boobs to stop being engorged after no night feeds, I'm not about to start that up again!). He drank about 135ml. Took a while to settle back to sleep but sounded much  more chatty than fussy. Slept till 7am (usual getup) and then took a full feed. So I don't know if 135ml qualifies as a hunger feed - he was drinking pretty slow, not gulping it down like he was starving. But perhaps he was just tired as well as hungry?

Today I gave him a big BF at breakfast (though this got vomited - that's another post I did give him another 130ml after so he had something to get him through is nap), and at 11 I did a yeild with the pump to see what my supply was like - 165ml. I topped it up a bit with formula and he drank 175ml from the bottle, so presumably that's all he usually needs at that time of day and my supply is ok. Alas he threw up the last 1/4 of that too 1hr later (trying to give him painkiller- vaccinations yesterday). so my plan of filling him chokka today to help prevent one of the night feeds isn't looking too good!  Anyway, the 3pm yeild will be interesting cos that's when I often feel quite empty. Better get pumping now...

[Katet]

MackMum, I was actually told it by a breast feeding counsellor, not sure where she got the info from, but it really made sense for me as my ds#1 was very big (10.5kg/23lb) at 6mo & I was pumping 240mls at 5.5mo & taking it from a bottle... I did notice that my milk was a lot more creamy after that 6mo point.

I think anything over about 100mls constitutes being hungry... when they gulp it down it tends to be very hungry... a baby that is "crying for a feed" is actually over hungry, the first hunger sign tends to be things like sucking lips & rooting... just like with sleep, crying is the "last sign" if that makes sense.

Spitting up (from my experience with both boys) is often related to growth spurts, something about the changing of supply & for some reason I often found the days I tried to "chokka" my boys I often had worse waking... with ds#2, I was much more laid back & he slept better

It is normal to feel less full towards the end of the day too.

reading jenifer's post & link, I wanted to say 6mo is a huge stage developmentally & so it is hard to work out whether it is a feeding, developmental or other reason... being my nature, if I couldn't settle my boys in 5mins, or they weren't settling, I fed them, if they refused, I could rule that out... the way I worked, others may not agree, but for me I tended to think it was better to feed & all get sleep than be awake trying to work out whether I should or not & at what point was it hunger etc

[MackMum]

Thanks for the advice and info -

Katet, I did actually notice that the pumped milk was quite a bit creamier and a little more buttery-yellow in colour (I havent pumped in over a month). How interesting!

The spitting up (well - huge vomit) was directly as a result of the gaviscon and the painkiller. It's happened before and is very predictable so it's just a reminder to us. I know DH will always pay special attention to the temperature of the gaviscon from now on! I'm not filling him overly full, just trying to make sure he takes a full feed cos he is the worlds most distractable baby, even when he's hungry. A month back I decided to just go with him and stop a feed when he seemed too distracted to continue without prompting - and his weight gain slowed considerably, plus he started waking more at night, trying to tank up then instead.

The pumping was just to compare the 11am and 3pm feeds a bit. I knew that it wasn't a direct indication of the full quantity I had available. Interestingly I got 165ml at 11 and only 80ml at 3pm (I know pumping results can get less through the day but I haven't really had that problem before). And I do often feel like DS hasn't had enough at that 3pm feed as he keeps bobbing on and off impatiently and hardly swallowing. Sometimes I've offered formula straight after the breast and he's taken about 60ml. I'm just going to watch and see for a few days and do some topups 1hr later if he didn't seem to have had enough at 3, to try and boost my supply.

Excellently last night I again left off the DF and was quite sure I'd be woken at 11:30-midnight, but nothing until 4:30am  tho of course I didn't sleep that well cos of big boobs! He may have even gone longer but I got up to go to the loo and pump a bit of the excess off so I may have helped wake him. He then went back to sleep till just before 7 and took a reasonable feed then. One thing that may have made all the difference last night was that it was heaps warmer - the past week has been very cold and the fire in the lounge and the little heater in his room couldn't really keep up the temperature in his room very well. He felt warm enough under the blankets but perhaps his head was a bit too chilly poking out the top! Alas central heating is rare in NZ