9 wks- waking at 12:00 and 3:00 to eat, no paci, help!

[QuinnVMom]

Hi,

This is my first post..... My 9wk son does great during the day, on 3 hour EASY, eats at 6am, 9, 12, 3, 6 and in bed by 7:30 to 8:00. My biggest issue is the night. He sleeps from 7:30 or 8:00 until 12:00 to 12:30 to eat. I have tried to hold him off and he is really hungry.  Only a few times he woke up and fell back to sleep in a few minutes, usually he eats for 5 to 10 minutes.  We are usually up for 30 45 minutes between eating and getting him back down.  Then we do it all again at 3:00 and 6:00.  I have tried the dream feed and he still wakes at 12, 3 and 6 so part of me thinks maybe it is habitual waking but then eats.  He is 13 pounds so should be able to last more than 3 hours, right?  I breastfeed at night and pump during the day. He has really bad reflux and doctor wants him to be on cereal for most meals.  I think that is why he sleeps from 8 to 12:30.  Also, he does not take a paci, I have tried numerous kinds and he just spits it out.  If I want him to use it I have to hold it in.  I can't determine if he is using me at a prop, habitual waking or really hungry or all three.......one side note is if I keep him up until 9pm (which is not really a pleasant experience, way past overtired) he will sleep until 2:00 and then wake up at 5:00.  I would really like to go to one feeding per night, should I wake him up at 9pm to feed him even though the dream feed at 9:00 did not work?

Thank you for any advice...

Amy

[Scrapbooker]

This is probably not a BW schedule, but it is what we've been using and she has been sleeping through the night for a while:
Eat at 6,9,12,3,6,8:30 then bath, book, bed for the night.   We are at 12 weeks now, but she has slept through the night on and off since 9 weeks or so (mostly on).  She still needs the 6 feeds, I think, to sleep through the night and I've never really wanted to do the dreamfeed.  Most will say the bedtime is too late and it may be but it's working for us for now, I think.  She sleeps her naps pretty well during the day and seems quite happy.  That said, I am thinking of transitioning her to a 7PM last feed soon.  Anyway, if you think it is a habit, you can try waking her an hour before the time she always wakes up and try to break it.  My feeling is do what works for you both.  Mine doesn't take a paci either (even if I hold it in lightly), she is now starting to put fingers in her mouth toward self-soothing, I hope.  She is also on her second day of sleeping independently from our gradual days of sh/pat to this.

Hope it gets better for you!!  I wish more sleep for you.

Laura

[QuinnVMom]

Thanks Laura for the help....

I think I will try the wake to sleep method this weekend.  The schedule that you mentioned eat at 6 and 8, do you let you LO sleep between those times and how long?  Also, when you move to a 7 last feed will you keep the 6:00 feed or move to another time or cut out completly?

Thanks!

Amy

[Scrapbooker]

In the evening, I let her sleep between a normal A time and the next feeding.  She needs a little nap or she's way overtired-even if I just get her to sleep and have to wake her in a half an hour.  I will be trying to go to a 7,10,1,4,7 schedule at some point-maybe by the end of the month or so.  I just want to do it slowly so we won't lose what we have-good sleeping patterns and through the night sleep (I may be just a little chicken  ).  I am a stay at home mom for now so I have a little more flexibility.  We'll see what really happens. Good luck!!

Also, someone gave me some good advice and I'll pass it along.  Pick something that makes sense to you and try it for at least a few days to see if it works instead of jumping around (not that you are) as this is better teaching method for lo.

Laura