7.5mo wakes 10pm, 2am, 6am - can i drop 2am feed or does she need it?

[Nic and Jackson]

my dd goes to bed at around 6.30/7.oopm and then wakes through the night.  On a good night it is around 10, 2 and 6.  On a bad night it is 10,1,4,6.30am.
She is on solids although not hugely keen.  Also she feeds really well (BF) at night but is not very good during the day.  Her daytime feeds may be less than 5 minutes while her night time feeds may last up to 20 minutes.  I get the feeling that she is eating at night and just mucking around during the day.

So should i drop the 2am feed and try whatever i can to get her back to sleep for a bit longer?  I was hoping that if i slowly eliminate the 2am feed that perhaps she would eat more in the day as a result.  I have stopped giving her both breasts at 2am and just give her one to get her back to sleep.  Nutritionally does she need the 2am feed or can i safely eliminate it now without worrying that i am starving the poor little thing.  (She is very tiny and i feed her often through the day to the point of ridiculous because i want to make sure she is eating - she is about 6.5 kilos and her paed says she is healthy enough as i have a small frame also.  she is in the lowest percentile in the growth charts although he is not concerned as she is still gaining weight regularly).

thanks in advance for any help ;->
Nic

p.s. Now i realise what a good baby my boy was - the benefit of hindsight.

[Layla]

Nic, I think thats a good idea. She should really be taking most of her calories during the day & it sounds like she's making up for it at night instead. At 7 months, 2 nightfeeds are not uncommon so I would start working on dropping the 2am feed. Here's the link that might help you further.

From the BF board (FAQ's) - https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=83.0
From NW board (FAQ's) - https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=87815.0

Good luck & let me know how she goes
Layla

[momofclaire]

Do you think she eats better at night because there are less distractions?  I found that Claire was doing that simply because she wanted to look around and check things out during the day.  Maybe try nursing in a very boring place with low light during the day if you think this may be part of the issue.

[Nic and Jackson]

thanks to both of you for the info.  yes i think she is distracted during the day as she has  a 2yo brother who often interrupts and unfortunately that started when she first came home from the hospital.  Now i can take her into another room and sometimes get away with feeding her without Jackson coming to jump in and play!!  But i think the idea of a quick feed stayed with her.  Unfortunately, that is no excuse to continue with night feedings instead.  I suppose she is just going to have to learn that daytime is for eating and playing and nighttime is for sleeping.  afterall last night was 10,1,4,7 again and that is just too many times at this age and i'm slowly going batty!!
i will try the linked info - thanks again.
Nic