6 Month Old Wakes to Breastfeed

I can tell you what i did with my two children. After I had my son and decided that I was going to breastfeed, my obgyn told me to put him in bed with me. She said if I did that i would get more sleep and it would be easier to just roll to one side and feed him. I did as told and my son and I had the best sleep ever. I did the same with my daughter and I have had no problem getting them to sleep in their own beds. Hope this helps

My dd would still wake up that much at 6 months. I felt as if she still needed that extra feeding. She started to sleep through the night on her own at 10 months.

My breastfed son did not sleep through the night until I weaned him at 11 months. It's part comfort thing for them as well as food. The time will go fast and before you know it they'll be two. Good luck

Hi: Well I don't know if I will help, but I seem to go against the tide with most people's advice on this one. My two daugthers woke up at least once a night for 18 months. Soemtimes they were up more than that. My view is I let them cry just a couple of minutes to see if they just need a moment but then I would get them. I would not let them go more than five minutes. The bottom line was if they were crying I could not sleep anyhow so why not tend to their need and they would go right back to sleep after I fed and changed them. Another thing I would always think is that they are unable to get out of their bed and come and sit beside you and have an adult conversation. Their only means of communicating for you is crying. I believe when we leave the children "cry it out" all night we are teaching them they can't count on us, to be insecure. When we get them and meet their needs we are providng them security. How devastating it must be when a little one whose full security is in his / her mommy and we do not get them. Now some think I am extreme and I have friends who literally stand outside the door when the baby is screaming. That just does not make sense to me. I am defineitly a minority in my circle of friends but I don't care. I will provide my baby with security even if that means I sacrifice sleep. They do grow out of it and they are secure that if they ever need you, you are there. By the way my daughters now sleep from 7:30 at night until 6:30 am without any interuptions other than to go to the bathroom on their own :)

I always would nurse back to sleep until they are about 9 months. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. The 1 year old is still nursing. My pediatrician and some books I read noted that many babies need the milk to get through the night until about 9 months. I also had little babies so I felt like they needed the calories. I also would always do it to get them through teething. I found it easier to go nurse than to listen to them cry for an hour. Eventually we did wind up letting both cry it out in the middle of the night. After 2-3 nights they are sleeping through the night until the next tooth or cold would come. Then we'd have to repeat the whole process b/c I would fall back into nursing them at night for comfort.
Good luck and do what you feel is best. I don't think there is a right answer, I think you probably know your baby and know what will work best for the two of you.

It is still normal to have the baby wake to breastfeed at 6 months old. My baby just turned 9 months and i still breastfeed her through the night.

I am not a proponent of the "furber" method of letting the baby cry it out. There will be a time that your baby no longer wants to feed through the night and you will cross that bridge when it comes but, for now respect that they still need your comfort through the night. I just keep reminding myself that there will be a time when this little baby of mine grows up and no longer wants me to even walk next to her. So i am enjoying comforting her while i can.

Try dreamfeeding--feeding her right before you go to bed at night--pick her up out of her crib, she should nurse in her sleep, and then put her back to bed. After this, she will not need any extra milk during the night--Right now her internal clock is waking her at certain times of the night and she is using bfing as her way to put herself back to sleep and at this point she needs to learn ways to sooth herself...can you try patting her, but not picking her up--leaving her door open and offer reassuring words that she's okay--the crying herself back to sleep won't last more than a few days---I would wait until teething is finished to let her cry it out though...night waking is common during this time! Try tylenol at bedtime to help with the discomfort.

She sounds on schedule to me. My daughter did the same thing. Note that a child is said to "sleep through the night" if she is a sleep for 5 hours. Also note that some children are actually hungry during the night. I think if she gets up to nurse and goes right back to sleep you are okay. I think it would be a bigger problem if she did not go back to sleep after nursing. My daughter now wakes up 2 times a night...after she has been a sleep for 5 hours (she sleeps 12). I truly think she is hungry. She goes right back to sleep...so I feel I can't complain. I keep in mind...that at some point...the night feedings will go away.

My daughter (who is 11 months old now) was sleeping through the night at 3 months, but around 6 months she began to wake up at 4:30 in the morning. I nursed her and it eventually stopped after about 3 weeks. She is back to sleeping through the night. I really believe the growth spurts they go through cause them to be hungrier than usual. I was already giving her cereal before bed and her cries were very persistent. She was definitely hungry. I say be patient with it, but also consistent with whatever you choose to do.

I have two girls and breastfed both. My oldest started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks and never went back to waking at night for feedings. My second one, however, started sleeping through the night at 5 weeks and eventually started waking multiple times for feedings again. My pediatrician said to let her cry it out in the middle of the night. After I did, it wasn't long before she stopped. Now if she wakes at all, it's usually about 4 am and I just let her cry herself back to sleep so we can get rid of that one, too. If you don't want to just let her cry, you could try stretching out how long you take before going in to comfort her. And even then, try to get away with not nursing her. For me, the only way that I got my daughter to stop with those feedings was to let her cry herself back to sleep. She'd cry for a good half hour or more in the beginning. It eventually turned into 10 minutes and now it's not at all. I know it's tough to ignore it, but it does work. Good luck.

I'm definitely not for crying it out. Babies cry for a reason. Pain, discomfort, hunger, attention. They're babies, and they have no other way to communicate but through their limited range of vocal sounds. And they learn early on that crying is the best way to elicit an immediate response. If you're really concerned about getting your baby to sleep better, then first talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. And - if you really want to start some kind of "sleep training" - I would encourage you to look into Secrets of The Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect and Communicate With Your Baby. It's a book by Tracy Hogg. And many people swear by it as a GENTLE approach to helping your baby to learn good sleep habits.

And I agree with previous mamas, breastfed babies do need to eat frequently, and 6-8 hours without nursing is generally about the best they can do until they do start to consume solids.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Every time I have a friend who has a baby (esp a first baby) I give them this book as a gift. It has sound advice on helping your child learn to sleep, and what a gift you give them when you teach them to let themselves rest.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
by Marc Weissbluth

Mom of 4 (nursed them all)
(ages 16, 15, 6 and 2)

My son nursed for a year, and started getting teeth at 3 months. He did not start sleeping straight through the night until about 8 months, and he didn't do that daily until he was weaned.

I never let him cry; if he woke up in the night and cried, I'd go to him, make sure he needed/wanted to nurse, and he'd nurse. My ped said he could go all night by the 9 month appt, and to leave him be, but I disagreed. I felt that my baby needed/wanted to nurse, and I wasn't going to tell him no. Who was I to say he wasn't waking up feeling hungry? I'd rather err on "spoiling" than on not feeding my child when he's hungry!

I think the bottom line is to follow your gut: if it feels wrong, don't do it. My feeling was that my child was too young to understand why suddenly mommy wasn't making the hungry feeling stop anymore. He's a very outgoing, curious toddler now, and had zero difficulty weaning (he led the whole process), and he knows that when something is wrong, he can come to mommy to make it all better. That's exactly how I want it.

I was in a similar situation and I had to slowly wean him off his nighttime feeding. Someone told me to let him cry it out. At first I couldn't, seconds felt like hours. Then I was told to just let him cry for 5 min. For some reason when there was a time line as to when I could go in and "rescue" him, it wasn't as bad. He only cried for about two minutes. It still wasn't easy, but he doesn't eat at night anymore.

I have nursed two children and can say from my experience that this is normal. Breastfed babies feed more often that bottle fed even at night. You'll here people tell you that by this age they should be sleeping through and to let tham cry it out. If it's not killing you and it helps comfort your child, is there really anything wrong with the waking up?

i have been in your exact position, just a few months ago. And I understand your frustration and exhaustion, as well as your sensitivity to not wanting to let her cry. I'll say this: #1: confirm that she doesn't have an ear infection. My little one had them cronically and that's why she was waking, the sucking on my breast was relieving the pain in her ears. The day we got tubes was her first all night sleep. #2: there's a growth spurt and teeth at this time, as you mentioned, so she could be hungry or hurting. Try an extra meal before bed and think about some tylenol dosed for her weight. #3: try sending someone else in at the first "feeding", she's not likely so hungry then that she couldn't be rocked or patted without being fed. Do this 3 nights or so and it'll be the new habit. Their habits change pretty fast at this age. #4: give a couple nights of letting her cry for just 10-15 mintues, before you go in, see if she can resettle down. #4: that growth spurt does pass- my baby sleeps beautifully at 9 months after about 8 months of night waking.

Hang in there. You are doing the right thing by choosing to breastfeed and choosing to comfort her.

I nursed both of my kids...past the age of 1.
Breast fed babies are way different then formula fed ones. Most BF babies do not sleep through the night. Remember she is only 6 months old. She is hungry. 10 to 12 hours without eating is hard for a young baby. Plus she may be looking for comfort if she is teething.
I know you are tired but I promise this time will be over and then you will be wondering how she got so big. Enjoy her and this time with her.

PS I don't believe in letting a baby cry it out. That is the only way they can communicate with you. If you ignore their cries, what are you teaching them?? Basically all you are teaching them is that you won't come when they need you.
I always went to my kids when they cried as infants and babies. They are now 7 and 2 and two of the most well adjusted happiest kids I know.
Just my opinion.

M.,

My daughter did the same thing and by 9 months she was sleeping through the night (she also weaned herself around this time too). I think it's important when you are nursing to nurse at least once in the night. I wouldn't be too concerned about her waking more than that. I think their little systems are still making adjustments. And just like sometimes we wake up during the night, so do babies. Whether or not to let her cry is a totally personal decision. My husband and I chose not to because we simply could not stand it. Now that is not to say on an occassional night we didn't let her cry for a little longer than normal to stay in bed! I think the most important thing I learned in my daughter's first 10 months of life is that what happens one week will almost certainly change by the next week!

Good luck :)

M.,
I don't know if you have heard of the Ferber method of getting children to sleep. I had read several reviews and descriptions of it and was very wary. However, when our daughter was 5 months old she started waking up more frequently (back to every 2-3 hours after sleeping up to 7 the month before) and I was going crazy. So we bought Ferber's book (How to solve your child's sleep problems). Reading the actual book made all the difference. We started using the Ferber method immediately and had very good results. I'm not going to try to describe it to you, because I think reading the book and understanding the whole context is key. It made all the difference for us. Greta turns one year old tomorrow and sleeps well. Teething can be a challenge and we did use tylenol or ibuprofen at night to help her through the worst of it. Good luck!!!

This is totally normal. My experiences as both a nursing mother AND a childcare provider is that babies wake to nurse well past 9/10 months. It seems like most babies sleep better after then although I know many 2 years old who still get up once a night or so.

My pediatrician put it this way- if your child nurses every 2 hours all day long then asking him to go 10-12 hour a night would be similar to an adult not eating for 24 straight hours. It's not healthy or normal to do this.

Dear M.,

My sister is breastfeeding her newborn too, but her lactation specialist told her that babies go thru spurts of growth and they will want to be nursed more often. 6 months is one of their growth periods.

Double check with your lactation specialist, but it sounds pretty normal and should subside soon.

A. C.

It's not uncommon for her to be waking several times to nurse at 6 months. If you want her to make it through the night the key is to be sure she eats PLENTY all day long-not just a lot right before bed-but feed her as much as you possibly can during the day and don't slack! It usually takes a few nights for it to catch up and for her to not be hungry at night. Then you'll have to let her cry it out at night, but usually it will only be for a few nights. She'll soon be used to it and she won't be hungry. If she's teething and really in pain, it may be a bad time to withhold. Wait until she's more physically comfortable. Good luck!

Hi M.,

This is completely normal. At this age, babies are getting teeth, which can be very painful and may make them wake up more - but they are also becomming more aware of their surroundings - so they wake up and they "realize" they are alone - and this may make them want a little extra comfort during the night. Also keep in mind that a babies stomach is only as large as his/her little fist, so they can't hold much in it.

You are doing great!! I ended up co-sleeping with my son because he woke every night from age 4 months until 11 months - so I would just bring him into bed with me and I would sleep while he nursed.

Congrats on your little one!

J.
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all of my three children woke to feed at 6 months even longer. In fact there was always at least ONE nightly feeding for all my children.

Your baby sounds like a healthy eater and normal.

Hi,

I have been through this w/ all 4 of my babies! I nursed through it, although I have a friend who swears by weaning the night nursing by 9 mos of age to encourage sleeping through the night. None of my babies began to sleep through the night until after age 15 mos or so, and later for my last one. Have you heard about this idea? Try waking her before she normally wakes up to night nurse (set your alarm), and apparently over a few nights of this babies wake up less often on their own. I think Dr. Harvey Karp and Dr. Jay Gordon have good books/info on their websites about night feedings...

GL,

Meg

My daughter did the same thing. I think it is a growth spurt where they need a little more than their getting during the day. I just got up and feed her and she fell back to sleep. If you can do without sleep I think it's worth it. She continued to nurse at-least once in the middle of the night until she was about a year old. When she started to eat more solids she started sleeping thru the night until she got teeth then it started again.

Your baby is waking out of habit at this point. She can certainly make it through the night without eating. Let her cry it out and within a few nights the habit will be broken. Trust me, you are not doing her (or yourself) any favors by feeding her at night. She needs to learn how to self-soothe. I know it's not easy- good luck.

the only thing i can really offer, is that it will pass. :)

i dunno, my daughter will be 11 months on the 5th next month and she still wakes up a lot to nurse. it just really depends what's going on in her life. some nights/mornings she still sleeping, i have to pump a little and then some nights (like last night!) she was up almost every hour.

i firmly believe there is nothing wrong with what your baby is doing, that it is very normal (despite what docs and people say!) and if you think she's teething, then she really may need the comfort, because it's painful.

good luck! :)

Babies do go through a growth spurt at 6 months...maybe this is the problem. I think it is alot to expect a baby that is breastfed to sleep through the night without a feed. My baby is 5 months and still wakes 2 to 3 times a night for a feed. If your baby is teething, she could also need the comfort of your breast. I know with my toddler, teething was the one thing that would wake him in the night in need of comfort. If he wasn't teething he slept through the night.

My son is 18 mths and we just stoped nursing about a mth ago and he is still waking up at night but now it is for a cup. I keep making up excuses as to why he is waking up, like the dry heat is making him thirsty(maybe), or he isn't feeling well and he needs comfort and a drink. All i can really say is good luck 'cause i never let him cry it out and look where it got me, still getting up 2-3x a night. I believe that you will may the right choice for you and your family.

have you tried anything teething aids? try hylands teething tablets. they are all natural and they work well. they do help my seven month old son. he really likes them. i did not like ambesol cause i do not think it tastes good. also try giving her a little tylenol before she goes to sleep. sometimes when they are teething it helps cause they run a low grade fever when teething. you are not being mean by not wanting your child to be in pain.

My son used to do the same thing when he was younger. The pediatrician told me that babies, especially breastfed ones, actually train themselves to nurse even when they are not hungry. That way if they are nursing when they wake up, we won't think they just want attention. She suggested just letting him cry and he would break himself of this habit. It killed me to just let him cry (I remember crying a few times myself!), but eventually he stopped waking and now sleeps between 10 and 12 hours through the nite. It was really really hard to do, but it eventually paid off.

I usually let them eat for comfort while teething is at it's height, and then it takes a while to get them back on schedule! But whenever you do decide it's time to start sleeping through the night again, you'll need to be sure so that you can be consistant with her. At that point, when she cries to let you know she wants to eat (and do wait till she cries - she might just go back to sleep on her own if she hasn't cried yet) get her up and hug her and talk quietly to her telling her that you love her and that it's time for her to go back to sleep. Then put her back to bed like you would at bed time or after nursing. THEN let her cry herself to sleep even if it takes an hour or two. Every twenty minutes or so (look at the clock as the time will crawl) go in and pick her up, calm her down, tell her you love her and put her back to bed. After the first night the process will probably be shorter. It will probably take 2-5 nights to break the habit of waking up. I know every child is different, so there are exceptions (c: but this worked consistantly with both my girls - ONLY if I was consistant. If you give in once you start all over at ground -2!

Helpful hint: make sure your husband knows your plan and agrees with you before you start or you may have an unpleasant and groggy discussion in the middle of the night!

Hi M.,

I did not breastfeed, but from my experience having a baby, they go through a growth spurt around this age. When they go through their growth spurt, they do need extra feedings.

L.

I personally have done cio although only on rare occassion. Being a mother of four who has exclusively breastfed all four, what you are doing is providing a comfort, to that teething child. That is your job, especially when bfing
I don't know why people think that a child should be sleeping through the night when they are nursing. That's not part of the deal. MOst infants need to nurse every 3-4 hours at night so really twice a night is average. You can also try Dr. Hyland's teething tablets. These work great, but don't use them if the baby has a known allergy to dairy.
Don't ever compare your baby to a formula fed one. There are some breastfed that will sleep through the night. This isn't necessarily healthy when they are very young. But at 6mos it wouldn't be unusual. You can also contact your local La Leche League if you have more questions

Of my 4 kids, all but one were still waking at night to nurse at 6 months. The one that didn't, started waking when she was about 9 months old.

I know that right now it seems like it will be forever...but really, it is SUCH a short phase! Before you know it your little boy will be walking away from you into kindergarten...and then high school, and then college...

I co-slept with my kids because of the waking. It is how I got the best sleep. We had an Arms Reach Bedside Cosleeper that attached onto our bed, and we kept our babies in there in the bassinet insert until they were at least a year old. The directions with the cosleeper say to stop using the bassinet once the baby can roll over, but we had no problem using it longer. I only had one kid "fall" out...and after watching him deliberately hurt himself about a year later to get my attention (he rammed his head against the wall--I soothed him not knowing he did it on purpose, but then went back to what I was doing that annoyed him--exercising and using "his" VCR--or so it was in his mind at that moment. He then went and tapped his head against the wall, sat down, and started wailing--I laughed and said "you'll have to try harder than that!"), I kind of wonder if he didn't deliberately throw himself out of the co-sleeper, not knowing how much it would hurt.

Anyway, I encourage you to meet your child's need in the way that allows you to get the best sleep possible. I strongly believe that a *met* need in our children fades away, an unmet need just shows up somewhere else. If co-sleeping doesn't work for you, then perhaps alternating nights to respond with your husband so that he does a bottle of pumped milk one night, and you nurse the next... If waking up at night absolutely WON'T work for you and allow you to be well rested, then try offering a bottle of water rather than breast milk. Using water was how I gave a little nudge when I had a child who was nursing at night longer than I could handle.

Hi, My son just turned 6 months old this weekend. I was having the same problem as you were. He was waking 2-3 times every night & I was exhausted. We did use the cio method to get him to fall asleep initially, but when he woke in the middle of the night I got up to feed him b/c he was hungry. At 5 months we went to the pediatrician (for another issue) and I asked her about the night feedings. She said that he should not need to get up that often. He should be able to go 6-8 hours w/o eating at that age. (I am breastfeeding him). She told me to increase the amount of solid food I am giving him at each meal. She said to feed him the solids until he turns his head away or refuses to open his mouth. Since we have done this he now sleeps 8 hours (from 9pm - 5am) before waking up. We feed him the following: at breakfast 4 tablespoons of cereal mixed with water, at lunch 9 to 10 tablespoons of fruit & veggies, at dinner 9 to 10 tablespoons of fruit & veggies with some cereal mixed in (the cereal provides bulk & takes longer to digest, which keeps him feeling full longer). We serve him dinner between 6 and 7 pm. I BF him at 7:30pm & 8:30pm. Then we put him down in his crib at 9pm. He started sleeping this long on his own. I did not have to let him cry it out during the night or carry him around while I tried to extend time between feedings (like so many books recommend). He was simply hungry & now that he is not, he sleeps so much better. Even at nap time. His naps used to be unpredictable. He would take short cat naps multiple times a day & usually wake up screaming b/c of hunger. Now he naps for 1 hour in the morning & 2 hours in the afternoon. And each nap is at about the same time each day. Solid food has been a godsend for us. My son & I are both much happier people now that he is sleeping regularly.
He is currently cutting his first tooth. The first 2 nights the tooth started coming in he woke up every 2 hours (even at nap time) and was grouchy all day. You could tell he wasn't comfortable, he kept making strange faces. We are now on day 3 and he slept for 8 hours last night before waking up to feed.

Hi M.,

I've nursing two children myself and I know it not easy to do. I learned alot from my first child. I nursed her everytime not knowing she didn't need it. If your able to give your daughter a pacifier that would be great. I wouldn't give my first daughter one, but with time passing on I new it would be great for my second one. Babies like extra sucking. If your not able to nurse its the second best thing for them and it helps them back to sleep. Your not replacing your nursing either. Your baby will know when something isn't coming out and if she really wants to eat she will let you know. Hope this helps you out.

M.

Hi! I agree totally with Vicky... I've breastfed both my girls exclusivelly and on demand. It is hard, but what better reward than to know that you are providing for your child food and comfort at the same time :)
At 6 months it sounds more than normal that she would want to nurse that often. Breastfed babies do eat more often than formula ones... one of the reasons being that they process breastfed milk faster than formula, hence, they get hungry more often.
good luck!
M.

my eight month old still gets up at least 2x a night as well. it's not as unusual as you would think!