Breatfeeding Is Great But....

If I were you I would give him a little cereal or formula before bedtime. I did it for my last child, it helped tremendously.

Hi D., we are still breastefeeding too. Way to go mommy! What a wonderful start you are giving your child in life! there are so many great benefits. We don't plan on weaning any time soon either, maybe by the time she is two, or if she self-weans earlier, then fine.

That said, I think babies under two have an automatic need to suckle at night. Rachel wakes up all the time too, and she will be 8 months next week.

We co-sleep, and let me say that I sleep way better! I don't get out of bed to feed her, I just lift my shirt, or she self-serves even. She starts the evening out in her crib, and she takes naps there, but at night, the longest she sleeps is 4 hours, but most nights, she waks up after 1.5 hrs when she is in her crib. When she is with me, we both sleep great!

Recently, in the early evenings, she has been resisting going back in her crib, but I do not believe the CIO method is right for our family, so I do pick her up, nurse her, love her, rock her, and then put her back. This used to work like a charm, now she is way too aware that mommy is not holding her, so I have started to just lay her down over and over and over in her crib, and I lay heavy hands on her, and she falls asleep, and about 1/2 the time it works, so I hope she gets the hang of it, as I think this will help her fall back to sleep on her own eventually.

All I can say is that this is normal, and this will pass. I would try co-sleeping, or keeping her in your room in a crib, bassinette, co-sleeper, or packnplay. That way, sleeping is easier on you.

I also love to wear Rachel in a carrier, I have a Mei Tai, this works great in the evenings to get her settled down for the last hour of the day.

Feel free to email me if you have any more questions. I think feeling like you are alone is the worst thing about being a mommy. Having a supportive network, online or offline is really important. And so is breastfeeding!!! You're doing a great job! Keep it up!

Warmly, L.

Wow what can I say, I just gave in and put them in bed with me (which might not be a good advice), and I just turned sideways every couple of hours.
Yecy

i have breastfed two children. one for 14 months and the other for 12. is your son really hungry or is he using your nipple as his securty to fall back asleep? i had that problem, and i had to introduce a pacifier. then, when they woke up and it wasn't a time when they would normally be hungry, i would give them the pacifier and they would fall asleep again. my son was up more than my daughter and i found out that his metabolism was very fast. so, he would was hungry faster. but, unless your child is going through a growth spurt and this has been a short term thing (they eat a lot more during those times), then he shouldn't be waking up every two hours to eat. try the pacifier and if all else fails talk to your pediatrician. good luck!

Have you tried cereal at night also? And you might want to consider switching to stage 2 foods, as well.

Breastfeeding & sleep are not related. He is not sleeping well because he has not learned how to soothe himself back to sleep when he wakes during the night. You need to work on sleep coaching. I recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth. Also, is your son napping well during the day? Good daytime napping promotes better nighttime sleeping.

After reading other responses, I must add another comment. Food & sleep are NOT related. You can feed a baby all day long & he will still wake up at night. Do not supplement with formula either - that is the worst advice to give a breastfeeding mother. Keep up with the solids & only breastmilk.

When you do sleep coaching, there will be crying. It will not last more than 3 or 4 nights. The other option is co-sleeping, which is not for me but maybe it will work for you.

Hi D.,

You and I are in the exact same boat. My daughter is almost 7 months and we're feeding every 2-3 hours in a normal night, and when teething is bad we breastfeed for comfort more often than that. The difference is that we're co-sleeping, and I rarely wake up fully until the 3rd feeding. I don't know if you'd consider trying it, but sleep is pretty good even with the frequent feeds, and no, I've never rolled over or come close to smothering her... and I'm a very heavy sleeper. :)

BTW, Angel mentioned it's usually hunger, teething or comfort that baby needs, and with such a young one, I think any of those things should be attended to. It's so hard to tell why they are crying, but you can be sure it's because they are feeling bad... to me that's reason enough to respond.

I hope this helps!

A.

Hi D.,
It is my understanding that baby's digest breastmilk faster than formula and baby/regular food, so your son is probably waking up because he's hungry. Maybe you should try to supplment with formula around his bed time and see if that helps.

Also, and I know nowadays this is a no-no but try laying him on his stomach. When my daughter was a baby she did not sleep through the night very well. She was also a grunter and made noises while she slept. When we first brought her home I didn't get any sleep because everytime she made a noise I would get up and check her. When she was 2 weeks old I put her in her own room then I was up and down across the house all night because she would wake up every two hours. I realized she slept so much better when we were holding her on our stomach. So I made a daring move once she was able to pick up and move her head about. I put her on her stomach and she slept -as they say- like a baby. I did however sleep in her room, on her floor for 3 nights straight to make sure she was ok. At four years old, she sleeps soundly in any position. Hope this helps.

Good Luck!

I am 35 years old and a stay-at-home to a wonderful 4 year old girl.

Is your son eating consistently during the day? I would try to get him on a 3-4 hour schedule during the day if he isn't already. Basically he would eat, be awake for a while to play, then nap until the next feeding. It sounds like he may have his days and nights mixed up? The goal is to jam all the calories in during the day so he isn't hungry at night. I do think regulating metabolism can help with sleep issues but I also agree with a previous post that babies need to learn to soothe themselves as well. I breastfed both of mine (Asa until 13 months, Gretchen is currently 4 months)and they both slept 12 hours at night by 3 months. So I don't think it's a breast vs. bottle issue. I know a great book that can explain the schedule more in depth if you are interested. Good luck!
J.

Your situation sounds just like mine. My oldest stopped breastfeeding at 4 months as well, but my second daughter was able to breastfeed until 1 year of age. I too, did not get much sleep and was up every 2 hours nursing her back to sleep. I knew what the problem was and finally had the chance to remedy it. I let my husband get up and give her some juice or water and he held her until she went back to sleep. Soon, she got the message after a few nights and she stopped waking up every 2 hours. It coincidentally worked around the same time she turned 1 yr because I was pregnant again and going through morning sickness and was unable to nurse her in the night. She now sleeps great.

Don't worry. Unless you plan to nurse more than a year, you'll be getting a good nights in just a few months. My son, now 13 months, woke every 3 hours to nurse until I weaned him at 1 year. I was so tired and ready to give up, but I didn't and I'm so glad. He is strong and healthy because I continued nursing. Now he sleeps through the night and so do I. However if your so tired you just can't cope, then maybe you should consider pumping and letting someone else wake up a few times. If that's not an option then maybe it is time to wean. Watever your decision, just know that your son will be okay, no matter how much he cries the first few nights.He will stop eventually, I promise. Good luck.

Yes, I know what you are going through. I have a 13 month old and he does the same thing. I am not as tired because my little one sleeps with me. However, there can be many reasons why your little one continues to eat alot throughout the night: comfort, teething, or hungry. Just this week I am working on keeping my baby very active and making sure he is eating alot throughout the day. For two nights he has only nursed twice at night verses every two hours. One thing I did when my son was smaller is right before putting him to bed, I feed him baby cereal. This seemed to help some. A.

Hi D., nurse him as much as you possibly can and as much as he will take before going down for the night. My 2 month old son will nurse for so much that I feel like I am empty, to fill his tummy then he sleeps for about 5 hours going down around 10 pm. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi D.,

I came across this post and was interested as I have a one year old daughter that still gets up two to three times a night to nurse. I too am so tired. I know that feeding them before bed doesn't work, every baby is different. My first baby slept thru the night at three weeks! I didn't see this coming :). The only thing I can see from reading that makes sense is that they don't know how to sooth their selves back to sleep and they use us to do that. I am just confused because she nurses both sides, a complete feeding. If she is using me one would think she wouldn't nurse both sides, but just enough to pacify herself? So I wanted to know if you found anything that worked for you? I do sleep with her on the third feeding as I am so tired I can't get up and move :)

D.,

I breast feed both of my children years ago. Since your child is 7 months old he may need some cereal before bedtime to help hold him over to morning. Once I added the cereal my daughter would sleep all night.

Good Luck,
Kathy

I breasfed my son until he was 15 months. There comes a point where he was always hungry.... thats when I introduced potatoes. I would make mashed potatoes and let him eat it himself. I would put his highchair on a big sheet and let him go to town. They eat more food, take a longer time to eat, and get practice with their fingers. I put butter and milk in it like always and he loved it. My son slept through the night @ one month old. I know you are cussing me...... ;) hehehheheee I didn't have this particular problem but my son sure can eat. If I were you I would give him a bunch of mashed potatoes right before bed and if you feel the need to actually feed him in the middle of the night, do that as well. You need rest. Don't worry about what everyone says about fat/calories and its not good for his teeth.... whatever. Hes your baby and you need rest...... bottom line. Get it anyway you can. Worry about teeth and the fat intake after he starts walking. Poor guy just feels like he cant get enough so give him something hearty. Potatoes will make him feel full. Give him some french fries. You introduce "new" foods to him the way he seems hungry not the way the doctors tell you. Not every child is the same. Of course dont give him honey or peanut butter..... you know things that will choke him. But if he doesnt feel full then your life will be horrible. I hope what I am saying makes sense. Let me know if it doesnt. :)