E.D.
Please don't let him cry, if he's crying at 5 months old, he needs something; whether it's food, a change or just comfort he needs something. He may very well be waking up due to teething and nursing is very soothing for him both on his gums and filling his tummy and offering him comfort. There are a couple brands of natural teething tablets "Hylands and Humpherys" out there that would be safest to try first, but check the age recommendations on the labels (they have them at Walgreens and I think WalMart). Tylenol and Ibuprofen are what I use when that doesn't work and Baby Orajel can help but you need to be careful with it. It numbs what it comes into contact with (and it's REALLY hard just to get it on their teeth) and can numb their throat and cause choking problems, but just keep an eye on him when you use it or have him close by so you can respond if you need to. There is no reason you need to stop nursing him during the night by 6 months old, he will most likely have enough weight on him that he won't necessarily need the nutrition to get him through the night, but that doesn't mean he won't need comfort once and a while. You can try snuggling up with him and giving him a pacifier after you reach that 6 month point if you want, but why not nurse him? If he was previously sleeping through the night, he is most likely going to do it again as soon as he gets over this little bump. Their sleep patterns change frequently, just when you think you've got things sorted out they change again! It can be frustrating, but remember you can't spoil a baby, so if he's crying he needs you. If someone stops responding to his cries, he'll eventually realize no one is going to respond to his needs and this can really hurt his ability to form attachments to people, if he gives up after crying it out, it isn't a good thing at this age it's a realization that no one is going to help him. The important thing is don't do anything you aren't comfortable with instinctually as a mother, no matter if it's your pediatrician or your family members who tell you otherwise. When your baby cries, he needs you and you as a mother you feel the need to comfort him, we're given these instincts for a reason, if we had no one to give us advice or help, we would still know we need to comfort and care for our babies. For thousands of years mothers have been parenting and nursing their children through the night and every child is different on how long and when and how often they sleep through the night, there is no set time you have to give up anything and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing until 1 at least and longer if baby and mom are agreeable, the World Health Organization and someone else I can't remember the name of, recommends nursing until at least 2 as they are still at risk for developing health problems/illnesses that breastfeeding will help prevent and treat because their immune systems aren't fully developed until 2 or 3. There is a lot of great information on nighttime parenting at Dr. Sears' website and the information on timing breastfeeding at both www.kellymom.com and the La Leche League International website (both of these will tell you about teething treatments as well). Good luck and just remember, it will change again very soon!
