Night feeds

[Esoames]

Isla is 23 weeks old, weighs roughly 14lb and still wakes every 2/3 hours at night. I'm giving her 3 "meals" a day, porridge/muesli for breakfast, jar or puree fruit for lunch and jar or puree veg/fruit for tea. I'm still breastfeeding her on demand. In the evening she cluster feeds from 6-8.

The last night she slept decently (more than 6 hours) was the day she turned 3 months.

She goes to bed at 8 and is usually flaked out by this time, but is waking up, not really crying more of a "wah wah wah" noise. I just feed her as I don't know if she's full.

Next week my husband is working away so I want to try either controlled crying or anything else recommended to get her sleeping longer. She's just using me for comfort. I've tried dummies and she won't take them.

Any advice? Thanks for reading
Emma x

 

[MrsR]

You could try her with water?

Seb still wakes for (and downs) an 8oz bottle during the night. I refuse to do controlled crying, but that's just me. He also takes a fair bit of water during the night. And was waking more often before we tried him with water. He's 24 weeks old.

 

[Esoames]

You could try her with water?

Seb still wakes for (and downs) an 8oz bottle during the night. I refuse to do controlled crying, but that's just me. He also takes a fair bit of water during the night. And was waking more often before we tried him with water. He's 24 weeks old.

She won't take a bottle I've managed to get her to sip from a sippy cup but nothing special. It must be thirst why she is waking cos she doesn't drink enough during the day I do offer it to her but she isn't interested x

 

[kay126]

be interested in the replies here... for 2 weeks or so donovan was going from 7pm til 7am without a feed that week or two he has been waking for food even though hes weaning now when he wasnt before! i dont know what to do!

 

[Lacey's Mummy]

She could be waking through habit! Charley's slept through (12 hours) twice now but on average goes 6-8 hours before I either use dummy or feed. Last night he woke up twice, downed 2 7oz bottles so he was def hungry!
I've always said if he's not sleeping through by 6 months then I'll do controlled crying but when he downing his bottles I think he must be hungry so I'm giving him until we move, he'll be 7/8 months then, if he's not sleeping through by then, I'll do controlled crying!

 

[rbryan0205]

i used the dummy to pacify amelia if she isnt crying for a feed and it works most of the time not sure what to suggest if she doesnt have a dummy i know a midwife and she said all her children were worse for sleeping when she weaned them so it might be that x

 

[tinkerbell86]

if she cluster feeds cant you give her more food at dinnertime? H has the same amount of home cooked veg as a jar and then a dessert too and then he has about 4 oz about 1 1/2hrs later and sleeps all night!

 

[Esoames]

if she cluster feeds cant you give her more food at dinnertime? H has the same amount of home cooked veg as a jar and then a dessert too and then he has about 4 oz about 1 1/2hrs later and sleeps all night!

I gave her half a jar of savoury and half a jar of sweet yesterday and it didn't make any difference. I'm offering her juice all day today to see if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the advice ladies xx

 

[Lacey's Mummy]

Charley only went 4 hours last night waking up twice for a feed then up for the day at 6am! Your not alone hun!! x x

 

[isobel84]

Noa woke up 3-4 times a night until last week when i for the first time gave him a bottle of formula and he slept trough. I give him a bottle every night now (breast feed the rest of the day, hes not weening yet) n he sleeps to 5ish, i breastfeed him n he goes back to sleep.

I know u said she dont take bottle but how about a syringe? (if your up for formula atall)

i breastfeed noa at 6 and then he have 6oz at 8 n then i dreamfeed him 2oz before i go to bed. i have never felt so alive and awake as i have this week!
I also did controlled crying from the start more or less so getting him to go to sleep is not a problem i just put him in his cot n leaves n he sleeps. Its been like that for month so im def for controlled crying. Its hard to start with and you have to be so strong but it works a treat!

good lulck with whatever you do

 

[JJ Mum]

Is it worth offering less solids and doing it more gradually, like three solid meals , but less quantity in evening? then more milk feeds as you would have done. I know all my kids started waking more often when weaning time was approaching. Maybee he needs more night milk to last the night?

Incase it helps anyone -
Devon is not at this point yet as only 13 weeks, he will constantly cluster feed between 4pm and 9pm! which can get a bit much but we don't have much choice as he is hungry for it. He then sleeps 9pm till at least 5am before feeding again , we did get a few weeks of 9pm till 7am too, but thats stopped now.

so maybee the cluster feeds need to be longer to get the longer nights sleep. When I have been out on ballet, after school club runs late eg 6pm-7pm and so not feeding Devon as normal then he goes back to feeding at 1am and again at 4am instead of being great at night.

We feed him 7pm, then bath at 8pm , then as soon as he is dressed after , he is starving again, and associates being out of the bath with a feed, so he feeds once more and goes to bed at 9pm when finished, this extra feed gives us an extra 2 hours sleep, we have tested it!

 

[Esoames]

I used to notice her cluster feeding from from 5-8 and she used to sleep better then. I'm honestly thinking it's a growth spurt. Two weeks ago she was sleeping 5hours and 5 hours in-between feeds so I know she can do it. She's been in bed for three hours now and I've not heard a peep from her!

I tend to forget the good sleeps she does when she starts to sleep badly.

Thanks again ladies xx