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Not sleeping through anymore - advice please!

Hi all

I need some advice please!!!

Up until about 2-weeks ago, Toby had been sleeping through the night for a month, from about 7-8pm to 6-7am. Approx. 2-weeks ago he woke in the night 2-nights in a row and then went back to sleeping through so we put it down to teething and a growth spurt. But for the last week he has been waking in the night and taking a full feed of 5-6ozs. He's waking at 3am but the horrid thing is he is taking ages to re-settle to sleep whereas when he woke before he slept through, he re-settled very well.

He is clearly hungry and we don't mind night feeding but it is very hard doing it again when you have got used to full nights again!!!

Spoke to HV who said it could be another growth spurt and to see how we get along and if he doesn't slip back into sleeping through we should think about introducing some solids.

I don't mind weaning early if its important for Toby but would rather wait until 6 months.

My sister suggested trying hungry baby formula for his last 2 feeds (evening ones) so that helps him sleep through and only then if that doesn't work, we should consider weaning him early.

I am comfortable with this idea and so is hubby.

But what do you think? What would you do?

I think T is just getting to an age where he needs more milk but his tummy can't take it during the day so he's hungry in the night.

We think we'll stick with seeing what happens for 2-weeks yet but oh my god I am SOOOO knackered again!!!

Oh and re: other signs of weaning, he doesn't tend to watch us eat all of the time but sometimes he does, he does enjoy sitting with us when we eat but only seems to be if there is a big group of people and he puts everything in his mouth but we do think he is teething.
Joo xxx

[Modified by: MummyJoo on 22 August 2009 09:31:44 ]

Replies

  • How old is he now hun? I know that most babies have a huge growth spurt at about 4 months, which often gets mistaken for them being ready to wean, so could it maybe be that? If it is it should settle down soon for you.
    xx
  • Bedhead, he's 16 weeks on Tuesday so yes very nearly 4 months! Think we will see how the next week or so goes but am desperate for guidance and reassurance! Especially if there is a chance my little T is starving bless him.
    Thanks both xxx
  • Hi

    All HV's are different but mine was a real stickler for waiting until they are six months and prepared me for the fact that I might have to start doing night feeds gain. She said that it is a myth that weaning will help them to sleep through again and that their milk contains all the nutrition they need whereas a pot of fruit or veg (which is what you would be giving until they are six months) obviously wouldn't contain all the nutrients that their milk does and therefore giving extra milk feeds would be better.

    I did wean my eldest early I started at 22 weeks. With my youngest after reading up on why the change to six months (HV's don't really seem to tell you why it's best to wait). I did my best to hold out until six months. I did give fruit and veg a bit before this because if she was awake and we were eating she would scream and want to be a part of it and I could no longer get away with just allowing her to sit on my lap as she would grab food off of my plate and try to munch on it, so I felt better giving her some finger food - carrot sticks etc to eat whilst we were eating.

    I'd try the hungry baby milk although from what I understand it merely keeps them feeling fuller for longer and doesn't contain everything extra (could be wrong though I have never used it). Or you could perhaps introduce three hourly feeds during the day - I did this with my youngest. I was lucky in that we never actually did go back to night feeds. She let me know she was more hungry during the day and still slept through. If she had started waking I may have been tempted to wean despite the HV saying it stopped night feeds being a myth as I am up quite a lot to my eldest.

    I totally understand re: the lack of sleep. I have had about three full nights sleep in the last three months and it's a killer.

    Hope little T settles down soon for you.
  • Hi Joo

    I had a similar issue with Daisy-Mae just before 4 months - like you say, I'm sure it's a growth spurt!

    I started to give Daisy Hungry Baby milk for the 7pm and 11pm feeds which means that she goes through the night again. My HV told me to just swap to HB milk all the time but I don't because she doesn't take enough milk through the day otherwise...

    It works brilliantly for us and Daisy is now nearly 5 months - I'm really hoping we'll get through to 6 months and I do think we'll be able to now, perhaps by just upping the HB feeds every so often!

    Hope this helps,
    Good luck!

    C xx
  • I have been giving ella hb before bed for about 8 weeks - that was what helped her sleep through! I also give her it if she waskes up in the night!

    However for the last 4 weeks her sleep has also gone haywire! " nights ago she had me up every hour and fed 3 times at 4oz per time! Last she woke every 10/15mins for 2 hours, then had 5 oz and went back for 3 hours! Woke up, had 3oz and then slept for an hour! I am totally shattered!

    Nice to know others have had this issue at this age too though! I am going to speak to the HV on wednesday as I know she is waking hungry becuase she isn't getting enough in the day! She was taking 28/30oz and 4 weeks ago suddenly dropped to 24oz! She is still putting on weight though! That 24oz includes what she has in the night! I would just like her to go back to doing 8-6 again! (or even waking at 3 and going back til 8!)

    I was also told possibly give HB all day - but I don't agree with this as she isn't having a lot now sop surely she would take less if I did this?!
  • That's the thing with T too Tara... he is not taking enough per feed to warrant HB milk really, well I don't think so. The most he'll take is 7ozs but at the moment, for the last week or so, it has been 5-6ozs per feed with the odd 4ozs or 7ozs feed. I'm not letting him go longer than 3hrs either and am would go 2.5hrs but he's then not hungry enough and doesn't take a full feed! Its driving me nuts! But I am determined to stick with it for now as I want to avoid weaning him early if at all possible - but of course if we end up feeling its best for T, then we will do xxx
  • Full nights sleep???? What's that then???? Don't get me wrong, George is a great sleeper - in bed at 6.45 every night, asleep by 7 and usually goes through till 5.30-6.00 - but Mummy wakes up at EVERY little noise, despite the fact he's been in his own room since 3 weeks old!!! And have spent many an hour searching for a lost dummy - GRRRRRR!!! The annoying thing is, he NEVER wakes up, just makes these noises and 'talks' in his sleep - double GRRRRRRRR!!

    S x
  • So true Joo! Ella is taking 4-5oz generally with the odd 3 o r6oz! Again I am doing every 3 hours to try and get enough in - and tried doing 2 1/2 and she hardly touched it! I just don't know how much to do in the bottles anymore without huge wastage!

    If he isn't on HB at all then it may be worth doing it for his last feed at night, to help him go a bit longer! Unfortunately I don't have that luxury as Ella was already on it!

    Mrs S - Ella makes all sorts of noises and grunts etc too - she is still in our room as I don't want to move her until she is leeping longer as there is no comfy chair in her room to feed! I am quite good at ignoring them though - I don't go to her unless she is quite loudly whinging!
  • I think hungry baby milk for his last feed might be worth a try. if he is hungry though, it doesn't necessarily mean you need to wean him though, if you don't want to. My HV said milk is all they need for nutririon until six months, but not necessarily for hunger - if you can cope with giving extra milk feeds (during the night!) then there's no reason why you should wean insetad of doing that - unless of course you feel waking in the night is really unsettling him. It might be a growth spurt, so if you're unsure about weaning yet I think the hungry baby milk and waiting it out a bit to see what happens is probably a good idea.

    Oh, and weaning didn't help my LO sleep through for quite a few weeks - he slept through 10 weeks to 17 weeks, then started waking again, so I know how hard it is - but then even once we started weaning (21 weeks) he still woke for night feeds til a couple of weeks after he went onto 3 meals, it seemed to really stimulate his appetite - so weaning isn't a magic solution for everybody - if I'd known that I'd have waited later to start weaning.
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