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Advice needed for a friend please...:)

Hello all,

Hope your babies are thriving on your milk. Have been away from the computer for sometime which is why I havent been around.

I think the last time i posted I was having trouble with sleeping. My lo is now doing well and only needs feeing at 1am and 5 am so Im a happy mummy!

My friend on the other hand is getting a lil stressed. Her boy is 4mths old and will have a maximum of 3 half hour sleeps during teh day and at night sleeps for two hrs before waking. during the day he tends to only feed for about 5 mins. she has tried making him wait a bit longer hoping he will take more, this doesnt work and she just had to put up with the crying. At night she is now sleeping in the nrusery so he cant smell her. Her oh tries to settle him back to sleep. If this doesnt work, she finds she has to attempt to feed him as a last resort. Only thing is he is using her as a comforter.

I have suggested...
1) pat and shh technique -not successful,
2) controlled crying, she got told not to until 6-8 mths.
3) giving him water instead but wont take from a bottle.
4) am going to ask her if he needs less layers at night as maybe waking due to his temperature.

she had problems with her placenta, he arrived 9 days early but only weighed 4lb 9oz. So he has always been on the bottom of the centile chart.

I would love to suggest something that can work for her. She doesnt want to give him a dummy. The othe last resort is giving him a bottle feed except he wont take from a bottle.

Im sure some of you have been in a similar situation, what did you find worked or due you have any words of wisdom? xxx

Replies

  • 4 months old ?? could it be he might need a bit more ? perhaps some baby rice or fruit/veg ?
    i started giving my son rice and fruit/veg purees at 17 weeks and he loved it - it settled him right down image hes now 6 1/2 months and stil fully breastfed image
    i know they say 6 months of only milk but all babies are different x
  • Could he be cold? Both of my two wake up if they get cold. If he sometimes settles without being fed he is probably not hungry so I would look for something that might be making him uncomfy.
    xx
  • sorry not going to be much help just wanted to say there is light at the end of the tunnel my daughter fed every hr till she was 3 mths old day and night then started to go every 3 hrs i started her on solids at 5 mths and was more than happy to go longer during the day but night feeds were still every 3 hrs till she was about 7 mths and then was 5 hrs till she was almost 11 mths when my health visitor sugested i give up bf so i could sleep more in the night (i was a single mum at the time)
  • Hi

    I've also been through this with my son. Until very recently he was waking up every 2.5 hours during the night for feeds and did not sleep during the day unless he was attached to me!

    He is now 3 months and wakes up for 1 or 2 feeds during the night, but still doesn't sleep much during the day but naps in the car etc.

    I gave him a dummy and this really does work in terms of settling him to sleep. I would recommend it even though i hate them in the main. He doesn't have it unless he's going to sleep however, and for me it's bought both me and him a bit of peace! Overnight I try to hold him off feeding for as long as possible with it and it seems to be working to a degree.

    I've had to reconcile myself to the fact that he just doesn't seem to need much sleep during the day! Since I've done that I'm a lot more relaxed.

    Tell your friend good luck!xx
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