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advice for helping lb sleep through the night
My lb is 15 wks old and used to sleep through the night until the 12 wk growth spurt. He wakes 3 times a night for more feeds and Im really struggling with lack of sleep. My MIL suggested baby rice before bed to fill him ip and it does help but he still wakes a couple of times for feeds. Does anyone have any advice or go through something similar? He is currently 21lbs and feeds every 2 hours.
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Sleeping through - Ryan slept through at 8 weeks for about a week, then we had him waking every 2 hours for 2 months! Eventually we moved him into his own room, and he slipped back into once or twice a night, so i think we were disturbing him, or he was too big for his crib.
Once he got to 6 months i stopped feeding him back to sleep when he woke at night. For the first couple of nights when he woke crying i just held him until he calmed down then settled him back in his cot. Since then he's been sleeping through 12-14 hours most nights.
I totally understand the lack of sleep. I had a few meltdowns during his 2 hour phase, ended up crying on my health visitor, and at my parents, but it WILL get better. Make sure you get a break, let someone take him away for the afternoon so you can go to bed, i always found a good undisturbed afternoon sleep lasted me a few days of broken nights!
Hop it gets better soon for you hon.
xxx
i feel for you, its hard. I thought i had it made when my LO slept 12 hour nights from 3 months, right through to 4.5 months - and is a breast fed baby too. I thought i was probably sorted apart from the occasional night due to teething or illness...ha ha, naive first time mum that i am!
At 4.5 months he began waking up once a night but i figured this was normal in the run up to solids. I was chilled about it. It turned into twice a night, then we started solids at 6 months and he went crazy, waking up all the time! I had told myself solids would help but it conicided with him having a brain surge, being into everything and unable to switch off.
In the end, despite very much not wanting to, my HV brought it home to me that when on 3 meals a day babies do not need calories all night and ive had to do a good bit of controlled crying, but as im back to work in 4 weeks i feel ive got no choice...he is 7.5 months and for the last week has slept through! I do not hold my breath but this is the first time he's got into this pattern since 4.5 months!!
What im trying to say is its such a long road with babies sleeping, they do different things...its not going to stay 2 hourly, but its exhausting when its like that, i do know how you feel and its tough going. I think if you've got him to a couple of feeds id try and go with it - its better than 2 hourly - i personally felt i couldnt go down the tough love road until he was on 3 meals and i knew for sure it wasnt about eating, just comfort. As things are he may need those feeds. Does he sleep in the day? At one point my LO didnt and barely slept at night - it was rough. I used to take him to my mums so i coould have a nap. Have you rung your HV for advice? Mine have been so helpful and even though its me getting up in the night and trying to interpret his behaviour, they have made me feel like im not alone and guided me as to whats normal, and what needs gentle persuasion to change(!) it has been helpful.
My bubba was 19lbs 3oz 3 weeks ago at 7 months - he was 8lb 13 oz at birth so not a little man - your bubba must have been a good birth weight! Hope things get better for you soon x
I have a 2 year old and never experienced this with her, she slept through the night from around 4 months old and was bottled fed as she did not take to the breast and was on the smaller side (she was 5lb 9oz when born and still is a dink now). I just hope it passes soon. Almost been 5 weeks of this.
Personally i wouldn't continue with the baby rice, but i didn't start weaning until 5.5 months. Have you spoken to your HV about it?
We also rarely get daytime naps longer than 30 mins, even during the 2 hour phase. It must be even more exhausting for you with a 2 year old!
xxx