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Ok so Brea has been bf her whole life. No furmula. She has not slept once through the night. Shes up ever hour to every two hours. Most the time she nurses and goes back to sleep. The doctor said at her six month that she should be only nursing four times a day, that cant happen. She is constantly attached. She eats for only maybe 10 mins at a time then she starts playing with it. I'm at a loss. I told Patrick maybe we should try supplimenting formula at night. Maybe shes just not full enough to sleep through. Well I got free samples from the hospital. I tried a 2 oz bottle last night. She didn't want anything to do with it. She eats baby food and some of our food but not daily. What can I do? Any suggestions??
If she has not had a bottle before, she will probably not take it now. I would not try to introduce formula. I would definitely up her solid intake though. My lil' guy is bf'ed as well, but I give him cereal/fruit in the morning mixed with BM. Then he has a veggie or fruit for lunch and a veggie/cereal for dinner. He's just now getting to where he likes the solids. I always offer, but he doesn't always want it. He sleeps about 11 hours at night but wakes up twice to nurse and then goes right back to sleep.
Is your desire to get him to sleep longer stretches during the night or not nurse as much??? If you co-sleep that could be why she wakes up more frequently during the night. As far as what the doctor said, I would let that go "in one ear, out the other." I pretty much nurse on demand even now. My pedi told me that Jonathan should be able to sleep all night without nursing and that he was waking out of habit and using nursing to fall back to sleep...but I haven't changed how I do things. He only nurses a few minutes and then goes right back to sleep. It works for us.
We have the same problem except Deanna refuses everything except bm. I have tried offering her solids 2x's a day (dr said she should be getting them 3 but 2 is stressful enough lol) BF seems to be working for us and after stressing alot about it I decided the stress was not good for either of us and unless she starts losing weight or not gaining I am gonna follow her lead
I'm not sure what your sleeping arrangements are, but have you tried to leave her be when she wakes up at night? Maybe she'll just fall back to sleep? Is she really upset and screaming when she wakes up? Is she actually hungry or just pacifying herself back to sleep?
I don't have much advice, I'm afraid. Grey has never had formula either - and he's six months and still nurses more than four times a day! Maybe....6? But that works for us. Since starting him on solids a few weeks ago he began to sleep through the night.
Could you offer BM or formula in a sippy cup? If you try the bottle a bit more, she may get used to it and take it. (Although personally I won't offer a bottle at this point...I'd move on to a sippy.) I just started offering Grey water in a sippy and he got the hang of it very quickly.
Shes had bottle before, not often but she has had them. We do cosleep. When she wakes she starts crying and if it was just her and I would let her continue to cry, but since it isn't and she doesn't have her own bedroom, I cant. August 27th I go back to school. I will be gone for 6 hours. I need her to start drink from another source other than myself. We have a suppurate cup but I'm too worried about putting bm in it for fear she will reject me. We put water in it. She doesn't entirely get the idea of it but water trickles out when she gums it. I would love for her to sleep more at night even every 4 hours would be great. And btw I'm sure a lot has to to with comfort nursing. Actually I know it does. But don't know how to stop that either without her screaming. I'm just so at a loss and now my s/o is getting tired of her being in the bed.
She doesn't take a pacifier I assume? Does she still fit in her swing? What about doing solids on a spoon right before bed and then nursing to sleep til she unlatches.
Miranda you're right no pacie we have tried the night spoon feedings actually that's when she usually has her baby food doesn't help she hasn't been in the swing in months. Never really liked it there. Only occasionally would she sit in it and only twice did she fall asleep in it. I'm really starting to think ive spoiled her. She has a hard time doing her own thing. Wants to be held ALL THE TIME. I just know its going to be h*** for Patrick come mid August.
Miranda you're right no pacie we have tried the night spoon feedings actually that's when she usually has her baby food doesn't help she hasn't been in the swing in months. Never really liked it there. Only occasionally would she sit in it and only twice did she fall asleep in it. I'm really starting to think ive spoiled her. She has a hard time doing her own thing. Wants to be held ALL THE TIME. I just know its going to be h*** for Patrick come mid August.
Don't ever say you've spoiled her! Just realize its time to start inching towards your goals of bottle/cup and sleeping alone, spending more time alone, etc. You didn't do anything wrong - there's no such thing as loving your child to much!
I'd pump and start offering one cup/bottle a day that way. And when you BF at night, make sure she is awake and encourage her to have MORE at that feeding by massaging/offering both breasts etc. Or gradually make that the once a day bottle, so that you can SEE how much she is/isn't eating. Her body is just used to having smaller meals whenever she wants!
I wouldn't give her formula and I wouldn't take what your doc said too seriously - they recommend ADULTS eat six small meals a day - how can you expect a child to do any less? Let alone... do you know how dry your mouth would be if you only got to take a drink four times a day? I'd encourage a sippy cup, solids, and try to wean the cosleeping if that is a goal of yours.
. We have a suppurate cup but I'm too worried about putting bm in it for fear she will reject me.
I understand you fear but i doubt she'll reject you, there's nothing like the real thing!! I give Gio a sippy cup with water so he gets used to the idea but i personally wouldn't have a problem putting a bit of BM in it, however i'm waiting on a new piece for my pump that i broke! Either way do what you're comforta
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Originally Posted by heatherbug
I wouldn't give her formula and I wouldn't take what your doc said too seriously - they recommend ADULTS eat six small meals a day - how can you expect a child to do any less? Let alone... do you know how dry your mouth would be if you only got to take a drink four times a day? I'd encourage a sippy cup, solids, and try to wean the cosleeping if that is a goal of yours.
I was thinking the same thing here too. Gio seems to "eat a bunch of small meals" so when he nurses it's sorta often but brief.
And he's not sleeping through the night either. It's rough but sometimes i get those golden nights when he sleeps a miraculous 8 hours but he's usually up a few times at night.
I agree, 4x a day seems ridiculous, esp for an ebf baby!! This doctor is whacked out.
Let me tell you this - you are not alone and your baby is perfectly normal. I EBF Dahlia (no solids yet) and she has never slept through the night as well. She is up every 2-3hrs to nurse. I nurse on demand during the day, which means I sometimes nurse her more than 8x in one day (not including night feedings). She never nurses for very long (5 mins? maybe) and is back to playing. There is nothing wrong with comfort nursing, and I will do it as long as I can for her! My older daughter was the same way and I nursed her the same way as well.
Some babies are just more attached to nursing - my older daughter would nurse all day if I had let her, but Dahlia can't be bothered for very long. I think it's important to work with their needs though.
Sleeping through the night at 6 months is NOT THE NORM- Esp for breastfed babies, which you seem to understand. I know what it is like to want even 4 hour stretches though - the thing that helped us with our older daughter was my DH would put her back to sleep if she woke up before certain time slots. It took a good 2 weeks or so, but I was able to cut down the night nursing and get her to sleep longer. This was after she had started eating solids pretty good too, so I knew the night nursing was not as important at that time. We plan on doing the same thing with Dahlia once she starts solids.
Don't worry about what the doc said. It's impossible to EBF with only 4 feedings a day. Any lactation consultant would freak out at that statement!!! Has s/he ever had an EBF baby at home? I'm betting on not. I had a similar issue with DD. The doc wanted her on an every 3-hour schedule and I couldn't get her there. I tried. And tried. And CRIED. And eventually went to a lactation consultant. She thought the doc was crazy.
That being said, DS is not EBF and he usually sleeps from 9-3, then eats from me, then goes back to sleep until 7. He eats 6 oz. bottles of formula at the sitter at 8,10,12, and 2 and a 4 oz. bottle at 4 that he usually refuses because he knows I'll soon be there and he can have the "real thing." He then gets more breastmilk until bedtime and some solids at 10 and 5.
So, he gets 28 ounces of formula, 1 jar of baby food or some cereal and breastfeeds at 7, 5, 7, and 9. He definitely eats more than 4 times a day. If he didn't eat this much during the day, I know he would wake up more at night.
Madison is 6 months and still nurses often, definitely more than 4 times a day. And she is only getting solids at dinner, and even then not much because she is doing BLW. I think your dr, doesnt know what he is talking about. I gave in and am co sleeping now, and we both sleeo through the night, some babies just need their mama's more than others. I wouldnt try to supplement with formula, your milk is enough for your baby, and based on my friends' experiences, giving baby more food at night does not mean they will sleep longer. But that is just what they have told me from their experiences, you will find what works for you!
16Likes
Maybe....6? But that works for us. Since starting him on solids a few weeks ago he began to sleep through the night. 
she hasn't been in the swing in months. Never really liked it there. Only occasionally would she sit in it and only twice did she fall asleep in it. I'm really starting to think ive spoiled her. She has a hard time doing her own thing. Wants to be held ALL THE TIME. I just know its going to be h*** for Patrick come mid August. 
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