5.5 month old feeding 4x through night

[Katerpillar]

Just after a bit of advice really re: my LO 's eating habits!

I have recently transitioned to formula feeding and discovered that my LO will only eat about 4oz at each feeding and only have 5 feeds during the day...and even that is a struggle!! She is obviously then still hungry during the night and is waking around 4 times for feeds and drinking 16oz overnight! She does wake, feed and then immediately goes back to sleep but I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips at all for how I could reduce the night feeds and make her drink more during the day?! I'm back to work soon and seriously starting to worry about this!

Any advice at all would be much appreciated! Or is this normal?

Thank you

 

[Gem0412]

My lo started waking during the night for feeds again too, but she's bf did your lo do this when you were feeding her or is it just since the switch?

 

[Seity]

My first was a little and often eater. If I tried to make him drink a larger amount of milk/formula, he would just end up puking it back up. At 6 months, his sleep had improved to a 3 hour block followed by waking every 2 hours to eat (at best). This continued until he was 1 year old. It very slowly improved from there and at 2 years old he was down to only 1 waking a night for milk. At 2.5, he finally dropped the last bottle of milk and started sleeping the whole night. He dropped every bottle in his own time as he no longer needed them. We tried offering water, but he'd simply drink the water and then ask for milk and drink a full bottle and then drop right back to sleep. I was back at work full time from when he was 2 months old and let me tell you 4 hours of broken sleep a night left me with PTSD. I was exclusively breast feeding at night to compensate for the formula he got during the day while I was at work, so there were no breaks for me. We have no family nearby to help us either, so I didn't get a full night's sleep ever. It was hell, but the one thing that really helped was when I accepted that that was what was normal for him. My mental attitude to accept that I was never going to sleep again went a long way toward coming out the other end somewhat sane.
If you have family nearby who can take her and let you catch up on some sleep, take them up on that offer. Just one good night's sleep a month would have been a god send for me!

 

[Babybear85]

Both my babies where the same hun I cannot get more than 4oz per feed into my son either he woke 3 times last night and I can't even get more than 4oz per feed in him overnight its pain. Things improved with weaning with my eldest as I could add milk to his cereals etc but he didn't sttn until 13 months when we did cc...seriously the boy was really greedy. In my head I am telling myself it will probably go on a year because he was down to one bottle by 8 months when on 3 meals a day. I tried all sorts like dreamfeeding him when he was semi waking from a nap but he would close his mouth hahaha.

 

[Katerpillar]

My lo started waking during the night for feeds again too, but she's bf did your lo do this when you were feeding her or is it just since the switch?

Well we used to BF and bedshare so I never really knew how many times she woke to feed but to be honest, I think it was more than 4.... I just didn't wake up myself as much as I do now! We have stopped BF for various reasons so there is no going back now....think I'll just have to suck it up!!

My first was a little and often eater. If I tried to make him drink a larger amount of milk/formula, he would just end up puking it back up. At 6 months, his sleep had improved to a 3 hour block followed by waking every 2 hours to eat (at best). This continued until he was 1 year old. It very slowly improved from there and at 2 years old he was down to only 1 waking a night for milk. At 2.5, he finally dropped the last bottle of milk and started sleeping the whole night. He dropped every bottle in his own time as he no longer needed them. We tried offering water, but he'd simply drink the water and then ask for milk and drink a full bottle and then drop right back to sleep. I was back at work full time from when he was 2 months old and let me tell you 4 hours of broken sleep a night left me with PTSD. I was exclusively breast feeding at night to compensate for the formula he got during the day while I was at work, so there were no breaks for me. We have no family nearby to help us either, so I didn't get a full night's sleep ever. It was hell, but the one thing that really helped was when I accepted that that was what was normal for him. My mental attitude to accept that I was never going to sleep again went a long way toward coming out the other end somewhat sane.
If you have family nearby who can take her and let you catch up on some sleep, take them up on that offer. Just one good night's sleep a month would have been a god send for me!

Thank you Seity, I think you're totally right...I think I just needed someone else to tell me it was 'normal' or at least normal for my baby!! OR at least that she's not the only baby that has ever done this!! Same old story in that all of my friends who have babies all miraculously sleep through the night and have told me I need to sort this situation out! I'm so used to broken sleep now though that I seem to be able to function surprisingly well on around 5 hours of broken sleep! Some days are obviously harder than others....but what's new when you're a parent?? We're lucky in that we do have a large support network around us so I think I might call on help soon just to see what a full nights sleep actually feels like!! Thanks again

Both my babies where the same hun I cannot get more than 4oz per feed into my son either he woke 3 times last night and I can't even get more than 4oz per feed in him overnight its pain. Things improved with weaning with my eldest as I could add milk to his cereals etc but he didn't sttn until 13 months when we did cc...seriously the boy was really greedy. In my head I am telling myself it will probably go on a year because he was down to one bottle by 8 months when on 3 meals a day. I tried all sorts like dreamfeeding him when he was semi waking from a nap but he would close his mouth hahaha.

Thanks Hun...I'm going on a weaning course today and going to start properly weaning her in the next couple of weeks! I'm not holding out any hope for less night feeds....but hey, you NEVER know

 

[HanaK]

I switched to formula at 8 weeks and it took my LO a good week or so to transition. Remember that with breastfeeding it is little and often rather than set amounts. My LO adapted over time and although he still doesn't have the set 5 x 6oz feeds he's 'supposed to', he takes more at each feed!

 

[Katerpillar]

Sorry, I should have clarified, I have been gradually weaning her off BF for the last month so most of her daytime feeds have been formula for the last 3/4 weeks, but I hope you're right and she starts taking more soon...

 

[Babybear85]

I wonder if breastfeeding has a lot to do with this. Because both minewwere breastfed for a few months and seemed to still prefer to snack...