Anyone got any advice to help go longer between feeds?

[kwills55]

I need help. My LO is such a good baby, doesn't cry unless there is a reason and is generally a really happy little thing, but I am exclusively bf her (and my oh gives her a bottle of my expressed milk in the evening) and I just can't do it anymore.
She is 3 months old and still feeds 2-3 hourly day and night. Most of the time she just about manages 2 hourly in the day and 2.5-3 at night. I am just so exhausted.
I know babies feed often to start with but we're 3 months in and I feel like I still have a newborn!

I have plenty of milk and can express 125ml from one side no problem, she takes about 110ml at her bedtime bottle which isn't bad for her weight as she is 4.8kg (10lb 12) so I just don't know why she feeds so often!

Just wondered if anyone else has got any advice or things to try. I am thinking about trying formula at night feeds as I've heard it can fill them up longer but I'm not convinced and I really want to keep bf if possible!! Just want to cry with exhaustion getting really down about lack of sleep and I don't want it to start affecting my relationship with LO

Any ideas very very welcome.

 

[NoodleSnack]

It's early day yet, mine started to space out at 4.5 months, it's when you get down to two naps at 7/8 months that it gets really good. If you can express with no problems, why not let your hubby do more bottles?

 

[Kellen]

We had it good in the beginning as LO slept 6-8 hours a night. Now at 8 months she wakes up every 2 hours. She isn't necessarily hungry now, but she wants a quick nurse before settling back down. We are waiting until a year before thinking about night weaning.

 

[kwills55]

Even if hubby feeds her I still get up to pump so my supply doesn't go down... I let the odd feed go every now and then but too scared to go too long. Plus my boobs kill!
I know some people do this for another 3-4 months yet but I'm clearly not one of those people who can handle the sleep deprivation I'm up again after just an hour and a half after I started the last feed.

 

[CertainTurton]

I know it is so hard! I had a frequent feeder too and she was still going 3hrly at 6months(day and 4-5hrly from 4.5mths at night) when we stopped bf. What helped me was co sleeping. Have you considered it? It means you can lie her beside you and she can feed when she needs it and you dont get so woken up as you dont have to get up etc.
ALso does she have a dummy? I know they arent for everyone but now that you are a few months in it wont harm your latch and it could be that sometimes (esp in the night) she is actually mainly comfort sucking. It may be worth a try?
ALso I know you are worried about your supply but I would think missing one in the night (maybe the 1st one after bedtime so you get a good stretch) wont be too bad as long as you always do the same one. When you pump for the bedtime bottle, try to pump the other side as well for the 2nd one. YOur boobs will hurt a bit a 1st but they quickly adjust to the timings.
Also silly question but do you go to bed when she does? I think for the 1st 6mths I pretty much went to bed at 7ish so that I could get as much sleep as I could.
It does get better!!! she will eventually do longer stretches at night!

ALso just to say moving to formula made no difference to the night spaces (she still sometimes wakes for one now!!) but it did go to 4hrly in the day but I think that was her age not the formula.

 

[jd83]

I know it is so hard! I had a frequent feeder too and she was still going 3hrly at 6months(day and 4-5hrly from 4.5mths at night) when we stopped bf. What helped me was co sleeping. Have you considered it? It means you can lie her beside you and she can feed when she needs it and you dont get so woken up as you dont have to get up etc.
ALso does she have a dummy? I know they arent for everyone but now that you are a few months in it wont harm your latch and it could be that sometimes (esp in the night) she is actually mainly comfort sucking. It may be worth a try?
ALso I know you are worried about your supply but I would think missing one in the night (maybe the 1st one after bedtime so you get a good stretch) wont be too bad as long as you always do the same one. When you pump for the bedtime bottle, try to pump the other side as well for the 2nd one. YOur boobs will hurt a bit a 1st but they quickly adjust to the timings. Also silly question but do you go to bed when she does? I think for the 1st 6mths I pretty much went to bed at 7ish so that I could get as much sleep as I could.
It does get better!!! she will eventually do longer stretches at night!

ALso just to say moving to formula made no difference to the night spaces (she still sometimes wakes for one now!!) but it did go to 4hrly in the day but I think that was her age not the formula.

Totally agree with these 2 things. A pacifier could help at some points in the day if your lo is just wanting to comfort suck, and not actually hungry.

And at 3 months, its completely fine to pump a bottle for a night time feed, and your DH could do one feed at the same time every night. We did this. It'll take a few days for your body to adjust to not needing to make that one feed, so you'll be a little engorged at first but it'll go away quickly.

Also, 2-3 hours between feeds is still completely normal spacing for a breast fed baby. It is exhausting, but that's not abnormal for a 3 month old.

 

[kwills55]

I have tried a dummy since 3 weeks cos she seemed to comfort suck a lot back then. She used to take it brilliantly, would love it and take it happily when she just wanted it for comfort, but would spit it out and get cross when she was actually hungry, so I always knew where I stood!!
The last 4-5 weeks though she has started refusing the dummy all the time and gets really cross when you offer it to her.
I have been going to bed about 8-9pm as she has her bottle around then and I pump and then go to bed but maybe I will start leaving the pumping and go to bed after the feed before and leave her with OH and the bottle to get a couple more hours in.

Thanks for your replies. It scares the crap out of me that it's 'normal' and she might keep feeding 2 hourly til she's 6 months as I don't know how I would cope!! But at least skipping a pumping session won't hurt so I can get to bed earlier. Thank you. Xxx

 

[Noodlebear]

I know it's exhausting but this is still pretty normal at such a young age, it sucks but is just one of those things we sign up for I guess. I agree with PP saying you should see if your hubby can help a little more.