Tips on Spacing Out BFs/Getting LO to Sleep Longer...PLEASE!? *****UPDATED*****

[Jemima]

Hi girls,

I need your help with something.

Poppy is a month old today and I have been feeding her on demand since she was born. However, I am absolutely shattered now from the lack of sleep!

She never sleeps/goes without feeding for more than 2 hours at a time, which is leaving me feeling like a zombie. I can get her off to sleep at around 10.30pm and then she is up every two hours through the night to feed.

I keep reading about you other BF mummies whose babies are sleeping between 4 and 6 hours and I am turning green with envy.

What is your secret? What am I doing wrong? Any hints or tips you can offer me?

I have tried her with a dummy but she's just not interested.

Don't know if it's related to her lack of sleep but she does a lot of grunting and thrashing about when I lay her down to sleep. The grunts almost always build up to crying.

Thanks in advance ladies.

x

 

[marley2580]

Hun, Kaya never went any longer than 2 hours between feeds until she was 5/6 months old. I got loads of sleep simply by taking her to bed with me, once you get the hang of feeding while sleeping it's great!

 

[Alexas Mommy]

I took the easy way out lol, I kicked OH out of bed and put her to sleep with me so I could get some sleep, and just pop a boob in her mouth whenever she got hungry. This helped a lot with my sleep... OH is still sleeping on the couch, but he really doesn't mind LOL poor guy! But tbh thats what I needed to do because until Alexa was about 3 months, she was just always eating!

 

[bluebell]

Jay was like this a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like all he ever wanted to do was feed and he still feeds between every 3 and 6 hours at night (there's no pattern to it).

The only thing I have been doing differently since he started to sleep a bit longer during the night is getting him to sleep more in the day...this has meant my boobs seem to have longer to produce more milk so when he does feed he fills up loads and it keeps him going longer

That being said, it's probably more luck than anything as my HV has told me you have to feed on demand however often that may be

The grunting / thrashing about might be wind Jay does this too some nights, you can here him writhing around until he wakes himself back up again, it's horrible to hear

Hope you get some more sleep soon

xx

 

[Samantha675]

Bren is 5 1/2 months and the longest he sleeps is 3 hours. It just takes time hun, I know it is frustrating, but like the others said, just take her to bed with you. When she wants to nurse, you can just say laying down, and both drift off back to sleep. That is what I did with Bren till the horrible Reflux monster came.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Is she still windy?? Hebe grunts and thrashes if I havent got every bit of wind up. I use gripe water with every feed and I think that helps her to settle....

x

 

[Foxxy]

My little man is 5 weeks old and max how long it took between feeds 3 hours during the night. Before birth I couldn't even think about sleeping together with my baby. But after I understood that I die quicker than get enough rest I put him in my bed and yeah! it helped. Although my OH is not happy with this, I don't care (joke) - I couldn't do anything with this as I need rest. Yes, may be I didn't get 100% of rest, but anyway it's better than before. So try this too! So it could help you as well as other girls said.
Hugs!

 

[sglascoe]

kaitlyn was also feeding 2-3 hours even now, i just find it easier to have her in my bed, i go topless and she finds it when she want, it does not wake me up as much and she drifts back to sleep quickly.

good luck hun, you doin a good job..

 

[Jemima]

Well, I did what some of you suggested and kicked DH out of bed last night and brought Poppy in with me! He wasn't too fussed TBH, he was probably secretly relieved to get some respite from the disturbances!

We went to bed at 10pm, she cried until about 11.30pm and then she fell asleep. I vaguely remember her feeding a couple of times, then I woke up and looked at the clock and it was 4am...what a result!

I changed her nappy, fed her again, winded her and she went back to sleep, again feeding occasionally, and we woke up at 9.30!!

I feel soooo refreshed. Like a new woman. Not sure if I will be doing this every night but once or twice a week maybe. At least it will help me to catch up with the zzzzz!

Thanks for your advice ladies.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Great stuff Jemima!! It makes a huge difference doesnt it!!! Hebe was in with us at then for the last 5 nights she's stayed in her basket as she's slept thru. x

 

[Lucy&Pard]

Thats what I am going to do tonight! I need some sleep desperatly!

 

[Jemima]

Thats what I am going to do tonight! I need some sleep desperatly!

You'll have to let us know tomorrow how it went!

I have started putting Poppy in our bed when my hubby gets up for work around 4.45am. So far, it hasn't affected her ability to sleep in her crib or her moses basket. I was worried that it might.

 

[ryder]

I sometimes bring Jas in bed with us so she can sleep on my chest if she is gassy... It helps alot and she is still able to sleep in her crib just fine. She is pretty easy going, other then the odd gas episode.

 

[aj2000]

Can you get Poppy to take more milk during the day? My LO feeds every 3 hours during the day but then more often in the evening. So eg last night he had 6pm, 8pm then 10pm then woke at 530am. Sometimes I use a dummy to make him last or give him a snack inbetween (like 5-10 mins boob or 60ml bottle). Also, do you think your LO is using your boob to help her get back to sleep? If so, maybe you could try other ways like shush/patting (in the Tracy Hogg Baby Whisperer book).

Hope this helps hun