My 11 week old wants to nurse all night, every hour, and won't take a pacifier. How can I break her of this?

Question

She co-sleeps right now and I am trying to wean her into her crib, but how can I if she wants to nurse all night? She won't take her pacifier, she just cries until I let her nurse. She doesn't even eat, she just sucks for a couple minutes and the passes out.

Answer 1

I had the exact same problem and since (DESPITE what many people may tell you) letting a baby under the age of 6 months cry it out is not advisable......ask any pediatrician who isn't older than 60, I found that expressing my milk and bottle feeding it to them before bed really helped. The problem is they are really hungry and they are really tired so when they realize the feeding has started they just relax and go back to sleep, thus remaining hungry so they are awake again and trying to nurse in under an hour. If you express a few bottles and make sure the baby is fully awake to eat , you know she gets the entire 4 + ounces and is satisfied. We found it made for much better sleeping. Letting her cry it out when she is hungry would just be wrong. She can't help that she is too little to make herself stay awake for the feeding. I was able to go from trying to nurse every hour at night to a bottle before bed , sleeping anywhere from 4-7 hours and another bottle then back to bed for 3 more hours. You'll see it makes a world of difference. Also she will get into a deeper sleep once she is out of your room and not being disturbed by every move/sound you and your husband make.

Answer 2

This is very normal. It really helps to be cosleeping right now and things could just become more difficult at this point if you wean her into a crib when she's waking up so much at night. My daughter did this as well and I think I would have lost my sanity if I had to get up and go to her bed every hour in the middle of the night---it was hard enough to begin with!

The best thing I can suggest is to nurse her as much as you can in the last few hours of the day, and to try and give her lots of stimulation later on in the day. If she is full, and tired, she's less likely to wake up so much during the night. As for the crib, I would try later when things have settled down a little bit. You can rest assured that she wont be in your bed when she's 12.

Answer 3

All 5 of mine did this.

Unfortunately I cannot tell you how to break her of this because I never did. Using me for comfort was an inconvenience some times (and certainly exhausting) but it made both of us feel better and knowing your baby can count on YOU and YOU make them feel more secure is a wonderful thing.

I co-slept too and that actually made rolling over to nurse when baby woke very quick, easy and less stressful on the entire house. Baby would never fully wake, would nurse for just a minute or two and go right back to sleep. This also meant that I never really had to wake either :)

I also do not personally agree with pacifiers unless your baby has an overactive suck reflex but that's not a judgement that's based on watching years of people use it to 'shut their baby up' or to avoid actually being there for their baby themselves, like picking her up when she cries and wants to feel comforted and secure.

Anyway, I know I am no help to you but I just wanted to let you know that it has happened to others and it's not all bad :) and YES, sure there are times I wished I had my baby in his crib instead of my bed and nights I wished I could sleep through but they grow up so fast and when you finish nursing, when they are weaned you may miss it.

Answer 4

She is not crying because she is hungry she is crying because she wants to suck on something, being that sucking is a comfort to babies. Try buying different brands of pacifiers. You have to teach newborns to take a pacifier. Here is how I taught my daughter. When she would cry I would hold the pacifier to her mouth and move it back and forth to where she is aware that it is in her mouth. Hold it there for a few minutes after she has latched on to it because new borns have a hard time at first holding on to the pacifier. If this works and you continue this for about a week or until she learns what a pacifier is.

Answer 5

Thats sad. My 4 week old son was sleeping in his crib the night that we got back from the hospital. Now he sleeps all the way through the night. My wife feeds the baby every 2 hours during waking hours, and he goes from about mightnight to 6AM without eating. You just have to hold out for at least a couple of hours between feedings. Otherwise nothing will ever change.

Answer 6

My four month old went through this phase too, I tried a few different kinds of pacifiers, she seems to like the ones they give you at the hospital. They sell some like it at Target. Try not to give in and nurse, I know it is easier and you can get back to sleep but she will grow out of this! I would also have my husband try and soothe her since he doesn't smell like food to her! He sometimes could get her to sleep better than I could if she wasn't hungry. Nursing is hard at first but it is the best thing for your baby, you made the right decision! Also, my 2 year old used a pacifier too and gave it up on her own when she was 1. She only used it to sleep, not all mothers shove them in babies mouths to "shut them up." It is soothing and if it works, us it! Don't give up, like many phases this too shall pass.

Answer 7

What exactly is co-sleep??? Is that when she's in the bed with you?? IF so stop that now!! Place her a bassinette next to your bed so you can touch her, rub her back, etc and she knows you are there. Starting the bad habits now is going to make it even harder to break later. If the bassinette idea does not work place her in a seperate room in a crib and let her cry her self to sleep.
I weaned my son from nursing at 14 months and I would wake up with him in my bed (he climed out of his crib) and nursing.
I hate it when people are rude to me and I'm trying not to be mean or harsh, but I know from experience nursing and having a pacifier baby that loves to suck is difficult!!!!

Answer 8

my son was like that i ended up getting frustrated and pumped and tried a bottle but learned that the muscles inin jaw were not developed and when he nursed he could not suck hard enough to get enough milk i had to alter the bottle so that the fluid would flow out and all he would have to do is swallow he still to this day and he is 4 has a difficult time with sucking he is in occupational therepy to help strengenth the muscles i would not wait and take your baby to a dr and explain what is going on i waited till my son was a month and a hlaf and now i still live with the guilt that i was almost starving my son because i did not know he had a problem good luck

Answer 9

Don't be afraid to let her cry. She really isn't nursing most of the time as you know. Feed her regularly and thoroughly. Then put her down in her own space. My child never took the pacifier. It is not a requirement. You will have to hear some crying though. Read Dr. Sears or Dr. Weissbluth. You'll all be fine.

Answer 10

You need to integrate a bottle (start with someone else feeding her if she won't take it from you) and formula. She's hungry, but she is using YOU for a HUMAN pacifier. The bottle will help her accept the pacifier. I knew there was a reason I never nursed....ugh....poor you! (PS: son has NO allergies, is healthy and very big for his age, and I am petite!)