Breat feeding n sleep probs?

Question

I am breast feeding my daughter and she is nearly 4 months old........the longest she will go through the night is 5 hours, i have tried many different methods, routine is bath, feed, wind n cuddle, then i put her down wrapped in a kind of swaddle and she drops to sleep. She has a rolled blanket behind her and is on a comfy mattress. But she wakes up, i'm worried she may have seperation anxiety but think its too early to tell. I would like to know if all you breast feeding mums found a problem with sleeping through and how long did it last for?? Thank you

P.S. rough timetable of sleep 9 - 10 then up 10-11 sleep 11-12 awake 12 til 1 then sleep again 1-2 awake 2 - 5am sleep 5-9am i havent really slept in 4 months and wondering if things eased with mums of simiar probs

Hi guys thanks for the questions.if you read my typical timetable it is about 3 hours from 9pm to 5 am, at times on rare occaiaions she will go 5 hours, but this is at 9pm until 1pm. It is very difficult to sleep during day and when she does as i have a 2 and a half year old son who has started waking during the night 2 or 3 times, so between them i dont sleep!! All your advice has been so helpful!!! It has given me a reality check.......im not the only one and its not forever!! XX

Answer 1

You're doing great. I believe in you. The sleep deprivation is hard but it will get better. I still BF Reuben who is now 8 months. Upto 7months he didn't sleep more than 3 hours at a time. Then suddenly one night he slept 12 hours! Babies do like to be with mums but its good to gradually give them a chance to get used to being on their own as they learn that you'll always go back to them. Reuben mostly sleeps in his own cot but on a bad night i let him sleep in with us. Have courage my friend, you'll get there.

Answer 2

I think you are doing great mom! Up until my baby was 6 months old I thought I would never be the same person again because of sleep deprivation. Everyone told me not to worry, that things would get better. Well, here I am now with a 13 month old and getting 8 hours a night! And believe me I never thought the day would come. So dont be hard on yourself, this too shall pass. Then there will be another obstacle! Just make sure you have help from daddy so you can get a break, and if you are ever feeling stressed out do what I did: Look at that little bundle of joy and remember that the infant age is such a precious, short-lived one and absorb every bit of it!

Answer 3

I've been having a similar problem, tho perhaps not quite as bad as you. My breastfed 5 month old (who from 6 weeks slept straight through, 11 1/2 hours) has taken to waking in the night over the last 6 weeks, 3 or 4 times. I have discovered over the last few nights that with a little perseverence she will go back to sleep, as its comfort as much as feeding that she is after. It might be only for 30mins or an hour (2 hours if you're lucky, depending on why she is awake), but next time you feed her she is that much hungrier, and then sleeps a little longer next time. I have been trying this for 3 nights, and the first night I was up I don't know how many times, but only fed her 3 times, albeit at ungodly hours. Last night we're down to a late 'dream' feed at 12, and she didn't stir until 5.30 (how much sleep did I get! Hurrah!). Took me 5 mins to persuade her to go back to sleep for 1/2 hour, fed her at 6 and put her down again. She will hopefully sleep to 7.30 when I go in and wake her up.

I have found The No-Cry Sleep Solution, by Elizabeth Pantley quite helpful. There are no quick fixes, and no crying it out, but some sensible and breastfeeding friendly ideas.

Hope lo sleeps soon for you!

Answer 4

Sounds like you're doing pretty good. Five hours is great. It's very common for breastfed babies to wake more during the night. I feel it's a small price to pay for the optimum health. My daughter is 10 months and rarely sleeps that long at a stretch. She's usally up at least 3 times a night. My son was the same way. He didn't start sleeping through the night until he was almost 2. Hang in there, this phase won't last forever. Try to nap when she does, if you can.

Answer 5

WOW that sounds like a rough schedule, sorry for the sleep deprivation. Anyways, i'm currently bf'ing as well and co-sleeping, which really helps. Are you sure she's getting enough milk throughout the day? She could be catching up at night. My daughter is 4 months old now too and has been sleeping through the night. I normally nurse her to sleep in the side lying position. Try that and see how she does. But as far as the separation anxiety, I feel you on that one, I can't leave her without anyone else, she's constantly attached to me, I think it's what a perfect bond is, but it's tough when you have things to do. I probably dind't help you out but thought I'd share.

Answer 6

5 hours is not bad. Your baby girl will start to sleep all night soon. I am lucky, by daughter started sleeping about 6 hours a night when she was 6 weeks old. I was told by her doctor to wake her up to feed her. Even at 4 months, the doc did not want her to go longer than 4-6 hours without food. Good luck. Try to take a nap during the day.

Answer 7

According to the medical community "Sleeping through the night" is 5 hours.

If you think it is separation anxiety (which is normal as if you leave a baby alone the predators will eat them... 1000s of years of evolution.) you should consider co-sleeping! Seriously co-sleeping is the only way I get any sleep! I have a crib, with one side missing tied to the side of my bed frame AND tied to the mattress on my bed with a rolled blanket jammed between the far side of the crib mattress and the wall. The crib is slightly down from the headboard so the baby can't roll into my pillow.

Waking frequently is very important for babies, it ensures they get adequate nutrition and protects them while they sleep (from things like SIDS) babies do not have the ability to wake from a deep sleep if they are hungry, cold, hot, or having trouble breathing so they have frequent periods or near wakefulness to check. Some babies have an easy time staying asleep, they have a higher threshold for hunger, temperature ranges, etc. Some babies like to top up their bellies or need reassurance that mommy is there.

Find what works for you and your baby and she will learn healthy sleep habits to last a lifetime, instead of fearing sleep.

Answer 8

hi, Ive breastfed my first and bottle fed my other two. there was no difference to night time sleeping, but i have ALWAYS let my children go to bed awake so when they do get up in the night they dont think "where am i?". they might have cried at first but after about ten mins ( no longer), if they were still crying i would go into them and top them up if they needed the milk. you will find if you start weaning they will sleep longer after a while and at four months five hours is not bad going. all my three slept through at 5/6 months.just remember its not forever and as long as you stick to routine you will always have happy content children, ( apart from when they are teething then it all goes to pot!!), GOOD LUCK AND HOPE IT HELPS

Answer 9

This is perfectly normal. Very few babies sleep throught the night. They're not designed that way!
Well done for breast feeding for so long.
Some mums give a bottle of formula for the last feed. Because it is harder to digest and so stays in the tummy for longer. But you'll get some zealots crying out at that statement. Do what's right for you. You could always discuss it with your Health Visitor.

Answer 10

5 hours is technically considered "sleeping through the night" by the professionals.

At 5 mos old, a 5 hour stretch of sleep is GREAT. I wouldn't expect a child that age to sleep ALL night. She is trying to double her birthweight by 6 mos and she still needs to eat around the clock. It can be normal for many breastfed babies to night wake for the entire first year.