I am breastfeeding my six month old son - by now should he not be waking at night to nurse?

Question

I was told that I should not be nursing him during the night when he wakes and that nutritionally he does not need to eat overnight. The person who told me this says that he is waking to nurse out of habit, not because he is hungry and that he is using the nursing to soothe himself back to sleep. He actually sucks his thumb and he uses his thumb to soothe himself to sleep...I always thought he was just hungry. Currently he is breastfed and I have just started him on cereal but he is just learning to eat it so I don't think he actually ingests the whole amount. He will be 6 months old in one week and usualy wakes twice to nurse overnight.

Answer 1

Every child is unique. At 6 months, it would not be surprising that he would wake to eat once or twice--he still has a little bitty belly! If its comfort nursing, he'll fall asleep very quickly & you can put him down. If its not, you're meeting his needs & he'll trust you more for it.

The fact that he does soothe himself with his thumb makes me think that its probably hunger--or even thirst. Don't you get thirsty in the middle of the night and get a glass of water? So do babies! Foremilk is very watery and designed for this purpose.

Remember, no matter what anyone (including anyone on this board) tells you, you must trust your instincts about your baby's needs. Even if you aren't an expert on babies--you're an expert on this one!

Answer 2

I know you'll get all kinds of answers, so I'll just tell you my experience. My 9 month old son still gets up at least once a night to have a bottle. He does wake up other times, but if it hasn't been at least 5 hours since he last ate, I don't feed him and look for another source for his crying. Usually he'll soothe himself back to sleep, but if it has been 5 or more hours since his last meal, I feed him. Some may tell me that he doesn't need to eat, but his doctor says that some babies just need the extra calories. My son isn't super chubby or anything either. He's 22 pounds and 29 inches, so he's just a fast grower and needs the food. I say do what you think is right. You're his mother and know him best. Since breastmilk is so easily digested, he probably does need to eat again, especially if he already soothes himself in other ways at other times. So do what you think is best for your baby. Don't let other people make you doubt your parenting. With pregnancy and babies, there's really no rules set in stone since every mother and every baby is different.

By the way, 'sleeping through the night' for babies is sleeping for 5 hours or more at a stretch. Baby's brains and slep patterns are different from adults, so their sleep needs are different.

Answer 3

Try putting him to bed earlier. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but a six-month old should really be getting 11-12 hours of sleep at night, PLUS two daytime naps. His bedtime should be somewhere between 6pm and 8pm depending on what time you want to get up in the morning. Getting overtired actually makes babies sleep LESS well, so watch him during the early evening to see when he is getting sleepy ( yawning, rubbing his eyes, less alert while playing, etc) and put him to bed right away. Make sure you have a good bedtime routine. In fact having a very strict daytime routine too for a few weeks might help. Try "The contented little baby book" by Gina Ford. Her methods are quite extreme but they do work if you stick to them. You will be in for a couple of weeks of hell while you adjust to the new routine, but then it will get better. The advice to avoid stimulants like caffeine if you are breastfeeding is good. I don't usually drink caffeinated drinks but on the rare occasions that I do, my breastfed baby turns into "hyperactive baby" and won't sleep. Keep the evenings low-key and soothing with quiet time rather than exciting playtime. Check his bedroom - is there something that wakes him and keeps him awake? Traffic noise outside, or an aircon or other building machinery that starts up at midnight and wakes him? Try a white noise machine to drown out external noises. Is he having a wet or dirty diaper which wakes him? Is he hungry? Try a late-night solids feed to top up his tummy before bed. Depending on his age some kind of cereal might be good. My LO needs a good dinner (and sometimes some extra supper before bed) to tide him over through the night.

Answer 4

don't listen to what people tell you my son s 8 months and mi son still wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat as well. It's also because I dont have that much milk to give him also but I noticed there are times when I feed him a lot of baby cereal before he sleeps and he doesn't get up in the middle of the night. keep feeding him baby cereal and he'll get used to it but the less he latches the lower your milk supply will be just so you know. But feed him cereal and then breast milk right after and then sleep. it's what I do sometimes I can't do it all the time because we go out and it's too late to feed him cereal and I don't want him to poop in the middle of the night and then get diaper rash.

Answer 5

it could be out of habit. I was told by my Dr that once they are 6 months old and as long as they weigh at least 12 lbs (no other problems) they should be able to sleep at least 8 hrs without eating. If he is waking up and really eating a lot I probably would continue to feed him since that sounds like he is hungry. If he isnt really eating that much then it could very well be out of habit.
Are you comfortable/or know with the Ferber method? helps them learn to go to sleep by themselvs and stay asleep. after your bedtime routine you lay them down before they get over tired, kiss them good night and walk out before they go to sleep. if he cries just let him cry. come back in 5 mins, attempt to comfort without picking up, walk out and this time wait 10 min, then 15 etc... do this when he wakes up at night too. ask your pediatrician about it but mine recomended it and it really worked wonders!
also, just something to think about-have you thought of using a pacifier instead of him sucking his thumb? If he gets in a habit of doing this (which is perfectly fine and even healthy) and doesn't just stop on his own you will have to break him of the habit at some time. breaking from the pacifier is usually easier than from the thumb. thumb suckers can sometimes have the habit well up past the time they get their permanent teeth. It becomes second nature to just stick your thumb in your mouth. my pediatrician and dentist both said its better to have a pacifier than the thumb although neither would discourage the thumb if the child doesnt like the pacy.
sorry this answer is so long! good luck to you!

Answer 6

Don't worry, children are all different. I've got three myself. Whoever told you that should be brainchecked. What really matters at this age is how much the child eats. If you really want him to sleep through the night, try this. If baby eats everything that your breasts produce, supplement his diet with a little bit of formula, so that on average he's eating roughly eight to nine ounces before going to sleep. this should be enough to last him through the night. Sleeping through the night isn't necessary developmental milestone until 10-12 months, however, so you shouldn't let your mind worry about it.

Answer 7

My son is 6months and he wakes several times a night and eats your son may be teething and getting ready for a tooth to come up, that messes with there sleeping pattern. my son use to sleep through the night until the last couple of months he wakes after a few hrs

Answer 8

could be but I would not stop feeding him if he is really hungry. If he is nursing and eating really well I would continue to nurse him. It also depends on what times he eats before going to bed and what time he is waking up. If he eats at 6 pm and wakes up at 4 am to eat then I'm sure he is really hungry.
If he really isn't eating much then it sounds like its habit. ask your pediatrician about the Dr. Ferber method. I used it on both my kids & it really works

Answer 9

I two had one child who woke at night to nurse well into the seventh month. But it was only once a night.

Twice... at what times? What time do you put him down at night?

If the "person" who told you he didn't need the nutrition was not a health professional as in your baby's doctor, ignore them.

Answer 10

I basically agree with the person who told you that. By 6 months old, the vast majority of babies are able to go 8-11 hours at night between feedings. And nutritionally he's probably getting enough calories during the daytime feedings to continue growing at a normal pace. One way to tell if it is a habit is to look at the clock. Is he waking at almost the exact same time every night? Its great that he's able to self soothe, that would be my recommendation for helping him break the nighttime feeding habit.