5 months old still waking up 2x to be fed

[benstiller12]

Just wondering if yours do to?

My LO falls asleep between 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm all depending on her naps throughout the day. Usually she gets Fed right before bed.

She wakes up after her first 6ish hour of stretch and eats. Then sometimes actually for most nights she wakes up around 4:20am 4:30 am and I try to let her self soothe but it’s not working since she loves to roll on her tummy now and look me straight into my soul through the camera that’s when she gets a second time fed. When I try to only soothe her with a pacifier it’s not working. She IS indeed hungry.

Just wondering how y’all babies are doing ? And if that might be the reason why my period has not returned yet. Due to the twice feeding at night ? Just wondering so many things when awake and nursing lol

 

[phoenixrisinggirl17]

@benstiller12 That sounds pretty accurate and fantastic for that age. My little one didn’t stop feeding through the night until almost 9 months old but before that it felt like he was eating all night lol, we were co-sleeping though so I think I just became his pacifier. True feeding we’re probably like bed/feed between 7p-7:30p, then 12a, 3am, 5:30am and up at 7am and wanting milk again. Sounds like your little is already in the crib but my little guy didn’t start sleeping through the night until I switched him over into his crib and he’s also been eating solids for breakfast and dinner since about 7 months old so idk maybe that keeps him fuller.

 

[benstiller12]

@phoenixrisinggirl17 Oh last night was for sleeping action. She fell asleep at 6:30pm. Woke up for a feed at midnight. But then woke up again at 1 am I knew she wasn’t hungry. So I gave her the pacifier & she calmed down and I put her back I to crib (I’m tired and exhausted) and 30 min later she woke herself up again. Because she rolls on her tummy and lost her pacifier …. So I did it another time and then I was like NOPE, before I drop you. Let’s co sleep. So she woke up another two times I fed her (as you said I became her pacifier lol; she was drinking / eating though) and now 6 am we are having happy diaper change and starting the day

 

[mardisaaron]

@benstiller12 Woke up every two hours until we weaned after 2yo

 

[lauris]

@mardisaaron This genuinely terrifies me

 

[scriptureprevails]

@benstiller12 That sounds pretty good to me. My almost 8 month old still wakes up about every 3 hours to feed.

 

[katrina2017]

@benstiller12 That’s developmentally normal.

 

[awosanyailesanmi]

@benstiller12 Soon to be 11 month old wakes every 2-3 hours to eat (probably comfort nurse more often).

But something I’ve read says night wakings are totally normal up to 18+ months, and that society normalizing a full night sleep is hurting parents. Making us think we’re doing something wrong.

 

[hyperintake]

@benstiller12 This is very normal. The most important thing for you to do is work out a system to meet this need while also meeting your own needs.

Personally, I co-sleep my toddler. He still wakes during the night to nurse but I don’t find it so disturbing because we are already together. It works for us, you’ll need to find what works for you.

 

[algie]

@benstiller12 Mine is 6 months old and typically wakes 1-2 times/night! She will sleep from 730-630 a few times/week but nothing consistent.

 

[tomr]

@benstiller12 That's developmentally quite normal. My first woke every 1.5 hours, we went to sleep school at 5 months to train him down to two wake ups a night and that was considered a huge success! I trained again to get him down to one wake up at 11 months. I think he was sleeping through by 15 months.

I'm sorry though, I know how torturous it is to not get a full night's sleep for such a long time. Some people are just lucky - I have a few friends whose babies slept through by a couple months of age. I'm jealous!

 

[benstiller12]

@tomr How did you the the wake up for once a night ? So I can around the same age try that ! For now it doesn’t bother me. But I guess I’d be happy if there’s one wake up down the road lol

 

[tomr]

@benstiller12 It's been a long time but from memory he'd gotten used to having a feed if he woke up so I needed to withdraw that to remove the incentive and shift the timing of his hunger. So for the middle of the night wake up he got a feed. But then if he woke up again too quickly after that, no feed provided. Encouraging him to save the appetite for first thing in the morning.

It essentially involved waiting a few minutes longer when he cried before tending to him. I'd bring in a chair to sit beside the cot. If he was standing, I'd lay him back into sleep position and pat or verbally reassure him until calm and settled. Mine slept on his front and loved firm patting on his bottom. Then I'd leave the room. If the crying returned I'd do it all over again, and repeat until eventually he was so tired he just conked out. I think it can take three nights for them to learn. It's a tiring process and you need to be prepared and able to manage being underslept yourself during the day if extra help is at all possible!

Another component is that, at other times (from like 4-5 months onward) you can practice putting baby down when sleepy but not fully asleep. So they learn to fall asleep without being held or rocked/bounced, fed etc. Because if they always have those methods, then they won't learn how to fall back asleep independently if they wake up in the night.

It's unpleasant but it was well worth it for us. My LO had reflux so he was a round the clock snacker. This training helped a lot to space his feeds and because he was having longer unbroken sleep at night, he slept better in the day too (at sleep school they always said 'sleep begets sleep'). It took me a LOT of reading and mental preparation to be willing to do this type of thing because I'm vehemently against traditional sleep training methods. But when I finally tried it I realised I could do it my way and never let him cry more than I was comfortable with, offering lots of love and connection without giving up on the goal.

I hope things get better for you. Sleep deprivation is rough!!!

 

[dori777]

@benstiller12 Omg when mine were that age they were waking every 1.5 to 2 hours. I ended up sleep training and night weaning cause I couldn’t keep doing it. They were 6 months and the other was 9 months

 

[jo38hn]

@dori777 I’m in the same boat as you were did you notice a dip in your supply after you night weaned?

 

[dori777]

@jo38hn No not really.

 

[benstiller12]

@dori777 What do you mean with night weaning ? What did you do then ?

 

[dori777]

@benstiller12 I eliminated a nursing session a night. I knew they weren’t actually hungry. It was more out of habit at that point.

 

[benstiller12]

@dori777 Makes sense

 

[cerebrus1986]

@benstiller12 Gurl my son woke up 1-2 time to breastfeed until 12mo); ultimately until I ween him