5mnths old and still waking every 2hrs!

[FranMaree]

This is my first post on Bubhub and I guess I'm just looking for some support/advice. My DS is 5 months old, is breastfed and a healthy 8kg. He has woken and fed every two hours at night from the very beginning and continues to do so. I can count on the fingers of my two hands the number of times he has gone a four hour stretch and still have some fingers left over.:no:
After 5 months of this, sleep deprivation has become a way of life. And as I have two other children (DD1 3 and a half and DD2 nearly 2) my days are busy and there is no opportunity to rest. Not surprisingly considering his nighttime routine I also think DS is sleep deprived as he is only settled for short period of time during the day and is quite clingy and demanding.
I have tried a few different things to see if I can change his pattern but with little success. The paed seemed to think that some babies are just programmed this way. But surely this is on the extreme end of normal for a 5 month old. If it wasn't trust me there would be a decline in the population growth.
My first DD came home from hospital and slept 6 and 7 hour straight at night from the beginning (maybe this payback for having it so good first time round)
I guess I'm just wondering if there is anyone else out there who has been through this or is going through something similiar. Any of your own experiences would be appreciated.

[~BEXTER~]

Is you son eating solids yet?
Maybe something to eat before bed might keep him going longer?
Does he have a dummy?
Maybe when he wakes offer water?
There aren't to many babies I know that will wake for water?
OR maybe try not feeding him when he wakes and see if you can just comfort him to sleep that way he isn't wanting a feed all the time?


I formula feed so not sure if any of these will work, sorry.

I am sure the other girls will give you better advice and welcome to the Hub! :wave:

[millie08]

Sorry no advise here... i have the exact same problem but DS is 7mths. Have tried lots of different things but nothing has worked. I co sleep and that does help abit atleast im not having to get out of bed and i just tell myself wow that 2 hour sleep felt like forever :laughing:

[Areca]

My DD2 did it until she was 11 months old. DS is nearly 8 months old and does it some nights (not every night like DD2 but regularly enough).

I have three kids...I found that DD2 and DS both had/have adequate sleep. I helped myself to feel rested by having early nights and co-sleeping from the first wake up.

I don't think there is anything abnormal happening and it will stop so look at ways you can catch up on sleep to help yourself.

[Laksa]

I don't have any advice except to say that its quite normal for kids to be waking a lot even at 2 years old. My 19mo wakes up heaps, as did his older brother (who is now 3 and usually sleeps fine)

[FranMaree]

Thanks for your replies so far. I have tried a lot of the things suggested but may go back and try a few different things again. So thanks for the reminders. I know deep down that I'm probably in for the long haul and may just have to wait until DS is ready to change his pattern himself. And although I know he probably falls within the normal range I can't help but want to change things. I'm doing everything I can to maximise the amount of sleep I get. But I'm up against it at night with a nearly two year old as well who is waking up to three times while getting her molars! My DDs are also early risers. (anytime from 5am). To think I once took sleep for granted.:sleeping:

[Lilahh]

Hi. :hugs:

My DS breastfed 2-hourly till about 6 months, which was when he was fully on heaps of solids. He was born big and stayed big and seemed programmed to feed that often. We tried a number of gentle methods with no success. Then it dropped to 3-4hrly around 6 months. We saw real improvement around 10.5months when we finalyl moved him to his own room. He dropped down to 1-2 feeds (sleeping 5-6 hour blocks, maybe up to 8 hours) around 10.5 months. He picked up back to 3 feeds when sick a few weeks ago but is now back to 2x feeds per night at 12.5 months.

Im really hoping the end is in sight. I know of a few babies, not very many, but breastfed who fed 2-hourly till 6 months. I know its not common but it definitely isn't rare.

Introducing meat into his diet made a big difference, as did moving him to his own room.

HTH... it gets better. :hugs:

[Izy]

I've been finding success at night with wrapping at the moment, probably cause it keeps him warm and toastie.

I have also found that for my son daytime sleeps are a necessity if I want to go more than 2 hours between feeds. He really didn't want to though, so for a few days I've used the hug-a-bub (baby carrier) so that he sleeps on my while I keep on doing things. In fact last week he had a sleep while I was weeding the garden :rolleyes:

[FranMaree]

Thanks Lilahh for your post. I just love hearing a "light at the end of the tunnel story". I probably sound a bit whingey about the sleep deprivation side of things at the moment. Possibly because I've had a touch of flu the last week or so and it has made it physically tough. I think in general I've been coping quite well with it. It is amazing what you get used to.
It is really reassuring hearing that my DS's sleeping/feeding pattern can be considered normal. Some of the people Ive mentioned it to (including my CHN) have all reacted with surprise/horror that I am still getting up and feeding him so frequently. And of course I've got lots of well meaning advice on how to fix my "bad" sleeper.

I think I've been guilty of wanting to fix the "situation". Which I guess is partly personality. But if I really listen to my motherly instincts they are telling me there is nothing to be fixed. That I have a beautiful, healthy baby, who like a lot of babies of all ages wakes and feeds at night. Yes, its inconvenient, Yes, its tiring, but hey a lot of motherhood is.

Soon we'll be on to the next stage (thinking positive) and I'll be missing the soft, sleepy warmth of my little nightime baby happily feeding away. Probably won't stop me trying a few different strategies in the meantime. But certainly don't want to wake up in 9 mnths time and realise that I was so busy focusing on trying to fix his sleeping that I forgot to enjoy and embrace the beauty of his shortlived babyhood.

[harleyq]

I am a huge fan of breastfeeding, don't get me wrong, but l do think feeding 2 hourly at night is a little unusual. Both my sons have been 2 hourly feeders (during the day) but then going considerably longer at night.
I am having trouble with my younger boy (9 months) at the moment with his sleeping as well so l am definitely not the expert... Luca has had a cold pretty much since Easter , just as he gets over it he cops another one, so his sleeps have been all over the place (we had one month of sleeping through and then it went to sh!t).

Things that have worked in the past -
Leave him for 10 minutes before getting up (this is all we need to do for our 1st son and he started sleeping through, has not worked with our 2nd)

Cluster feeding at night - this helped with my first son also, helped a little with Luca but not a heap

Potentially introducing solids (not meat at 5 months), but perhaps just farex

If your little one will take a bottle you could try expressing for that last feed to perhaps get more into him (my little one was so exhausted at night he was falling asleep on the boob at one stage).

Right now l am going to focus on trying to get him beyong cat napping during the day, hopefully that will help with the night waking. If you have any tips that you have tried that you think might work very happy to hear them... I now understand that every child is different, strategies that work with one may not work with another.

[Lilahh]

But certainly don't want to wake up in 9 mnths time and realise that I was so busy focusing on trying to fix his sleeping that I forgot to enjoy and embrace the beauty of his shortlived babyhood.


I couldnt agree more!! :yes:

You are doing a great job. :yes:


I really don;'t think its abnormal. Uncommon maybe but not abnormal.

[mumma sienna]

for me personally... i would say possibly get a sleep expert in. my DD only slept and hour or so at a time from when she was born up until she was 2.5yrs old. she is now 3.5yrs old and still wakes up to 6 times a night. people kept telling me that it is normal for a breast fed baby, but i wish i had of got someone to help me with the issue back when she was about 6-9mths old as i was also working from when she was 1 mth old, so didn't get to nap when she did!. once they can get out of bed it is a whole other ball game!

don't mean to sound negative, but the lack of sleep made her a very different child and me as a mother very different. i dodn't necessarily get to enjoy being a mother to a baby, like i see so many others doing! every child is different though, and if you think that it is ok, then keep doing what you are doing!

good luck, sleep deprivation is very very difficult to deal with.

[ontheway]

for me personally... i would say possibly get a sleep expert in. my DD only slept and hour or so at a time from when she was born up until she was 2.5yrs old. she is now 3.5yrs old and still wakes up to 6 times a night. people kept telling me that it is normal for a breast fed baby, but i wish i had of got someone to help me with the issue back when she was about 6-9mths old as i was also working from when she was 1 mth old, so didn't get to nap when she did!. once they can get out of bed it is a whole other ball game!

don't mean to sound negative, but the lack of sleep made her a very different child and me as a mother very different. i dodn't necessarily get to enjoy being a mother to a baby, like i see so many others doing! every child is different though, and if you think that it is ok, then keep doing what you are doing!

good luck, sleep deprivation is very very difficult to deal with.
:iagree:
I'll talk to your GP about a referle to a sleep school

[bumMum]

2 hourly feeding is so painful! :yes: you sound like you have your hands full. just want to say my son was much the same and he did settle into his own routine later on. but he seemed to need a lot of feeding for the first say 10 months.. he was just starving all the time!!! drove me nuts.
I can recommend cluster feeding before bed if someone has not suggested it yet. it often meant I got a 4 hour stretch at bedtime. I'd sit up and keep feeding him as often as I and he could until about 10pm and he'd sleep right through till 2. was fantastic!

[FranMaree]

Just wanted to say your support is appreciated. Mamma Sienna, my heart goes out ot you. What a long road you have travelled with your daughter and her sleeping. It must have been really disheartening and difficult for both of you. I hope things are much easier now.

I haven't tried cluster feeding so that may be a useful strategy. Certainly can't hurt to give it a go. Don't really know much about Sleep Schools. I kind of assumed they were for older bubs? What approaches do they take? I'm sure there is probably some information in this section somewhere.

[Lilahh]

Every sleep school I know of employ some method of CCing.

Honestly, I don't think this type of behaviour can be changed without something fairly drastic such as CCing. And you have said that they are only little for so long and it will take a lot of tears/energy to get through a CCing attempt.


I think it might be worthwhile trying to hang out till 9-12 months. If you see no difference then, then try sleep schools. But I think *most* babies see an improvement by then. Maybe not 12 hours sleep straight, but a def improvement. If its still 2 hourly at 9-12 months, THEN I think it's probably edging towards not normal and very very uncommon and may need sleep experts.

JMO. :o

[mumma sienna]

Mamma Sienna, my heart goes out ot you. What a long road you have travelled with your daughter and her sleeping. It must have been really disheartening and difficult for both of you. I hope things are much easier now.

Thanks FranMaree, yes it has been a long and tiring road, which we are still travelling at times, however now that she is older, she understands why she needs sleep and is starting to be able to put herself back to sleep when she wakes.

in terms of getting professional help, there are people who come to your house and show you some different techniques also. my friend used one about 4 mths ago and her little boy is a completely different child now that he is sleeping well (and he is breastfed, getting 9-12hrs straight at night).

Some do use CCing, but they also use different patting techniques etc too. have you seen a lactation consultant? could it be that your supply is not enough?

[FranMaree]

Mmmm, Ok, I don't think Sleep School would be an option for us at this stage. I personally don't think I'd be comfortable with controlled crying while DS is so young I'd wait until we were much, much further down the track without progress before I'd consider it. However I do know these schools can and have been a saviour for many families.

I think I'll wait and give him the opportunity to make some progress on his own while trying some of the gentler strategies mentioned in the meantime. I'd hate to think I put him and me through heaps of stress, when he may only be a month or so off going four hour stretches on his own. The rate he is going he'll probably won't sleep through 8hrs ect until he hits primary school! So we won't aim too high!
I know there will people out there who are thinking "Darl,if you want to get some sleep you're going to have to get tough" and there may come a time when I feel its appropriate. I just know it is too soon now. I'm his whole world at the moment and I want that world to feel safe and secure.
I'm very sentimental about my two DD's first twelve months and it feels good to look back and know that my mothering was both patient and accepting of their developmental stages during that time. I want to be able to do the same for my son.

Lilahh I really sense that you've been where I am, I really appreciate hearing your experience with your DS it has given me the confidence that improvement will come.

mumma sienna thanks for mentioning milk supply. It has ocurred to me that this might be part of the problem. Thinking that maybe the frequent feeding at night is his way of making sure he is getting all the milk he needs. The advice I've been given is that beacause his weight gains have been good and he is a big boy it probably isn't the case. But I think I might pursue this. I certainly don't get much rest and often don't drink all the water I know I probably should.
Ladies you have all been fantastic. Thanks for making my first time on bubhub such a positive experience.

[mumma sienna]

I certainly don't get much rest and often don't drink all the water I know I probably should.

Franmaree - drinking lots of water is key!!!!!! evry time you sit down to feed him, grab a glass of water to sip on... this way by the end of the day, you have had plenty of water!!!

good luck with it!!! you sound like a wonderful mother!

[harleyq]

Franmaree, l just thought l'd mention that my little one has started sleeping a bit better in the last few days...

* this may sound silly, but is he warm enough - mine wasn't, he wasn't cold (l had checked that), but l just think he just wasn't toasty enough to make it to another sleep cycle without waking.

* where is he sleeping? my little man was still in our room as we'd decided until he was healthy (remember he has had a cold/ear infection/ cough since Easter) and sleeping better we weren't going to transfer in his room which he'd be sharing with his brother... the latest chance we have made is move him to another room, well the first night he woke up twice (big improvement); and last night just once... its still early days, but its a huge improvement.

Best of luck hun, l know what you mean about sleep schools, whilst l am okay with doing a bit of cc when the kids are a bit older, 5 months is still quite young; I put Luca down for sleep school only 4 days ago... and l am hoping with the recent two nights sleep that l might be able to cancel our place.