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Did anyone else have this problem? My new son is my third and he is the easiest baby otherwise. He takes two good naps a day and I lay him down after feeding him around 9pm but he WILL NOT sleep all night. He wakes up several times and the only way he'll go back to sleep is if I nurse him. I am not getting enough sleep and neither is he...but I dont want to be a crutch for him...I'd like him to be able to get himself to sleep.
Depends on what you mean by "thru the night". Actually, for 8 months old NURSING (not formula-fed) babies, thru the night can mean 5 hours straight stretches.
On the other hand, he can be going thru growth spurts when babies are hungrier and more needy at night.
I would like to say that it's a "phase", but I can't promise. Some babies really love to nurse several times at night and of course, you can withhold it from him, but I would personally not recommend it.
Also - perhaps a filling snack right before he goes to sleep could be a good idea.
I agree. "Sleeping through the night" for infants can be defined as a 5 hour stretch. That said, it is still completely normal for nursing babies to night-wake. I say go with the flow and know that this is such a short time in your and your child's life, and remember that this too shall pass.
One thing that helped with my baby was to sleep with her. She slept better, and when she did wake to nurse, it did not wake me up. This too shall pass.
My son took a botle at night however he woke up as well, but I realized he was waking up for the comfort and not out of hunger, he outgrew this at 3!
Patience.
My oldest was like this... formula fed and we put an extra scoop of formula in each bottle to try to fill him up. On occasion, he slept 5 hours, but we were feeding him every 2-3 hours for the first 12 months, then the bottle went away, but he still woke hungry through the night for another 6 months. He just had a super fast metabolism. We even put him on cereal at 2 weeks to try to help him out (he wouldn't take cereal mixed in the bottle as the doc suggested, but he would eat from a spoon) but... well, as his ped said... some kids are just like that and it's usually the boys.
Remember that "this too shall pass". Someday you won't be exhausted anymore. *Promise*
He may be waking up and not knowing how to self sooth; nursing soothes him back to sleep. Try this technique:
1. Go in and rub his back, let him know you are there and walk out of the room.
2. Wait five minutes if he is still crying, go back in rub his back and leave
3. Wait ten minutes and repeat
4. Wait fifteen minutes if he is still crying then he really may be hungry.
I did this with my son and it took three nights, he slept through the night. He is now the greatest sleeper! I tell him bedtime, he goes right to sleep.
My daughter on the other hand is tough!! She was one of those blessed children who slept through the night the moment I brought her home from the hospital!! Now since she is older she plays the "I am hungry, I am thirsty"etc.
I hate to repeat what I've said elsewhere, but it's fitting here, too. The sleep you're losing right now is nothing compared to the sleep you'll lose when that same child is 17 and out with your car past midnight. That's when you'll wish you were sitting in your rocking chair, nursing him again - at any hour!
For the record, one of my 6 kids still doesn't sleep through the night. And he's 19 years old with a daughter who sleeps beautifully.
He may be waking up and not knowing how to self sooth; nursing soothes him back to sleep. Try this technique:
1. Go in and rub his back, let him know you are there and walk out of the room.
2. Wait five minutes if he is still crying, go back in rub his back and leave
3. Wait ten minutes and repeat
4. Wait fifteen minutes if he is still crying then he really may be hungry.
I did this with my son and it took three nights, he slept through the night. He is now the greatest sleeper! I tell him bedtime, he goes right to sleep.
My daughter on the other hand is tough!! She was one of those blessed children who slept through the night the moment I brought her home from the hospital!! Now since she is older she plays the "I am hungry, I am thirsty"etc.
So - is it basically "Cry it Out" approach that you are suggesting? Because the total time of the technique is 30 minutes and it's way too long for an 8 months old to cry IMO. It's too long for anyone to cry, imagine crying for 30 minutes while your husband occasionally walks in the room and rubs your back? I 'm not quite convinced that if the baby is still crying 30 minutes later, that means he REALLY is hungry. It can be very well that he is just so confused and upset that his needs are not met, that he can't stop. And if he really IS hungry, wouldn't it be much easier to just feed him right away instead off 30 minutes of suffering for him and the mother?
Last edited by max's mama; 05-31-2008 at 07:32 PM..
One thing that helped with my baby was to sleep with her. She slept better, and when she did wake to nurse, it did not wake me up. This too shall pass.
I second this. Let her sleep with you and when she wants to nurse you are already right there and don't really have to wake up.
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