My almost five-month-old was sleeping pretty well for the past 6 weeks. She used to do a seven hour stretch followed by two 3-hour stretches. But for the past two weeks, she is back to waking up every 2 or 3 hours and she cries until I nurse her. I have tried letting her cry it out but she will scream until I come nurse her, even if it has been over an hour of crying. She is small for her age- only 11 lbs - so I feel like I should feed her, but I don't want to encourage her to wake every couple hours when she was sleeping so well a month ago. Any advice???? I am exhausted, and my older two daughters never regressed like this once they began sleeping in long stretches!
Hey C., I know it is hard, I have 3 children too, but I double agree with Dori below. She said it so perfectly.
Good luck & keep us posted we are here for you!!
Breastfed babies need to be fed on-demand 24/7 for the first year of life. She is most likely hitting a growth spurt and she's hungry. You are not encouraging her to wake every couple of hours by meeting her needs. You are growing a secure and confident and comforted child. And look at the amount she is growing this first year! Wow! I'd be starving too. Someone on here recently said it perfect-we would never tell an adult they aren't hungry and were not allowed to eat, we wouldn't deny a dog food if they acted hungry yet we try to dictate to a tiny infant that is growing like crazy when they are and aren't hungry. Kind of crazy when you think about it huh?
Every child is different so you can't compare her to your first. This is what babies do. You know this if you've had 2 before. They aren't static for sure. And this is part of parenting-helping this grow, learn and be comforted and secure during this time of huge change and learning as they adjust to this great big, new world.
And at 5 months she is far, far too young to be left to cry for an hour. Even if you choose to use the Ferber method for sleep training (and I cringe even typing that) you need to use the method properly. Your better off checking out Dr. Sears Baby Sleep book and The Baby Whisperer.
Hugs Mama, from someone in the same boat.
I was so hopeful this time would be easier, as my 3 year old was a HORRIBLE sleeper up until very recently. I thought, God wouldn't do this to me twice, right? Well...think again! I can't help wondering if it's something I'm doing, but for right now, it's just easier to bring him in bed and sleep nurse him. I start him off in his room, but then bring him in bed with me once I go to sleep. Have you tried that? You really will feel better.
My 5 month old is 17 lbs, but my first was much smaller. I really think they were both alert boys, and just found it easier to nurse at night- when the world was quiet and there were less distractions. That being said, I am totally sleep deprived and feeling very short-fused and exhausted. Can Dad help at all? Feed a bottle of breastmilk every few times to give you a rest? I do agree that letting your little one cry for an hour does not seem like a very good idea, though I understand the temptation. For now, try to get some help from Dad at night, and hope that things will shift back for the better soon. Be patient with your baby- she's just trying to tell you that she loves you and needs you and wants to eat at night because she wants to grow. Hang in there with her. I always got so frustrated when people said this time went so quickly in the end, because it seemed to take FOREVER, but, alas, they were right. Hold her close, feed her, and try bringing her to bed with you so you can both get some better sleep...
Hugs to you,
T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com
I went through the same thing a few months ago and finally realized she was hungry. My daughter is also pretty small and now when she wakes up I just feed her. It might be a growth spurt, teething or both. I was noticing she wasn't pooping very often, maybe every few days, so that convinced me she just wasn't getting enough to eat during the day. I am nursing her, and I don't think my supply is what it was before. She is 10 months now, and she will sleep through the night if I can get her to eat a good dinner, and when she doesn't she'll wake up. She's not a good eater so I'm still up most nights at least once. My older two weren't like this either, but they're all different. I know it's hard when you're tired and have so little patience with all the kids, but I keep telling myself this will pass.
I would take her to the doc to rule out ear infection or something like that
I have also had many kids that get messed up sleep right before a new milestone - so if she isn't sitting up or rolling yet, I bet that happens in the next few days.
One last thing it might be - if you started her on foods and you introduced an allergic food right before the messed up sleep her reaction might only manifest as messed up sleep. So think if you had a new food introduced right before this happened.
YES SHE IS TEETHING! nursing is a natural pain reliever, once the teeth pop through youll see her sleep gets better!!!
Updated
YES SHE IS TEETHING! nursing is a natural pain reliever, once the teeth pop through youll see her sleep gets better!!!
I would double-check with your doctor, but she may be requiring more than just nursing, like maybe a little cereal in her night-time feeding. I have had that happen, usually not until about 6 months, but it could happen now. Feeding a little cereal will make her belly a little fuller. You can mix it with your breastmilk in a bottle, or you can mix it and feed her with a spoon.
God Bless
I would not let her cry 11 lbs is pretty small for 5 months old plus cry it out really shouldn't be started until at least 6 months. She could be having a growth spurt or she could be teething or approaching a milestone.
She is probably hungry. She could also be teething and getting ready to reach a milestone in development. I remember sitting with my son for several nights until his tooth popped out. She will go back to her sleeping routine once that tooth pops out. I also found that with my son, which I nursed, that if we gave him a bottle of formula it really helped him sleep much better at night. I started first with just a few onces of formula mixed with breast milk and then half and half, until he was drinking a full bottle of formula. I did that until I stopped nursing. I pumped and kept the milk for whenever I needed it. Came in handy for when he started on cereal. I froze it into smaller batches. Good luck and hang in there!
Right now I am watching the DVD "The Sleepeasy Solution" and it's been very helpful. They also have it in book format. You might want to check it out at the library.
Possibly a growth spurt? I would not let her cry. She is still young.
To me it is easier to feed her and put her back to bed than trying to get
her quiet. She is probably hungry. Good luck.
Growth spurt or teething?
If she has sleep habits, that's great! Mine tended to sleep through the night at 15 months, but up every hour or two to nurse before that. I didn't bother aiming higher than the 15 months mark by #4.
Note it could be teething, though, if you are lucky enough to have a baby who established some habits at 5 months.
