My youngest is 9 months old and I am still currently breastfeeding. With my first son breastfeeding started off bad and what ended up working best for our family was breatfeeding and supplimenting formula for one feeding a day. My husband would give the bottle which I think helped in two ways: 1) it gave me a break and 2) it helped my husband and my son bond. Now with my second son nursing started off great he was and is a nursing champ. However, we have not been able to get him to take a bottle. In the beginning he wanted to nurse ALL THE TIME and no I am not exagerating. He was a big comfort nurser. Currently he nurses about every three to four hours during the day and he is starting to eat some "solids". But he still wakes up several times a night and the ONLY thing which will get him back to sleep is nursing. Up to this point I have gone in and done just that if he doesn't go back to sleep within 10-30 minutes. I just can't see how he will ever learn to go to sleep without nursing. I don't believe in letting him cry it out. I know for some people this works but I just don't want to do it (at least at this point). I'm just at a loss of what to do to get at least a semi-good night sleep myself. It amazes me how well I can do during the day with such little sleep, but some days it is a serious struggle to keep up with my three year old and the baby.
I would try to fill him up more before bed...
Maybe introduce him to rice cereal and mashed bananas. Bananas have an ingredient that helps sleep.
Well that all sounds pretty typical for the age. As everyone said, growth spurt time. I had an all the time nurser too, it can be draining. As far as the bottles go, some babies just won't take them when mom is there so you may want to give up on that. Or your husband can give it in a cup, that may work if you really want to do that. Some babies are more amenable to that. But if you are there he just may refuse anything other than nursing.
As for the sleeping, firstly don't talk to your friends about your baby sstn. I think it can just lead to more stress. At that age it is totally normal for him to nurse several times overnight, he needs that nutrition. But you can try to fill him up a bit more before bed, that can work for some to get a bit more sleep. So make sure he is nursing plenty during the day and then in the evening hours add an extra feed in there as well. It is hard to deal with the sleep deprivation if you are having to go down the hall to the baby's room, we had her in the bed with us so she and I were on the same sleep/wake schedule and when she awoke to nurse, I was also in light sleep, nursed her half awake and all went back to sleep. MUCH less disruptive to sleep. So you might consider it.
A good book for getting them to sleep is The No Cry Sleep Solution by Eliz Pantley. You may want to check it out. It works for a lot of families. Good luck!
I slept with my daughter in my bed, nursing half asleep and both of us were able to sleep. About 18 months is when she stopped waking in the night needing to nurse. Breastmilk is so easily digested, they need to eat more of it than bulky hard to digest formula. It will not be like this forever - and when it's gone, you will miss it. Enjoy it while you can.
Dad can bond thru bath time, reading time, burping after nursing and diaper changes. Be happy you are doing so well that bottles are unnecessary ;)
It's so hard, isn't it? My first was the same way; we had a big struggle to get him to stop nursing so much at night. The first thing we did was instead of nursing him to sleep at bedtime, I would nurse before his bath. We would do everything in our routine the same, but instead of ending with nursing, my husband would rock and settle him down. He got used to not needing me to put him to sleep, and then in the middle of the night, if he didn't need to eat, my husband would go to him and soothe him. We did have some crying, but not too much, and he was a great sleeper after that! Well, until we got into nightmares..... but we got in a good year! :)
9 months is a growth-spurt time... and they get hungrier, more often and need more intake.
I breastfed both my kids. My daughter would NOT take a bottle. My son would. Each kid being different.
My son, well both my kids, but more so my son... he had a GINORMOUS appetite... and fed often. More often than your son. Even if he was on solids.
For the 1st year of life, breastmilk/Formula is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition... not solids and not other liquids. This is per our Pediatrician as well. And to feed on-demand. This is a building-block period in a baby...
all the best,
Susan
Yeah... that 9month growth spurt is a killer, isn't it?
It may seem like he'll be nursing for ever... but he won't. Promise.
My son was a *very* big eater (huge kid, fast grower), and I found with him that he just needs to eat before bed (or he wake up in the middle of the night "starvin'o'the'hunger". Still true at age 8. He has a mug of whole milk hot chocolate right before he gets tucked into bed... and then sleeps for 12 hours straight EXCEPT for in a growth spurt. In a growth spurt he'll wake up about 4-6 hours in and eat something and go back to sleep. They last about 3 weeks and happen 2 or 3 times a year at this point. Every time he starts waking up hungry, I start letting out his sleeves and cuffs (I buy clothes big) or start ordering new clothes.
I lost my milk between 9 & 10 mo (massive infection), so I had it easy with bottles of formula (and no, my son wouldn't take a bottle while I was still able to nurse, either). Although even with formula my husband never ONCE got up with him at night. Once he transitioned to a bottle, however, I could just stumble into the kitchen, zap the premade bottle, stumble into the bedroom, hand it to him, change his diaper, and stumble back into bed. In the beginning I tried to hold him the way I did while nursing... but that just ticked him off. He wanted to hold it by himself and he did *not* want to be held. Mr. Wiggle Body to Mr. Seriously TICKED Off baby if I tried to hold him while he had his bottle. What did he think I was going to do? Steal it??? LOL. Kids.
((Just a note: I've been taking him to the dentist since 4 teeth at 6mo old. My -rather ancient- dentist says that in over 60 years of practice he's never seen dental problems from milk sugars. When it became apparent that white milk was regarded as posion at 18 mo when I nixed formula, I started adding chocolate syrup. At every dental appt his teeth have been great. They get brushed twice a day... but I seriously don't bother at night. Brush teeth then scoot upstairs and drink his hot chocolate before bed. Out like a light afterward. ))
I also don't believe in CIO, my son is a real comfort nurser too, but I was committed to long term breastfeeding and self-weaning. We co-sleep. I know that has it's own bag of issues and adjustements, but we've done it from day one and it's what works best to ensure that everyone gets sleep. I know at the age (mine is 22 months) we had some sleep hiccups...we've been through lots of sleep phases...whole night...6 hours...depends on growth spurts, teething, a lot will affect and the nursing is the natural comfort for that which will increase the desire for it.
I don't know any other way to make it work other than co-sleep. So if you're open to it, give it a try.
OMG...you sound like me to a tee. I wish I did have some advice! Actually, my baby is 10 months and I've been giving him formula and breastfeeding from the beginning. People say they get confused, but there is no confusion here. He is also a huge comfort nurser and the only way I get any sleep is by nursing him to sleep. So, I understand where you're coming from. I also have a 3, almost 4 year old, who needs constant activity and I work.
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. Maybe you should buy those nipples that are designed for breastfeeding. This helped me. Then I pumped and used formula, but he still thought he was nursing. I hope this helps.
well I am like you and totally believe in breastfeeding. i also know around 9 and 10 months most kids have a growth spirit so yeah crying it out probably isn't a good idea cause he is hungry. With my second daughter she nursed every 2 to 3 hours during the night until I weaned her at 13 months. I think what helped is I cut out the day feedings first so she was used to not nursing much. Then when i did the night nursing I thought for sure she was just going to cry all night but she didn't. She didn't cry at all when I put her in her crib and when she woke at 12 to eat she cried off and on for about 5 min. so not bad at all then slept the rest of the night. I guess what I'm saying is that when he is ready he should do fine but he's just not ready to go all night without eating.
