Breast Fed 4 Month Old Waking Every Hour! Help!

PLease don't think that you are doing something "wrong" with your breastfeeding!!! You can expect your daughters sleep habits to change as she grows...it seems to me that when my children ( and now my grandchildren) had sleep issues it was because they were getting ready to make a "leap forward" in their learning process. It is like their brains are working overtime to "rewire" and take in the new information and it somehow effects their sleep patterns. My youngest grandson, who just turned a year old, was driving his parents CRAZY ( who also cosleep with him) he would be up all hours of the night...not content to just nurse and go back to sleep but demanding that Mom sit up and holdh im or get up and walk with him while he nursed. This week...he has started walking...picked up about 8 new signs ( they use baby sign language) and voila...his sleep is going back to "normal" again.
That being said...make sure you are keeping your liquid intake up...so that your body is producing maximum amounts of milk for the hungry baby...and bring that little one on into your bed....both of you will sleep better!!!
And I applaud you for not going to the CIO method to get her to go to sleep. I never did use that with any of my children...and my daughters are not using it with their sons. I just don't think that it is the message we want to send to our children...that when they are awake and needing/wanting attention and comfort that we turn out backs on them and just let them scream. I think that a child should grow up knowing that their Mother and Father is always ....ALWAYS going to be there for them when they need them.
Good luck...it WILL get better...I promise!!

I had a similar experience as Lovinlife around the time my daughter was 4 months until 6 months. During that time, sleep was horrible! She was waking 4-5 times a night and nursing was the only thing that would calm her. She's now 7 months old and she has 2 teeth, rolls and sits with ease, crawls everywhere, pulls herself up on things, and will probably be walking within another month or two. There's not a doubt in my mind that her sleep was disrupted by all of the things she was working on. Does this resonate with you at all?

I specifically remember one night after my daughter finally went to sleep, I cried to my husband becasue I felt like we were never going to get a break. Our daughter seemed so active and focused (obsessed?) with mastering new skills. Her determination was exhausting. I just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. He said, "that determination will serve her well later in life." I hope he's right!

Sleep has improved pretty dramatically since then without our doing anything to change it. Of couse, we still have bad nights (last night was one of those bad nights). And when we have a really good night -- get this -- I really miss my daughter and it's hard to not want to go in and take her out of her crib and hold her! I'm insane! ;)

This too shall pass. Hang in there! You're not doing ANYTHING wrong.

I fully understand what you are going thru. I think ( fingers crossed) that my infant is getting out of that stage. I do agree with KansasMom, on how it seems that some children get to this stage when alot of new milestones are starting. With my first, he was the same way with sleep at this age, but It didn't seem to bother me as much since he was the only child I had to take care of. It also got better when he got older and the pacifier helped too. Now I have a toddler and an infant, and I feel your pain, when trying to juggle the demands of two. When my infant was four months, I was thrown back by all the sleep issues. Each week I devised a plan on how to get her back to sleep. If it worked, it was very short lived. The more I tried to find the right solution, the more I stressed and also started to blame myself. I thought the crib mattress was too hard, or maybe I wasent producing enough milk, or to take things out of my diet. Then I thought my sleep routine wasent good enough etc,.... I kept thinking that my infants sleep issues were driving me crazy, but actually it was me!!! Lol :) now she's a little over 6 months, and in the months between 4 and 6, she learned how to fully roll over, grab items with both hands, babble mamma and dada along with vocalizing more, sit up without support, start eating solids, got two bottom teeth in and is also in the 90 th percentile in wt and height. Whew!!! So, I tell myself, that I need to ride the wave. God has to be teaching me a lesson in patience :) it's hard and it really sucks sometimes, but in those few weeks, she has learned so much. It will get better! I know that there are other moms like us, going thru the same challenges. Some have it easier than others, but that's okay. Dont blame yourself and when possible, have husband or family help out with chores or cooking. I truly believe things happen for a reason. Lessons are always being learned. That's what makes us awesome moms!!!

You're not doing anything wrong. She is probably either going through a growth spurt or she might even be starting to teethe.

Neither of my breastfed kids slept through the night until they weaned. It might just be par for the course.

Look I am going to tell you what I did and if you don't want to do it, no worries!! But I could not handle not sleeping!! I noticed that my second lil man would sleep so great on my shoulder but the second I laid him down in the little co-sleeper thing he would start scrumping and grunting and inevitably wake up. I thought it was bc he was cold laying in the bed after being against my warm body so I would actually lay a heating pad on low in there while I nursed him and remove it and lay him down, no help. I tried laying the blanket that was on my shoulder there so it would be warm under him, no help there either. So since he was fine at lifting his head up and turning it, I let him sleep on his tummy. It was a miracle. At first I was so nervous, I would sleep so light and wake up every time he shifted at all, but at least it was sleep!! We had no sleep issues with my second at all. No cry it out, no nada. Once he went to the crib in his room I would put him on his belly and go in after an hour or so and flip him and he would sleep right through it. I just did this bc I wasn't right beside him, but I am sure he would have been just fine. I talked it over with my pediatrician. He said he could not recommend this to me but that he did know that many moms in his practice did this. So that is what I did and my lil man is now one and doing just great. I wish you the best whatever you decide and I hope you can get some sleep!!

Bed-sharing and nursing on demand is what is supposed to happen after the baby's born - helps with sleep as well as help the Mommy and Baby bond and allow her to develop quickly.

Seems she missed the 3 months growth spurt and is having the 4 month growth spurt.

What you are doing is fabulous!! Bed-sharing and co-sleeping, nursing on demand... keep doing what you are doing! You'll get more sleep this way.

I feel for you! Try nursing her every hour or two during the day and put her to bed later at night and keeping her awake later. Also, try cutting dairy out of your diet for a day or two to see if that helps. Keep trying to sooth her first before picking her up, even if it's just for a minute. Hang in there! Congratulations on your little one!

She might be teething. My 5 month old just cut his 3rd tooth! Ive noticed for a week or two before he cuts it he's up constantly through the night. And of course he has had a lot of the drooling too. Normally were still up every 2-3 hours through the night nursing. good luck

try pumping, check milk supply, feed frequently during the day, try rice cereal
during the day

When you have ruled out teething or growth spurt, it could just be she is old enough to realize you are there now . This was the age my breastfeed child went from sleeping thru the night to waking up alot. I thought it was teething too (she didn't get her 1st tooth till 10 months) but her little brain realized I was there to be beckoned to. I used Baby Whisperer method as an alternative to cosleeping (since I hadn't been doing that most of the time anyway) or CIO. Found it to be a middle of the road way to get my sleep and get her to sleep. She was barely napping during the day and only getting like8- 9 hrs. of sleep a night. I let the bad sleep habits go on till 7 months and that is when I tried Baby Whisperer. Took some time and effort but by a year of age she was sleeping from 8ish to 6/7ish AND taking 2 -90 min. naps a day. No Cry Sleep Solution is another good book as well.

Could it just be a growth spurt? Since you have a routine, it is something else... give it a bit of time and stick to your routine as much as possible, she will figure a new routine out. You are the best mom you can be and are doing nothing wrong, your babe is just figuring out what she needs. Hang in there. When did you wean your son off of night feedings? (I did around 8 months) That is when you will start getting some quality sleep again, sorry. Can you nap when they nap? Good luck and best wishes, Nat

I breast fed my daughter till 18 months and is still doing it for my 11 month old son. I had the same problem with sleep. They would wake up and just couldn't be stopped unless I gave them the breast or let them sleep next to me. With my daughter, my first, I just gave in and gave her what she wanted. With my son, I just couldn't do it any more, I really needed to sleep. So when he was old enough to turn his head I just started to lay him on his belly to sleep. That is still the way that he prefers to sleep now. I know that doctors are not crazy about babies sleeping on their belly, but I felt he was strong enough to do so and this is something that you have to decide if it is right for you to do.