hello, I have a 5 month old baby girl which still wakes up through the night for a breastfeeding, I have read in several books that by this age she should sleep through the night yet I can not get her to stay asleep through the night, she used to wake up once before but two weeks ago she was in the hospital for 10 days which has totally changed her whole schedule from eating, bathing, naping to now waking up exactly every hour at night, she also got used to sleeping in bed with me for at the hospital sleeping with me was the only way to soothe her now she wont sleep in her crib. Help what can I do i also cant get her to fall asleep on her own she must nurse in order to fall asleep. what can i do???
About her sleeping through the night, you could try to nurse her before YOU go to sleep. I would gently pick my son up and nurse him in the rocker then put him down and go to bed. He never really woke up but he got something in his belly to "tie" him over until the morning.
I depends on your parenting style and what you are willing to put up with.
I have a 17 month old who still nurses throughout the night and sleeps with mom and dad. I am just starting to think about having him in his own bed. I didn't like the thought of having my child cry himself to sleep when he was just a baby incapable of any other form of communication. Now that my boy can talk a bit and understand what I'm saying, I feel more comfortable putting him to bed on his own.
The Dr Sears Baby Book has some good suggestions that go along with the attachment parenting style. The internet has several good articles that are too many to post.
As for a 5 month old sleeping through the night...LOL...I don't know many who have. Ask your mom when you started sleeping through the night, your child might be similar (or not). I personally didn't sleep the whole night through until 3 or 4 years of age. I don't know why the books give parents unrealistic expectations of when a child should sleep through the night.
Every child is different and reaches their milestones in their own time, not some books time. But! If you need to get your sleep because you need to work, around 6 months (I think) is the suggested time to start the "Ferber Method". I like the Dr. Sears book.
I know it can be frustrating, but in the scheme of things, your girl is only this small for such a short period of time. It will be over before you know it and you will miss it when it's gone.
I would wonder if you've had your daughter on the bottle at all and how much your she is eating. My son got to a point when he was about 2 months that he was drinking 8 oz of formula every 4 hours. I learned the trick from my mom and an aunt of mine to start putting the baby rice cereal in his bottles with the formula especially right before he went to bed at night. His night schedule was play time, bath time and dinner. After that he slept longer and longer through the night. By the time he was 3 months old and I had to go back to work he was sleeping through the night. He continues to sleep through the night to this day and he turned 2 in April.
I agree that it depends on your parenting style and the child. I finally decided to take my son out of our room and in his own bed after about three or four months. I would let him cry, after five minutes go hug him and calm him down and then put him back down. After another five minutes I would do the same thing. It only took about a week, and then he slept way better than he did with us. I think we were waking him up at night with our snoring or tosing and turning or what have you. I made sure his room was dark and comfortable. I also put a little music box and toy that attaches to his crib so that when I put him back down it distracted him. I would lessen the amount you feed her when she wakes up that way she doesn't starve, but gets the idea that it may not be worth waking up for just an ounce of milk. It was a really hard few days, but to this day he is a GREAT sleeper. He sleeps twelve hours straight thrue and then naps once or twice during the day. The downside is that when we travel he doesn't sleep as well because it is not his bed. This is what my son needed, I'm not sure that all babies are the same. Also, have you tried feeding any kind of solids? I don't know that this helped my son sleep better, but some people say it does.
hi there!
im sorry to hear that she had to spen the night in the hospital..i went through the same thing with my son 3 days when he was about 13 months and then 4 days just last year.as parents we want to sooth our children the best way we can, and if that means holding them all night so be it..my daughter is now 2 months and she nurses till she falls asleep..this is what ive started to do..(so that i could get some sleep)...im all about breastfeed( more power to you)..i have started to give her 2 ounces of formulas of course she crys and crys but in between i hold her tell her i love her and sooth her onces sshes down i offer my brest.shell nurse till she falls asleep..i think your daughter got so usto your SMELL and WARMTH..thats propbably more soothing to her than your breast especially if you were the only one there in the hospital to sooth her..have you tried leaving your sent on the blanket you ust to cover her?
Well, try focusing on one technique for a week. Experts have said that parents try too many different techniques within a few days expecting one way to work immediately. Experts have also said that all methods of getting a child to go to sleep will work, but you have to be consistent with that specific technique. My daughter just turned 9 months old and is still waking up at least once or twice a night to nurse. It use to be 5-6 times, but we let her cry it out. We timed her crying session and in actuality, she only cried about 10 minutes. Each subsequent wake up had less of a crying period. Now, she fusses less then 2 minutes (if she wakes up at all) and goes back to sleep. Remember, you're training your child to sleep a certain way. Be consistent and don't give up! good luck.
