How Often a 6Mth Old Should Nurse at Nighttime

J., you know your babies better than anyone else. If you feel they're just waking for comfort, then you do what you feel you need to do. Everyone is giving you THEIR advice. Their advice is what worked for them and their family...it's not for all of us. That's why there are so many different approaches to take. No one choice is the right one for us all. You're doing a wonderful job! You have twins and I can't imagine how difficult that must be. Yes, it could very well be a growth spurt. But growth spurts only last for a few days. If the waking goes on for more than a few nights, then you know it's because they can't get back to sleep themselves. If CIO is what you choose, that's your right...they're your children. I get that our culture is different than others, but this is the norm here. This is how we were all raised. And, having twins, a schedule is exactly what you need. You need to try to have both of those babies on the same schedule. If you don't, you'll become resentful at times and will get warn down. Again, take some of this advice with a grain of salt...afterall, it's just advice. Decide what is right for YOU and your family. Do what will make your life run smoother and what will make you a happier mom. You're doing GREAT!!!!

Here is what I did with my twins ( now 6yrs old). I had them in the same crib. I took off one side of the crib and pushed it up against my bed. This way when they woke up I could get them and feed them w/o having to go very far (unless of course they needed to be changed).

Babies wake every 3 hrs that is normal. It is not fun, but you get through it. I usually had Dad doing the feedings on the weekends.

Congrats on the babies. You will make it through this.

i TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE FIRST RESPONSE. i am a mother of 5 and I have a 4 month old. I allow them to nurse for all the reasons they ate in utero. They felt like it.I can not expect for him to come out and get on some schedule, I do not even know who created this schedule for him.
My point is I have 5 children at serepart times. You have two at one time. Like she said, your body is made to take care of them at the same time, the milk, the increases and hills and falls. You must create the mind set to do what you have to do for the relatively short period of time you have to nurse them. It is your challenge to give them what you obvioulsy say you want to give them, your milk. It is a challenge however, the rewards are great. Keep up the good work. Now your work is priceless, no one else can do this. Your rewards are yours and the benefits are a lifetime. Yes you can!!!
I.

My daughter went through a decent growth spurt at 6 months. I understand your need to get some rest. I remember how tired I was night nursing 1 baby, and you have 2. That said, I highly recommend the book No Cry Sleep Solution. I also agree with previous posters that night nursing can be essential to keep your milk supply sufficient for day time nursing.

J.,

You asked a great (and common) question. I have a 7 month old and he was a GREAT sleeper until about 6 months. He got an ear infection and was miserable at night. At first, I would get up with him and let him nurse but then he started to refuse me and wanted only the bottle where I could prop him up more to eat. Apparently, laying back to nurse was painful to his ears. He no longer will nurse.

Before that, he would go to bed at 7:30pm and wake up at 5am to nurse and went back to sleep until 7am. Now, he's been going to bed at 7:30pm and waking at 3-4am to feed. We feed him and he will play for awhile (it's cute, but it's 4AM!) and then back to sleep until 7am.

Oh, there is a growth spurt at 6 months and that could be why they are waking to feed. Our son did that at about 1 week before turning 6 months. He was eating every 2-3 hours around the clock!

I am sure having twins is making this harder for you but 6 months is awful young to use a CIO method. The children could totally be hungry. Schedules are for adults not babies.

Just because they nurse back to sleep that doesn't mean they weren't hungry. Your body is designed to produce more milk overnight than during the day. Night nursings are important to maintaining your milk supply. Lonely is also a real human experience and it is normal for a baby to want to know where its mother is.

And question the idea of "where they should be at 6 months" says who? a westernized view of the world for the last 150 years. Consider the history of the world and see how strange it is that Americans feel compelled to separate their children at night. Where in the real world does this model of care come from???

Why not read a book like Nighttime parenting or the No cry sleep solution.

Kudos to you, because I really don't know how you do it breastfeeding 2 at once. I have a 6 month old boy (September born too). He is still waking a few times during the night to nurse. I thought by 6 months he would be sleeping thru the night, but no such luck. I usually nurse him around 7-7:30, then put him to bed. He usually wakes at 11pm and then again around 3am to nurse. He will wake between 6a-7am. The other night after his shots, he slept from 8pm - 5am without nursing. I woke at 1am to double check on him, and because my body is naturally used to waking now at that time. By 5am, I was engorged and needed him to eat and then I had to pump. I don't know how we do it, but our bodies seem to adjust to these horrible sleep patterns and lack of sleep! And my little man is not eating solids yet - he is gagging. So all he gets is breastmilk. Good luck - I know it will get better.