Night Waking - Grover Beach, CA

I think this sounds pretty normal. My oldest was on this same type of schedule at this age.
My only suggestion would be to try "cluster feeding" before bed at night. I don't know what your evening feeding schedule is, but if you were feeding at 4pm, then at 8pm; to cluster feed you would add one more feeding in around 6pm to build up a bigger "reserve" for night time. I think I read that in the Baby Whisperer book, but I gave it away so I can't verify.
But, this does sound pretty normal and 8 hrs + is still really good and if she goes back down until 7, that's great too.

8 pm to 5 am is pretty good. If she seems hungry then I would continue nursing her if she'll go right back to sleep. My oldest slept 12 hours straight (she was a big baby) and my youngest I was lucky to get 6-7 hours until she was 9 months old, then it was 10-11 hrs.

As far as when you're done nursing she may or may not keep waking up at this time. Like I said with my youngest it was just a matter of time before she started sleeping longer without needing to nurse. However, I have a friend whose children always woke up around 6 am hungry. Before bed she put a bottle or sippy cup of milk in the fridge, then her husband would get them their milk and bring them to her bed before he went to work. They would drink their milk then lay down next to their mom and sleep for a couple more hours.

But then every child is different.

When my son was born 2 years ago, I decided right from the start that we were not going to do night feedings. I know it sounds harsh, but I had several friends who tried this and worked great for them. Every time he woke up I would give him his pacifier and a back rub humming softly to him. He would move around and cry a little but eventually he would go back to sleep on his own. I know it might be harder with a 8.5 mo old, but you never know it might work. Good Luck!

Hi J.,
That is pretty common at that age. Our doctor told us that at 9 months old the baby should be sleeping thru the night and not to give middle of the night feedings. But going 8-9 hours could be considered "thru the night". But since she is then going right back to sleep, it's probably considered a night feeding. Have you tried just rocking her for a bit an not nursing? She may not actually be hungry but developed the habit. Believe it or not - by that age they are developing habits and routines. You could try and wean out the feeding, then in a week or two wean out the rocking and help her learn to self soothe and put herself to sleep. At 7 months both my children were sleeping from about 8pm until 6:30-7am. Then at about 9 months they started waking up in the middle of the night - we did the let them cry it out method when I realized we were starting a pattern. It only took 3 days but it worked, however it's tough on mommy, emotionally.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
L.

My daughter would sleep from 8-4 or 5am but wouldn't go back to sleep at that age after nursing. She'd then take two 2-3 hour naps during the day.
When we changed her bedtime to 9pm and she stopped (she did this, we didn't do it for her) having two naps a day and went to 1 2-3hour during the day.
She sleeps from about 9pm until 6:30-8am every morning.
When she was teething, this changed a little and she woke up more often but now that her molars have broken through she's back on her own routine and that's basically her schedule since she was about 13 months. :)

I would check w/your ped to be sure. BUT my ped has always told me to feed a baby when they request. I also breastfeed my babies till 1. I notice they usually get 6 hours of sleep. I say count your blessings for 8pm to 5am. That is a GREAT amount of time. I am a little jealous. As would most moms be. Also, it really should be determined by her size rather than her age. Some babies come out of the womb sleeping 8 hours. They are also 12 pounders. That is my advice. Also, noone knows your baby better than you. So, whatever advice you get just remember that.
~K.

Hi J.,

I nursed all of my five children. Nurse for as long as you can. She'll probably cut out that 5 a.m. feeding on her own in another few months anyway. So, don't be in a hurry to give it up. If you're getting 8 or 9 hours of sleep, get on your knees right now and thank God!

If the last thing she feels before she goes to sleep at night is your love and tenderness and the first thing she wants when she wakes up is you. ..Treasure it. It vanishes so quickly, like a dream. One day it's gone and you cannot bring it back.

When to stop nursing? Well, usually when your child is speaking full sentences is a good rule of thumb. Smile.

Louise H.