QuoteReplyTopic: dropping the night feed Posted: 18 June 2008 at 3:33pm
I have heard people say that if you don't offer a night feed from early on, the baby will learn to live without it (and hence give you a better night's sleep). Has anyone done this? Does it work easier for bottle rather than breast fed babies? How early can you do this without interfering too much with milk production? Any comments appreciated!
I gave Gabs feeds in the middle of the night cos she demanded them, like most babies will, but I got her into a routine and after 10 weeks she was sleeping through the night cos she was getting enough during the day to make it last. She is bottlefed though and I think when a breastfed bub sleeps through mums can find themselves engorged in the morning for a start.
But I've never heard of not offering a feed, you normally don't really get a choice at the start cos the baby will wake and want one. I don't know of any baby that has slept through from day 1 and sometimes it can take months before they will sleep through, it depends a lot on the baby.
I didn't from when Jack was 8weeks old if he was waking up for a reason other than a feed. So I would change him, resettle him etc. He was sleeping through from 9 weeks and has been FF since 3 weeks.
I havent dropped nightfeeds at all and the following is just my opinion and you need to use your own judgement (me sounding almost like dr Phil here. ha ha.)
But I myself wont not feed a baby at night just to get them to sleep through the night, specially if you are breastfeeding. Breastmilk digest a lot quicker than formula and baby will wake up hungry. 8 hours in the beginning is way too long for them not to have food as they need it quite often in the beginning. Sleeping through the night without a feed is a developmental stage thing and some babies get there quicker than others but specially the first 6 months I wont not feed them at night. (and for me even after that.)
Hmmm weve always fed Issy is she woke at night and wanted it.
She has been sleeping through for about six weeks now (from 7pm - 5.30am) .. but if she suddenly decides to wake and ask for food, she would get it lol
Oh and when she was waking twice a night we did throw in a 9-9.30pm late feed (in order to stop her waking at 1am) that seemed to tide her over till 3am
Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months)
I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year LFs weight blog
my daughter is 23 months and im still breastfeeding her in the night. She wakes for feeds automatically and shouts "mummy" "mummy" She probably get up about 2-3 times expecting a feed. I don't breastfeed her at all during the day. I don't really mind getting up so long as she goes back to sleep easily which she does.
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