dreamfeeding

balamama

I've seen others post about the dreamfeed and I want to give it a try! LO has been sleeping 4-5 hours for his longest stretch but usually going to bed around 8 or 9 so I am missing out on at least a couple of hours of sleep. I've read to do the dreamfeed around 10 or 11 but I'm scared that I'll wake LO and be up with him for an hour or more and regret trying. Any pointers from those of you who dreamfeed successfully? 

lionstigersbears

Keep the lights off/low, don't talk to LO, and keep the movement to a minimum with positioning and such! 

JoMunson

Someone on the boards recommended it to me when LO had been asleep for about 5 hours and I was really engorged to the point of leaking. It didn't wake him up at all, he ate just enough to make me comfortable and then he slept for another 2-3 hours.
i think what helped was I didn't talk or turn the lights on and I made sure my breast was ready before I picked him up so he could just go for it. When he came off I left him laying there for about 5 minutes then out him back down, I didn't try to burp him.

jenl1681

Lights low, move LO as little as possible, be completely ready and don't worry about things like new diaper or burping. 

JessicaB0627

I tried this last night. She sleeps her longest stretch earlier than I go to bed so I was hoping to dreamfeed and make her sleep her longest stretch after the dreamfeed. It didn't really work. She ended up sleeping 2.5 hours after she ate and was up again hungry. So she gave up her long stretch entirely (and by long I mean like 3.5 hours). I'm going to keep feeding her around 11 every night and hope that I can cause her schedule to change a little. 

balamama

JessicaB0627 said:

I tried this last night. She sleeps her longest stretch earlier than I go to bed so I was hoping to dreamfeed and make her sleep her longest stretch after the dreamfeed. It didn't really work. She ended up sleeping 2.5 hours after she ate and was up again hungry. So she gave up her long stretch entirely (and by long I mean like 3.5 hours). I'm going to keep feeding her around 11 every night and hope that I can cause her schedule to change a little. 

This is what I'm dealing with exactly. Lately it's been last feed around 8/8:30, up at 1/1:30, again at 4ish. I'm hoping if I can pull off a dreamfeed around 11 that his first wake up will be at 3:30
or 4 and then we eliminate one MOTN feeding session. I'm nervous that he will fully wake up though and it will be a hassle to get him back to bed or that this ^ will happen and I'll just be adding another feeding. 

ayeshaohara

babyfmama said:

JessicaB0627 said:

I tried this last night. She sleeps her longest stretch earlier than I go to bed so I was hoping to dreamfeed and make her sleep her longest stretch after the dreamfeed. It didn't really work. She ended up sleeping 2.5 hours after she ate and was up again hungry. So she gave up her long stretch entirely (and by long I mean like 3.5 hours). I'm going to keep feeding her around 11 every night and hope that I can cause her schedule to change a little. 

This is what I'm dealing with exactly. Lately it's been last feed around 8/8:30, up at 1/1:30, again at 4ish. I'm hoping if I can pull off a dreamfeed around 11 that his first wake up will be at 3:30
or 4 and then we eliminate one MOTN feeding session. I'm nervous that he will fully wake up though and it will be a hassle to get him back to bed or that this ^ will happen and I'll just be adding another feeding. 

My LO has been on exactly the same schedule as yours although most nights we're lucky to get one 3 hour stretch. We've been dream feeding for about a week and it's made no difference at all, in fact she's then taken far less at her next 2 feeds which end up being 2 hours or less apart. We're actually going to stop the DF tonight and see if that makes a difference! We can't keep getting up every 2 hours to feed at 8 weeks...it's a joke

balamama

@ayeshaohara oh wow that is awful! I may try it to see if my LO takes to it but if I have those results I am for sure giving up the dreamfeed. Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding your LO? I wonder if it makes a difference?

Bellodomani

I have a girlfriend in town so we went out for drinks last night and my husband gave Viv a bottle of pumped milk at bedtime around 9, and then she slept until 4:30!!! I know it was totally a fluke and she probably won't do it again for like a month, but I'm half tempted to see what happens if he puts her to bed again tonight. It was amazing to get home at like 10:30 and still get some actual sleep. 

ETA- of course I will not get to repeat this experiment tonight because the NBA playoffs are ruining my life

ayeshaohara

babyfmama said:

@ayeshaohara oh wow that is awful! I may try it to see if my LO takes to it but if I have those results I am for sure giving up the dreamfeed. Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding your LO? I wonder if it makes a difference?

We're formula feeding. All that junk about formula making baby sleep longer isn't true for our LO! She cluster fed before bed tonight and we're skipping the DF so I'll be interested to see what she does! Will keep you posted 

folamij

My baby does what she wants. We normally do a DF between 10-11pm depending on when she last ate. Sometimes she'll sleep a long stretch and other times she'll be up to eat in 3-4 hours. 

kami09

How the heck do you get LO to latch?? I have to like pry her mouth open and even that doesn't work. I pretty much have to do the complete opposite and jostle her awake a bit so she realizes it's time to eat lol

folamij

@kami09  I give her a bottle. If my LO is asleep she isn't opening her mouth to nurse (even if I try with a nipple shield) but for some reason will for a bottle; it's weird.

kbrands7

I've been able to do this to scootch eating schedules for both DS1 and DS2. Neither refuse milk very often though. DS1 u just had to get close to a boob and he'd latch on. DS2 I have to hand express a bit first and put the nipple to his mouth, then he'll latch. A few times he was locked up and refused, so I didn't push it. I've had the best luck if they're already close to am arousal point in their sleep (which hits about every 45min) --then they eat but skip an actual wakeup. When I used it to shift DS1's night schedule, it took a little bit at a time before it was a more permanent change. 

ayeshaohara

So skipping the dream feed made no difference last night. I'm resigned to the fact that this little rascal is going to continue to eat every 2 hours around the clock no matter what we try! Such is life I suppose 

LadySamLady

kami09 said:

How the heck do you get LO to latch?? I have to like pry her mouth open and even that doesn't work. I pretty much have to do the complete opposite and jostle her awake a bit so she realizes it's time to eat lol

I tap my nipple on her nose and upper lip until she opens her mouth. Its weird and makes me
laugh but it works.