BFers, how do you know?

TBLilyRose

For the past 2 weeks DS has been back to getting up every 2-2.5 hours. I first thought growth spurt, maybe 4-month wakeful a little early, but he seems really hungry at that first wake-up and now I'm nervous he's not getting enough from me before bed. How do you distinguish between a growth spurt (would it last 2 weeks?) and something else? When he does nurse he seems satisfied and I make sure he's not distracted so that he is concentrating on eating. He doesn't have his 4-month appointment until the 18th but when I weigh him w/ me on the scale he's gaining just fine.

WDYT? Should I attempt to supplement with a bit of formula before bed and see if that holds him over or if he still wakes? Let it be and just chalk it up to the wakeful or a growth spurt? Give it another week to see if it improves and ask the Pedi about it on the 18th? Get a life and stop asking so many questions?

TIA  

PunkyBooster

See if he puts himself back to sleep if he is waking up that often. I will hang out just outside DS's door if he wakes up before the first 6 hour stretch and he will usually put himself right back to sleep within 5-10 mins. If he cries (which he never does) then I would go in there.

Your DS may be comfort nursing. 

I would personally not supplement with formula. If he seems full and he is gaining weight, you likely have plenty of milk. Do you pump? If so, you can try giving him a bottle of pumped milk. And see what you are pumping in place of a feeding to gauge an estimate of what you are producing (don't forget, baby is MUCH better at getting milk out than a pump). 

gemrae1225

I really don't have any advice to give, I just wanted to say good luck!

LittleGus

You might get a lot of different opinions, but I personally supplement with a bottle of formula almost every night after nursing.  I started doing this probably around 3 months when I started having the same issues that you are having, and its worked out fine and hasn't affected my daytime supply, but in all honesty it didn't really help her sleep (whew long sentence).  I think it was a growth spurt that needed to run its course and she was shortly back to her normal sleep patterns.

With that said, I'm pretty relaxed about these things and have no issues with DD getting formula here and there.  If you are someone who wants only breastmilk, then I would advise against it since like I said, it didn't really help with her sleep anyway and turned into a habit

 

Good luck!  Hope you get some rest soon.

FirstBabyMomma

We are just finishing (I hope) with the same thing, and I chose not to supplement. DD has always been a week ahead with expected growth spurts, so at about the same age as your LO she started the same thing.  She was STTN, but then at the end of Feb it started: growth spurt, then immunizations, then a full moon, then what I can only assume was the 4 month wakeful period. She was waking every 2-3 hours and was genuinely hungry. We are only just now starting to get back on track with sleeping; she's back down to 2 feedings a night (bed at 8, eats at either 11 or 1, eats again at 4ish) for the last few nights and hopefully will eliminate more soon.

I'm not trying to scare you- your LO may not take a month to get back on track like ours did. But we didn't bother to supplement because I am still home so it didn't really matter that much if I was tired; I could sleep during her naps.

I also tried upping her feeding during the day (putting her back to every 2 hours when she wouldn't "ask" to eat until about 3) to get more calories into her. Didn't really help. 

Good luck! Hope your LO is faster about the wakeful than mine was.

hoping4sticky

I don't remember exactly, but it seems like around that point I had the exact same issue. T had been sleeping 10-12 hours straight and then started getting up all the time to eat. I think it lasted about 3 weeks - seemed like forever, and now she gets up once to eat and sleeps 12 hours.

Like PP poster, I'm relaxed about occasional formula. There were a few times that I would give her 2-3 oz before bed because I thought I wasn't producing enough during her growth spurt. I've never been consistent with it, and it didn't become a habit or affect my supply.

GL, it is a tough age, but in the grand scheme it will be over soon.

HML5382

I went through a similar thing and after I felt like the growth spurt was probably over (I think I waited about a week) I started cutting down the night time feedings. I would go to her and nurse but only for a few minutes until she started to get sleepy again, then I'd put her back in her crib. And I wouldn't change her or anything (unless she was obviously poopy) because that would have really woken her up. It took a few nights but then she stopped waking up. Good luck with it!

TBLilyRose

Thanks, ladies. I'll stick it out and hope it gets better soon. If not, then maybe I'll consider supplementing or starting cereal if the pedi okays it. I'm not as concerned with his sleeping, just want to make sure he's getting enough in his tummy!

SpartanChick88

Most will warn you that if you supplement, you will mess with your supply.  I've fiound that DD will pull off when she's full but over the last few days she's been up every 2-3 hours - she's been STTN since 10 weeks.  She has a tooth coming in so there's an obvious outside influence having nothing to do with my supply.

It stinks but just get through it.  If he wakes hungry, feed him, but don't mess with the laws of supply and demand!

JenGarden

Thanks for posting this!  We have been going through this for the last two weeks, and it just now seems to be getting a little better.  She went from doing at least one 7 - 10 hour stretch to waking to eat (and really eating - not just playing around) every two - three hours.  She's still gaining weight, so we are not going to supplement, but we are going to ask the pedi about it at our appointment next week.

mudmommy

I agree that baby will regulate your supply.   I feed on demand.  DD is hungry, DD gets fed.  That is the way that I know she is getting enough.  If you have milk when he wakes up, I'd say you are doing great!  You can lead a horse...blah, blah, blah.  Maybe he finally got that baby letter about Sleep Training Your Parents!!!  LOL

IncogNeato

I think it's just a normal developmental phase. We're just riding it out.

TBLilyRose

mudmommy:

Maybe he finally got that baby letter about Sleep Training Your Parents!!!  LOL

HAHA, I read that to DH awhile ago and he commented the other day "I think DS is the one who wrote that letter."  too funny 

bbeck84

DD did this too.  It lasted about a month.  She had been sleeping from 8:30-5:30, but then all of the sudden started waking up at 2-3am hungry.  I fed her and went with the flow and now she's sleeping about 9 hours again.  I would feed him at night if he's hungry.  It is probably the 4 month wakeful early.