sleep problems or supply issues?

greenangeleyes · November 2013

My LO put himself on a sleep schedule at 2 weeks and we had kept to it with no problems since. At 6pm we get into pjs, wind down from the day, nurse and then go to bed at 7pm. He used to wake every few hours but by 2mo he would sleep til 6am, nurse, then sleep til 8am when we would get up for the day. He has never been a napper, dozing only for about 15 min here and there, every so often he would take an hour nap. Lately he gets hungry closer to 6pm, will nurse for about five minutes and then fall asleep for about an hour. Then he wakes up hungry, will nurse for about 10min and then fall asleep for another hour or so and then wake up again. I work go to work 8pm, so if I am not home my Hubby will give him an 8oz bottle and he will sleep through til 8am. If I am home I nurse and he will eat for about 5min and then it is almost like he pacifies himself because he is not swallowing anything. But sometimes he will get upset because nothing comes out and so I try to soothe him to sleep. So I don't know if it is a supply issue and I am not giving him enough to eat before bed and he is tiring himself out trying, or if this is just his version of the 4mo wakeful period. Weight gain seems to be ok, 5lbs in 2mo.
Thoughts or suggestions welcome.

mrssamarataylor · November 2013

I don't think it's a supply issue but he is fussing to tell your breast to make milk. If you are not nursing him every day then your breast aren't going to build a supply for that demand time. If he's getting a bottle (and make sure it's a nursing bottle appropriate to his age) then your breast don't know that there is a demand at that time. His fussiness is probably telling your breast to make more milk for that time. If you nursed every night at that time for a few days your breast will build up that supply. Can you pump at that time when you are not home? 4 mos is a growth spurt time and it could be that also... HTH

taraleanne · November 2013

I don't think it's a supply issue either, but you should still pump when you are at work when he is normally feeding...

Around 4 months my son would also fuss at the bedtime nursing session because he was done and wanted to be put to sleep!! They get really efficient around 4 months so 5-10minutes could be normal for him and he's done and wants you to soothe him to sleep, just like you are doing : )

carrotcake06 · November 2013

Alicia0817 said:
8oz bottle of BM before bed? That's a lot.... How old is LO now?

This. 8 oz is most likely too much BM for a BF baby.

BelhurstBride · November 2013

Agree with the PPs. But also, he might be growing to prefer the bottle. If your DH isn't following bottle feeding a BFing baby recommendations LO may be learning that bottle feeding is less work.

taraleanne · November 2013

@belhurstbride what are the "bottle feeding a BFing baby recommendations?" I've never heard of that. My DS (5m) goes from breast to bottle, no problem but does know a bottle is less work and more fun because he can drink and observe what's going on around him. We never really did anything special when he started bottles, so he must just be good at going back and forth! But for future reference, what are these "recommendations?

greenangeleyes · November 2013

He is almost 5mo. Dad tries to soothe and if that doesn't work then he tries a 4oz bottle, and if LO is still acting hungry does another 4oz. Which is why I wondered if it might be a supply issue and he wasn't eating enough, leading him to gorge himself because he doesn't have faith in me.
I plan my schedule around his bedtime so he doesn't normally eat when I am at work, and I am home before he might wake for a night feeding (though he hasn't done that in over a month). I only do five hour shifts this way I don't have to pump at work, and if he is still sleeping then I pump when I get home.
Maybe this is a growth spurt?

taraleanne · November 2013

OP - my son is also 5 months and has always cluster fed before and sleeps long stretches. I don't think it sounds like a growth spurt. I'm thinking he does something similar to my son at bedtime some nights. He's tired, and not actually hungry but rather wants to go to bed!! Tonight for example, he hardly nursed at all and squirmed in my arms until I put him down with a soother. I left him with some white noise and he fell asleep on his own. Maybe your son is waking after only an hour, either because he really is hungry because he didn't eat enough before because he was so tired he fell asleep...and then it's like a little vicious cycle until he's had enough. He could be so tired and falling asleep nursing because he hasn't napped well during the day. I would be willing to bet he's not fussing for more milk but rather due to being overtired. If I were you I would try to work on day time naps so that he's not overtired at bedtime and eats a nice full meal from you before going to sleep. He may also be waking to nurse not because he's hungry but because he needs to nurse to fall asleep too... These are just my thoughts based on my own experience with my LO who 99% of the time does not nurse to sleep so I worry he hasn't had enough but yet he then sleeps a long stretch.

re: 8oz in a bottle. My son would most likely eat it all up too, he loves the bottle from daddy, it's fast and it's fun. I'm not kidding you, I could probably breast feed him and then offer him 5-6oz in a bottle and he'd take it. He'd milk drunk himself silly if I offered a bottle!! So in my case (and maybe yours) you may not judge how much he takes in a bottle against what he takes from you.

BelhurstBride · November 2013

@taraleanne @mosymama

https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/

taraleanne · November 2013

@belhurstbride Thanks!!!

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