XP from BF: am I creating a bad "night feeding" habit?

DahliaFlower · April 2014

DS is just over 6 months old, EBF and he is a healthy 21 lbs. He goes to sleep after nursing at about 6:30-7:00 and will ultimately get up at about 6:30 the next morning. He gets up a couple times at night and I have always believed that he is hungry and needs to be fed. He wakes up, cries and we respond within a minute or two. He appears famished, calms down with feeding. He does a full feeding, pretty much emptying the breast, then usually falls back to sleep easily. It takes about 15 mins most times, and he will generally sleep for another 3-4 hours, then repeat the same. Until recently, I thought this was pretty normal and that he would eventually stop waking up for feedings as he got older, took more solids, etc.

So, here's my question: am I creating a bad habit of night feedings? I've been reading some things lately written by "experts" that state that by this age he should not be requiring feedings overnight, and that I am encouraging him to get up and to be hungry by continuing to feed him overnight. Should I be weaning from these overnight nursing sessions? I've heard suggestions of sending DH in to soothe him (I don't think this will work) or offering a bottle with water to get him out of the habit of taking in calories overnight.

Thoughts?

PB102012 · April 2014

Have you tried soothing him rather than immediately feeding? There have been a couple of instances where LO has been soothed by some gentle rocking and wasn't hungry when she woke overnight. However, if you try this and LO still isn't satisfied, I would feed him. All babies are different and although experts have their opinions, you need to do what's best for your baby and if he is not ready to wean from nighttime feedings, I would continue to feed him when he wakes.

BellaOso · April 2014

If he is draining a breast, I would say he is still hungry. My LO is 9 months in a few days and still wakes every 3-4 hours to eat.

He'll sleep through the night when he is ready.

DahliaFlower · April 2014

CurlingRocks said:

Every baby is different. DS STTN by 6 months of age, but DD wakes and feeds more than she did as a NB. She is hungry when she wakes up most times, so I feed her. If I send in DH, she just gets mad or playful, but when I go in, she nurses hungrily and goes back to sleep. If I don't respond quickly (times I've tried CIO), she gets angrier and angrier until she is too angry to nurse or sleep. I have yet to meet a teenager or even kindergartner who wakes every few hours to eat overnight, so I very much so believe that it is not a permanent thing. I think some babies just need the comfort and find night time to be a good time to eat. I've tried tanking DD up during the day, but she gets so excited to play and watch her brother that she doesn't want to eat more than every few hours no matter what I do to entice her.

It is exhausting, but someday, I know she won't want to snuggle with me much. So here we are nursing at night because it is what she needs right now. GL!

This is very much what I experience! I know he won't be satisfied unless he gets a feeding, and he almost always settles back down once he finishes. I do love the bonding time with him in the middle of the night, as disruptive as it may be to our sleep. I am inclined to just keep feeding him. Thanks everyone for the insights.

PrimRoseMama · May 2014

I think you are meeting your baby's needs. So no.

luvmygirlss · May 2014

if he can fall asleep after being laid down AWAKE after the feeding, then he is most likely hungry and still needs the feeding. If he is still crying or fussy after the feeding, or gets upset when he is laid down awake after the feeding, chances are he is using the feeding as a sleep prop to fall back asleep and doesn't really need the nutritional aspect of the feeding. Hope that makes sense? PM If you need more help:)