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Behaviour/development

6 month old still feeding every 3hrs at night

6 replies

Notquiteinsane · 09/02/2013 21:49

6 month old DS had reflux and CMPI for which I am on a delightful dairy free diet and we have Neocate for adding to food. Weaning is a slow process as he seems to be reacting to lots of foods.
Anyway, he has 4 bf and 3 solid meals during the day plus am trialing a bottle before bed (yet to make a difference)
Pre reflyx and allergy becoming evident at 8weeks, he was sleeping 7pm-4am...well, has just got progressively worse. Goes down at 7pm, self settles (with dummy) as he does for all naps unless we are in car/ buggy. Then by 9.30 or 10 of I'm lucky l, he is screeching the place down. 9 times put of 10 he has his dummy in, do that isn't the problem.
Have a 2yr old DD, so admittedly do get to him and feed him pretty quick to avoid 2 lots of screaming, and he is still in our room as I can't face the though of waking myself up enough to keep going into his room every 3 hours :(
Basically, does it sound like genuine hunger or am I just being a push over?
Thoughts welcome...on my knees as DD has just moved into a bed and is still adjusting...between them I had 3hrs sleep last night!
TIA

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hophophippidtyhop · 09/02/2013 23:31

I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of advice, but can say I know exactly how you feel - dd2 had reflux and cmpi and fed every 2 hours round the clock for the first 6 months and every 3 at night from 6 -12 months. And was a crappy sleeper til 21 months. I have read that reflux and cmpi babies feed more often to help with the acid. I was never sure if it was hunger, I just knew that the occasions I'd attempt to not feed, she would scream til she was sick, hence she slept in our bed and I fed through the night alot longer than I had thought I was going to! I hope you find a solution, I held onto the thought that she'd sleep through when she walked, like her sister - not realising she wouldn't walk til 21 months!

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WickWackThurso · 09/02/2013 23:33

Really sorry, sounds like it's really tough for you. Ime, that frequency of feeding was normal at 6 months, and both dds stayed in our room for a good while for the same reasons.

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Wingdingdong · 09/02/2013 23:51

DS was still feeding every couple of hours (and still in our room - worse, in our bed from 4am as I couldn't face getting up again!) at 6m. Things suddenly got better at around 9.5m. He's now 11.5m and sleeps through most nights from 6.30pm till 5.30am, in his own room.

DD was feeding every 1.5-2hrs at 6m. She was also in our room. Slightly different though, they both have reflux (DS had CMPI but I think has outgrown it or at least it's not as severe) but DD also needed physio for the first year so I was having to stretch and reposition her every couple of hours. I suspect that she got into the habit of waking because I was in fact waking her. DD's now 3.5, she finally slept through the night for the first time at 17m. She sleeps through probably 3 or 4 nights a week now, the rest of the time she wakes up coughing/refluxing and needs a drink.

So yes, unfortunately it does sound very normal to me. DD definitely needed to feed to soothe her throat though both would scream; her reflux was much worse than DS's, so maybe there is a link between the severity of reflux/frequency of feeding. DS vomits only 15-50+ times a day, DD used to do that by 9am at the same age, even on the omeprazole.

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Notquiteinsane · 10/02/2013 07:18

Thanks so much for the replies! Bloody reflux!!! Somehow seems that DS and DD are in tune with eachother as they managed to co-ordinate every wake up last night, and DH just doesn't cut it with DD when it comes to settling back down at night (conveniently...)
Good to know I'm not just overanalyzing everything, will just have to go with it and see what happens. Cringe at the thought of going back to work with current sleeping arrangements, but will muddle through :)

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Notquiteinsane · 10/02/2013 07:55

Ps. Could I also ask what people did about nappies at night?? I am thinking I'm going to have to start changing DS mid-night again as he is he waking up with overflowing nappies in the morning, but am sure all hell will break loose...
Hope that doesn't sound totaly incompetent!

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sparklekitty · 11/02/2013 09:39

Aahhh! My DD has reflux and a CMPI. She is almost 5 months and still feeds every 2 hours or so at night (hopefully as it's been every hour with sleep regression) I was wondering why all my friends babies are going through the night etc. Never occurred to me that it might be linked to the reflux and CMPI!

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