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Infant feeding

19 week old baby, wakes up after sleeping thru; have started solids!

9 replies

3missys · 12/07/2007 12:22

Hi!

We have an 19 week old baby and between 14-16 weeks she started sleeping from 7pm (when we put her down) till about 6am which we throught was fab and sooo loved being able to sleep again but then she started waking up once during night, so we thought she must be getting to the stage when she wanted something extra so we have started to wean (baby rice, apple puree etc) but she isn't really over the moon about any of those but anyway, when she wakes up she is sucking her fist like she is hungry and although we try to reposistion her blanket (she doesn't have a dummy but sucks on a muslin!) we know that if we don't bottle feed her she won't go back to sleep. I think the feed personally is more habit now and she is already on extra hungry formula so what does anyone else suggest? I try to cut down the ozs each night but she still wants to take 3-4 ozs regardless,I know she is still quite young to be sleeping through but the fact she has done it already makes it a little more frustrating as we know she can do it! We need to keep the 7pm down to bed routine as she will eventually share a room with her 19 month old sister who goes to bed at this time.

Thanks in advance!

Sarah x

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MrsBadger · 12/07/2007 12:30

Sounds like she's having a bit of a growth spurt and is, as you say, just hungry.

If she's not interested in solids (and she is pretty young to be starting them - the guidelines say 6m now) then I wouldn't push them, and besides, if she's hungry the most calorie-rich thing you can give her is more milk.

I know it's a pain that she's waking at night when she had been sleeping though, but you know it's because she's hungry so why fight it? Feed her (or get DH to do it) and stagger back to bed...

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FirenzeandZooey · 12/07/2007 12:31

Hi Sarah, lots of babies wake up at night as you no doubt know - some sleep through and then wake up at night -some don't sleep through in the first place.

your dd could do it - now, presumably, she can't. It doesn't mean that she is hungry, or needs solid food. I would stop giving solids (more likely to cause problems at this age than help with sleeping) and go to bed earlier yourself so you are not so tired in the morning.

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MrsBadger · 12/07/2007 12:33

whoops, sorry, that should have read
'but if you know it's because she's hungry why fight it?'

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lulumama · 12/07/2007 12:34

if you give her a milk feed when she is hungry. and at 19 weeks, she most likely is hungry, she will settle back ...

no point subsituting water, or a dummy, when she wants FOOD!

this is classic growth spurt age, and a good big milk feed is going to fill her and satisfy her more than a spoon or two of puree

all babies need at this age is milk, it should be their main source on nutrition up until 1,with food being a complement to the milk

i imagine if you give her a milk feed when she wakes, she will feed quickly, and go back to sleep.....probably get it done with in 15 minutes or so

i would stop the food and give more milk

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3missys · 12/07/2007 12:50

Hi!

Cheers guys! yeah I agree with everything you say you just get a bit desperate when you get that little window of luxury (us all sleeping soundly through the night) and now going back to being shattered again! As I am sure some of you can agree looking after 2 children under 2 (16 months apart) during the day as well I will look at going back to work in September as having a break!!

Thanks!
Sarah x

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nappyaddict · 12/07/2007 13:01

sometimes when you give solids they start waking up again cos they aren't having enough milk in the day to help them last the night. tbh i would give the solids a backseat and concentrate on filling her up with milk in the day instead. even feeding every 2 hours if she'll take it.

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Jojay · 12/07/2007 13:08

Why don't you try a dream feed at about 10.30 pm - hopefully that'll be enough to see her through till morning, but then she won't disturb your sleep either.

At 10.30 ish, just get her up from the cot, keep lights dim, don't talk to her, no nappy change etc, but just give her the bottle. She'll take it half asleep and should go back down easily.

Dads are often good at this and then Mums can have early nights!!

I agree with the others, a bit of solids will have very little effect -IMO you're better off stuffing her full of milk at this age and don't bother with solids, esp as she's not that keen.

Give her as much as she'll take, and ignore what it says on the tin.

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callmeovercautious · 12/07/2007 13:45

Classic 4 month change in sleep habits here. If you read the sllep is for the weak threads in sleep topic you will find loads of us that went through this around Dec/Jan. She just needs more Milk and should settle back to going through the night on her own later. A friend had a lo who alept through from a couple of weeks old but at 4m started waking every couple of hours. She rode it out for about 6 weeks and eventually lo started to sleep through again.
I found that weaning (even at 6m) takes time to be effective and it was only once she was on a full 3 meals and snacks that she went longer at night. I don't think the small amount of rice/puree you can give such a young baby will help, I would drop it and up all her milk feeds by an ounce or so (if ff) or offer the breast a couple of extra times in the afternoon.

Dream feed is also a great idea (although I did'nt as DD always wakes by herself between 10 and 11).

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3missys · 12/07/2007 13:51

Thanks for the advice! May possibly dream feed but thanks for your reassurances, probably is a growth spurt as she seems "bigger" and less new born all of a sudden!!

Will let you know!

Sarah xx

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