I spoke to soon with DS and STTN... We are losing sleep again

Since 5 weeks DS was STTN 5-6 hours. We would start the bedtime feeding by bottle around 9-9:30 and he would be down by 10:00-10:30. DS is very difficult to put down. He will wake up within minutes if he does not feel our body heat. It doesn't matter where we put him to sleep-swing, bouncy, bassinet... We attempt to put him down at least 2/3 times before he goes down for good. This sleeping issue also happens when he goes down for a nap.

The past few days though he is going to bed later 11-12 and sleeps less at night. We are trying to figure out what to do to help him sleep longer b/c when he gets up those 2/3 times before he goes down for good, he wants boob! Another issue is he passes out on my boob A LOT and he also passes out when DS feeds him by bottle. So we constantly have to force DS to wake up to finish feeding and burping. We are racking our brains wondering what to do.... Should I up the BM in the bottle? Give him a little formula in the bottle?

Also is it normal for an infant to eat just about every hour? I know there is the growth spurt and the cluster feeding. But can these last longer than usual and for over a week? My boobs are exhausted

Re: I spoke to soon with DS and STTN... We are losing sleep again

Have you tried establishing a bedtime routine so he knows what to expect. We change DS' diaper, put on PJ's and feed him a bottle while DH reads him a book (since about 6 weeks) and now my DS knows bedtime is coming and literally falls asleep 1 minute after he's done with his bottle. (oops, you BF, but i think you can still do a routine) When he was smaller he would still be awake but I would put him in his cradle and he would fall asleep alone within minutes.

Have you tried the pacifier when he wants the boob? Also, maybe he's overtired, baby's ideal bedtime is supposedly 7-8.

HTH! Not sure what to do about the feeding issues though. GL!

Re: I spoke to soon with DS and STTN... We are losing sleep again

Re: I spoke to soon with DS and STTN... We are losing sleep again

DS's sleeping patterns changed a lot the first 3 or 4 months. Every time I thought I had it figured out, he through me for a loop. There was a period when he clusted fed at night. I tried a bunch of things, but I don't know if any of them necessarily worked.

How often is he eating during the day? Is he with you during the day? You could try feeding him more often during the day. If he isn't with you, some babies go on a nursing strike and then cluster feed when they're with their mom.

You could also try increasing the amount in the bottle right before bed. If he's going through a growth spurt, he may still wake often to eat. To keep him awake during nursing sessions, try changing his diaper after he falls asleep, undress him, tickle his cheeks and/or put a wet washcloth on his face. Personally, I would try all of these things before formula. Formula could end up upsetting his stomach and make his sleep more restless.

FWIW, DS woke up several times per night for the first 6 months. Then, he dropped down to waking once per night to eat. Finally, at 7 months old, he started STTN. It's very common for EBF babies to not STTN for a while. Good luck!