[Gurjeevan]

For the last two weeks my baby only sleep for 1 or 2 hours at night then wakes up for a feed. So basically is waking up 6 times each night. I am currently breastfeeding and really want to continue this for another six weeks at least. She only has one nap through the day for about 45 minutes. She is healthly and gaining weight otherwise.

[this8384]

My daughter was always waking up every 2-3 hours when I was breastfeeding her; she was about 5 months old before she finally began sleeping through the night.

What time do you lay her down to go to sleep? Make sure she's completely full and burped before laying her down. She may just be used to eating so often and not filling up at every feeding.

[kp2171]

not an expert in this area, just posting my experience...

my post is simply concerning the burden on you physically and mentally...

if we had to rank all of the things we bought during my wife's pregnancy and after my sons birth for value per dollar spent, a good double breast pump would be tops.

no doubt about it.

yeah... I'm a guy talking about breast pumps. Call me domesticated. Don't care. Its true.

we bought a "refurbished" one from a local birthing/midwife center... meaning someone had bought it new and no longer needed it... the parts were autoclaved (sterilized) so that there were no issues tied to used bottles or lines... and it was cheaper than buying new... tho' we still probably spent 200+ dollars on a good, portable, battery powered double pump.

this allowed us to do several things.

first, it kept my wife from suffering from mastitis... a condition where milk ducts become blocked, often from excess milk production, resulting in inflammation and pain.

second, it allowed her to live her life. She took three months off work before returning, but when she was "full" and the child wasn't ready to nurse, the pump saved her, relieved her. When she returned to work she could take it to the "quiet room" or a private bathroom and pump when she felt pressure, but couldn't come home to nurse.

third, this allow our child to have breast milk whenever he was hungry. It allowed me to feed him at night and let her rest if she didn't need to nurse. It allowed others to feed him when she couldn't be immediately present. We literally had half of our freezer partitioned with small boxes... each containing frozen packs of labeled, dated breast milk that could be quickly warmed whenever needed.

it really was a blessing.

we chose to breastfeed until about 1.5 years, as we both believe it is best for the child and he didn't start on solids as soon as some... but even after she stopped breastfeeding, we had nearly 6 weeks of breastmilk to continue to feed him. It was just great.

so... if the father is present and able to help with your burden at night, a good, quality pump is something to seriously consider for all the reasons mentioned. I know you are talking about a much shorter time for breastfeeding...

you didn't mention the age of the baby... how old? Depending on age, it might be time to supplement with other foods, like rice cereal... but that depends on age, and is something you should talk to your provider about...

[DoulaLC]

Several things may be going on... could be a growth spurt as well mixed in. Is she learning any new skill? Some babies will wake more often when they are learning something new. How often does she eat during the day? Is she going longer stretches in the daytime? How long is she on for a feed at night? If not very long, she may be more snacking then really hungry for all of those feedings. Short feeds will sometimes not allow her to get enough hindmilk which will fill her up a bit more. Does she fall asleep after she is on for a short time? If that is a possibility, try massaging the breast a little while she is on to keep her going a bit longer, or tickle down her back, use a baby wipe on her, or change her diaper midfeed to try and get her going a bit more. Sometimes just an extra 10 minutes will do the trick. Any signs of teething?

[kp2171]

Does she fall asleep after she is on for a short time? If that is a possibility, try massaging the breast a little while she is on to keep her going a bit longer, or tickle down her back, use a baby wipe on her, or change her diaper midfeed to try and get her going a bit more. Sometimes just an extra 10 minutes will do the trick. Any signs of teething?

COMPLETELY forgot about this trick. Excellent, DoulaLC... my wife would play with my sons feet/toes, to keep him awake longer to ensure it wasn't just a quick fix. great advice as always.

[sylvan_1998]

All great answers and spot on. Might want to contact your La Leche league or other breast feeding group.

One thought is, if the child is only restless while in the prone position (not sleeping in bed but will sleep in a swing or chair - and maybe try one of these at nap to test) is could it be Esophageal Reflux Disease? A friends baby had this and she was having similar problems. Once the irritation was cleared, sleeping resumed as the baby could once again sleep in the prone position without pain.

Good Luck! ALl the above advice is awesome!!