when do you stop dream feeding?

Discussion in 'The First Year' started by axpan, Nov 25, 2006.

  1. axpan

    axpan Well-Known Member

    This is what our night schedule looks like: The girls have their last awake meal at about 6pm and then sleep. I've gotten into a habit of dreamfeeding the girls at about 11 or 12 before I go to sleep. They will wake up again at about 4am and eat and then sleep till about 8 or 9 am.
    The main reason I dreamfeed is to avoid waking up another time and also I feel my breasts get uncomfortably full if I don't. Also, I hate pumping. I haven't tried to not dreamfeed and see what happens.
    I am wondering if this is a bad habit for them. They are low on the weight charts so I figure additional feeding must be a good thing for them. They eat with appetite when I wake them. Should this be my cue to continue? Is there a down side to dreamfeeding or a limit after which I should stop?
    I would be greatful to hear your thoughts and experiences.
    Could this please be linked to the breastfeeding forum as well. thanks.
     
  2. axpan

    axpan Well-Known Member

    This is what our night schedule looks like: The girls have their last awake meal at about 6pm and then sleep. I've gotten into a habit of dreamfeeding the girls at about 11 or 12 before I go to sleep. They will wake up again at about 4am and eat and then sleep till about 8 or 9 am.
    The main reason I dreamfeed is to avoid waking up another time and also I feel my breasts get uncomfortably full if I don't. Also, I hate pumping. I haven't tried to not dreamfeed and see what happens.
    I am wondering if this is a bad habit for them. They are low on the weight charts so I figure additional feeding must be a good thing for them. They eat with appetite when I wake them. Should this be my cue to continue? Is there a down side to dreamfeeding or a limit after which I should stop?
    I would be greatful to hear your thoughts and experiences.
    Could this please be linked to the breastfeeding forum as well. thanks.
     
  3. Tiffany S

    Tiffany S Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]Hello,
    I think its super, dooper, wonderful that you are breastfeeding! Its soooo good for them the first year or two. If you still feel happy “dream feeding†there is no reason to stop. As for making bad habits, I would never say nursing can be a bad habit! Every mother child pair is different and has a different bundle of needs met by nursing, nutrition is just one of those needs. What ever you decide to do you may find that your babies keep changing the pattern anyway. Growth spurts, teething and colds can all affect how often and how long a baby wants to / needs to nurse. Older babies may also switch to more night time nursing if they tend to reduce day nursing because of distractions, playing, or solid foods.

    Just so you know, I nurse my 2 year old twins many times at night. Often they (and I) fall asleep nursing and we wake up still nursing a few hours later. LOL.
    We have co slept from day one so I find night nursing easy. I do know moms that started co sleeping and night nursing more often as their 6-8 month old needed more night time parenting.

    Just remember… whatever you try nothing has to be forever if it does not work out, try something different.

    Best wishes,
    [​IMG]
     
  4. dreamteam

    dreamteam Member

    you may want to see what happens when you don't dreamfeed...

    i didn't dreamfeed on a regular basis early on, but when i did do it i found there wasn't much of a difference. my boys always got up between 2-4am. then i tried it more regularly around 4 months, to see if it would change things, and it did... they now wake up on their own at 11pm every night! they're almost 7 months now and i'm trying to get them to stop!

    hey tiffany s, how do you co-sleep with twins? aren't you worried about them falling off the bed? does the other wake when you nurse one?
     
  5. Jello717

    Jello717 Well-Known Member

    I agree with the PP, I'd just stop and see what happens. I tried dreamfeeding a few times but it never seemed to make a difference in when they woke up next. I thought it would "reset" their clock, but it just interrupted their sleep.
     
  6. Tiffany S

    Tiffany S Well-Known Member

    quote:


    hey tiffany s, how do you co-sleep with twins? aren't you worried about them falling off the bed? does the other wake when you nurse one?



    [​IMG]
    My bed is pushed up to the corner of the wall so they can’t roll out that way. The other two open sides are blocked by a toddler bed rail and my big husband. LOL
    My mattress is also on an open futon frame with no box spring so we are close to the ground anyway.

    I co slept with all my boys as my mother slept with her children, so it seems totally normal and fine in our family. Sometimes one boy will wake the other while moving around but not usually. More often one wakes and starts nursing while I doze, then the other wakes and starts nursing so I’m tandem nursing for a while, then the first one stops nursing, a little while later the second stops nursing. We go a few hours just sleeping then it starts over again! To get a good nights sleep this way I have to start my bed time earlier then I did with one baby and I have to snooze later in the morning, but all in all I think I get much more sleep then I would with a different set-up.

    I know the way I do things is not for everyone, but it is one choice that has worked well and been very fulfilling for my family.

    Best wishes, [​IMG]
     
  7. Melis

    Melis Well-Known Member

    I tried stopping when they were about 6 months old. Mine were low on the weight charts as well. They still wake up but I try to hold them off with the binkie. It works most nights. Just stop and see what happens otherwise, like me you'll never know!
     
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