9 Month Old Baby Still Waking up 3 Times at Night

Hi E.,
After 40 years as an OB nurse, mother of 4 sons & 3 grandsons I have some suggestions that could change your night events without your daughter crying. This is because by 9 mo of age children can meet their calorie needs by day, and sleep the night without extra feedings. But for her it is a habit.(That she likes). So, here's an idea, consider asking Daddy to respond to her with a bottle or cup of water and some cuddling. Then after a few nights, skip the water, then after a few more nights skip the cuddling and maybe just rub her back or sing to her. My husband did this and within a week our boys would stop waking. But after having a cold, they might do it again. Then Daddy would do his Daddy treatment again and they would stop. Just make sure your daughter is getting enough calories during the day so you aren't worried that she is hungry at night. You can continue breastfeeding by day until bedtime as long as you like. My sons breastfed till 2yr and 3yrs just at bedtime since I was gone all day as a working Mom. Good luck, ultimately you'll win.
A. J.

For what it's worth, my daughter did this and didn't start sleeping completely through the night until she was right just over a year old. I just felt in my gut that she was hungry and would eventually give up her night feedings when she was getting enough during the day and when she was ready and I was right.

She gradually dropped out the feedings starting with the early morning ones first. At about 10-11 months, she was only waking up around midnight and nursing. Lots of people told me that she didn't really need the milk, she just wanted the comfort, but she ended up dropping the feedings gradually and this just worked for us better than trying to do sleep training or CIO. She always got enough hours of sleep for her age total, she just woke up (like yours, she was half asleep) to nurse. She always went right back to sleep. She has always been a pretty good sleeper and easy to get down at night, so I was hesitant to do anything that would make sleep more traumatic for her. For me, the brief nursing sessions were less of a disturbance to my rest than going through the graduated crying that would have been involved in CIO or another method.

Just after she was a year old, she dropped the midnight feeding and now regularly sleeps from 8 at night until 7 or 7:30 in the morning. The only times she doesn't are when she's got a cold or when she's awakened by feeling cold or a wet diaper or something unusual like that.

I should note that around 10 months, we did start gradually replacing nursing sessions during the day with a bottle of formula (after her first birthday, we started adding cow's milk). My goal was to get to a point where we'd just nurse first thing in the morning and then at night. She was still nursing or taking a bottle about two or three times a day in addition to eating solids for breakfast and lunch. At 13 months, she sort of abruptly (within about two weeks) weaned and wanted only the bottle (I do think my supply was reduced by supplementing during the day, so she wasn't getting the full amount she wanted from me). It was also around this time that she started routinely sleeping straight through. So, I don't know if it was a combination of the weaning and the milk or more calories or what, but this is what worked for me.

Obviously, this course is not something every mom or baby would want or be happy with. Some moms may not want to supplement or wean that soon. Also, some moms might be driven insane and pushed to the edge by getting up through the night for so long. If continuing to get up wont' work for you, I think it's completely valid to do sleep training to get her to sleep longer at this age. I found sleep deprivation to be one of the hardest parts of being a mom, and, if I had been working an outside job during this time, I don't think I would have been as able to keep getting up with her. At this point, you need to do what's best for both you and her, whatever that is.

I just wanted to say it was what worked for us. I get really sick of hearing people say that if you don't CIO or whatever, then the kid will *never* sleep through the night or have bad sleep habits. I think you have to take medical advice seriously, but you also have to rely on the fact that you know your child best. There is no one-size fits all, especially when it comes to nursing and sleep.

Hi, I really feel for you. I have 3 children, 8, 3, and 9 months. None of my children slept throught the night when nursing or after nursing for that matter for a long time. I know what all the dr.'s say, but I always go with my gut. I can't let my children as babies cry it out, they get so worked up and gag, my youngest even breaks blood vessels in her forehead. I begin weaning from the breast around 10 months, but the last to go is usually the middle of the night feedings which finally gets 'cut off' by 13 months or so. My children usually cry for a week or so with no nursings to fall back asleep, but I give them a 'teddy' that they all sleep with from about 9 months on up. My baby will not go to bed for anyone but me and she will not fall asleep on her own either.
My oldest daughter just finally sleeps through the night, itonly took her 7 yrs! She would wake up every night around 3 or 4 and come in our bed, my son sleeps almost always through the night, but I never expected it since my daughter was so difficult. My third like I said is my last and I'm not stressing that much about her waking up to eat to go back to sleep. I'm at the point where I know she will eventually sleep through the night, so I bring her in our bed and get back her back to sleep in there. When you do stop feeding her at night, cold turkey may be best. I always do cold turkey cause then they aren't expecting it after a few days, they just need a new routine to get comfortable with. It is hard no matter what you do, I just thought I'd share my trials with you if maybe it will help. Good luck and congrats on being a first time mom. Trust me, soon she will be in her own bed and you'll miss her needing you to sleep. I miss it with my oldest, but she is still a huge cuddler!

My almost 9 month old does the same thing.

About a month ago, we did some sleep training to get her to stop waking up at 10:30. For over a week, she only got up at 2 and 5. Well, the 2 wake up gradually has moved itself to 11:15 (My fault, of course, I should have just ignored her till 2). She then wakes up at 3:30 and 5. At 5, I just go in and give her a quick hug and tell her it's not time to wake up yet. She then settles in a minute or two. However, if I nurse her, she sleeps an extra hour in the morning, so I'm torn about this one!

I know she is in the midst of a developmental period right now(she has been eating like crazy), so I was going to sit with things for another week or so.

I really have no clue as to what I am going to do. I think I may just wait it out. We spent 6 weeks trying everything we could to get her to stop waking at 10:30-11. My husband tried to sooth her, we ignored her, etc. A lot of crying was involved and I slept even worse than when I just nurse her.

If you don't mind waking up and nursing, then I wouldn't worry about it. Soon enough they will be yelling at us and asking for our car keys.

I wouldn't worry about more food during the night as much as changing a wet diaper. Don't talk to her while you do this and don't turn on any bright lights (nightlight would be fine). Then listen to your dr. and let her cry. Make sure she has a soft toy to cuddle with and sooth her hurt feelings but she will get use to the new remedy to her waking up. Don't forget, once you've picked her up, she's got what she wanted. Be strong mom/dad (get him involved also-take turns).

I agree I would feed her. SHE is a baby why not give ther the nutrition. I ahve a daughter who we fed though the night and she is three now and sleeping though teh night. I am so glad I feed her till now, sucks for three years of no sleep but she needed the calories the dr said so it helped her. If she was older than four and you couldnt handle the no sleep then i would say let them cry it out but 6 weeks of cyring jsut go ahead and feed the baby the more nutritents now will niot hurt if anythign it is beneficial especially for the winter
J.

This is so hard and so many of us have gone through it! My fabulous pediatrician is all about the parents getting sleep, when I say the kids are getting up too early, getting up in the night, he tells me to put a pillow over my head and go back to sleep. Obviously you need to make sure they are not sick or have a soaking/dirty diaper, but as long as you go on feeding in the night it will never end! Let's face it, the baby needs sleep, you need sleep, no one is happy being up in the night. I say give anything a try- going in every few minutes to check, sitting there and moving farther away from the crib each night, crying it out (both of you!). Good luck and get some rest!

I remember we cut out one feeding at a time until she was sleeping through the night. We did let our daughter "cry it out" a la Weissbluth. It's hard to decide which one to cut out...my husband and I argued and discussed it at length, and I can't honestly remember what we chose to do!! It's all trial and error...something will work!