Weaning from Night Feedings
So here is the scenario: It’s 2am. Your baby starts fussing…
…this fuss quickly turns to a cry. A full blown cry. And you don’t know what you should do, do you feed them? Do you help them back to sleep? Should they still be taking an overnight feeding? You run through your list of friends with babies trying to remember when their babies started sleeping through the night, and when their babies didn’t need a 2am feeding. But it’s all just a blur because it’s been months since you’ve slept. You quickly start going down the questions spiral. “Am I doing this right? Am I doing this all wrong? Am I starving my baby? Will she ever learn to sleep? Is she getting enough food?”
Let me stop you right there, Mama. Here’s my two cents. Forever and always. When it comes to 2am….and really mostly all of motherhood…
If it’s working for you and your family….don’t change it!
If you’ve ever asked me a sleep question, you’ve probably already heard me say this. But I truly believe it! And I believe it’s so important for moms to hear! I want your life to work for YOU and your family first and foremost. If it’s not working for you, then let’s talk, let’s problem solve and make a plan to change that. I want to see you thriving in this season. However, if what you’re doing is working great for you, but you’re wondering if you need to fix it because “he said, she said, I read, they do this, I know another baby that reached this milestone earlier” then I will quickly tell you to hold up, slow down, let’s still chat, but that chat is going to look like “you do you girl, don’t worry about them.” If you’re thriving in this season, then let’s change nothing! What helps you thrive and works for you, may be completely different than what worked for your neighbor or friend or sister, and that is okay! Your baby is uniquely who they are, and you are the absolute best mom for them.
This is really just my entire preface to say, this is going to be our conversation when it comes to so many things involving baby sleep, and that most certainly includes weaning from those overnight feedings. So let’s get back to that crying baby at 2am. I get a lot of questions about when it’s time for weaning from night feedings, how many feedings your baby should be doing at this stage, etc. My first suggestion will always be to check with your pediatrician. It is so important that your baby is getting the right amount of ounces and calories for their individual little body, and your pediatrician will know best for your baby and what their specific growth curve looks like.
If your baby is ready to be weaned from night feedings, but you’re okay with continuing and it doesn’t bother you to continue to do some night feedings, then go for it! I would never recommend you stop if you’re not ready. However, if you are ready and the pediatrician has given you the go ahead, then it’s go time!
So here’s my trick to weaning…
We want to wean one feeding at a time, to give Baby a gradual reduction in their overnight feeds. So start with weaning the middle feeding (or feedings! You can pick which middle feeding to drop first if you’re currently doing more than three overnight feeds), then wean the first feeding, and finally wean the last feeding.
To wean the feed, if you’re breastfeeding, shorten the feeding by 2 minutes every few nights until the feeding is weaned completely. If you’re bottle feeding, reduce the bottle by a ½ ounce every few nights until the feeding is weaned completely.
Once you’ve completely dropped the feed, you may need to implement some sleep training methods to help Baby learn that no, it's not time for food anymore, it's time for sleep. If you’ve already implemented sleep training with your baby, utilize the method that worked for you in the past. If you have not utilized sleep training yet, give us a call so we can talk about what option might work best for your baby and your family. Once you are confident that they are getting the calories that they need during the day (your pediatrician, The Mindful Nursery, and your mom gut can all help you determine this), you can be confident that implementing sleep training to help them sleep overnight instead of looking for milk when they used to is truly so beneficial to your baby and the best thing you can do for them!
Wait until they are confidently weaned from each feed and you have successfully implemented sleep training if necessary to move on to weaning the next feed. This is a very gradual process, and will teach such valuable sleep skills in a gentle way to your little one!
As always, if you’re having trouble or need more help, just click HERE to schedule your free consultation with us! We love helping families transition from overnight feeds to that longed for full night of sleep! You’ve got this! Trust your mom gut and move forward with confidence.
~Becca