7 Months and Won't Sleep Through the Night

Hi. One of the things we now know is that breast milk is easier for babies to digest than formula is. That means that she's getting more nutrients, but it also means that she gets hungrier faster. Which means more waking up. Then "when babies should sleep through the night"thing that pediatricians tell us was determined at a time when most American babies were formula fed. They weren't getting hungry as fast and therefore slept through the night at an earlier age. So, yes, for a breast-fed baby, my understanding is that it is completely normal, though that doesn't help you sleep! Doctors recommend breast-feeding for the first year, which I am sure you already know. That means you are more than half way there!

It is entirely possible that she is hungry. Tiny tummies (and they are still tiny at this age) don't hold much food and when it is gone, they want more. If you think that she is just looking to be soothed, you can try holding her, talking to her, singing, etc. I completely understand you hating to hear her cry. I was the same way (and still am) with my daughter. I think this is also the age when my daughter started getting upset if she couldn't see me, so it could be a security thing and breastfeeding provides them with such a great source of security. It's not like they can lose you while they are latched on. You're not alone on the sleeping through the night issue. My daughter turned two in January and just recently has been able to make it a whole night without me. Every child will develop in their own time, regardless of what we want.

I agree with most here...that baby girl is hungry!

My babies were the same way, and 6 or 7 months was about the time that I started to add baby rice or oat cereal to their fuits and veggies. It works wonders! You will gradually notice that time between feedings will get longer.

It's a part of their natural progression toward eating solids. Yea, for you and baby! Good luck.

Try some cereal mixed with her vegetables to thicken them ...she probably digests her food very efficiently & needs something more to hold her through the night....Great Grandma.

J. ~ I was in your shoes! Our son is 10 months old and slept great from 2 to 4 months then started waking up again. This never stopped until a couple weeks ago when we finally took our pediatrician's advice: let him cry. At his 6-month checkup, she told us he was old enough and big enough to cry for an hour. When I got home and was telling my husband her advice, I cried myself - there was no way I could let him cry that long. So we got Dr. Ferber's book and tried that, which worked for about a week. The wakings continued to escalate over the next three months so I called a sleep specialist but couldn't get an appointment for 5 weeks. So I finally broke down and decided to try letting him cry for an hour. And it worked like magic. I would nurse him downstairs and my husband would carry him upstairs (this seemed to be key in the solution) and lay him down. If he woke up, I would go in and check on him to make sure he was okay then leave and he actually did cry for an hour. At the end of the hour, I went back in his room, gave him his pacifier and he went right to sleep - I didn't pick him up or anything. He just needed that little help to get settled. I did the same for daytime naps. In three days, he slept from 8pm to 7am and was taking two consistent daytime naps.
I can't tell you how hard it was to make the decision (and follow through) to let him cry, but it was the best thing we've done. And he doesn't seem to have any changes during his waking time like being clingier or anything. I wish we would have done this at 6 months and gotten sleep ourselves for the next 4 months! I feel like a new person myself finally sleeping again!
Sorry this is so long, but I really hope it's a help to you. I know personally it's a hard thing to hear (and do) but it was so worth it for us. Good luck!

If she will take a bottle, mix cereal in with it. It'll keep her fuller longer!

at 7 months she should be pretty active and not that hard to realy play with. For the last couple a hours before bedtime you should try to play with her until she's pooped. Then either before or after her last meal on the breast give her a hearty helping of baby cereal. That should keep her full through the night so she won't be getting up hungry. It's all about keeping them satisfied as they grow. Her tummy isn't the same size it used to be, not to mention her rate of digestion has increased.

J., try veggies for lunch, and cereal (rice or oatmeal) at night with fruit mixed in. Contrary to what they say, the Gerber cereals do have a lot of nutritional value. And they're filling. You also need to give that to her for breakfast, as that's the most important meal! And don't skimp, prepare her a good sized portion and let her eat all she wants. Then try to burp, wait a little while, and offer her the bottle to finish off. That's what I do, (he's also 7 months) only at the night time feeding I make the cereal with juice so he gets a little juice also, which is vitamin c, and I also mix in friut. So he's getting everything and getting full at night. Just some ideas...Good luck!

I had this problem with two of my three babies. (I also breastfed my babies)
Instead of nursing them last thing at night, I just substituted a bottle with a little cereal in it, or fed them a little cereal before I nursed them (depending on the baby's age at the time). It worked so well that I started it with my third child very early, so sleeping through the night never became a problem with her.

lol i have been raising kids since i was nine, have four girls of my own a step daughter, and when i breastfed i found out that they just dont stay full enough for very long off the breast milk, thier little bodies process it really fast, try giving her some baby cereal before bed or something w/ some weight to it. and if she is just waking up to see you (which she will do!) and you know for sure she isnt hungry then i would suggest letting her cry unfortunatley ( i hate to hear them cry too.) but good news is that normally it only takes about 3-5 nights to enforce this. just keep going in there and checking on her, let her know you are there, but it nite nite time and eventually she will understand as long as you dont get her out of her bed. hopefully this helps and good luck to you ;-)

Try and feed her oatmeal at bedtime. If it is hungry that is waking her up then that should help and get her through more hours, it worked great with my daughter.

Good luck,
D.

I've been told cereal at night will help. It takes a little longer to digest.

J.~ Hey there- as a first time mom of a little girl just over 8 months old- i can really relate. I know some people do not believe in the cry-it-out method. I have a friend with a baby 3 days younger than my daughter and is STILL getiing up several times a night- not quite sure how she is even functioning.
I know how hard it is to listen to your little one cry. Trust me- but i did it. And after- literally- 2 night- if she woke up - she learned how to calm herself down- and self- pacify and put herself back to sleep. Even now- sometimes i will hear her moving around in there- just awake- not crying and she always goes back to sleep. It is brutal to listen to the crying though, i know. You feel horrible.
I just went in every5-10 minutes and would pat her back- give her a pacifier- and say "Ssshhh-it's ok" and then either sit in her rocking chair (she couldn't see me) or go back to my room and keep doing that until she feel asleep. I never picked her up because i did not want her to think i would always do that. It is so hard especially when you want sleep to pick her up, feed her, bring her to your room, etc. But she is old enough to nutritionally get through the night without eating. It is so hard to do but it really works and in the long run- they learn how to calm themselves down.
I also reccommend putting like 8 pacifiers in the crib so she can always find on (if she takes one) that is fantastic!!!! Hope that helps.
L.

I would start cereal at night too. we would usually do about 4 T. for our little one at that age and about 3 in the morning. Rice if she doesn't get constipated and oatmeal if she does. This seemed to fill that appetite. Also think about add ing meats at night. This seemed to stey with him longer. Also, like the other mom's said - let her. Cry. Go in every 5 minutes and shh her, maybee a slight back pat, then leave. I know it's hard, but it will pay off in a few days. Also make sure she is going to bedd awake. If she cries at this time, do the same thing - 5 min. We had to increase the intervals to 10 min because my little one was stubborn. Just lean on your husband for support! You will get through this!! Good luck

I had a similar issue with my son (also breastfeeding), and for him it was a matter of habit. He would wake at approximately the same times each night. I did let him cry (which went against every instinct in me) and after only a few nights he was sleeping through the night. He also didn't cry much more than 10 minutes before falling back asleep, although it felt much longer than that to me! Another issue that caused him to wake was his pacifier would fall out of his mouth, so we stopped giving him the pacifier at about 4 or 5 months.

Hey I know you are breast feeding, but try a little rice before bed time or even oatmeal.

I would try getting up with her and rocking her back to sleep first to see if she is really hungry. If she goes back to sleep, you know she's not starving. I went through a similar situation. My daughter would eat if it was offered but then would also go back to sleep if she was just rocked. Then i think you'll have to let her cry so she learns how to put herself back to sleep. We did this for our daughter. It took 2 nights and then she slept the third. It was rough listening to her, but we turned on a fan in her room to soothe her and in our room to block out the noise. Good luck!