Baby Rooting in Sleep - What Can I Do?

That is exactly the same age this started happening with my daughter! I went hunting all over the internet looking for reasons. It seems it was just a very normal thing for that age. Newfound awareness and distractions during the day and growth spurts were cited as major factors.

We also cosleep, and that period was exhausting. But trying to sleep separately was worse! I did this "test", where I would put her to sleep normally in our bed (where she was nice and comfy, she would never tolerate a crib, ever. We had one collecting dust until we finally sold it), and then I'd sleep on the floor next to the bed (or on the couch in the next room). Daddy was in the bed with her too. So she was safe, but couldn't smell my milk. When she woke up, I'd feed her, wait until she fell asleep, and go back to bed myself. Didn't do a darn thing. Instead, I slept worse b/c our sleep cycles were out of tune and I'd wake up from a deep sleep to her crying to nurse. Sometimes right after I'd finally gotten back to sleep. Ugh. YMMV of course.

I made sure to tank her up during the day and tried to keep her focused on eating when she nursed. I eventually had to use a cover in public places b/c she was too interested in everything else. I still have to do that. She wouldn't tolerate a cover previously, so I found that interesting! During the day at home, I'd have to lie down with her and nurse her sometimes to keep her focused and relaxed and make sure she ate well.

Eventually, she calmed down and nighttime got better. For a good long while, I never noticed much when she ate at night. Now (she's 9 months), she does wake me up a couple times when I need to change sides. But I simply move her over to the other side of me and go back to sleep. We still have periodic (random) bad nights, when I either go to bed too late or she's teething, or not feeling well... and it still happens if she hasn't eaten well during the day! So I still have to make sure I get good nursing sessions with her when she's too busy playing to eat well.

"This too shall pass" -- if it's driving you too nuts and you can't wait it out you can try moving her. I'm of no use in that area though, as I've never done it.

Best of luck!

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my eight week old does the same thing. Just let her nurse! my baby sleeps next to me with my arm around her, close to my breast, when she roots during the night shes right there, either one of us hardly wake up to nurse. It sounds like your baby is really wanting to nurse during the night! I know it can be frustrating. Believe me, your baby is trying to tell you something, whether she needs to nurse for comfort during this time, or if she really is hungry, listen to her AND your instincts on this one. Don't deny the breast! Also try nursing her more during the day, she may just be hungry! I would also get involved with a Le Leche League group in your area, contact a Leader or go the thier website for more info. Also, Dr. Sears has an excellent book on nighttime parenting. Good luck and just remember, whether shes nursing for comfort (shes not aggressively nursing, just suckling every few seconds) or nursing because shes hungry, shes trying to tell you something, be attentive and listen to her needs.

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Nurse her - why might this be a problem? It sounds like she's starting to go through a growth spurt, and her desire to nurse more often is her way of telling your body to produce more milk for her. You do cosleep, yes? Can you nurse in bed, side-lying? My daughter & I used to breastfeed in our sleep. She'd be right next to me, and when she was hungry, she'd nurse...and then the next morning, my husband would say, "Boy, she nursed a lot last night, didn't she!" - I'd be puzzled, since I never woke up to nurse her, and I'd say, "Did she??"...I literally slept through much of her nighttime nursing. Only if she fussed and/or needed a diaper change did I wake up.

Good Luck!

I so feel your pain. We went threw this with our daughter. Who is 26 months old. We were told it was a growth spurt. We also moved her into her crib in her owen room. She slept much better and did not need to nurse as often because she could not smell my milk. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi S......I know some people are against pacifiers, which I was too until number 4 came. She would do the same thing and I was so sleep deprived. I gave in and gave her a pacifier, it took a few different kinds until we found one that she liked.....the best thing.....IT WORKED! It cannot hurt to try.....I hope this helps and you can get some well needed and deserved sleep!

she is looking for comfort... give her a pacifer.... it doesnt have to be all the time so she gets hooked, just so you get SLEEP....
you are still "allowed" to get sleep!!!

Have you considered a pacifier? also pumping to top her off could help if she is not getting enough to eat?

My son was every 3 hours forever! lol

Your baby is just looking for comfort from the only way she has been shown how so far in her short life. I never co-slept, so my daughter never woke me up rooting. If she was really hungry, she would wake up and fuss, so I would nurse her. But at five months, your daughter shouldn't be that hungry all night long so she possibly just was comforting herself. My advice is to try and transition her to her crib as soon as possible. Swaddle and allow her to fuss a bit before charging in, she may be just making some noise and will drift off back to sleep. If she is really hungry or needs a diaper change, She will let you know! We transitioned our daughter to her crib with a body positioner, swaddling and white noise CD on all night repeat to the sound of rain. She still loves the CD today for her naps and allows me to make a little more noise without waking her up! My only reason to recommend the transition now is how much harder it gets later when they are more aware of where they are--and you. I have a friend who is still co-sleeping with TWO children over the age of three! Not fun. She so wishes she made the transition early. Also, just remember your daughter can learn to LOVE her crib. Mine somtimes refuses to get out when she wakes from her nap. She just wants to 'read' books and play with her animals in there for awhile. It's great for me! Good luck to you!

Hi S.,
This sounds like a comfort issue to me. Your daughter probably isn't hungry, just wants the comfort of nursing and being close to you. Have you tried a pacifier? I know when I had my first baby I was so against using one. My daughter wanted to be on the breast ALL the time! Nursing every hour throughout the night. I was exhausted! I tried the binky out of desperation and that's all she really wanted was to suckle something. And now there has been a study that says that pacifiers are beneficial in preventing SIDS. Also, I know that there are lots of people who love it, but I was never a fan of co-sleeping. I was too afraid I (or my husband-heavy sleeper) would smother them. I know many would argue, but I think co-sleeping develops many bad habits that you just have to break later. If you're okay with it, you should probably transition her to a cradle in your room or to her own crib now before she gets too used to sleeping with you. You're bound to get a better nite's sleep (and her too!) without her next to you. It might take a bit of transitioning, but be consistent and she'll soon be fine sleeping on her own. One more thought...When she wakes in the night, try to give her a good solid feeding by sitting up with her and keeping her awake. Try not to fall asleep so you can make sure she stays awake and eats enough so she won't keep waking from possible hunger. Good luck and I hope this helps and you get some sleep! :)

Hi S. -
Sounds like a good night sleep would be best for all --- I remember those days (nights). My input --- invest in a pacifier. I am not a fan of them and tried with my son (second child, now 13 months old) to not give him one. When he was little, he was fine without one b/c whenever he needed to suckle, I would be there to nurse him. But, when he was about 4.5 months old, his dr. and I both agreed that he did not actually need the milk. He was getting plenty during the day --- I never denied him nursing during the day. I never tried to get him to follow a "schedule" - whenever he wanted to nurse, I would nurse him - a little or a lot. So, our conclusion was that he was just looking for that suckling comfort. (He was already sleeping in a crib in his room. For the first 2-3 months he was in our room in a cradle, no co-sleeping.) I went ahead and gave him a pacifier and oh my --- he was in heaven!!!! He just couldn't believe I had been denying him this wonder!!!! That's all he needed. I only let him have a pacifier when he was in his crib and we got rid of it when he was 10.5 months. Knock on wood --- he is a very good sleeper. All babies and parents are different. Do what feels right for you. Best of luck. K.

She may be teething and the sucking is making her mouth feel better. If she doesn't use a pacifier, talk to her doctor about other options.

Sounds like she may be teething as well. My daughter went through the same thing (she still co-sleeps and nurses). It didn't last very long. I am just glad I am able to comfort her when she goes through this! Good luck.

For some reason babies sleep patterns change around 4 mos. If you can sleep through her nursing, just let her nurse. I'm sure a pacifier would be a good alternative if she'll take one (neither of my children would). I co-slept & nursed my children & found that I got the most sleep when I just let them nurse on demand. Neither of us had to wake completely, which makes alot of difference. Good luck.

Hi,
I have a breastfed six month old (my second son) and we just went through this! It is normal a very common for babies around 4-5 months to have a "sleep regression". They are growing, teething, and starting to explore the world and this effects their sleep. It will get better on its own over time. Doing what you are already doing (bed sharing) is the easiest way to get through this. My little guy was only waking 1-2 times per night at right at 4 months he started waking at least 5 times per night and doing just what you describe. This week he has gone down to 2-3 times which is much better. I expect that it will get back to where it was at some point. I am so glad that we cosleep because it makes nighttime parenting so much easier.
One thing that helped me to get throught this was that I noticed that my son was starting to get very distracted during the day when he was nursing and not nursing as long/much right before bed like he used to. I put a bit more effort into taking him into quiet areas of the house to nurse in the evenings and to offer frequently. This helped some to keep him filled up more before he went to bed.
I agree that you may want to check out a La Leche League meeting. It is so nice to talk to other nursing moms and to hear how they dealt with the same issues.
( www.llli.org)
Hang in there. What you are going through is normal and yes, very tiring. You are doing a great job and keep up the good work!!!

My son is 5 1/2 months old and we also co-sleep. We have had similar problems and now he uses a binkey. He would wake up wanting to suck for comfort and would end up nursing. The binkey helped him settle down. We're now back to nursing at 12 and 4 am. It's not a full night sleep but were getting there.

Some babies have the need to suck - that is what binkies (pacifiers) are for. I had one child who had the urgent need to suck, we had no choice but to use binkies if we were to remain sane. (Yes, later you'll have a problem trying to have her give them up - but they NEED to suck now, deal with that later.) My other child did not have this need, never would touch a binky. Wasn't anything I said or did to make her that way. People who are high and mighty about not needing binkies simply had children who did not need them. They don't realize their luck, they usually like to think it was better parenting. People whose children desperately have the need to suck will use binkies. It's a simple as that - it's what the child needs.

Hello...I feel for you. I nursed all my children until 14 months. Sometimes during growth spurts I would experience cluster feeding as you have described. I would have you childs weight checked. Just to make sure your making enough milk and your supply is not dwindling. Sometimes the milk supply could be the problem not the child. If your milk is up to the task then I would plan on waking up the child after she has finished my first side at night. Change her diaper, wash her face get her good and awake/mad. Then feed the other side. She will drink well and fall back asleep satiated. I had one of my children snacking on me every half hour at night and then falling asleep 10 minutes after starting on one side. At 12 weeks your little girl should be able to go from 11pm until at least 5 am. Make sure her last feeding is a really good one lasting 20 minutes or so. Also if she is not sucking well or really soaking her diapers then this could be a sign of illness either ear or throat issues. Definitely check with her doctor.

Hi

I breastfed both my kids. I would try a pacifier, it worked w/ mine. When the baby wakes up just a little while after a feeding put in the paci that should satisfy. The baby probably isn't hungry just wants to suck. If the paci doesn't work then she should probably sleep on her own. They can smell the mothers so she probably just wants you. If she sleeps on her own it may be better. But expect some crying for a little. Trust me do it now before she gets much older it will be way harder.

I think this is normal. With my first child it was tougher than with my second simply because I lacked perspective. With my second, I now know (because I've already been there), that this will not last forever and I just need to ride it out. It helps to get support like you're doing with mamasource. La Leche League also helps. Good luck and hang in there. It'll pass.

Unfortunately for you, I really think there isn't anything you can do. That's kinda what happened with me and my son too. I hadn't originally planned to co-sleep (my husbad is a terrible bed hog!) but my son went through a stage where, I'd bring him to bed in the wee hours for a nurse, fall asleep, and wake up with him still nursing, or rooting to nurse.

When my husband would go out of town overnight and I'd keep the baby with me in bed, the same thing happens.

My visiting nurse explained that babies will nurse like that, when they have the opportunity, which is also quite healthy and natural for them. It's one of the reasons "wearing" your baby is supposed to be so good for baby, because baby will nurse more often.

Sadly, I think it's just one of those things. I say this to remind myself as well, as my six month old son has decided that sleeping for more than an hour at a time through the night is for SUCKERS...and I'm exhausted. Good luck! lol

she is most likely going through a growth spurt, and NEEDS to nurse that often. my 12 month old still goes through nights like that, last night she wanted to be latched on all. night. long.

she could also be gearing up to hit some major milestone (sitting up, crawling, teething, cruising, etc.) breastmilk is for growing brains too!!

i don't have a ton of advice, except to tell you that it's temporary. it won't last forever. and it definitely doesn't have to be the end of co-sleeping....i think you are making it easier on yourself by co-sleeping if anything (we co-sleep too). who the heck wants to get up out of bed 6 times a night?? no thanks.

try to rest during her naps if you can. or get your partner to take her for an hour or two in the evening so you can get some rest. it's rough while it lasts, but you WILL get through it.