Waking up Hungry

I have always hated it when drs giveyou stright advice like this. Not ALL babies sleep thru the night for a long time and some need to eat during the night. About 1/2 of my kids were sleeping 10 hours by the time they were 5 months old. The other half needed 1-2 bottles of formula / milk during the night. I gave them what they needed (a bottle)and I got what I needed (sleep). It was a win-win situation. Good luck with what ever you choose. Remember, you know your baby best. Chances are baby has not read the same baby book that the dr. read. :-)

I don't know what doctor you're going to, but when your baby is hungry, you feed her! I have almost 7 month old twin boys who're teething and sometimes they wake up at night (they started sleeping all the way through when they were about 2 1/2 months old) because they're hurting or what not. I give them some Tylenol, a 4 oz. bottle and put them back to bed and they sleep just fine until about 7 a.m. I'm guessing your little gal is probably teething and maybe just give her some Tylenol or Orajel or whatever you're comfortable with before time to go to bed and see how that goes.

I agree with BP. It takes less time to feed her and get her back to sleep than to listen to her toss and turn. If she needs that comfort at night, then you are fulfilling that need. I have never let my baby girl cry it out. She now sleeps through the night at 7 months.

I would suggest giving her cereal before bed. This will fill up her tummy a bit more than formula.

GL!

It most likely is not that she is hungry. That is her routine for comfort. You have to train a baby to sleep thru the night. I had all my girls sleeping thru the night at 4 months. Yes not all babies are the same! That is true, but a good feeding schedule for the day and night and a good routine and a few hard nights getting the routine together and she will learn to comfort herself and go back to sleep. My aunt has 7 kiddos and worked like a charm with all of them. I have a friend who is a nurse and have spoke with my daughter's Dr. and my Gyno and all told me the same routine. It really works. Talk to your Dr. They will help you get a good routine. Good Luck!

Yes, it is normal to feed 3 times a night. She isn't eating that much.

Do what is natural, if she is hungy, feed her, tired, then sleep her. Some of these doctor's really do not know. Don't deprive your child. You're a mom. use your intincts.

Meet your daughters needs the way your instinct tells you! Some kids just don't 'do' the ten hour non-stop sleep! Others grow into it, and some do it quickly. She isn't a cookie! If you think your baby is hungry, and you know best - then offer food! It is called 'feeding on demand'. You don't have to force your child to 'go it alone'! Even doc's have differing opinions on these things. The advice in print runs the gamut too. You are the parent! You can choose to seek out a new doc too! ;)

I agree that it could be a habit starting to form- which is very hard to grow them out of unless you start sooner rather than later. One other thing is, though, I believe that I was told that if you feed them enough for 24 during the day when they're awake, then they don't need to wake up at night to eat. I just read online that by 6 months, your baby should be eating about 32 oz per day, and taking in 6-8 oz per feeding. You might google this info yourself. It depends on your child's weight, too. Sounds to me like under 4 oz per feeding is too little for a 7 month old. If you can't grow her tummy a little bit, she won't be able to hold enough in there all night long, you know? I know my son slept through the night at 3 months, because I fed, fed, fed him all day (sure he spit up sometimes, but he wasn't terribly overfed- he didn't hurl everything up). I'd rather overfill their tummies, than underfill. He's always been average on weight (always in 50th percentile), so he's thrived well. Oh, and we never let my son cry it out. We also didn't let him form habits, either, though (needing to be fed, picked up, etc. for comfort in the middle of the night). You can go in and comfort her, but try not to pick her up and try to quit the night feedings, but only after you get her eating enough during the day. Hope this helps.

The best luck we had with our son was to give him some cereal or oatmeal before bed. I agree that with only a 3 oz snack, she is seeking comfort. During growth spurts, he occasionally requires a little extra at night but for the most part we don't hear from him for a good ten hours or more. By 7 months, she should be having more than 3 oz. at a feeding but perhaps she eats more 'real food' during the day that she doesn't need much formula. You are the best judge of what your daughter needs as no baby is alike. Take the doctor's advice as a goal but you may have to take a different route than she suggested for your child. Good luck and happy sleeping!