   
 |
|
 Ask Dr. Jana
Infant Who Wakes Up Wanting to Suck | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Jana,
My daughter is almost six months old. She is definitely sleeping better at night, usually seven to eight hours, but she continues to wake up at the same time just to be pacified by my breast. I am still breastfeeding and trying to wean her unsuccessfully, so she's not hungry when she wakes up, she just wants to suck. Any ideas of how to break her of this habit?— First-Time Mom in Tamarac, FL | | | ANSWER |
March 12, 2001 | | | Dear First-Time Mom,
Your daughter's habit is a very common one. Many babies at this age do become accustomed to breastfeeding during the night simply as a way to pacify themselves and not because they're hungry. If you want to teach your daughter to get herself back to sleep without your assistance, first make sure that you don't let her nurse herself to sleep at the beginning of the night.
Then, if she does fuss in the middle of the night, don't respond immediately. It is very common for babies to fuss when they hit light sleep (as often as every 1-1/2 to 2 hours during the night), and they often succeed in getting themselves back to sleep if you don't intervene immediately.
If your daughter is really fussing and you are married or have someone else around to help, let that person go and attend to her instead of you -- many babies have a hard time being around their mothers in the middle of the night without breastfeeding, whereas others can offer quick reassurance without feeding.
— by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
|
| | 
|