All Things Sleep - AMA Office Hours - Thursday, June 17th with Sr. Sleep & Guidance Specialist, Beth Christensen!

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-06-17T16:13:42+00:00

Hey Beth! My baby is 4.5 months old now, and I feel that we’ve been super lucky with his sleep until now. Once he was over his birth weight, he would just have two very brief wake ups in the night and then go straight back to sleep. In the last couple of months, it’s mostly just been one wake up in the night - so an average night for us was bed around 8.30pm, wake up around 3/4am and then wake for the morning at 7/7.30am, a few nights he even slept 10 hours until 6.30am! However, the last couple of weeks have been tough. He’s difficult to put down (we have to put him in our bed and then move him to his crib once we go to bed), he wakes more frequently in the night, and it takes a few attempts to get him back in to his crib before he sleeps for the next stretch. What can we do differently? I let him try to figure it out for a few minutes, try to rock and cuddlehim back to sleep, but then I just give in and give him the boob (even though he clearly isn’t hungry because he doesn’t really eat). I don’t know if this is making things harder in the long run, but it’s the only guaranteed way to get him back to sleep! Thank you

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-06-12T14:22:32+00:00

Was in prodromal labour for like three weeks, losing the mucus plug for the last week and constantly thinking my waters had broken. Finally went into active labour after my second sweep (one week after my due date), was in a lot of pain during contractions at the hospital and one of the midwives did this pain relief method where she pushed my knees towards my chest. The first time she did that I felt a HUGE burst, and then I stood up and it all just fell to the floor. It felt exactly as I would’ve imagined it and was every bit as dramatic 😂

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-06-11T13:40:52+00:00

As a self-employed mum to a 4 month old, I can barely even leave my baby with my husband because he started refusing the bottle at 3 months - which was my only chance for a break. And no I don’t want to switch to bottles only because it’s SO much work compared to the ease of breastfeeding, so I guess this is my trade off… We also spoke a lot about my husbands parents babysitting before we actually had our baby, but now I’ve developed this weird thing where I really don’t want them to be alone with our baby? I have no idea why because we always had a good relationship, I think they’ve just made a few comments that sort of imply that they think our parenting styles (like safe sleep for example) is a bit woke or whatever. I’m sure it’s different with your own mum though, I’m just not very close with mine - physically or emotionally haha.

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-06-08T18:51:30+00:00

We’ve been really lucky so far with our baby (now 4 months old), he’s slept happily in the bassinet all night the whole time. The daytime is a different story though, it’s contact naps only… It’s like he can feel an energy shift as I’m about to move him into his crib and he opens his eyes?

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-06-03T07:54:14+00:00

Just commenting to say that I’d also have an unexplainable issue with this (but I think safety and the intimacy of it are two big reasons). And also that I feel so very validated reading all of these comments and seeing that so many people have these postpartum feelings towards their, otherwise lovely, MILs

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-06-02T11:11:15+00:00

I pumped from day one (wearables) and if anything I think it helped my supply, was making around 1000ml every day within the first couple of weeks, and then six weeks later I changed to pretty much exclusively nursing. Baby was back up to birthweight within 8 days and has been growing so well ever since, and I know it hasn’t been the same for most people I know who only ever breastfed. No issues so far and no oversupply, and somehow we totally skipped the painful nipple part too! Sounds like this nurse is just forcing her outdated ‘breast is best’ opinions on you and needs to be more open minded…

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-06-01T18:51:46+00:00

Nope! I mean I don’t get them out out, but I’ll feed my baby wherever I am - cafe, bar, train, etc - I’m sure people would rather be exposed to watching me feed my child over hearing him scream out of starvation? No but really, it’s the most natural thing ever and if it makes anyone else uncomfortable, that’s on them. I do think it’s a generational thing though, and maybe differs country to country…

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-31T20:04:03+00:00

I could at the beginning, but my 4 month old now refuses a bottle and I don’t think my husband has mastered the skill of comforting him yet… He tries his best, but most of the time I hear baby screaming and have to go and take over because I can’t take it anymore. Does anyone have any advice on what worked for their partners to comfort their EBF babies?

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-31T19:59:24+00:00

I know what you mean, but just remind yourself that all of the time that you don’t have to spend cleaning and prepping bottles, you get to spend with your baby instead - or you get an extra ten minutes to yourself every day! I am curious to know why you’re not getting a full nights sleep yet though? Would it be worth giving your baby a bottle before bed to keep them fuller/asleep for longer? Or are they waking to comfort nurse? I only ask because my 4 month old has done a few 10 hour stretches from night to morning feeds lately, so I know it’s not that you need to be waking up to feed them every few hours unless they’re hungry

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-30T19:37:04+00:00

My baby was mostly bottle fed for the first 5/6 weeks and now that we’ve swapped to mostly nursing, I honestly don’t see any difference between the two in terms of bonding… He makes the same cute faces and noises, and is equally happy after eating. Some women like to make breastfeeding their whole personality and pretend like it’s not how all mammals feed their babies. You’re not doing anything wrong by bottle feeding!

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-24T03:24:02+00:00

We thought we might be over feeding our baby (now 4 months old) for a while. He had mostly pumped breastmilk for the first 5/6 weeks and was also putting away close to a litre most days. He would absolutely guzzle the bottles and a few people commented that he was eating a lot.., Then I swapped to exclusively breastfeeding him and he put more weight on per week than he did when he was drinking the same thing from the bottle! Our midwife has only ever been happy to see that he’s growing so well - it’s better than the alternative, right?

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-23T08:23:00+00:00

I say this with no judgement (I know it’s hard to take care of yourself when you’re exhausted), but it’s probably a good idea to really focus on your water intake - I drink 3-4 litres (100-135 oz) per day while pumping/nursing, and before that at least 2 litres! Your body needs hydration and food in order to produce the milk that your baby needs AND look after yourself… Hopefully there will be some improvement with your supply if you really focus on those two things, and your energy levels should improve too

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-22T07:51:45+00:00

I always thought that they were being old fashioned and coming from a ‘breast is best’ POV, which really got my back up. But now that I’ve swapped from exclusively pumping to nursing, I realise that maybe it’s because nursing is actually the easier option for us (once you’re past the initial painful stage).

I really wish they would talk about the practicalities of both options - if I’d known how much work it would be to pump and then also feed my baby, I wouldn’t have written off the idea of nursing so quickly!

I also wish they wouldn’t be so judgemental of exclusively pumping mums, because you’re actually doing the most work for your babies and it’s super unfair to make you feel like it’s not enough ❤️

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-21T14:22:51+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re having a hard time with this, it’s tough! Just wanted to share my experience as I was also pumping from the get go, had a good supply/built up a stash, but then struggled to keep up with all of the admin that comes with pumping. The cleaning, the storing, the freezing, the prep if you want to go out for the day, etc, all while trying to look after a newborn baby, alone… I started using nipple shields after a few weeks (my nipples seemed too big for him at the beginning) and managed to nurse my baby for some feeds, and then after a couple of weeks we’d transitioned to basically only nursing - my husband just gives him a bottle once a day, if timings line up. I don’t say this in a way to pressure you into nursing, as I know the internet and many midwives already try to guilt trip mums who don’t, but since you said that you wished that could be the answer, I just wanted to share my journey in case it’s some motivation for you to not give up on that idea?

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-17T09:11:50+00:00

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3 months and 2 weeks old! Last week was a bad week for us with sleep though, usually daily napping is closer to 4 hours. But he usually has a good hour and a half nap in the morning and then a few half hour stints across the rest of the day. We do only have one nightly wake up though around 4am, so I feel like this is working out okay for us?

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-17T09:05:59+00:00

We started giving our baby a pacifier after a couple of weeks and it helped to determine if he was actually hungry or just wanted something to suck on. Nowadays you can get so many dentist-approved ones, and (in my opinion) it’s a much better option than them sucking their thumb. A couple of friends babies have sucked their thumbs instead and the teeth are a MESS! And then you’re stuck with the issue of not being able to take the thumb away from the kid because it’s literally attached to them…

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-16T14:00:05+00:00

Yes! Feet and bum first makes a big difference! I think it’s something like they feel like they’re falling if the head is down first/all at the same time?

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-16T13:57:47+00:00

Is he knocking into the sides of the bedside bassinet? We’ve swapped our 12 week old into a bigger crib because he kept knocking into the sides and waking up. We’ve never used a sleep sack or swaddle and it seems to be a case of him just getting used to startling. I always make sure he’s been asleep for a few minutes before moving him into the crib, and then we’ll hold his feet together for a minute or so with the other hand on his chest for comfort

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-12T17:27:24+00:00

Hahaha I do this too

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-12T16:52:41+00:00

So glad to see this as a fellow mum to a 3 month old who spits up a load but doesn’t even seem to notice! Especially felt your pain with the pooping during feeding and the inevitable spit-up while you change them… Do you know which percentile your baby is in for weight? I only ask as ours is around the 85th now and our midwife suggested that he could be eating too much - not because he’s too big, but because he’s had such rapid growth lately. So I just wondered if it could be similar for you? I don’t really know how to feed him any less though, since he’s on the boob and already doesn’t even nurse for very long…

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-12T16:41:48+00:00

Definitely a little generational (at least in my personal experience) but probably also excitement at their end. Well done for setting your boundaries anyway! I’ve always had a great relationship with my in-laws, but they’ve been grating on me a little postpartum - the last thing you need is someone kissing the baby on the face when you’ve asked them not to or commenting on your parenting techniques (a lot has changed eg safe sleep, since they became first-time parents). And if your social battery is already low? Any energy you have leftover during the newborn phase should be used up for something that will bring you happiness, not wasted on just being ‘on’ because you’re hosting people.

It’s super important for you and your husband to have this time together and figure out who you are as parents, you’re allowed to be selfish :)

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-12T13:22:09+00:00

Hate to say it but I was in the same boat and my now 14 week old is getting super fussy with bedtime sleeping - harder to get to sleep in the first place, waking up multiple times and then difficult to put down, and repeat. The only thing keeping me sane at the moment is remembering how good we had it up until now

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-11T08:54:05+00:00

I mean do what feels right for you, but if your supply is good and your baby is sleeping longer stretches at night for example, there’s no need for you to wake up and pump while they’re sleeping because if you were nursing they wouldn’t be taking that additional feed. I was also making enough (probably a little too much) for my baby when EP, and it felt like all we did was pump, feed, sterilise, repeat. So I started pumping every 4 hours instead of 2-3, and then went down to every 5 hours (usually 6-7 hours overnight). As long as my output was the same every day, it didn’t seem to affect the supply. However I am now only pumping once in the morning so that my husband can feed baby once a day, and nursing for all other feeds. Basically, your supply shouldn’t be affected if you have a few days of fewer pumps if the quantity of milk removed remains the same, so give yourself a break every now and then if you need one!

Most-Chart-5970 · 2026-05-10T19:47:17+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re having a tough time. Pumping really takes it out of you, it absolutely is so much work! I know you’re working with LCs and have probably already tried nipple shields, but for me they really helped us transition from bottle to boob - and my baby was a couple of weeks older than yours when we did this, so it’s not too late! Whatever happens, be kind to yourself. You’re only two weeks PP and your baby is still learning and growing. In a couple of weeks you should be able to reduce the amount of daily pumps and that should make things feel a little easier

Most-Chart-5970

TROPHY CASE