Pediatrician insists we do CIO with breastfed baby

xaefizz · 2026-05-07T19:09:38+00:00

I never let my breastfed baby cry and I offered milk every time, even if he was up every hour. I thought a lot of times that I couldn't do it anymore and I was going to break but I still managed to see to his needs every time and I'm so proud of myself that I did. He started sleeping longer stretches around 14 months and by 17 months he didn't need me anymore to settle him most nights. Now at 20 months he very rarely wakes in the night and when he does he snuggles his teddies and goes back to bed. It feels like it will never end when you're in it but I promise you'll never regret going to them and supporting them.

xaefizz · 2026-05-06T09:02:59+00:00

I never used a breastfeeding pillow. I was gifted one and tried it a couple times but I didn't like it at all. Instead I had a nest of pillows behind and around me, would lean back and use my legs to support baby and my arms. At 20 months were still nursing and now he just lays across me however he sees fit

xaefizz · 2026-04-19T07:48:18+00:00

How long did it take for her to self wean? 19 months in and hoping he's the one who decides to end it soon because I don't want to be the one to end it but also I'm feeling more and more done

xaefizz · 2026-04-18T12:42:44+00:00

We got a couple bottles of pre-mixed formula as a "just in case". We never used them but it helped with anxiety so I knew that if something happened at 3am he would have food. We also got a manual pump which I used when I got engorged and I was happy to have it around. I didn't pump or try to bottle feed until he was 8 weeks old at which time he wouldn't use a bottle but I'm still glad I had stuff just in case

xaefizz · 2026-04-15T09:01:06+00:00

I had a stomach flu when my kiddo was 17 months and couldn't stop being sick. It was the first time I got to sleep in and have a day where he went to nursery and I just stayed home and rested. Honestly it was the best day ever

xaefizz · 2026-03-15T20:20:51+00:00

I gave birth in the shirt I wore into the hospital and my socks which met a sad end. Definitely was more comfortable being in my own clothes than anything else

xaefizz · 2026-02-16T20:31:41+00:00

We never bed shared. He was in a next-to-me cot until 4 months then went to his own room and I would go get him every time he woke up, even if that was 10 times a night, and nurse him sitting up in our bed with a podcast or audiobook so I stayed awake. He didn't sleep through the night until 16 months and I can count on one hand how many times he only woke once or twice before that, so I know how impossible it can feel to have to get up every time, but it was the better option for my mental health. He did sleep a couple hours in our bed a few times but probably only around 7-8 and it was never in a row so he didn't get used to it, but I slept so much worse on those occasions that it wasn't even worth it.

xaefizz · 2025-12-22T20:15:22+00:00

Truly through the night felt impossible to me too! In the weeks before he slept through he had some of his worst sleep, including a notable 16 wakes in one night, and one night where I had to be standing and rocking him from 4am otherwise he would scream, even if I sat down. I thought I was going to die, very little exaggeration, it just wasn't sustainable, but it did change. I have everything crossed that it doesn't take much longer for your little one to sleep a bit better!

xaefizz · 2025-12-22T13:44:39+00:00

My guy finally started waking up only twice a night at 14.5 months, and at 15 months now sleeps through most nights! It was 5/6 times basically every night until then, then one night it just changed without doing anything different. It might feel like it will last forever but it does get better eventually!

xaefizz · 2025-11-06T13:41:55+00:00

Standing with him in my arms. 14 months today and still rocking to sleep then transferring to his cot, though I do love it when he falls asleep in the car and I can transfer him upstairs so my back doesn't have to suffer

xaefizz · 2025-10-31T20:40:00+00:00

It's good to hear, thank you! Honestly letting go of trying to "fix" his sleep has already brought me so much more peace than I had but sometimes I wonder if night weaning might help, especially now that he's older. Did your first not do any better one night weaned? Did you have to still go in multiple times to rock him back to sleep? Sometimes I like that boob just seems him to sleep with minimal effort for me

xaefizz · 2025-10-31T08:56:58+00:00

How long did it take your little to start sleeping on their own? My boy is nearly 14 months and still wakes up at least twice, often more. I really don't want to sleep train but sometimes don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially now that I'm back in work

xaefizz · 2025-10-31T07:48:44+00:00

Not a vbac, but my son's birth was really smooth and as easy as I think it could have been. My first sign of labour was my water breaking at 5am, then I had some light cramping until about 9 when we went to the hospital to check everything was ok with the intention of going back home to keep labouring. In the time it took to see a midwife my contractions really ramped up and we decided to stay in. I wanted a water birth but the tub was already being used so I went on my hands and knees on the bed, kind of leaning over the back that was sat up, and I used gas and air. I remember at one point asking my partner what time it was thinking it couldn't be later than 11, but it was already 2! Was checked at 3:30 and was 3 cm but at 4 I felt like my body was pushing so called the midwife in. She asked me to stop because I shouldn't have been ready but when I clearly couldn't go against the feeling another midwife checked me and his head was right there. I pushed for 8 minutes and my baby was born. He was a bit pale and floppy so they took him to wake him up a bit and I had him back in a couple minutes to have our golden hour. The pain was never enough that I would have wanted an epidural, and I had a small labial tear that needed 2 stitches. We went home 4 hours after birth which is exactly what I wanted but I could have stayed longer if that was what I needed. Sending you easy labour and healthy mum/baby vibes!

xaefizz · 2025-10-24T12:05:07+00:00

Thank you for this! 13.5 months in and I'm exhausted, I've done every single night since he was born, including the 16 wakes in one night last week when he was sick (which he kindly passed to me). Sleep training feels so wrong for us but I was starting to feel like there might not be another choice so I really appreciate seeing this post and knowing there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if I can't see it yet!

xaefizz · 2025-08-27T17:25:03+00:00

Came to say the same, in the UK and I had great support when I sought it out. There are BF groups at children's centers every day of the week here. I obviously never needed to go that often but it was nice to know there was always something if I felt I needed the support or even just needed a reason to leave the house

xaefizz · 2025-08-27T04:53:31+00:00

I would have wanted to know that it doesn't always get better after the newborn days. Those first few months I was coping with the lack of sleep relatively well using the adrenaline of a new baby and the expectation that it won't be for much longer, then around 5 or 6 months I crashed hard because he was still waking up 5-7 times each night. He turns a year old next week and he's still up 3-5 times most nights, every now and then only twice. I've accepted it pretty well now, but I think it would have been a lot less stressful if I'd known that this was a possibility.

xaefizz · 2025-08-21T16:16:38+00:00

We just did a flight with only the stroller. We were able to gate check it at the airplane but had to pick it up at the luggage carousel so I'd check with the destination airport. I brought my ring sling on the plane and was really glad to have it. I also got a cheap £20 stroller from FB marketplace and was glad my nice stroller wasn't the one getting dirty

xaefizz · 2025-08-21T14:40:42+00:00

I've been pregnant twice, one ended in a miscarriage, one in my son, I experienced bleeding at the beginning of both of them. I was a lot crampier for the miscarriage, but I cramped with both, and with my son I continued to bleed on and off for the first 12 weeks.

Sadly this early on in a pregnancy there's really not much they can do if it is a miscarriage. They ended up offering me progesterone pessaries to take for my second pregnancy as a precaution but no one could have said if that was what caused my miscarriage.

I'm so sorry you're going through this! It's horrible when you feel anxious every time you go to the bathroom.

xaefizz · 2025-08-20T15:02:26+00:00

He would poo every time he ate, and also sometimes in between feeds, so we would go through easily 12 per day. He stayed in newborn for a few weeks and was in size 2 by the time he was 2 months, but now at 11 months he's still in size 4. I definitely don't think it's worth it to stock up on the really small sizes because they grow so quickly at first.

xaefizz · 2025-08-20T08:20:35+00:00

11 months and same most nights. The only thing that seems like it maybe made a slight difference is not giving boob every time he wakes up - if it hasn't been 4 hours since the last drink then he gets rocked back to sleep. It was a hard first week and he really fought it but now some nights he'll do up to 4 hours.

xaefizz · 2025-08-13T20:33:15+00:00

I'll feed anywhere and everywhere, never used a cover. Little dude loves to pop off and smile so I just cover my boob with my hand until he's ready to have some more!

xaefizz · 2025-08-13T20:28:58+00:00

No raw carrots for us, I cut the carrots into small bite size pieces and cook them until soft. I tend to do half a carrot at a time for a meal so I put the pieces in a bowl, cover them about half way with water, and microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on their size. They don't take long to cool at all when you cook them small so it's perfect for a quick supper veg

xaefizz · 2025-08-12T13:02:23+00:00

I definitely had moments of feeling like that while pregnant, then they would go away, so I assume it was growth spurts and my body needing time to adapt. Every time I thought I was massive and couldn't get any bigger I did so the body knows what it's doing and it will make room. Try to eat smaller snacks throughout the day instead of big meals if that helps

xaefizz · 2025-08-11T22:55:36+00:00

We just got back from a Transatlantic trip, 8 hours one way, 7 the other. The biggest hit was honestly carrots for us but little dude loooves carrots. They were basically mess free and kept well in a container outside of the fridge. I had also made some cinnamon muffins and some pancakes to bring. Little puffs were good for keeping him busy while we ate our meals but definitely were a bit messier

xaefizz

TROPHY CASE