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Hi Kostas,
Thanks for taking the time to give me more details.
It does sound like her sleep might have changed slightly yesterday. As it’s only a recent change, I can’t say if it’s permanent. You really want to see changes for a week or two before thinking it is an ongoing change. As it is new, I wouldn’t expect that it will be ongoing at this point.
Also, I suspect that she was falling asleep when you were reading the book because she was tired (maybe due to the short naps).
It sounds like you have worked out a sleep training method you’re happy with and it’s working for you both, which is great!
Based on her bedtime and overnight sleep pattern before the changes yesterday, you don’t need to be concerned that she is waking up at 4:30/5/6am because she needs a breastfeed to fall asleep. If she depended on having a feed to fall asleep, you would typically see a baby who would only fall asleep for naps and bedtime during a feed and then wake every 90 minutes to 2 hours in the second half of the night. The fact that your little one falls asleep independently for naps and bedtime and isn’t waking every 90 minutes to 2 hours in the second half of the night indicates she doesn’t rely on a feed to fall asleep.
I also don’t think she wakes between 4 and 6 am because she is no longer tired or her circadian rhythm is fixed and telling her to wake up! This is because she falls back to sleep after the feed. If she had met her nighttime sleep needs or her circadian rhythm was fixed, she wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep.
It also doesn’t appear to be due to environmental noises (as the house is quiet at these wake times).
I think she is waking at 4:30/5 am because she is genuinely hungry. Waking 1 – 2 times overnight for a feed, especially for breastfed babies, is typical at this age. It’s also really common for babies to start their day between 6 – 7 am. This is just a typical circadian rhythm for infants.
I know you want to stop feeding her next month. Before you do this, I recommend you check in with her doctor to ensure she is gaining weight, and dropping the early morning feed will be ok.
I hope that helps!
Emma