9 weeks-longer stretches of sleep

[@llli*dvdfad002]

Hello ladies

I had my 6 week pediatrician visit a while back and he said that from 6 weeks onwards i'd find my LO feeding less during the night and more during the day

He's almost 10 weeks and he's still feeding every 2-3 hours at night....in fact i haven't noticed much difference

Or is 2-3 hours pretty much the norm?

Thanking you in advance

[@llli*still.here]

I think your pediatrician is on crack. Seriously, your baby is totally normal. Only waking every 2-3 hours at this age is GREAT. It will most likely (there are always exceptions) be many months before your baby starts giving you long stretches of sleep at night on any kind of regular basis. And it will change all the time because of various factors like teething, illness, meeting major milestones (for some reason babies like to wake up at 3am to practice new skills). It is absolutely normal for babies to wake at night to eat and until they are at least a year old it is normal for them to need the nutrition and calories they get during night feeds.

Are you doing okay dealing with the wakings? Is there anything we can help you with as far as adjusting/coping with the change in your own sleep patterns? Sometimes it's just a matter of letting go of the expectation that your baby should be sleeping. For me, recognizing that it was normal helped me to not to let myself get so frustrated at night.

[@llli*sonogirl]

Yeah, maybe SOME babies will sleep longer stretches, but many many many more won't. Tiny tummies digest milk really fast, so it is very normal for them to need to wake and eat frequently.

I feel you, though-- my 12 week old gives me one 2-3 hour stretch at night, then all bets are off! Sometimes she'll do 2 hour stretches after that, and then there are nights like last night, where it was every 45 minutes from 1 to 8 am! Like the PP said, growth spurts, developmental spurts, etc., all of these things will increase night wakings, too. Hang in there, mama!

[@llli*dvdfad002]

aahhh....you are so right! Maybe i just need to let what my pediatrician said (and a whole bunch of other people) go. Ever since he has said it, I've been waiting for that miracle night to happen and have been disappointed by our normal routine...maybe a change in my mind set is what i need....what my LO is doing is normal!!!

I think im coping with the broken sleep...but if anyone has any other tips for feeling a bit brighter during the day that would be great!

Thank you for responding....was really starting to wonder about this little guys sleeping habits

[@llli*sonogirl]

Hmm, I have a couple things that helped me feel more awake during the day. Nursing while lying down at night, for sure. I am not one of those lucky women who can sleep through nursings, but just laying down with my eyes closed while doing so helps keep me relaxed enough to fall asleep faster when the nighttime feedings are over. I actually had to really work at this, because traditional side-lying techniques didn't work for us. I am quite small breasted, so getting things lined up was tricky. But this was a huge help for my sleep totals once I worked it out. I sleep with my baby, but I think restful and comfortable night nursing positions help even when you don't share a bed.

An early morning shower was also HUGE for me. My daughter is very much an in-arms baby, so this was really tricky until recently. There is one bouncy seat she just started loving a month ago, and she wakes up full of energy, so I shower with her in the seat right outside my shower, and she happily kicks away while I sing to her. Depending on your shower and sight lines, this may not be doable. But even after my worst nights, that 5 minute shower somehow wakes me right up.

[@llli*vtmtbkr]

My DD is 15 weeks and is still waking up 2x a night. We do not co-sleep. She usually goes to sleep in my arms downstairs about 7:00ish and I wake her up enough to feed her again about 8:45. Then we all go upstairs to our own beds and I'm asleep by 9:15-9:30. She wakes up again around 12:30 and again around 3:30-4:00. I nurse her in the chair, don't change any diapers or burp and she's done and back in the crib in 12 minutes. I go right back to sleep both times and the alarm goes off for work at 5:25am. I guess my coping techniques is to go to bed really early. I figure I'm only awake about 1/2 hour longer overnight and get about 7.5 hours of broken sleep. Fortunately I've gotten good about going right back to sleep!

[@llli*dvdfad002]

I've tried nursing while laying down, but have only really mastered that with the right side...but you right it does help! As for the no burping and no changing diapers... I've tried that too. I think he is still at that stage where he needs to be burped, because if I put him down he wiggles, squirms and moans-Maybe a tactic for when he is a little older? 7.5. hours of broken sleep...sounds like a dream :-)

thanks for the advice ladies

[@llli*mommal]

I think your pediatrician is on crack.

Makes me wonder if the pediatrician has ever been around a REAL baby at night. Not just a baby you read about in the textbooks.

After 6 weeks, you can allow your baby to sleep longer stretches at night IF your baby SPONTANEOUSLY starts sleeping longer stretches. Until 6 weeks you're supposed to wake the baby at night if she/he happens to be sleeping through. Don't let the crazy things people say about sleep get to you!!! Half the time they don't remember what it was like to have a new baby, and the other half of the time they're just repeating bad advice that they got from some bossy mother-in-law, know-nothing pediatrician, or nosy stranger!

[@llli*mamamia]

So many variations of normal. Sleeping more during the night is normal. Not sleeping more during the night is normal. Changing it up night to night is normal. It's tempting to wish your baby did something else. I have found peace in just accepting what my baby does and taking it as normal