Newborn's Sleeping Pattern

Hi S.,
I agree with all the moms responses to not worry. My daughter didn't start sleeping through the night till I started giving her rice cereal at 4 months. All kids are different, and it is common for babies from 8 wks on to start sleeping 12-14 hours w/out getting up to eat. Anyway, I have a question for you- are you nursing or doing formula? The reason for my question is- I have a second child (girl) who is 10 weeks and she still wakes at night and is 13 lbs. I am praying she starts sleeping through the night very soon, I am trying to get her to take a nighttime bottle of formula to see if this will help her skip that 2 am-3am feeding. Unfortunately, she is very resistant to taking the bottle and cries for me to nurse her. I was told babies who are nursing will wake more, because breastmilk is metabolized faster than formula. Know anything about this theory? Sincerely, R.

Hi S.!
I have always followed the golden rule of "never wake a sleeing baby"!! Sounds like you are blessed with a good sleeper (right now). She might very well be going through a growth spurt. A friend once gave me a piece of advice I will NEVER forget - "just when you think they are in a routine, the routine CHANGES, so don't get too used to it!!". SO - I would just embrace the fact that you are getting some good sleep right now because most people aren't so lucky, and it could change JUST that fast! ;)

I would however, make sure she is nursing/drinking a lot before she goes to sleep, and a lot after. I'm sure she is making up for the 4 - 6 oz of milk she would normally get in the time she is sleeping during the day!! Babies usually know what they need (unless she isn't nursing or eating well..)

Hope that helps (from an experienced mommy of two kids - one is now 5 1/2 and one is 2 1/2). :)

H.

OMG! You are so incredibly blessed! Don't do a thing. Don't ruin a good thing!

I worried myself silly over my babies (newborns) now toddlers not eating enough. Been to the doctor three times. The resounding answer:

"They eat when they are hungry."

So don't fret, enjoy the peace and time to yourself. Trust me, you don't want her waking up through the night. I was up every two hours with my son until 4 months, and then, twice a night until he was 19 months.

Before you decide to start a bad habit like waking her, take her to the doctor and ask them first about her weight. They will tell you.

J.

S.- My son is thirteen weeks old, and he started sleeping through the night at eight weeks. I don't how how small your daughter is, but my son was on the smaller side- he was 6 lbs. 8 oz. at birth, and he dropped down to 6 lbs 2 oz. at his two-day-old newborn screening. He woke up 3-4 times during the night until eight weeks, and then started going through the night. He seems to eat more during the day to make up for the long stretch at night- I don't know if that's been happening with your daughter. I've heard that you shouldn't let a newborn go more than five hours without eating, but it just goes against my grain to wake a baby who's sleeping soundly at night. And I used to try to rouse my little guy for one more feeding around 11 pm, thinking that would help him get through the night, but he just wouldn't eat- he just kept sleeping. And lo and behold, he goes through the night just fine. I, too, was a little worried because he seemed so small, but at his last check-up he weighed in at 11 lbs. 5 oz. That put him in the 25-50th percentile for weight, which worried me a little because my older son was always in the 75-90th. But my pediatrician said it was absolutely fine- that they just look for a steady growth curve, which he definitely had. My doctor also said he was surprised that my son was sleeping through the night already, because he said babies generally don't do that until they reach 12 pounds. But anyway, it eased my mind that my doctor said my son was doing great. Maybe you should bring your daughter in for a well visit just so they can weigh her and see if she's growing steadily. That should hopefully put your mind at ease. Good luck!

Hi S.,
My little girl started sleeping through the night around 10 weeks. She would sleep from about 10-7:30. You could always ask your pediatrician if you have a real concern, but it sounds like you are lucky!! My daughter was a preemie and the sleeping through the night didn't affect her growth at all! Someone else may have better information, but I read somewhere that when babies reach around 12 lbs ( I think) they are able to go longer in the night without food. Hope this helps.