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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

8wk EBF baby - how long should they sleep?

19 replies

MummySetra · 26/09/2016 21:12

I have an 8 week old and am EBF. He normally sleeps 3-4 hours for the first stretch and then it's 90mins - 2 hourly wake ups there after.
Is that normal? Is there anything I can do to increase the length following first wake ups?

Any advice appreciated.

OP posts:

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Metalhead · 26/09/2016 21:38

From my experience it's fairly normal for babies to do their longest stretch at the beginning of the night, and be more unsettled in the early hours (DD2 certainly was). Not sure if there's anything you can do about it apart from go to bed early and try get some sleep while you can! They do grow out of it though, eventually...

Hamsolo · 26/09/2016 21:46

Yeah same here. Now she's 12 weeks we sometimes get as much as 6 hours in that first sleep, then 2-3 hourly. I should go to bed with her to maximise that first stretch, but I don't because I'm an idiot.

MummySetra · 26/09/2016 22:02

That's really good to know........ Looking forward to it getting better!
Currently having a nightmare as last night he didn't go down for more than an hour at a time and for the first time ever didn't want to be put down at all! I'm putting it all down to a developmental leap!
Thanks.......

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Purplebluebird · 26/09/2016 22:08

It'll get better! Sounds perfectly normal to me. Many have a sleep regression at 4 months, so don't despair if/when it gets worse. It will get better again later!

Youhaveupdates1 · 27/09/2016 08:21

You are not alone, my ds2 7 Weeks today is exactly the same except some nights we don't even managed three hours initially, although by some miracle he slept four hours last night but then woke every hour for no real reason! He does suffer from wind though so this could have been the issue. I ended up getting up at 5:30 to come in living room to settle him in his bouncy chair so I could rest but he only managed an hour am feeling exhausted and my ds1 is particularly wingey too so counting down hours till my mum gets here! Ds1 is now crying for the millionth time this morning

Youhaveupdates1 · 27/09/2016 08:22

And I have just realised my trousers are on inside out!

Youhaveupdates1 · 27/09/2016 08:26

That should read ds2 is crying for millionth time so bloody tired I can't think straight!!

Mermaid36 · 27/09/2016 08:27

My twins are 9 weeks corrected and we do bath/feed between 7 and 8, and they will usually go until midnight, then to 3.30/4am; after that, they are back to every 90mins/2hrs.....joy!

Artandco · 27/09/2016 08:31

At 8 weeks I only fed every 3hrs maximum overnight. They had unlimited feeds between 7am and 11pm. But 11pm-7am I would only feed if they woke after 3 hrs. So if they were fed at 11pm, I woudnt feed again at a 12.30am waking but try to settle without, but would feed any time after 2am. Then again another 3 hrs.
By 8 weeks they generally fed 10.30-11pm, fed 4-5am, then 8am wake

MummySetra · 27/09/2016 09:37

Artandco isn't that difficult if you are EBF? As how do you know how much they have had?

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Youhaveupdates1 · 27/09/2016 09:41

I am trying to space the feeds out to three hours and it was successful during day but nights is a gamble.
If I don't feed him when we wakes he cries and that will wake my ds1 which I don't want to do so have to try and keep him quiet. The first part of the night he usually settles back to sleep well but I have trouble with him from say 4pm onwards at settling him!
Art - how did you settle your baby during the night?
We use a dummy but he just spits it out

reallyanotherone · 27/09/2016 09:44

Completely normal.

Bear in mind too that the night feeds stimulate your supply in a way day feeds don't- it's all about sleep hormones and feedback into your milk production hormones.

So if you try to hard to stretch out feeds or stop feeding it could have a negative affect and actually make things worse.

I always found it easier and quicker to feed and shove back in bed than get up and faff about trying to resettle.

reallyanotherone · 27/09/2016 09:46

Sorry x post.

Also- spacing out feeds in the day might = less milk in the day, resulting in them wanting more at night, as the 24 hr intake will stay the same.

Artandco · 27/09/2016 10:02

It wasn't too difficult. As I said they had unlimited feeds 7am-11pm, so I think they had perfectly sufficient amount in the day as that's 16 hrs with as many feeds as they needed, sometimes every hour. After a few days of not feeding if they woke after an hour they really did seem to naturally just sleep 5/6 hours before waking anyway, so limiting to around 3 hrs min was fine.
Dh or I if they woke within 3 hrs would just take turns and would strapless face to sleep, rub back, or get up and rock them. They co slept anyway so we're right next to us so easy for one of us generally to just soothe back to sleep 99% time

Hamsolo · 27/09/2016 10:44

I don't space out too much during the day. I feed my dd approx every 2 hours during the day (more if she asks for it). Overnight I wouldn't refuse a feed if she's crying, but I do a bit of patting first as sometimes she just goes back to sleep. And I don't get up for just grumbling, and half the time she can't be bothered to wake up properly and just goes back to sleep. I think it helps that she's a second child and I'm so knackered that I struggle to wake for feeds in the night too

welshgirlwannabe · 27/09/2016 10:51

Totally normal in my experience. Be grateful for that initial stretch - not everyone gets that!

I think 8 weeks is far to early for any kind of sleep training and the advice at this stage is to feed on demand. I recommend co-sleeping, it makes the two hourly feeds so much easier. There's lots of information online about how to do it safely.

Sympathies and for you! It does get better....

MummySetra · 27/09/2016 10:54

Thanks all - all very reassuring!

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MummySetra · 27/09/2016 10:56

Thanks all - all very reassuring!

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Youhaveupdates1 · 27/09/2016 11:11

He was feeding as much as he wanted during the day and it made no difference at night, my first son was a poor sleeper till he was two but he was at least good during the day lol ds2 is not so easy going!
If I was to leave him or try to pacify him he would scream for food as I have tried on occasion to do this as I was so tired.
I guess it's just a case of seeing how things go for now

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