Concerns over baby's sleep - AIBU?

[SandyBabyToes]

I'm quite concerned about my DC's sleep cycle. From birth (Day 1), he slept through from 11pm (I gave birth at 6.50pm), to 8am.

No breastfeeding issues, nothing. Not a single sleepless night from the word go

However, in the last week he has been going 9pm to 10.30am. No feeds in between.

I'm worried he isn't getting enough nutrients.

In a nutshell, my health visitor is a bit raised eyebrow doesn't believe me, and GP says he's just extremely 'lazy' and likes his sleep.

I posted on a Mum's FB Group and got a lot of sarcastic comments from other mums

I know he isn't showing any signs of dehydration etc but the actual nutritional aspect is a concern for me.

It gets rammed down your throat all the time about sleepless nights, breastfed babies waking every bloody 2/3 hours because they need to, in order to meet their needs.

Well why is my baby just skipping all this and going more than 13 hour stretches?

He is very alert during the day, not worried about physical development.

He’s gaining weight fine so I can see why you find it odd but I would just enjoy it. There will be nights when he will wake u up and u will wish you’d appreciated the sleep u r getting now

DS was premature and had low blood sugars so we HAD to wake him at 3am for a feed. It was a complete pain, lots of taking his clothes off and changing nappies etc to keep him awake. At six weeks he’d gained loads of weight so we were allowed to stop and he immediately slept through till 6am. Like I say though, I felt pretty smug until six months, at which point he started waking up and is still waking at ten months.

Go to the baby clinic on Thursday, get him weighed, and if he’s still maintaining his centiles I wouldn’t start waking him. Our paediatrician seemed to think that after six weeks they are old enough to wake themselves up if they’re hungry. It’s only newborns who drop their blood sugars and can’t wake themselves.

If you're worried, wake him.

Dd was jaundiced and very sleepy when she was little so we woke her every 3 hours for a feed until she was more alert, and then she was able to wake herself up when she was hungry.

Thanks for all of the replies.

I do appreciate that I'm getting sleep and I'm not 'wishing to be up'.

But all the advice and explanation they give you to justify why small babies keep waking up seems to go out of the window with health professionals as soon as you mention your 'unicorn baby' sleeps through from birth, literally like those explanations aren't valid or something...

One big one being newborns wake so much etc etc is because of their little tummies needing to feed again soon. When my DC was going 8/9 hours in the hospital before I was even discharged

Our son is like this. Has always slept from 6.30 pm to 8.30 am, plus a minimum of two hours daytime. The only time he doesn’t is if he is teething or ill. Initially it really worried me but doc says just be grateful! He is now 20 months and still loves his sleep!

My daughter was like this too, from about 3 weeks old she would easily sleep 10hours, often longer and going sometimes for 14 hour stretches. The GP said that it was because she was a very deep sleeper and I should be grateful. She was ebf, also gained weight well and even now, 20 years later, she likes her sleep.

Where does he sleep in relation to you?

Mine doesn’t cry when he wakes up for a feed, he just fussed around - I’m only woken because he is in a snuzpod next to me. Is there a chance he is waking to feed and you’re not hearing him?

I would be really concerned about an 8week old going 13 hours without food, that isn’t normal and babies are not lazy.

I was told to wake my DD when she was going 7-8 hrs at 5 weeks (it didn't last). Your poor boobs must be agony.

I was told to wake every 3 hours. When I couldn't wake my newborn she ended up in hospital. I would be really worried about such a small baby being so sleepy.
However, yours is alert and gaining weight etc. These threads always worry me though, because of the amount of people just saying 'you're lucky'.
Once someone started a similar thread about a 3 week old. I was the only one saying it was concerning. Turned out her baby was poorly. Yours sounds ok but you are right to question it.

If baby is gaining weight, peeing and pooing, no signs of dehydration and nice and alert when awake then I really wouldn't worry.
Is the baby right next to your bed so you would definitely wake?

I would maybe wake him at 9am to start the day though and have a nice big feed (to save your boobs if nothing else)

Feeding fine during theday. Gaining weight. Plenty of wet and dirty nappies?

Enjoy it. I hope it lasts... everyone should be that lucky. But I'm also a bitter old cow with a 7m old who hasn't ever slept more than 3hr stretches, so I sort of hope the 6m sleep regression turns up on time (kidding of course)

My nan said my aunty slept through from day 1 and she wasn't going to wake her.

I would suggest though op maybe not sharing your ‘problem’ With other mum friends.

My oldest is 28 and my youngest 18 and I still remember the hell of no sleep.

I know you are sharing as you worried but your antenatal group may not see it that way

Might be worth expressing in the night though to keep supply up and boobs sane

Does he feed well in the day? My DS feeds a lot at night but he hardly feeds at all in the day (He's one now but has always been like that)

I would maybe try to get him to have an 8am feed, i am surprised your milk supply is ok as 2am to 4am is the feed that iniates your supply to keep going. Have you waking up to pump? Absolutely not judging either way just really curious.

Both my breastfed babies slept well (not as well as yours) i had an oversupply in the early weeks to put it down to them getting more milk than necessary. 4 month sleep regressions ended that.

Try not to worry, ds2 slept like that from the second he was born. I conked out after giving birth, was woken the next morning and told off for not waking baby to feed him.
Cut to going home, he slept all night from the very first night. Again I didn't wake him.
He's now an active 4 year old who moves all day and sleeps all night- 7:30pm to sometimes (only weekends) 10am! Some kids just need more sleep! If he's gaining weight and your gp is happy, I wouldn't worry too much.

I am beyond jealous. But I am the mother of a 10 week old who hasn't slept more than a couple of hours in a row for months and I am shattered!
They told me from day 1 to wake him every three hours for a feed but he wasn't very heavy and was jaundice.
I am fighting the urge to say something sarcastic but only because I am so envious right now as I am awake to feed DS again... but instead I am going to say something nice (in the hope of my karma score going up and that good night's sleep being around the corner)
Trust your instincts - if you're baby seems fine and is gaining weight etc then I wouldn't worry. And as PP said - enjoy it while you can and long may it continue for you.

Hi all, thanks again for the responses!

There's no possibility that he's waking for feeds and I'm not hearing him because I'm usually up a lot with insomnia (all at different intervals), and I haven't heard a peep, ever.

We co-sleep, my DH is insistent he's just too comfortable for his own good

The insomnia thing is a bloody nightmare and forbids me from enjoying my wonderful golden egg baby's sleep habits

I did however manage to sleep through myself last night and I'm currently reading with a nice drink and chocolate. Not acceptable for 8am but what is these days, eh?

Also, fingers crossed for everyone here who's sleep deprived. I'm sorry it's difficult. You're all better mums than me, I couldn't cope with that at all so hats off to you

My mum has warned me not to mention his sleeping habits at the new group I'm attending today, unless I want to be eaten alive or 'accidentally' fall down the stairs.

Apparently I was similar to my DS and she soon learnt not to mention it public ally

I almost didn't want to post this and have written and deleted a couple of times but honestly have to say it.

My eldest was like this from birth. sleeping through from 8-9pm at night until well into the next morning. I heard all the advice being given on here "well as long as they are gaining weight" "as long as they are peeing and pooing" etc etc but my gut feeling was that this was not right. For months friends just kept telling me to be glad I was getting so much sleep, how jealous they were of me and that I was worrying about nothing. I even got dismissed out of hand by a locum GP who told me to stop making a fuss and to come back if the baby's dad thought there was a problem because I was being overly worried!

Unfortunately my DC had heart disease - a rare condition - which wasn't discovered for several months and was only picked up because I refused to be fobbed off and went with my instincts.

I now have a big family and always go with my gut feeling and this is exactly what I would say to the OP. if YOU don't feel this is right then go back to your GP and health visitor and make a fuss.

I am not for one minute suggesting that your child has the same thing OP. I just think that sometimes children do fall outside of the norm for a reason.

Also, fingers crossed for everyone here who's sleep deprived. I'm sorry it's difficult. You're all better mums than me

Of course we aren't- we all have our challenges - for instance my DS may not be sleeping through yet but he has a lovely nature and is very relaxed and happy and hardly ever cries. All of our babies are different and we are all doing the absolute best we can