Shorter feeds every 3 hours?...

[Mae34]

Hello - just wanted to check what more experienced mums thought - for the last 3 weeks my 17 week EBF DD has begun waking every 3 hours in the night for feeds( having previously managed 5/6 hours at night). She feeds for no more than 10-15 minutes, as she now does in the day (having previously been a 30-45 minutes feeder). She feeds every 3 hours in the day which is fine.

She has dropped from 75th centile to about 60th in the last month or so.

Should I be worried - is she just getting more efficient? I try everything I can think of to stop her getting distracted in the day (she's become super nosy!) and to keep her awake long enough at night...Is this the infamous 4 month regression/ growth spurt? (she was 42 weeks at birth so maybe hitting these things a bit earlier?)

Just dont want to be missing something I should be doing?

Thanks!

Hi Mae34, yes this sounds like the 4 month growth spurt. My DD was sleeping for up to 10 hours until about week 16/17 and then suddenly she started waking in the night and seemed to be really starving. She is now 25 weeks and still wakens, but only once after a 7-8 hour stretch.

I don't think that you have anything to worry about with the drop in percentile either. As long as your DD continues to gain weight regularly, has wet and dirty nappies and is generally thriving.

Thanks harverina - thats reassuring - its just some of my friends are telling me she should be sleeping longer and she doesnt need feeding so often at night ...

Look '4 month sleep regression' threads.

Mae, you will hear that all the time, but every baby is different. Breastfed babies digest milk faster than formula fed babies too so this is worth bearing in mind when you get advice from friends (although my bf baby did sleep through for 10 hours for about4/5 weeks! A distant memory!)

Info on 4 month sleep regression/developmental spurt here, here, here and here.

It will pass - hang in there. :)

And yes, they do get more efficient at feeding so get faster.

We're in the middle of this 4 month sleep regression too (DD is 19 weeks). Aaargh it sucks like one of the suckiest things ever, but trying to convince DD to focus and feed during the day is nigh on impossible. Absolutely anything is more interesting than the boob between 7am and 7pm and from 7pm to 7am the boob is absolutely the only thing she wants.

Grrr stupid babies.

And I have 'helpful' friends and family telling me she should be able to go longer in the night between feeds. Tis bollocks. I am no expert at this parenting malarkey but I can tell the difference between a hungry DD and an unsettled DD who simply wants to comfort suck. And unfortunately right now she is hungry.

That doesn't help at all does it. But I feel you pain.

Thankyou Angeldog- v helpful! Veronica - its kind of funny how nosy they are right now, but less funny at night :( - sending middle of the night sympathy!

Glad it was helpful. :)

The good news is that the next big sleep regession isn't usually till 9 months (we're stuck in it right now).

my tip: never discuss sleep with other people IRL as they always give stupid"advice" that you didn't ask for and make you feel inadequate!

You sound like you and your baby are doing a great job. DS woke every three hours until he was ten months...so I do remember it well. he never had any "regression" that was just what he did.