is this normal??

[tiggerpigger]

Our 10 day old baby feeds for 7 hours straight then sleeps for just 3 hours, then the cycle starts again. We are exclusively breast feeding and so my wife is getting almost no sleep.

The baby is getting plenty of milk as has lots of dirty and wet nappies and is back over her birth weight already.

During the 7 hours she does stop feeding, but as soon as we put her down she starts crying and rooting for milk again.

We read that new borns sleep for 18 hours a day - ours is sleeping for 6-8 hours a day and feeding every minute she's not asleep...

thanks

Hi, tiggerpigger :)

OK....this sounds normal. You say in your post 'during the 7 hours she does stop feeding', and then contradict yourself by saying she is 'feeding every minute she is not asleep' ....and I think what is most likely happening is the first picture ie she is close to her mum for 7 hours at a time, during which she will feed and sleep and feed and sleep, and object if she is not on or near the breast.

NORMAL.

She is getting a lot more sleep than the 6-8 hours she is sleeping in her crib, and the sleep periods are interspersed with feeding off and on.

10 days ago she was inside her mum, and feeding off and on all the time...and she is familiar with her mum's voice, taste, touch and closeness.

She shows just how familiar she is, by crying when she is placed away from her mum.

NORMAL :)

In fact, for her to sleep 3 hours alone at 10 days is unusual. Most babies of this age are not able to tolerate this yet. She is probably able to, because she is getting plenty of contact and closeness during her 7 hour on-off feedathons :)

The facts she is thriving, gaining weight and showing her preference for being close to her mum, shows just how healthy and well she is.

This stage does not last, and it can feel demanding - but honestly it's a lot easier to accept this is how it is, than to keep on expecting her to go down to sleep and to stay asleep. Your wife will appreciate lots of encouragement and tender loving care....and there will be times when your arms and comfort will be accepted by your baby, too, so she can have a break for a shower :)

Not quite sure where you have read that newborns sleep for 18 hours a day, think that is a little misleading to say the least.

Are they both still under the care of the mw? If so, what does she say?

Is lo actively feeding during this time. There are some good videos videos here.

There are some good sources of support here and some good information on what is normal in the first few weeks here.

Sorry can't post more. Hopefully someone who knows more will be along soon

Xp ousted with tiktok. See is definitely the person who knows more

www.isisonline.org.uk/how_babies_sleep/normal_sleep_development/ shows the huge variation in the hours a newborn may sleep.

Normal, healthy babies in the newborn period sleep anything between 8 and 22 hours in 24 in the graph on that page.

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

Tiktok - You're right I did contradict myself - what I meant was that during the 7 hours she appears to doze off occasionally but as soon as she is put down she starts crying and doing the feeding cues.

What you say makes senses - the bit in your first paragraph particularly where you say she needs to be by mum for 7 hours at a time. Just means poor mum cant put her down and get some sleep!

The 3 hours on her own has only happened once or twice - she normally will only go to sleep on my chest...

Don't get me wrong, we are very grateful for a healthy happy baby, just need to make sure mum keeps her sanity!

Jilted - the midwives say it's normal, but just wanted some extra reassurance and opinions...

Thanks again!

So glad you've talked to the MWs and they are happy. As tiktok says! everything seems normal and your lovely new Lo seems to be thriving.

Both of mine were very much like this. Things I appreciated from my DH were words of encouragement, helping out with getting meals ready and lots of understanding. He was also able to take them out for the odd sort walk or drive which gave me a much appreciated break.

One thing that might help your DW is to try feeding lying down. Once I'd got used to doing it that way I found it easy to snooze. This should only be done in bed though and not on the sofa

My 2nd baby did this too and it was exhausting. I thought it was because she was a big baby and was extra hungry but I think she just wanted cuddles and the closeness to me. I was close to giving up a few times and in the early days was getting by one feed at a time.

We tried feeding lying down but it didnt work as DD couldnt get latched on comfortably. Instead I found every available pillow in the house and propped myself up in bed and she slept on top of me. I supported my arms on pillows so she wouldnt slide off when I drifted into much needed sleep. We slept like this for about 4months before she was happy to sleep in the cot. Once I was used to it and obviously you need to follow co-sleeping guidance etc it was lovely. She would wake gently at feeding time and give me little kisses to indicate she was ready to feed. Sooo adorable.

Once she got bigger, it was no longer comfortable for her and the cot beckoned. Do watch your back and shoulders though. Our baby also loved cuddles with DH in the same propped upright position and he also mastered winding to give me a break after feeds.

A feeding cushion helped us too as dd would fall asleep on the cushion after a feed and I would slide the cushion across onto dh's lap and she would stay asleep there for next 2-3 hours while I slept horizontally in bed. Bliss!