Sleep, breatfeeding and when to move to own room!

[Firstimemummy15]

Hi there..

I have a 20 week old lg who feeds (breastfeeding) 2 hourly day and night (we have the occasional 3 hour gap but not often!). Does this seem about right for her age of maybe too frequent?! I know they are not supposed to start weaning until 6 months but does anyone else give baby rice or baby porridge and does it satisfy them for longer?

I'm also thinking about putting her in her own room, again I know they say 6 months but the slightest noise disrupts her and if I hear her stir I'm up straight away seeing to her (i do sometimes wonder if I left her whether she would settle herself but find this hard when she is right next to me!).

Do I just hang in there and wait until 6 months or do something now! Confused and tired first time mum!! X

Its bloody tiring, isn't it. Sympathy and coffee.

YOu can do either and see what works for you…

I am also a light sleeper and I find baby sleeping elsewhere for SOME of the night helps. On the other hand, if she is waking relentlessly (every 2 hours is tough) sometimes it is easier to have her right there so you don't have to get up. Sometimes (when she is next to me) I sleep with ear plugs in so I don't stir as much…

My general parenting philosophy is to have the ability to sleep in every room! Then you can mix and match a bit. We have a cot in her older sisters room where she starts the night, a travel cot in my room I can chuck her in, and the bed safely set up for co-sleeping with a side on it. So I can just see how the night goes!

I do think leaving babies who stir (not cry) is a good thing. Sometimes they do go back to sleep. I find as a general rule of thumb if the crying is quietening down they are settling. If it is escalating they are waking. A few seconds in the night can feel like ages, though!

If you have a helpful partner perhaps they would let you have undisturbed sleep for a chunk of the night and only get you if they were sure baby definitely wanted milk. Sometimes a cuddle is fine. Sometimes waiting until they settle back to sleep works.

I never found solids helped my babies sleep at all! In fact their sleep was disrupted after starting solids. So I would personally hold off for a bit longer. Babies vary though, of course.

I do think everything you've described is normal and riding it out is definitely a reasonable option. I also think you could try some gentle things if you think you're not coping with things as they are.

Daytime support is really helpful too. I get mates over for moral support (even if they have their own kids) - when my mum or boyfriend are around in the day I get a lie in, or a nap.

Take care. x

Oh and just to add - it will all change, without you doing anything. Babies do just change their sleep patterns as they get older. I never did anything with my older daughter and she was a terrible sleeper at times and great at others and now is 2.5yrs old and sleeps 12 hours every night.

We moved DD into her own room much sooner than 6 months because she had outgrown the Moses basket and the cot wouldn't fit in our room. She instantly started sleeping for longer but that might have been because she didn't keep bumping into the sides of the Moses basket! I was really worried about moving her out so soon though and didn't really want to.
Try not to get up as soon as she stirs and give her the chance to try settling herself. Hope you get more sleep soon!

Will your baby take a bottle? Could you express and get your partner to do a few of the night feeds while you sleep elsewhere in order to get a bigger chunk of sleep? We occasionally do that with our very hungry 8wk old - have done since he was brand new and it's helped loads. I just couldn't have handled the sleep deprivation otherwise.
Our usual tactic though, which has made a massive difference, is I sleep in DS's room with him and then take him through to DP at about 6 or 7 (from 5 he's awake and very noisy - not crying, but burbling and gurgling, impossible for me to sleep through, even with earplugs!) so I can get another couple of hours uninterrupted sleep before he's hungry again. A lot of the time DP can sleep through DS's noises, if he can't he doesn't mind getting up with him because he's already had a whole night's uninterrupted sleep.
Don't know if the same routine would work for you, but it's been a sanity saver for me!

I waited until DS was over 7mo to move him into his own room as he wasn't sleeping through, in fact still waking very frequently for feeding so thought I'd be traipsing backwards and forwards feeding him all night. Made the move out of desperation at the suggestion of a friend and he has slept much better since

My 8mo eats enough solids to have non bf poo. She still wakes every 3 hours most nights.

DD1 slept through from before 3mo with only breastmilk.

They are all just different. I don't think solids help judging from my 2z

And worst it was every 2 hours last night. Some she just wants a cuddle to go back to sleep. Some babies are just crappy sleepers. I have friends who have non sleepers till 2-3 yo.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and support. My partner is a shift worker and gets up at 4.30am so I feel bad asking him to help out when he is already up early and working long days. I think I will sort out her room and perhaps try her in there - her room is opposite ours so not too far to go but can imagine that that will get tiresome if the 2 hourly feeds continue!!! It's always the first hung people ask you - is she sleeping through the night and they seem shocked she isn't - that's when I start questioning whether I'm doing something wrong!

I will try some of the suggestions and see what works for us. Typically today she went for 3 hours btpetween feeds this morning and is asleep now and it's been over two hours - she has been sleeping lots more today though and had been swimming with her dad!

Thanks again