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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

My 4 week old just slept through the night?!

54 replies

Louba4 · 04/08/2018 05:20

Okay so maybe I’m a little mad for freaking out and some of you might be thinking I should make the most of it... but is it normal (I know it’s not common!) for a 4wo to sleep through the night?!

My DS last had a feed at 10:30 ish last night, and I’ve just woken up totally freaked out around 5am to an awake but not crying little man fairly content in his crib.

Me and my partner have been setting alarms through the night to make sure he doesn’t go longer than 3-4 hours without a feed as we’ve been concerned about dehydration in this heat but they didn’t go off last night. He has around 4 ounces through the day every 3 hours and occasionally some cooled boiled water as advised by my doctor.

Has anyone else experienced this so early on and would you make the most of it or continue setting alarms?

Thank you x

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 04/08/2018 19:21

DS did this at about 7 weeks old and then stopped when he was a bit older and didn't sleep through until he was over 2 Grin

If his weight gain, nappies and alertness during the day are all fine, carry on.

Sometimes you just get lucky.

heartsease68 · 04/08/2018 19:24

I thought it was feeds every 3 hours until they regained birth weight, then stretch to four if possible? Every three hours to a 7 hour stretch (evening cluster feeding aside) seems...one extreme to the other. I would worry about that routine shuffling.

heartsease68 · 04/08/2018 19:25

I would also be concerned that you're tying yourself down to a very late 'first' feed of the day if your 'night' feed is actually 5am rather than, say 3. That could mean he ends up needing an early night feed the following night just to get the calories in.

DerfelCadarn · 04/08/2018 19:48

From 6 weeks my DD would sleep for a six hour stretch overnight (ie one night feed somewhere) and from 8 weeks she'd sleep from a midnight feed til about 8am.

Before 3 months she would sleep approx 8pm to 8am with a dream feed before we went to bed. I was a bit smug Grin

RidingMyBike · 04/08/2018 20:20

@heartsease68 the recommendation now is to feed on demand rather than a 3 or 4 hourly schedule, unless there is something wrong with the baby. As long as this baby is gaining weight well and not showing signs of dehydration then it's fine.

donajimena · 04/08/2018 20:42

My second slept well from birth. The day we came home from hospital we went to bed at 930 he fed around 2 am then I woke up in a blind panic at 9 am to see him just stirring. This carried on until around 3 weeks when he dropped the night feed and he slept right through. It did last and he still loves his sleep.
My first was a horror though. If I'd had them the other way around I'd have wept in despair.n

Whereland · 04/08/2018 20:45

My baby did this three nights in a row at 12 weeks. I thought well this is it, we have it cracked. He then stopped doing it 😂 he's 7 months now and we get a good stretch but often have 2/3 wakings too

Original poster
Louba4 · 04/08/2018 22:47

@QueenCharming mine currently goes around 3 hours during the day and (until last night of course!) 4 hours during the night between feeds. We were in a bit of a routine of him having a feed around 10pm, go to bed, one night feed at 2am ish and then up around 6am for the next feed. Although if we were feeling lazy and the little man would sleep we would sometimes go back to bed until around 9am Wink he is bottle fed and has around 4oz at the mo. He hasn’t got a routine of when and for how long he sleeps during the day yet though!

OP posts:
heartsease68 · 04/08/2018 22:47

riding Perhaps it's different for breastfeeding as this hasn't been my experience at all. I do have recent babies (if you know what I mean) but not BF.

heartsease68 · 04/08/2018 22:48

But I did have my babies sleeping through from 9ish weeks so must have done something right!

Original poster
Louba4 · 04/08/2018 22:57

@heartsease68 we made sure he was having a feed every 3 hours from birth as advised by the midwife, which tied in with when he would start getting hungry, but found he wasn’t waking for feeds as regular during the night so stretched them to 4 hours (during the night only). He only lost 1% of his birth weight, and went from 7lb 4oz at birth to 8lb 5oz at the three week mark Smile

OP posts:
heartsease68 · 04/08/2018 23:00

Isn't he doing well OP! It's such a lovely lovely time.

Helpmemyhairisterrible · 04/08/2018 23:05

5weeks DS did 12-5 the other night. Swaddling seems to help him stay sleeping.

BertieBotts · 04/08/2018 23:07

Sleeping through at 9 weeks is nothing to do with getting anything right or wrong, it's just luck - some babies will do it, some won't :)

heartsease68 · 04/08/2018 23:11

Bertie I don't think that's always the case. I made adjustments and then they did it. If I didn't bother making the adjustments, they didn't do it. That is not to say I don't feel lucky to have babies it worked with. That was sheer luck.

ThatsWotSheSaid · 04/08/2018 23:20

My dd did this. She was always a great sleeper. Enjoy it.

QueenCharming · 05/08/2018 03:00

What is sleeping through though?
10 - 5/6?

QueenCharming · 05/08/2018 03:03

Thanks Louba we are similar I guess but not sleeping longer than 4 hours at any time and that’s not every night

fruityb · 05/08/2018 12:30

White noise also helped - ds dropped his night feed so quickly and would start stirring at around 5am some mornings when he’d gone down about 9:30. I had sea noises on my phone that I used to put in his Moses basket and he’d sleep till 7. He has always been a good eater (apart from a few really fussy phases for no reason!)

LupiPie · 05/08/2018 13:35

Queen Sleeping through for my DS was 9.30pm until 7/7.30am from birth

Then a solid 12/14 hours from around 4/5 weeks old

Thishatisnotmine · 05/08/2018 13:39

Dd2 did this from a few days old. Not every night but regularly woke up about 6am ish was amazing! As long as you dc is feeding regularly throughout the day and gaining weigh, just go with it. It might last, it might not so enjoy it!

ittooshallpass · 05/08/2018 15:09

DD slept for 20 hours out of 24 from birth. Was told to wake her every 4 hours to feed. Did it during the day but not at night! Everyone was well rested and DD gained weight just fine.

Like previous posters have said it was best not to mention it at baby groups.

laurG · 06/08/2018 13:12

You give me hope! My 3.5 week baby wakes around 2.30, then 5, then 7. Would be delighted if he’d skip the 2 or 5.... come on!!

delphguelph · 06/08/2018 13:14

Jealous.

delphguelph · 06/08/2018 13:15

Sleeping through? At that age? More than six hours.

Gravel.

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