7 week old nocturnal boobfest

[bluesatinsash]

DS2 is 7 weeks old (was 8lb 3oz at birth, now 12lbs) He feeds @ every 3 hours during the day although can have some days when he can go 4 hours and some days every 2 hours.

We're not really established on a routine as yet (unlike his big brother who was Gina Ford/Baby Whisperer) and he is co-sleeping with me as he would not settle in basket beside bed. DH is in spare room so its just DS2 and me every night.

He can go one long stretch at night normally from say 10pm to 2am but its normally 9pm to 1am or even 8pm to midnight. He is with us in the living room until we go to bed and sometimes still on me/DH as it's hit or miss if he settles in carrycot.

Anyway, He will feed again @ 3am and for the past few night has also been waking at 4/5/6am which I'm assuming is for food so I'm feeding him as I'm paranoid that he wakes DS1 if I let him cry.

My question is (in a long Ronnie Corbett get to the point way) could he be waking because he can smell me? Should I assume he is hungry or try to settle him without boob?

He sometimes wakes up wet and I wonder if its that that has woken him?

We're now thinking of moving cot beside bed so I can hold his hand through bars but I'm a wee bit further away.

Its all so different to DS1 who was in his own cot in his own room by 7 weeks and only feeding once a night most nights...

I have been expressing well which helps as I handed DS2 to DH this morning and he gave him his 10am feed allowing me to go back to sleep..

Any advice welcome!

I co-sleep with 16 mo DD, don't worry it's not a crime . I've tried letting her sleep on her own or in a side cot and she wakes up every few hours whether I'm there or not so I just let her snuggle up to me so I can feed her more easily without having to wake up properly.

It's up to you really, most people look at me in horror when I tell them about our sleeping arrangements and that I won't do CC with DD to get her to sleep through but it works for us. You have to do what works for you.

sounds pretty usual

DD fed constantly at this age and we co-slept

could he be having a bit of a growth spurt?

at this age, i would offer the boob at every waking

Quite agree - if you don't mind the current arrangement, don't put yourselves through the hassle/agony of changing it just because things were different for DC1. You will know when you're fed up of the arrangement because you will feel strong enough to deal with the inevitable tears. You won't break your baby for ever by giving him what he wants when he's so tiny!

My DS2 did a lot more co-sleeping than DS1 for exactly the same reason - I was a lot happier as a mum for listening to my instincts rather than the external voices - Gina, Whisperer and my Mother - who told me what I "should" be doing. Hope that helps.

your baby sounds like mine. mine however is TEN MONTHS

infact, I would go so far as to say that's not a boob fest, just wait for a growth spurt/teething and THEN you can call it that

as everyone else says, forget what you "should" be doing and do what feels best for you and baby right now-babys behaviour sounds totally normal.

When you say wet, do you men just the nappy, or leaage through onto clothes too? My DS is happy with a wet nappy but if it leaks it always wakes him up.

We have fewer of these now we make sure his penis is definitely pointing down, the waistband is really tight and the frilly bits around the legs aren't tucked into the nappy. (That's for disposables, not 'real' nappies.) Sorry if that's pretty obvious!

Trying to settle him without the breast will probably require a lot more effort at this stage, than just feeding him.

Co sleeping worked very well for me. Dd2 in particular was an allnight feeder and needed to be close and have the comfort of me, to be able to sleep. So, only way to get decent sleep was for her to sleep next to me so that I could feed her while sleeping.

Thanks for replying everyone.

Agree with special and sassy that I will know when I'm ready to go through the crying etc. of trying to get DS2 out of bed and into cot but not going to contemplate it until he is at least down to one feed per night which of course could be never as sleeping beside me is milk on tap

AngelDog - I have been opening up the nappy more recently and DS2 had bene sleeping on his side but is now firmly on his back and we have had less leaks - touch wood.

Think I was thrown when Mum at mini gyms said her under 2 week old bf baby was dropping his during the night feed as her milk was so free flowing during the day he didn't need it! It just throws your confidence even though I know she was probably telling porkies!

DS1 was also down to one 3am is feed by this stage but hey! every baby is different right?!

Hi - every baby is totally different.

And I am in a similar position to you with DS2 who is nearly 6 weeks.

DS1 was in his room, very rare co sleeping and DH was back in our bed by the time he was 3 weeks old.
DH still in spare room, DS2 in bed co sleeping at least once in the night. Feeding times all over the place (although never going more than 3 hours between feeds)

But then DS1 wasnt going any longer between feeds at this age either. He was 9 weeks old when I started trying to drop some of the night feeds and it takes a lot of energy. Energy that I dont quite have yet with a toddler running around.

My plan is to try and start dropping feeds when I have my mum to stay so I have some additional support. Is that an option for you. But am equally torn as am enjoying my baby cuddles this time round. Keep getting all sentimental about this being my last baby.

Wow - Mini gyms mum doesn't know she was born! But then, my kids were better sleepers at 2weeks than they were at 5 months so perhaps the excrement will hit the airconditioning for her later on rather meanly keeps fingers crossed