12 week old baby, up every 1-2 hours for feeding at night?

[X19gbs]

I am a first time Mum and My little boy is 12 weeks now and has been feeding during the night every hour to 2 hours. He wakes and feeds for around 10-15 minutes and goes straight back to sleep.
He doesn't really have a long stint at the beginning of the night and if he does, I'm awake for most of that! So I am loosing a lot of sleep!

I understand this is part of parenting and accept that but I hear a lot of people having 3-4 hours or even longer at 12 weeks so wondered what everyone else experienced and any tips on longer sleeps at night?

I have tried to get him to feed more during the day as he will go longer during the day without a feed but he won't have it!

I am exclusively breastfeeding and would like to continue this.

Thank you

Think it just depends on the baby in relation to the parents who get 3-4 uninterrupted hours sleep.

I think when my DD was 12 weeks old I was getting maybe a 2-3 hour stretch. Have you tried feeding her just as you are about to go to sleep so that you can start the night off with a few hours sleep?

Also for me, I have found a slightly later bedtime helps overall with sleep. I know a lot of parents aim for a 7pm bedtime but I have pushed that back to between 8-9. This means she normally wakes up between 8-9 as well so not up as early.

Is that something that you could do?

Hello! Congratulations! Does he latch on and everything ok? As you feel his sucking slowing give his feet a little tickle to wake him up again. 12 week babies are often like this tbh. Such hard work but you're doing a great job!

Congratulations on becoming a mum 😊 I have a 12 week old as well. I also have a 3 year old. This isn’t what you want to hear but I’ve done nothing differently with either of them and they’re entirely different sleepers. My eldest woke like your little one does, whereas my 12wo is sleeping longer stretches at night and has done almost since birth. Both were breastfed and big babies. It sounds like you’re doing a brilliant job. Sorry I don’t have any advice but solidarity!

@Tee20x

Think it just depends on the baby in relation to the parents who get 3-4 uninterrupted hours sleep.

I think when my DD was 12 weeks old I was getting maybe a 2-3 hour stretch. Have you tried feeding her just as you are about to go to sleep so that you can start the night off with a few hours sleep?

Also for me, I have found a slightly later bedtime helps overall with sleep. I know a lot of parents aim for a 7pm bedtime but I have pushed that back to between 8-9. This means she normally wakes up between 8-9 as well so not up as early.

Is that something that you could do?

Thank you for the advice

I do try and feed him before we go to sleep and don't have a specific routine at the moment, I try to keep it a little later and go by his tired cues more than anything.

Maybe more later on awake time and a later bedtime, I'll give it a go

@Beelzebop

Hello! Congratulations! Does he latch on and everything ok? As you feel his sucking slowing give his feet a little tickle to wake him up again. 12 week babies are often like this tbh. Such hard work but you're doing a great job!

Yeah he latches well and has been a good feeder from the get go. He is a chunky boy!

I guess it's part of the hard work! Thank you

@Floopyandtired

Congratulations on becoming a mum 😊 I have a 12 week old as well. I also have a 3 year old. This isn’t what you want to hear but I’ve done nothing differently with either of them and they’re entirely different sleepers. My eldest woke like your little one does, whereas my 12wo is sleeping longer stretches at night and has done almost since birth. Both were breastfed and big babies. It sounds like you’re doing a brilliant job. Sorry I don’t have any advice but solidarity!

congratulations to you too! It is reassuring that it isn't just my baby that is a short sleeper and we are not in it alone! Haha Thank you!

Congratulations on your lovely boy!

I think you mentioned he’s gaining weight well? So he’s following his centile?
What’s his feeding like in the day? How many feeds would you say he’s having in 24 hrs? No latch issues? No lipstick nipples at the end of a feed? Reason I ask is that milk production changes at around this time from purely hormonal to supply and demand. My daughter had an awful TT and couldn’t transfer milk well so would never settle.

Would you be open to pumping for a bedtime bottle? After we sorted the TT is helped us loads xx