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Sleep

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Original poster

16 week old baby never slept through

45 replies

pamelat · 10/09/2010 20:31

DS is 16.5 weeks.

Was breastfed for 14, 2 hourly ish - always woke 2 and 5am for feeds

Switched to formula at week 14 for a week and pattern continued

Switched to hungry baby on advice of HV and pharmacist (he is 18lbs!! born at 7.5 lbs so large weight gain) and he still wakes but now it can be any time, always at least twice.

He feeds at one of the wakings but this week we have tried to offer water, dummy, resettling at the other wakings and its going horribly wrong .....

Last night he woke at 330am wide awake, happy, not hungry (having drank 7oz at 1am) and just wanted to play ... until 530am

We have toddler who then woke at 630am so this is not something which is do-able long term

His days roughly go like this.

7am feed
9am sleep for 30 mins
10am feed
1145 sleep (unfortunatey he usually wakes after 30 mins, sometimes I can persuade him to go back but others he is just awake)
Between 1145 and 2pm regardless its "quiet time" which unfortunately means a lot of dummy/walking right now.
230pm feed
awake, happy
4pm sleep for 30 mins
515pm feed, bath, feed
6pm ready for bed
10pm dream feed
nights - anything ......

Any tips???

OP posts:

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nickytwotimes · 10/09/2010 20:35

hi pam.

maybe 4 mth sleep regression?

thisisyesterday · 10/09/2010 20:38

he feeds at night because he is a small baby and small babies are supposed to feed a lot

my 15 MONTH old has never slept through the night

i don;t have any advice on playing during the night tho, other than just taking him into bed with you and trying to doze until he falls asleep

ragged · 10/09/2010 20:41

Are they supposed to?
(Sleep thru I mean).
DAMN. My babies never read that part of the baby manuals.

myredcardigan · 10/09/2010 20:41

Nope! All 3 of mine were over a year before they slept through but they all did eventually.

asouthwoldmummy · 10/09/2010 21:33

My ds slept through from 18 weeks, but I know one mum who's dd slept through from the day she was born! According to my mum I didn't sleep through until I was 4!!! They're all different!
If he is a large baby you could consider starting solids early which could be some help?

UnePrune · 10/09/2010 21:34

No tips. This is actually NORMAL. It's hard but it is normal.

RockinSockBunnies · 10/09/2010 21:44

DD didn't sleep through until she was three years old. Sorry. Frankly I find it miraculous that any baby/toddler sleeps through the night!

PaulineCampbellJones · 10/09/2010 21:47

Mine didn't sleep through til about 6 months and still had a 10pm dream feed until 8 months.
Your DS will sleep through in good time and will drop the feed. Until DD started to eat 3 meals a day there was no chance of her going without night feeds.
Don't worry!

LaDiDaDi · 10/09/2010 21:48

DS is nearly 9 months and still wakes twice, DD slept through easily. You have my sympathy but really I think it's easier to go with the flow than tear your hair out trying to re-settle.

PacificDogwood · 10/09/2010 21:49

Yep, it's normal

And what or when or how you feed them has very little to do with how well/long they sleep.

It is very very hard, but totally normal and varies enormously from child to child. My DS2 slept through from 14 weeks even though he was a tiny preemie baby and DS3 was almost a year before he managed that achievement. DS1 was somewhere in the middle and 'current' DS4 6 months today has not managed it yet.

IME solids also make no difference and IMO allowing for gut maturation at 26 weeks is more important anyway.

Just keep chanting 'this too shall pass, this too shall pass, this too shall pass,...'

porcamiseria · 10/09/2010 21:54

you are expecting a 16 week baby to sleep thru? crazy woman !!!!!

HumphreyCobbler · 10/09/2010 21:55

I also think that if you have a child that wakes then you have a child that wakes. Sorry.

I feel your pain, I really do.

Lack of sleep is horrible. If you searched my name you would find many an anguished thread about it.

They all sleep better eventually, but one thing you can do that might help is go for cranial osteopathy. It helped my DD sleep better (not through though).

Also if you are surrounded by people who claim their baby never wakes, then they are possible exaggerating.

BonniePrinceBilly · 10/09/2010 21:59

None of my 3 have slept through the night until after 12 months. 11mht old ds3 still wakes twice a night and feeds both times. Sometimes more.
I think people have unrealistic expectations. (No offence OP)

bronze · 10/09/2010 22:00

My 16 month old has never slept through but I live with the faith that my 7, 5 and 4 year olds didnt at this age but do now.

I just see it as one of those sacrifices you make for a bit when you have a baby

ShowOfHands · 10/09/2010 22:01

It's always better to look at what you can do. Because your baby is normal and needs parenting at night as much as during the day. So how can you make your life easier as opposed to pushing a child to do things it isn't physically ready for. So help at home with the baby, the housework and the toddler. Going to bed with the baby. Napping. Cleaner. Bugger the housework. Whatever works.

Weight means nothing. DD was 7lbs when born and was exclusively bfed until 28 weeks when she was ready for solids. She was 25lbs at that point. She was fed on demand and demanded throughout the night. She eventually slept through when she was nearly 3 years old.

corblimeymadam · 10/09/2010 22:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StarlightMcKenzie · 10/09/2010 22:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

MerryMarigold · 10/09/2010 22:08

I had a wry smile. None of my 3 dc slept through till at least a year old (even then not always)! I think it's very normal. Someone mentioned 4 month sleep regression. Not sure what that is, but all my kids started sleeping worse around 4 months - they've all been different weights, so I don't think it's anything to do with weight or hunger. Not sure about the playing thing. If he's happy to play in cot, then let him play and settle himself back to sleep? Go with the flow - but don't think it's weird. (And try and get toddler to a playgroup/ nursery, if you can afford it, so you can get a bit of sleep during the day).

Suzihaha · 10/09/2010 22:22

I really sympathise. DS1 is 2.7 and still wakes in the night once or twice a week. DS2 is 13m and only started sleeping through a few weeks ago. But is now waking again due to teething. Even when he does sleep through he wakes at 5:30am

It's really really hard, but it's what happens. Babies aren't meant to sleep through so young. I found co-sleeping helped a lot.

lowrib · 10/09/2010 22:26

DS is 21 months, and still wakes at least once at night.

dearprudence · 10/09/2010 22:30

You do hear about small babies sleeping through, but I think it's not a reasonable thing to aim for. Just take your time and go with your baby's needs for now.

sweetkitty · 10/09/2010 22:33

hi pamelat I know it's so hard for you know as you know I am going through the same things. I should be in bed right now but I just want some time to myself.

DS has no pattern the only way I can feel half human is cosleeping at least then when he wakes I can feed him back to sleep quickly. I'm bloody shattered as well.

My babies were as follows:

DD1 slept from 8-8 at about 10 weeks and had a few good naps during the day, I now know this is the exception to the rule but then I was so bored.

DD2 never slept through until I night weaned her at a year

DD3 same as DD2 and so far DS is the same.

Weaning made no difference even at 8 months when they were getting 3 meals a day plus snacks

I think I am destined for no sleep.

Astrophe · 10/09/2010 22:36

Most babies aren't sleeping through at this age. Sad but true! If your first born slept very well, it can be a rude shock. My DC1 slept 10pm-7am from about 3 months, followed by DC2 who didn't sleep through until about 14 months! I found it very, very difficult.

I was encouraged to stop BF (didn't though) and to start solids (which didn't help at all - just made life a bit busier) by my HV. In hindsight I wish I'd just done nothing, as it was all the "trying" various things to get him t sleep which caused me a great deal of stress.

DC3 was sleeping 10pm-7am at about 8 months...as many have said, they all do it in their own sweet time.

piscesmoon · 10/09/2010 22:52

I think that you would be very lucky if they slept through at that age-all mine were 2 yrs before they managed it.

Original poster

pamelat · 12/09/2010 18:32

Really. Nearly everyone I know says their babies (same age) are sleeping 10pm-6 or 7am (Sweekkitty aside ). We arent in the minority on the post natal thread arent we SK?

In RL most of my friends babies slept through by 12 weeks, and then mean 7-7 or 8-8 with a dream feed.

My DD slept through at 5 months and I thought that was really bad since 6 months she has slept 7-7 happily.

Oh god, I may be tired forever.

Re breast feeding, it was one factor but not the main one. I have mixed feelings about having stopped but the main problem was my toddler, she hated it and took to waking at night screaming and crying about it, her behaviour has been a lot better since I stopped. I managed 14 weeks so not terrible

OP posts:

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