9 week waking every 1-2 hours - is this normal.

[haloflo]

Sorry if this has been done a million times before but my tired eyes can't focus on a search properly...

DD is 9 weeks old and generally goes to sleep at 8/9, wakes at 12, 2, 4, 6, 7 & 8. I can't help but drag the mornings out as I can barely lift my head until at least 8 until though I go to bed at 10.

She is EBF and I feed her to sleep. I know she isn't hungry at 6 and 7 but will take some milk to drift back off if I offer.

I can't nap in the day as she either takes short naps in the bouncer or longer naps in the pram.

Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to change it? I'm sure many people have it worse and I know she is tiny but other mums at baby group seem to get their baby to "sleep through the night"

Currently I feel I feed her loads during the day usually there is a 3 hour gap in the morning, then a 2 hour gap then its hourly until bedtime. They are often short feeds lasting about 5 minutes. She was 8lb 9 at birth, (75th centile) 13lb 7 at 8 weeks (91st centile) so has always been a hungry baby.

Bedtime routine isn't really established. Currently bath, nappy & then rock feed rock feed etc until asleep. Sometimes in front of the tv as I get bored and lonely feeding on the bed (and its hard to rock her when you have to prise yourself off the bed to do it) DP helps when home but sometimes works until 8. Should I be stricter with no tv?

Do I need to make myself get up at 6/7? Should I enforce more of a routine? Currently I feed her on demand, make her nap when shes been up 1 1/2 hours and she is yawning.

Sorry if this is long and messy. I just want to know that this isn't unusual so I can ignore other smug mums.

Ignore the other smug mums, it is all lies I tell you!

Sounds very normal to me, and she is only 9 weeks, so still titchy titchy and really dependent on you.

Do you co-sleep, would you get more sleep if you did?

You say you can't nap as she is in her pram, why not? She is safe in the pram no? Try and catch 30 minutes if you can, it will make a world of difference.

I think you very much just have to follow your babies cues and do what you think is right. I started reading the Baby Whisperer, as alot of my friends recommended it to me and got on really well with it. It is not a rigid routine GF type thing, but it might help?

My peaditrician who I asked about sleep and all the stuff you mentioned, said- you need to go to bed earlier. Sounds daft, but see if you can push your bedtime back by 10 minutes each evening, just have DH bring the baby up for a feed. I used to hit the hay at 8pm!

We have taken the side off the cotbed and pushed it next to our double bed. I don't want to fully co sleep although I do bring her into my side sometimes after the 5 or 6 o'clock feedings rather than risk her waking up when I move her over.

I know going to bed a little earlier would help but often my mind is whirring and I need a hour or so to wind down. (And last night I wanted to watch the apprentice ) Bringing her bedtime forward would help but I find that its hard to persuade her to sleep at a set time! I give her a bath at 6 so I can eat first (I get grouchy without food)

She isn't safe in her pram as I live in a second floor flat without a lift so I leave the pram at the bottom of the communal stairs. Lifting her out almost certainly wakes her although she seems to know when we nearly home anyway!

Glad its normal though.

I would get a sling to walk her in, that way you can get back into your flat, sit down and doze off with the baby asleep on you.

I so get the need to wind down bit, try cutting out caffine and chocolate and other stimulants after 5pm, try a drink of cammomile tea and put some lavander oil on your pillow.

I really recommend this- so comfy

Hi, this is my first time posting, but I just wanted to say my 11-week old has almost exactly the same sleep pattern as you - so yes, it is normal! I also know what you mean about baby group - we seem to be doing the worst (if you want to judge, which I don't) out of everyone. However, we co-sleep, which I cannot recommend enough, and so I've always seemed to be the least exhausted out of the bunch. (Plus I have a sneaking suspicion there's a lot of massaging of the truth going on - I'm liking the "are they all lying?" thread at the moment!)

Mine is also super-hungry - he was 10lb 14oz at birth.

For your other questions, clearly I'm as clueless as you :) But I have noticed that being stricter on when I have the TV on while he's around (only when feeding so he can't see it) seems to be paying off as he's happier during the day and settles far easier at night when we're upstairs, and it's still improving. I'm also thinking of doing some baby massage after the bath and story to get him a bit calmer before feeding to sleep so it doesn't take as long. I'll let you know if it works.

My DD's are now 8 & 10, but they were both just like yours. I know exactly how exhausting it can be. My best advice to you is to do whatever you have to do to get through each day - whether it's co sleeping, expressing so that dp can help or (whispers) an occasional bottle. It won't last forever, and even if you create some bad habits now you can always break them later - after I stopped bf dd1, she would only go to sleep with me stroking her hand - but she doesn't now!!

I would try co-sleeping too - she may sleep better feeling you near her, and you soon get the hang of feeding pretty much without waking up!

very normal, and goes on for some time - like years ime!

Have you tried dream feeding? I was a bit doubtful about it, but my 3 month old had a very similar pattern of sleep to the above. For the last week or so I've been picking her up and feeding her when I go to bed and it's worked wonders - she doesn't properly wake, but will most often have a feed (sometimes she can't be persuaded, but those nights she seems to last round a bit longer anyway - perhaps not hungry?!). Last night she went to bed at 8, we had a dreamfeed just after 10, then she slept thru til just gone 3. If it doesn't work, you can always stop.

Thank you for your replies. The internet was taken away from me so I couldn't reply. Things aren't as bad as the night after my first post but we still are on 3 night feeds. Definatly think others are lying at bf support - or at least stretching the truth...

banana I will try dreamfeeding if I go to bed later than LO (she has not gone down until after 10 last few nights!) If she goes earlier tonight then I think i'll get an early night too!

ritamorgan How on earth do you not wake up with a stiff back? If I ever fall asleep feeding then I am in pain the next day.

Mrswifty Let me know if less TV and massage help.

We are cosleeping more and more. On my side next to her bed (cot is pushed up against it with the side off) Only thing is it gives me a bad back. Am considering persuading DP to let us get a kingsize so we all get more space.

Am being treated to a massage myself next week, I can't wait. Hope I don't fall asleep on the table...

Hi Halo!

At our bf group only 1 20wk old baby is sleeping through 7pm-7am (and has done since he was about 8wks) but the rest of us with 7wk-26wk babies are still feeding in the nights. Baby T who sleeps through the night has a big bottle of EBM at 7pm and then sleeps. I want to try this but wary in case it doesn't work for us and I end up spending bloody hours expressing for no good reason!

Anyway, not much help but just wanted to back up what others are saying about some exaggerating going on....