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Sleep

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Original poster

5 weeks old - when does sleeping through the night happen??!! (18 years?)

15 replies

Snakeears · 11/10/2011 12:43

Hi there,

just wanted to check that probably the answer is just wait and he'll get a bit older and go a bit longer but basically my DS feeds every 2 hours and therefore I am pretty tired feeding taling to some other mums lots of thiers are going longer at night - do you think that will ever happen?

Help... tell me it will pass...

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nickelbabe · 11/10/2011 12:45

This too shall pass.

I wouldn't bank on him sleeping through the night until his tummy is big enough to hold enough milk to get him through the night.

(i don't know how long that takes, but don't hold your breath!)

SHRIIIEEEKPoolingBearBlood · 11/10/2011 12:46

DS was about 2y4m
DD is 2 and we are waiting.
They are pretty extreme though

TanteRose · 11/10/2011 12:47

it will happen when it happens

feeding every 2 hours is normal and needed (your body is still adjusting to making milk)

he might sleep through (which means a block of 5 hours, not necessarily 7 to 7) fairly soon, BUT it is not likely to last. You really need to get used to being tired...

my DD didn't sleep through until she was over a year old, my DS was maybe 5 months or so.

it is VERY early days yet - hang in there

Mondaybaby · 11/10/2011 12:49

My dd is 13months and she is still waking every 3 - 4 hours. I can count on one hand the number of times she has slept for 8 hours. I think it is just luck + routine. But 5 weeks is too soon to ecpect anything but 2 - 3 hour feeds. Sleep when you can day or night.

CristinadellaPizza · 11/10/2011 12:53

It will get better but a) don't listen to other people and b) most of them probably are exaggerating.

My DS fed every two hours at that age - it's perfectly normal :)

He sleeps 7-7 now

Grumpygils · 11/10/2011 12:53

You sound really tired. This early phase is so intense and things do change fast. Next week may be different in so many ways than this one. Would it help to try not to think too far ahead and just take it one night at a time?
You're doing really well . Keep going!

BertieBotts · 11/10/2011 12:55

My advice - don't get hung up on when he will sleep through, DEFINITELY don't listen to other people (they lie!) instead, make night wakings the least disturbing they can be to your sleep. I always seemed to get loads more sleep and feel less knackered than other friends whose DCs woke up maybe once or twice in the night when DS was waking up twice that.

It's more stress to try and change their habits than to just go with them. Physiologically it's perfectly normal for them to wake up for 2 years and beyond - indeed plenty of adults get up in the night for a drink of water or a wee or cuddle their partner and go back to sleep.

And you won't spoil them or make them dependent on you - DS is 3 now and sleeps beautifully for 12 hours or more in his own bed, goes to sleep without a fuss, if he does wake, it's easy to resettle him (barring illness), is happy to be put to bed by DP or a babysitter if I'm not around. (DP only second choice as he's only moved in with us recently.) He doesn't really like sleeping in my bed any more, give him the choice he'll always choose his own.

Debs75 · 11/10/2011 12:59

At 5 weeks that sounds pretty average. My dc's all fed well on anight, by that I do mean often.
DD1 and DS were only about 6m ish when they started missing a night feed, so sleeping 5-6 hours in one block
DD2 was 1y
DD3 about 1yr

As for them sleeping the magical 7-7
DD1 18m
DS 24m
DD2 36m
DD3 14m and still nowhere near.

He will gradually get longer between feeds on a night but it can take a while

smellsofsick · 11/10/2011 13:06

Poor you, these early weeks are so tough but at five weeks your DS sounds pretty normal to me. At that age many babies still haven't quite worked out the difference between night and day.

You absolutely must do what it takes to survive: grab some rest in the day if poss, take up offers of a quick break from friends and family, co-sleep if you feel comfortable with that.

The only thing I would say that helped us was getting a nighttime routine going fairly early on, so bath, cuddles and a quiet feed. DD dozed on me for most of the evening but that routine did pay off in the end.

And yep it will get better!

Deliaskis · 11/10/2011 14:04

It's really hard early on. At 5 weeks you're at that stage where the novelty is wearing off and exhaustion is setting in.

Most people say it's way too early, and I know there are lots of babies who don't sleep through until much older, but just to give you the other side of the coin, at about 9 weeks, my DD dropped her 2-4amish feed (as in it was normally around 3am but could have been any time between 2 and 4), so she then went to bed at 7pm, we did a dreamfeed at 11pm, and then she slept through until 7am. She never seemed to go longer and then longer and then longer, she just didn't wake for it one night, and we were v surprised when we all woke up at 6.45am! Never woke for it again. We then dropped the dreamfeed at about 5 months.

Not trying to raise your hopes too quickly, but also wanted to offer the other side of the coin as not every baby takes months or even years to go through the night. Unfortunately it's impossible to say what your baby will do. Oh for a crystal ball...

Agree though that it's important to get a bedtime routine established fairly soon, DH and I felt miles better when we got our evenings back for some baby-free time, and I often went to bed at 8ish for a bit to catch up on sleep. Lots of daylight and time outside in the day helps to establish daytime and night time.

It will pass though.

Angel786 · 13/10/2011 23:58

It's so tough isn't it. I remember people telling me their children slept through at 2 months onwards! MiL said DH slept through from day one . Don't listen to the other mums - most of them are probably fibbing as they think they're bad mums if their babies are still waking up...

My DD started to sleep through at 8 months after we stopped bf and she was on solids consistently but it's different for everyone. Just sleep as much as you can when you can and don't sweat the small stuff (cooking, cleaning etc).

It will get better though.

ifitsnotacorpse · 14/10/2011 00:13

Hi Snakeears,
I feel your pain (and tiredness) but hang on in there. Most babies start to sleep for longer at about 12 weeks - usually for a 5 hour stretch to begin with. Both my DS1 and DS2 started sleeping betweeen 10 and 12 hours at 5/6 months old. I know its hard right now but it will get better, honest.

InmaculadaConcepcion · 14/10/2011 15:31

DD was 13 mo when she started sleeping through. She's never done 7-7 though - 8pm - 0620am is her average, she just doesn't need as much overnight sleep as some babies.

Waking every 2 hours was normal until DD turned 8 months, then a wee bit of sleep-training (so she would unlatch at bedtime and sleep in her cot) cut the night wakings down to about 2-3. The rest she did on her own.

It's okay. You'll evolve strategies to cope with it. And trying to relax about the whole thing and accept that a general feeling of tiredness will be the norm for a while helps a lot. I found that stressing about it made me feel worse than the situation actually demanded.

And congratulations!

NellyTheElephant · 15/10/2011 18:25

Don't despair - this sort of waking / feeding pattern is very normal at 5 weeks (the worst point in my experience). I found that it started to improve soon after - all my 3 suddenly got much better around 6 / 7 weeks, sleeping at least one longer stretch of 5 -6 hours. DD1 was then miraculously sleeping through 11 hour stretches a couple of weeks later. Bizarre - terrible sleeper to great sleeper in a very short space of time. DD2 and DS both slept through by 12 weeks. So all I'm saying is sure - lots of babies don't sleep through until much later, but lots do. It's too early to tell just yet how yours will be, but please be reassured that this awful 5 week stage won't last forever and things will get better soon.

LittleMilla · 16/10/2011 09:45

I was in hell at 5 weeks, hang on in there! Now is the time to call in help and reinforcements so that you can get some kip. I found ti hard that people stopped offering help at this stage, but TBH, I needed the rest more at about 5/6 weeks than the early weeks. Get your mum/DP/DH to take baby for a walk so you can get some kip in the daytime.

I also started on a routine at this stage - bath, boob, bed. And as someone else said, lots of fresh air in the daytime, and quietness at bed. No lights when you feed at night (or just very low lighting), and try not to stimulate them too much. My DS didn't take too long to figure out 'bed' and would start to sleep a little bit longer...it was incremental, but it really wasn't long before he'd do a 4-5 hour stretch.

This week we've had our first sleeping through: 10:30pm dreamfeed - 7am. Dropped the dreamfeed last night and he went 7:30am - 6am. He's now 5.5 months.

Have a look on kellymom about growth spurts. I found it easier to get through the intense feeding weeks when I knew that it was a phase!

Good luck and congratulations.

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