7 Week Old Night Sleep Help/Advice/Questions

[Mizydoscape]

Can't get hold of my health visitor and feeling a bit panicky and anxious at the moment... FTM

Anyway my LO is 7 weeks old. For the last week we began swaddling with a cellular blanket and was getting either 1 or 2 night wake ups when she would ruffle out of blankets. We would offer a bottle and she would drink maybe 2 oz before falling asleep for 2 or 3 hours before she next ruffled her blankets off. So as swaddling seemed to settle her well I bought some summer infant swaddle me wraps. Well since shes been in those, the first 2 nights she only had 1 wake up between bedtime and 5am but last night she went down at 9.30 and I woke her at 5 when I panicked that she hadn't woken up all night. She had rotated herself over to lie diagonally across the next 2 me by the middle of the night. Still on her back though.

Some background in case relevant

• She was born at 37 weeks weighing 5lb 9oz on 9th centile
• weighed 1 week ago at 6 weeks old now 9lb 2oz and closer to 25th centile
• eats well in the day roughly every 3-4 hours between 3 and 5oz mostly around 4
• does seem to spit up a lot after eating. Sometimes it looks like quite a lot but probably isn't.
• She naps well in the day. Will only stay awake for a max of 1 hour before giving sleepy ques or getting overtired and I rock her to sleep. Usually naps between 30 mins to 2 1/2 hours each time between feedings. Shorter naps tend to be followed by fussyness until she gets put back to sleep with rocking or swaddling or white noise.
• in the day she naps either on me/OH or in her moses basket in the lounge with me.

So I guess I'm looking for reassurance that it's ok to let her sleep that long overnight? I woke up several times last night panicking that she hadn't woke to feed. At one point she was in a deep sleep and I almost thought I couldn't see her breathing. For a second it was the worst feeling in the world and I cant stop thinking about it today.

Sorry this is so long. I'm feeling really anxious about the thought of tonight and didn't want to drip feed.

Sounds likes she’s doing brilliantly. I was told if baby was gaining weight then to let them sleep through (if they want to!) My lo is 5 months and has been sleeping through since she was 8 weeks.

We've been using those swaddles and they work so well. My LO is 9 weeks now and has been sleeping the same as yours but was born at 11lbs.
It sounds like you LO is okay and babies will let you know when they are hungry
Although with your LOs history I would just run it past the HV just in case.

She definitely lets me know when she's hungry at all other times. She can be very ruffly at times in the night. I guess during certain sleep stages. She will squeak, snort, fling her arms around and kick her legs about but not open her eyes. That wakes me and OH up as it's like being in a zoo When she would wake in the night for food in previous weeks she would def have her eyes open and then cry if we took too long to get her bottle ready.

Another quick question... if she does wake for feeding in the night, should I change a wet nappy beforehand or just leave it if she is happy to go back to sleep. After her long sleep last night her nappy was very heavy but not leaking. Would obviously change if it was a poo.

DS is 6 weeks and we had one night like that last week - I think he went from about 11pm to 6.30am without waking. He also will move himself around the next to me a lot during the night (while staying on his back). He did a 180 degree flip the other week which confused me no end! He was also a 9th percentile baby albeit at 39 weeks so sounds relatively similar. I'm trying to enjoy the odd night where he does have long stretches of sleep and not panic too much (and also an anxious FTM here; I actually woke him up the other day although I could see and hear him breathing 'just in case')

Myname I'm glad it's not only me being ridiculous.

Last night was better. She went to sleep at 9.30 and woke up for milk at 3.30 so a more reasonable amount of time asleep. Shes now doing her head lifting practice on my shoulder in bed while the rain pours down on the skylight.