First stint of sleep is the longest... why?

[Sweetpea1989]

My 8 week old goes down at 8 for usually 3/4 hours, wakes, bfeeds, then back down for one/two hours, wakes, bfeeds, then it’s hourly/half hourly after that. Am I doing something wrong or any advice on how to extend the later sleeps?

Both of mine were like this. I wish I had advice beyond just get into bed as soon as possible after they do, but that’s what I did to function. It doesn’t last forever!

You are not doing anything wrong.

Babies are arseholes

That is incredibly annoying normal, unfortunately OP. Best advice I can give is to sleep yourself during the long sleep. It will pass.

My Fitbit tells me I have my deepest sleep in the first part of the night too, maybe it's a thing?

@ApocalypseNowt

You are not doing anything wrong.

Babies are arseholes

Exactly this.

It's why I used to go to bed at 8pm when mine were babies!

Oh bugger I was hoping there was something I could try.... thanks for reassuring me it’s normal, totally agree with the arsehole comment 😬

@ApocalypseNowt 😂

Those early weeks are tough. A 3/4 hour stretch is pretty good for 8 weeks I think and over time that will keep extending and it will get easier. Is baby (sorry you don’t say if it’s a boy or girl) taking a full feed during the night for the later wake ups? Or could they be walking up uncomfortable? Wind/reflux? Waking up half hourly does seem particularly brutal and too early for a sleep regression.

It does get easier... my first barely slept day or night and was constantly overtired and whinging. The tiredness was incessant so I can relate. xx

We had exactly what you describe and spoke to a sleep consultant friend. She said it was totally normal and they grow out of it by about 16 weeks. Our baby did! We then had sleep regressions and all sorts of other shit but this particular phase does pass quickly. I think it's to do with sleep pressure and maturity of sleep cycles and rhythms x

Totally normal. In fact, there are lots of science articles/research on it

Pre-midnight sleep is always the deepest/best sleep.