Enviable position of a 5 week old sleeping lots - advice

[AnonyHB]

Hi everyone,

I have the enviable ‘problem’ of a 5 week old that loves sleep, particularly at night where they’re sleeping from about 9pm until I wake them. Today I slept through myself until 3.30 and woke up and realised the baby was still asleep next to me and hadn’t had a feed since 9pm! So I woke her for w feed, she did about 7 mins on the boob and then went back off. She feeds loads during the day and is gaining weight very well. She was 9 days overdue and born by section. Was awake lots during the day yesterday, in fact her sleeps/naps were all short (45 mins or so) during the day. I’m not sure whether I should be concerned? Is this ok to sleep for long stretches at night (6 hours)?

Now is the time to lock in some of these great patterns that will take you from a great sleeping newborn to a great sleeping older baby and toddler. Don't wake her at night but structure her day with a decent daytime routine to ensure she's feeding every 3.5 hours at least. You can gently rouse them from day time sleeps for a feed (e.g by going in and opening the curtains, making more noise, etc). Routine should be E.A.S.Y (Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your time). This means you follow a pattern of feeding immediately on waking, burp, tummy time/play, wrap/swaddle, then prepare for sleep. Repeat, every 3.5 hours. Nappy changes when needed.
Good routine advice available from the Baby Whisperer books if you want to go down that route.

During the day when she wakes after 45 mins don't go in immediately, wait for a bit to see if she falls asleep again. A 45 minute sleep cycle is normal but you're aiming (fingers crossed) for longer daytime sleeps of about 1 - 1.5 hours typically at that age (i.e. two sleep cycles). Again, this is from the Baby Whisperer books. Which are old but which really worked for my babies (and my sanity).

Is baby bring weighed (not sure given the covid-19 situation)? Because the only reason to wake a baby for a night feed is if there is a concern regarding weight gain. This may be:

• not regained birth weight
• dropped more than two centile lines

Coincidentally I spoke with my midwife about this today. I also have a 5 week old. On Saturday night he slept for 7hrs solid having previously maxed at 4hrs so I was worried I should have woken him. The advice she gave was that after 4 weeks you can leave them to sleep as long as they have established weight gain, which DS has.

Last night he slept for 4hrs but only fed for 10mins max before sleeping for another 2hrs so I think he’s (hopefully) starting to need less at night. Now I just need to relax and stop checking on him every 30mins....

@Guineapigbridge really great advice - thanks!

Hi all,

Baby weighed day 5, day 10 and again at 2 weeks and has regained her weight and since then weighed again last week and was 8 lbs (was 7lbs 5 at birth). She feeds every 2-3 hours during the day, it is just at night she feeds far less and I have to wake her most nights (although last night she woke up twice on her own for short 10-15 minute feeds).

In that case I really wouldn't worry. Indeed I would encourage sleeping through. One of my (four) children was bottle fed and slept through very early. His nights progressed like this:

● 0-3 weeks old - Fed 8pm, woke naturally and fed 1am ish, woke for the day 7am

● 3-6 weeks old - Fed 8pm, I woke baby to be fed at 11pm, woke for the day 7am

● 7 weeks old - Fed 8pm, slept without waking to 7am

No regressions or change to this from then onwards.

To allow for no night feeds, I did 2 hourly daytime feeds - so 7 bottles between 7am-8pm