Newborn active sleep - confused!

[Strawberry06]

So it's after 3am and I just fed my baby (formula)

This was his first feed since 8pm because up until now he hasn't woke up for one or at least I don't think he has which is the reason for my post.

He's just over one month and feeds a lot during the day.

But in the night he sort of wakes up stirring though sometimes I'm not convinced he is fully awake. Sometimes I've woken him to feed him and it sort of disturbs him, other times I haven't and felt guilty about it!

Anyway I recently read that newborn active sleep is a thing and that you shouldn't wake them. On reading the symptoms I feel like this is my son in the night.

For a bit of context after his 8pm feed we had him downstairs with us in his Moses basket asleep. I went to bed at 9pm cause I was shattered. DH brought him up while I was asleep. Woke up to him stirring just before midnight. Though his eyes were closed and all I did was put his dummy back in and then didn't hear a peep out of him until the 3am feed just now.

So I guess what I'm asking is could he have been awake at midnight for a feed or was he active sleeping? Should I have woken/fed him?

We never really get to a point that he's screaming/crying out cause he's so hungry.

We've already had one night where he slept right through!

[PeopleAreWeird]

How much does he drink in the day?
How many oz and how often?
I personally would not leave a 4 week old that long and certainly not the whole night without a feed

[Strawberry06]

@PeopleAreWeird he's on 4oz and during the day this can sometimes be 2 hours apart.

Though if we are out and about he will sleep right through so sometimes can be hours!

I'm inclined not to wake him but then I don't know if I should!

[PeopleAreWeird]

How many hours can he go in the day?

[Strawberry06]

I think the most we've gone is 6 hours. Every time we go out I'm all geared up to feed him while we're out but I've not accomplished it yet because he just stays asleep!

[PeopleAreWeird]

So roughly how many bottles is he having in 24 hours?

[PeopleAreWeird]

He is 4 weeks old and shouldn't be going more than 4 hours without a feed.
Regardless if he is asleep or not

[Strawberry06]

@PeopleAreWeird so you think I should wake him?

[PeopleAreWeird]

Yes. He should not be going more than 4 hours.

How many bottles is he having in 24 hours?

[Strawberry06]

I'd say he has about 7-8 bottles in 24 hour period.

He's put a pound on since his birth weight

[PeopleAreWeird]

7-8 bottles is fine, more than enough if he is having 4oz but how is he having that many bottles if you sometimes stretch them 6 hours and he goes through the night?

His tummy is tiny, regular feeds is much more better for both of you

[Strawberry06]

So if we've been out and it's been hours he ususlly makes up for it later, sometimes 2 hours apart.

When he's hungry in the day he usually screams so we know but he's not like this at night.

From 6:30am yesterday he fed at 6:30am, 9am, 1pm, 3:30pm, 6pm, 8pm, feed just now 3am and he may well have another before 6am.

[PeopleAreWeird]

Thats ok in the last 24 hours
But he shouldnt be going 6 hours between feeds in the day.

[PeopleAreWeird]

If he has feeds roughly 3-4 hourly in the day, He can go longer stretches at night if he doesn't wake , i eould leave him a max of 6 hours at night
Some people say if baby is feeding 3-4 hours in day and had 6-7 feeds they dont need more at night but i personally wouldnt leave him all night with nothing

[765g]

Would it be worth asking your midwife when you see them for a check up .
my friend baby went between 11pm to 5am with out a feed from day one - he is a healthy 5 year old now. Just he didn't really nap much in the day.

mine would wake every 2 hours day and night he to is a healthy 5 year old .

your baby is gaining weight so flourishing , I would Continue as you are but check in with the professionals and see what is best .

[BurrosTail]

Babies are highly individual and forcing them into some schedule might not be ideal or necessary.

My first one fed all the time anyways and stupidly I woke him up and broke the little sleep he was having because it had been 4hrs since his last feed, which then destroyed also those sleep stretches as he then became used to being fed then too. My mum and grandma were horrified to hear I woke him up at night when he was asleep (they’re from a different country with lower child mortality rates than the UK). I’ve just googled and the advice back home seems to be to feed a baby at least 1-2 times a night and no longer than 6hr stretches, which is much longer stretches than NHS advice that I followed with my first one. He was combo-fed formula and breast.

I’ve ditched that NHS advice with my second one who is three months and sleeps through the night a couple of times a week, and many nights feeds 1-2 times. We go to bed 9:30 when she feeds to sleep, then sleeps till 4-ish and feeds for an hour (used to be 2hrs when 2-months), although I’m sure she’s dozing off and suckling for comfort, too. I stay awake lying side ways when she’s on the boob. I then detach her when she’s completely asleep and she sleeps till about 7:30am, has a feed and sleeps till 10am. Sometimes she skips the 4am feed and is awake ready for the day at 7 and spends a lot of time on her morning boobs but of my two kids she seems much happier. She’s developed normally and is at the higher end of measurements. She is a light sleeper, doesn’t nap for long day time. I only feed her night time when I can see her eyes open, she stirs a lot but it’s just sleep cycles.

I’d say listen to your instincts.

[welshweasel]

Once they have regained their birth weight I wouldn't be waking a baby to feed at night, unless there were other health concerns.

[Cuwins]

Personally as long as they are gaining weight and having lots of wet nappies I wouldn't wake them in the night. But I would wake in the day atleast every 3-4hrs to make sure they are getting enough in 24hrs.

[Strawberry06]

@welshweasel he was 8lb7 when born and only lost 3%. By the following week he was back up to only losing 1%

He's definitely a hungry baby just not in the night it seems! I think he takes after his dad who loves his food and his sleep!

[765g]

Count your blessings and don't feel guilty your getting some sleep it's a win

[BurbageBrook]

I wouldn't worry. When my baby started stirring like that, she normally would have done a full blown wake up with crying about half an hour later. So if you've already been woken up you may as well feed him to everyone can go back to bed quicker. Also remember this is his only source of hydration as well as food, going for huge stretches without milk isn't great at that age anyway.

[BurbageBrook]

And yeah at such a young age when he stirred at midnight I definitely would've fed him for a sleepy dream type feed.