Sleeping through the night?

[nori]

Is it me or is this the second most asked question after "are you breastfeeding?!". I went to a postnatel class yesterday (met some lovely people) and the HV who was doing it was also going on about controlled cryin to get your LO to sleep through. I challenged the CC thing as i thought babies were too young for it. She was going on about how they would wrap you round their little finger etc".. I thought they didnt have a clue when newborn?

Well last night i thought id just give Ollie a cuddle instead of his feed last night and it all went totally wrong and i spent half the night awake with him (hadnt helped he'd slept most of the day as i did what the other HV said and put him down in his cot when he looked tired in the day). We had a great little routine going but its all gone wrong as i feel a bit pressured to get him to sleep through! Its working out i get less sleep by trying it!

When did you LO's sleep through? Should he be doing it by now??

Claire x

 

[Meggiewoo]

Baillie never slept through when she was breast fed. Only when she went onto formula at 5 months. Do what your comfortable with hun - when they are that small it's all about keeping sane!

Kim x x x x

 

[Suzie and Faith]

Fi still rarely sleeps through! (and she is nearly 8 months!)
What's most important is that you and bubba are happy and healthy, ignore the advice and do what suits you and bubbs.

xxxxx

P.S I don't like the idea CC and I don't let Fi cry xx

 

[daftscotslass]

She started sleeping through at 3 months, started waking again a few weeks later, after a couple of months she went back to sleeping 7-5am, then 3 weeks ago she started sleeping 7-7. Now that she's got her top teeth coming she's back to waking at all hours again You do what you think is best and stuff the rest!

 

[LisaJ1986]

Angel's been sleeping through for the past 3 weeks! So she started at 8.5 months! I don't agree with pressuring them to sleep through at such a young age. They have no understanding really. If you have a baby that sleeps through when young you are lucky! I've been getting up at least 3 times in the night, a bad night was about 10-15! I was overjoyed when she only got me up once on a couple of occasions!

 

[ninjawomble]

Islas only slept through once, but she was very poorly with a cold...
I tried the technique of trying her with a dummy for her "middle of night feed", as she usually takes a small amount at this time and her 6am feed...but she did not want the dummy, she wanted food! So thats what she got!
If shes hungry she gets food, Im not worrying about her sleeping through, although it would be amzing for me, as Im a zombie!

 

[Sherlock]

If what you were doing was working then stick with it. Don't make changes if it don't need changing If you are given advice from a HV think carefully about taking it. Look at how you and LO are doing, if both of you are happy, getting some sleep, LO is gaining weight etc and if things are going ok, don't make changes to what you have going on. Your HV only sees you a few minutes once a week and is going by the text book of advice it seems. And that book doesn't apply to all babies. My HV is great but even she has given me advice on occasion I've happily ignored and never bothered trying. And we are doing just fine for it. And when I have asked her her opinion or advice on something specific, if I've not been happy about what she suggested, again I've not followed it. I've looked at the situation, thought it over, maybe posted here to get some feedback from other Mums and done what I felt was right for us both.

If you are getting some sleep and LO is also sleeping a decent amount but waking for a couple of feeds I'd not worry about it. Some babies feed in the night. Some don't. Don't feel pressured to have your LO sleeping 10 hours a night right now. It might not happen for months.

Formula fed babies do often tend to sleep longer overnight than breastfed babies because formula takes longer to digest. But many still don't 'sleep through' till well past 12 weeks, if not later. I consider sleeping through a 6 hour period anytime between LO going to bed and getting up in the morning. Does not have to be a set time. Also around 12 weeks old is when LO's gut matures and they are able to sleep longer overnight without really needing a feed. Although of course lots of babies still feed overnight, my son being one of those on and off.

Trust in your ability as a parent and don't let people asking all their standard baby questions worry you into changing your routine. You know your son, are with him every day and can see the changes in him. You will hit growth spurts, poorly times, awake times, teething and goodness knows what else that throws even the best night sleeper into chaos.

 

[xmcnickyx]

lol, am sick of being asked if she's sleeping through! It seems like poeple think it's a competition!

I think going with the flow is much nicer than trying to make things happen the way people expect it to. We've just left Molly to do what she wants and she has settled into a really good routine all on her own. She sleeps from about 8pm till 4am, wakes up for a feed and then goes back to sleep till about 9. She'll go without that 4am eventually, I'm not too bothered when she does it!

Just enjoy him being little and cute and crazy

 

[kalia]

What an awful HV!!!!

DD doesn't sleep through. But if we're OK with that then it shouldn't bother others. She goes to bed by 7.30 and gets up between 8.30 and 10.30, having woken a couple of times for feeds. Babies that sleep through seem to get up ridiculously early and we'd rather have a long lie. It is really funny though, turning up to baby group late because she didn't wake until 10.30 and it starts at 11. I notice the other mums look jealous about that

 

[keelie_b]

wow your LO's only 2 months old i thought it was extremely rare for babies to start sleeping through until 5/6 moths. theres so much pressure these days

i never expected motherhood to be a competition!

 

[lea m]

Aww hun you stick with what you know is best! He is your baby! The HV didnt know what she was talking about! (hmmm.... suprise suprise!)
Ollie will sleep through when he wants to and not a moment sooner !

 

[badgergirl]

Sprog's slept through for the last 4 nights. Never had before. I'm almost afraid to press 'send' on this post in case it jinxes it!

 

[Tadpole]

Sigh. Apparently Olivia "should be sleeping through". Unfortunately nobody has told her that. We're up about 3 times in the night. Luckily only briefly and she usually only needs a feed once. I figure she'll sleep when she is ready.

 

[sarafet]

aiden has been sleeping through since he was 3 months because i done controlled crying. he was perfectly fine, fed, changed, not in pain, warm, etc.. he just didn't like going to sleep

if i hadn't done it i think i would have ended up with PND as the lack of sleep and grumpy, crying baby was really bringing me down.

do what you're comfortable with hun, you know best

 

[Bexie]

Follow your instincts honey. HV's don't always give the best advice!!

With my eldest daughter, she first slept through at 9 weeks. We put her to be at 7pm and prior to this I would do what is called cluster feeding, half hour feed 4 and 2 hours before bedtime, then at bedtime feed her on both breasts for approx 25 mins, then when I went to bed give her a dream feed, (get her out of her crib without waking her offer her the breast and let her feed for as long as she wanted)

We started this at 7 weeks and by 9 weeks we had our first full nights sleep. Bliss.

I haven't started this yet with Holly as she still gets night and day confused, but as soon as she's waking more in the day, I'll start trying this routine.

Good luck honey, and don't worry about your LO sleeping though, their babies, it's their job to keep us awake!!!

 

[maybebaby]

Some babies sleep... some don't. I seem to have one of each! ds2 is happily sleeping between 5-7 hours every night, whereas ds1 STILL wakes in the night on average once a week.

If you're happy with your own routine then don't let anyone tell you to change it.

Oh and FWIW I think lo's far too young for CC and completely disagree that you'll spoil him! He's tiny still and needs to know that mummy will come when he needs you

 

[-Kelly-]

Yeah, is he sleeping through the night only comes second to 'is he walking yet?' at the moment - and the answer is no to both! I also disagree that babies are going to wrap you around their finger if you don't ignore them when they cry. Stick to what feels right and what works for you as a family, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or says, HV or not

 

[crackers24]

DD started sleeping 7/8 hours about a week ago but to my dissappointment shes gone back down to 4/5 hours. So, basically you shouldnt worry about it too much. Bubba will make her own mind up and really there's nothing anyone can do about it