My 5 Week Old Son Sleeping Thru the Night

A.,
No do not wake him. I have three children of my own ages 6,2 and 9 months. With my first he had colic so he never slept through the night to begin with. My daughter woke up regularly for feedings but my 9 month old has been sleeping through the night since about 3 weeks old and he averages about 10-12 hours sleep a night. When your baby is hungry he will wake up and eat on his own. If you wake him up in the middle of the night to feed him then when he gets bigger he is going to wake up on his own in the middle of the night and expect to be fed. Babies are smart creatures. They will let you know when they are hungry. Sometimes you have to do what is best for you and your family. In my own opinion if it isn't broke don't fix it. There are alot of people who would love to be in your shoes.

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I do not think you should wake him up. You are lucky he sleeps through the night. If he is hungry he will wake you up. My daughter just started sleeping through the night and she is almost 9 months old. It has been a long 9 months without a good nights sleep.

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First rule of parenthood I learned 6 years ago: Never wake up a sleeping baby! When they are hungry, uncomfortable, etc., believe me, they will let you know.

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LORD i wouldnt wake him up LOL.. if hes sleeping through the night then i wouldnt or you may cause a big problem((if you know what i mean)) what was the reason for the doctor telling you to wake him up? WHen a child sleeps through the night i think its a miracle. It took mine forever and i still feel like i havent caught up. and shes 1 now.

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I agree with everyone else- DO NOT WAKE HIM!! I dont know why Dr.'s insist on that. I could see if he wasnt gaining weight, but it sounds like he is. I remember in the hospital the nurse coming in and waking me up at like 4am telling me I needed to wake my newborn up to feed her. I did no such thing. My theory is- NEVER WAKE A SLEEPING BABY! I had midwives and they all told me there was NO reason to wake her as long as she was gaining weight.

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I do not believe in waking a sleeping baby. My son has slept through the night since he was 10 days old. I don't wake him at nap time either. If he's sleeping, he must need the rest. He has busy days with there being so much to see and learn. Babies have a natural refelx that if they are hungry, they will wake and want food. If he wakes up feed him, if he doesn't....check in on him a few times...and let him get the sleep he needs. My doctor only told me once to wake him up for feedings and I switched pediatricians. My new doctor says as long as he gains weight and eats good during the day, use the time he sleeps to get some rest yourself.

I'm not a dr but my personal opinion is if he is gaining weight and eating throughout the day then let him sleep..All of my babies slept through the night at an early age and I didn't dare wake them up...

My son also slept through the night very early... I didnt wake him up for the simple reason I needed my rest to... he seemed to be growing fine so I seen no need in waking him up.... is this your first child?

let a sleeping baby sleep! he'll wake if he's hungry!!!

I say if he is growing, gaining weight, and eatting during the day LET SLEEPING BABIES SLEEP!!!!!
Good luck
M.

My Opinion only: Maybe Doc thinks YOU are sleeping through his midnight wakings! I find THAT concept hard to believe!

Again, only MY opinion, but I'd find a different doctor. From birth, My son fed every 4 hours like clockwork, and slept 6 hours at night. I don't know how he knew it was nighttime, but I didn't question it! My daughter set herself up on a 2-hour cycle. (yes, I was exhausted!) Every child is different!

Sounds like a happy home to me! If it's not broken, don't "fix" it!

Hugs

You can try to find another doctor, but any doctor who knows what they're doing is going to tell you to wake your baby to feed at night. Your baby needs to be eating at least every four hours. Of course, how you are feeding makes a difference. If you are breastfeeding, you will definately need to wake him and feed him at night. A breastfed baby should not go longer than four hours at this age. If you are formula feeding, honestly, he still needs to be eating at night, because those nighttime feedings are still important. But you are mom, so you need to do what you are comfortable with. When he hits about 6 weeks, he's gonna go through a growth spurt and you may finding him waking at night more.

Hi A..
I say SLEEP and enjoy it! If he is gaining weight fine (which it seems like he is), then don't go rocking the boat.
Doctors drive me crazy with the "wake him up so he can eat" and then later saying "let him cry it out when he wakes up for a bottle." What are we to do???
Good luck!
N.

A.
I have a 6 mo old and he just started sleeping through the night this week! I would strongly recommend not waking your baby up for god sakes you need your sleep too! he will wake up when he is hungry. As long as he is gaining weight then let that poor child sleep. Believe me I am so happy that I am finally getting a full nights sleep after 6 months!
C.

Well, my Dr is AMAZING and she told me that if my baby slept through the night then count myself lucky. If she's asleep she's not hungry, don't wake her. That made lots of sense to me. By waking him you could get him used to waking up in the middle of the night then have problems getting him to sleep through the night later.

I have a 9 week old and I would give anything for him to sleep that long at night. He does sleep about 5 1/2 -6 hours now though which is better than he was. My advice is to let him sleep. He will wake himself if he is hungry. He is gaining weight and is healthy so there is no reason to force feed more food. Like I said, he will let you know when he is hungry.

We have 5 healthy children. All of mine slept through the night by the end of their first month (in bed by 9pm up at 6). If your baby is gaining weight then no need to fret on what the Dr. says. Go with what is best for your baby all around. You sound like you are doing great so far!! Congratulations on your new baby!!!
A.

i never woke up my kids at night. they will wake up if there hungry i dont think you should wake him up to feed him. he eats before he gos to sleep and sleeps for 7 to 8 hours thought the night thats good. like i said i wouldnt wake him up to feed him.

Both of my daughters were the same way and both of their pediatricians said to wake them. I went with my gut and did not wake them. Best decision I ever made! They both have been great sleepers their entire lives.

If his weight drops below 50% I might consider waking him, otherwise let him sleep.

The same thing happened to me!! My son has been a great sleeper from day one! When I took him to the doctor for an eye infection at about 4 weeks his nurse told me I should be waking him up in the middle of the night to eat. I became upset about this and talked to his doctor who told me "If the boy is sleeping then let him sleep! If he is hungry then he'll wake up!" And that is exactly what I did and he is STILL a great sleeper. I have a friend who has a little girl who was made to wake her up every 3 hours to feed and now she is 10 weeks old and still used to getting up every 3 hours. I would say let him sleep!! As long as he isn't underweight I can't imagine there would be a problem!