Sleep Vs. Eating

M.,

Don't worry she'll wake up when she's hungry!! We all do. She needs the sleep which is why she is sleeping a lot; after all she is doing a great deal of growing and learning which requires recovery. My suggestion though is try to not let her sleep super long amounts of time so she gets the rhythm of when to sleep more and when not to (night v. day), but do what you think is right because you are her mother and you know what's best for her.

M. P

Yes it's normal. A little unusual, but nothing to worry about as long as she's gaining weight and the doctor's happy.

I'm sure she's just fine. Babies know what they need. They are all so different, it's easy to feel like yours is doing something out of the ordinary. If she is happy and growing, then it's all going fine. If she's hungry, she'll let you know! She sleeps because she's tired from doing so much changing. Maybe she just loves sleeping! It sounds like you have a good-tempered daughter, lucky you!

sounds like you've got a great thing going. what wonderful instincts you have as a first time mom. you are so right to be concerned about her sleeping and eating patterns. in addition to her wet/dirty diapers, you also want to make sure she's gaining enough weight. there's a baby boutique across from the redlands mall (you might have heard of it before--Kissui) they have an infant scale there if you don't have any other means to weigh her. she should be gaining at least 1 ounce per day.

i found that as soon as my kids got into a routine, something changed--growth spurt, new tooth, family events, etc.--the routine was effected.

just take things as they come and enjoy the rest periods while it lasts.

My children did the same thing. As long as they were eating at least every 4 hrs my doctor said they were fine.

Yes, you should consider yourself lucky. It is normal. I say never wake a sleeping baby. The first couple of weeks it is important to feed them more often if you are breast feeding to get a strong milk supply, but after that they will be fine. If she has dirty diapers ect she is fine. My baby did the same and it was very nice because I have two older kids that need attention. Congrats on your baby.

Dear M.,

I'm sure thats just how she will sleep for a while. She has her days and nights mixed up as they say. It sounds like you have a little one who loves dreaming! 4 hours or more, I should have been so lucky !! And if you ever have a doubt about something that you feel isn't right with your new baby, follow your motherly instincts! My doctor always says "mom knows best" Good luck and I hope your mind is at ease...

Sounds great, but sometimes you do need to wake them to eat during the day so they don't get their days & nights mixed up. BUT if she contintues to sleep well at night, keep it up. Great job nursing, it's THE BEST thing you can do for her.

Hay M... a good thing to remember is your baby WILL eat if they are hungary!! So unless they are under weight or have special health needs there is no need to wake them to feed them ever!! You are blessed to have a Great sleeper!! Enjoy it because it may not last forever!! Good luck with your little one!! Tiff

My son did the same thing and as long as he was gaining weight & had lots of wet/dirty diapers, my pediatrician told me to let him snooze. But, when my son started to sleep at night for 9 hours, his naps became shorter & he wanted to eat more frequently.

Sounds like you have a good sleeper, relax & enjoy!

My baby did the same thing, she is now almost six months and has turned out just fine. They get to a point where they even skip/delay meals during the day too, in order to sleep longer, and this just means they are going through a growth spurt. Dont worry your baby wont choose sleep over hunger, they always let you know!! For now, just enjoy the blessing of sleeping through the night again...I know I am! Best wishes =)

I had the same question as you when my daughter was that age, she is 6 months now. She has always been on the 90% weight chart so everyone thought i was so busy feeding this huge baby. Really, she would almost go 6 hours without eating in the day...........i was always so distressed over it. But like you, i knew her diapers were always wet and weight was good. This might be "wives tale" sounding, but maybe you have really good milk that keeps her full longer?! The doctor always tells me i make butter creme instead of milk (:

Okay, this is just my humble opinion so take it with a grain of salt if you wish. But I wouldn't worry about her sleeping too long as long as she has a good amount of wet/dirty diapers like you say. I remember my little boy would sleep for long periods of time and sometimes I would worry and go check to make sure his stomach was still moving up and down (and it always was). My advice would be to be thankful she sleeps as much as she does and go treat yourself to a nap!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on having your 6 week baby sleep more than TWO hours ! '-)
I have 4 kids, whenever that would happen to me, like someone else mentioned, I would check her chest, to make sure she was breathing regularly, then I would take a nap myself right near her. ENJOY !!

Congratulations on your new baby girl! Congrats, also, on your good fortune for having a 6 week old who is such a good sleeper. You mentioned that she has sufficient wet/dirty diapers, so I would say enjoy it! The other metric to watch is steady weight gain, but it sounds like your little one is thriving. Some people are strict about making sure that babies eat every 3ish hours, but it goes against all of my instincts to wake a baby up to feed them.

My first daughter slept through the night at about 6 weeks old, but only for 4 nights. After that, she started waking up once per night or so for the next few weeks. Then, she slept through the night again for the most part, only waking up once a week or so.

There is an old saying..."Never disturb a sleeping baby". As long as your baby is gaining weight and growing, count your blessings! If your baby is not, then work on another plan. Being a new mom is full of uncertainty- just try to relax as much as you can.

Congrats on your new baby. Sleep 'o' glorious sleep. You are very lucky to enjoy such rest periods so early. Our son, now 20 weeks has always slept 3/4 hour naps and I was worried too, especially after he began sleeping at night. Dr. said babies brain is developing when they sleep so that is a good sign. Enjoy a nap or bath or book during her naps. Best to you both!

Hi M., That is great that your little darling is sleeping thropugh the night. I have a 7 week old in my day care, and in the morning she has short naps, but in the afternoon she has sleep a good 3/4 hours withn out eating, I would say it is fine, they same when they sleep long periods of time they are going through a growth spurt. I used to worry aboutthat with my first born (who is now 24) and my mom always told me that my son would not let himself go hungry, so if he's asleep let him sleep,and in my case she was right, I raised a healthy happy child, well 3 of them. J.

Both my daughter and son slept through with in the first couple weeks. Every baby is different and this is what is normal for your baby. As long as weight and temperment are good then you have nothing to worry about. Check with your doctor if you still feel uneasy.

M.,

Both of my boys did and they're both fine. One is 2.5 years and the other is 6 mos. I let them work out their own day time sleep schedule for the first several weeks--really, they're on their own day time sleep schedule until around two months or so; and, I always followed the 'never wake a sleeping baby' rule.

I also figured so long as their in a safe sleeping environment without any health problems, they'll wake up when their ready to eat; and, that growth spurts seem to require a great deal of sleep.

It's very normal for newborn babies to do just about anything, sleep for hours and hours or not sleep at all, and everything in between. Sounds like you are blessed with a naturally good sleeper. My firstborn didn't sleep so much at first, but was not interested in nursing very often (he would go 4-5 hours as a newborn). But this can be bad for your milk supply (if you're nursing). I also read about the need for babies to eat at regular intervals in order to stabilize their metabolism, which also enables them to sleep better for naps and at night. With my babies, I didn't let them go longer than 3 hours (3 1/2 if they were sleeping) between feedings during the day at this age, soon it can stretch out to 4 hours. This is only during the day - I let them sleep as long as they would at night. It worked well for my babies. I knew they were getting enough nutrition from the regular feedings during the day, and they slept through the night (7-8 hours) early on (6 weeks for my first, and 3 weeks for my second). Sleeping through the night is not a goal for you since she's already reached it :), but regular daytime feedings can help keep her there (it is not unusual for babies to have many changes in sleep habits).

Or just keep doing what you're doing! You and she are both doing great!

Hi M.,
Take advantage of her sleeping now! LOL It sounds like you might need to have your mind put to rest that all is well. You could probably call the pediatricians office just to double check that her weight gain is on target. I have always been a big believer in let sleeping babies sleep! There is not ever a reason to wake a sleeping baby (unless they have health issues, weight gain issues or other medical concerns). She is probably on a growth spurt that is requiring her to sleep more....get ready for her to want to eat more next! If you are bottle feeding her, it is simple to keep track of how much she eats, but if you are nursing her, it is hard to know how many ounces she is consuming. If you nurse her, it is important to still nurse her on demand, at this point, it does not seem that she demands too much from you, but this might change soon...when she is ready to grow! Since it doesnt sound like you nurse her a lot during the day, just be sure that when you nurse her, that she has a sufficient amount of time to the breast so she gets sufficient calories.

Congratulations on your new little one,
T.

Do not try and change her habits now, it seems like she has some great sleeping patterns, that work for you! Try and get things done when she is sleeping and rest when you need to....these great sleeping patterns will probably change!

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, because I didn't read all the responses. Babies have natural growth spurts at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. In order for your baby to grow, she will have to (first) eat, and (second) sleep. The eating is to provide the energy necessary for the growth to take place; however, the growth can ONLY happen if your baby sleeps. The more she is sleeping, the more growth is able to occur.

Trust me, when she is hungry, she will let you know, and she will eat.

Enjoy the extra sleep it is allowing YOU to have - take advantage of when your baby is sleeping, and rest too.

I hope this helps you,
A.

My first daughter did the same thing when she was that age. Started to sleep all night at about 5 1/2 wks. and took 2 naps during the day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, each about 2 - 3 hrs. each. She also had plenty of wet/dirty diapers, gained the right weight, progressed normally. As long as she is doing all these things, it should be fine. I should warn you, Hayley was my first and spoiled me rotten with her easy ways. :) Numbers 2 and 4, not so much. But oh well, they're all fun. Now, we have another one, born 13 yrs. after her youngest older brother. She was just like #1. So, enjoy. Hope that helps. ____@____.com C.

my new born often went 4-5 hours in the day without a feeding. But its hard for them to catch up eating so wake them after about 4.5 hours would be my advice