Sleeping Through the Night

When my son was this age his sleeping pattern was just as you are describing. He was also breastfed until he was 11 months old. Breastmilk is more easily digested than formula, which is why a breastfed baby, especially at that age, needs those middle of the night feedings.

My son started sleeping through the night around 6 months. We established a bedtime routine and used an earlier bedtime, and that's when he started getting more sleep. Crying it out was not for us, but you have to do what works for you. Good luck!

S....whether you breast feed or bottle feed, babies tend to have their own sleep pattern. Some babies tend to sleep through the night early on, but in my case, my oldest son started sleeping through the night when he was around 6 months old (which is when I had introduced a little rice cereal in his formula at night.) I had breast fed him for the first 6 weeks. As for my youngest son, he was well over a year old before he started sleeping through the night. I breast fed him for 3 months. Don't worry yourself about learning all the ropes, because I have learned being a mother is nothing but a huge learning experience and every child is different.

I have two daughters, one three the other one and I breast fed both until they were a year old. Unfortunately neither one slept through the night until they were a year old. I've heard that some people can get their kids to sleep through the night when they were very young, but I was not one of those lucky few. Hope you have better luck with yours!

congrats on the new baby! this is really normal for a 9 week old!!! my littlest one woke up all through the night when she was breast fed only, until she was 8 months old! i know its rough!!! but just give her time, she's still young and sleep will come soon!!!

Hi S.,
Congrats on your baby. If you are looking for a good resource for getting your baby on a schedule/ sleeping through the night, I highly recommend checking out www.momsoncall.com This is a website run by two pediatric nurses who have a great technique for putting babies to bed. Both of my children slept though the night by 7 weeks - both exclusivley breastfed (yes, it can be done!) They also have a book out called "The Moms on Call Guide to Basic Baby care" - you can order it on their site or on Amazon.

Good Luck!

not at 9 weeks no.

at a year old most likely. but all babies have different needs as to how much sleep they need. my daughter didn't sleep through the night till she was 3 years old and she sometimes still gets up, my son slept through the night just after a year. I've done the same thing with both kids , didnt change anything in what the routine is except my son bf till a year my daughter self weaned when she was 8 months old about 2 weeks before she started walking. I suggest the book " The no cry sleep solution." by Elizabeth Pantley Your daughter's sleep pattern sounds pretty normal for 9 weeks old. You need to get sleep when you can that means when she's sleeping , and daddy can take some of her wake time during the day and let you sleep too when she doesnt need to be fed. please do not let your baby cry her self to sleep at this time in her life shes learning to trust you and her cry is the only way she can tell you she needs something weather its just needing to be held or its needed a diaper change or hungry or gas. She's brand new to this great big scary world and she went from a tiny space as close to you as she can get to a huge empty space so give her some time to get used to it. ( sometimes I still think put me back in put me back in lol )

There was a study I read awhile back on PubMed, which indexes medical journal studies, that a 10 month old breastfeeding baby may be getting 25 percent of their calories at night...So, based on this and the fact that 9 months can be a big growth motor spurt time with less time spent nursing during the day in general, I would just be encouraging to you and tell you she is probably in line for her caloric needs and her activity.
No matter what feeding method you chose, some children will sleep through the night or not, they will wake up more when they are going through developmental spurts and teething and colds (or keeping you up when they are teenagers and out at night!)...
The first year is really the time infants develop trust in a caregiver and that a caregiver can meet their needs...
Good luck in your journey!

When I had my first child I was lucky enough to have a friend who was a pediatrician. This friend told me that until the baby is 12 lbs. he doesn't have enough meat on his bones to sustain him through the night. Don't even try to encourage it before then - it probably wouldn't fly. After 12 lbs you can try to let the baby skip a nighttime feeding. But "through the night" for a baby is considered 6 hours or more... so don't expect 10 or 12 hours for a while!

My son is exclusively b'fed and still doesn't sleep through the night and he is 4 months old and 16 pounds. I have always been told that b'fed babies take longer to sleep through the night because of a couple reasons - b'milk is digested quicker than formula, so they get hungry again quicker (this can't be helped); and all humans "wake" every 3 hours or so, and b'fed babies need/want to feel the closeness with you to soothe themselves back to sleep (this may be helped if you want to deny them the closeness). The norm for us is to go to bed at 8pm, wake for a "topper" at 11-12, then wake up at about 5-6 for good, although he sometimes wakes to eat at 3am as well. I am sure that I could try to wean him off of those feedings, and there are plenty of nights when I curse at the sound of his cry, but I figure that these early months are a tiny fraction of his life, and I will follow his signals for now. My only advice is that if your daughter is really hungry - is fully nursing when she wakes, rather than just sucking for a minute and then just wanting to be/play with you, do not deny her food in order to force her to sleep. She'll do it when she is ready. Good luck!!

Hello and congratulations on your new addition! They are really a blessing! I have 2 girls ages 5 and 2 and both of them were breastfed. When my girls were 9 weeks old, neither of them slept through the night. Honestly they did't really "sleep through the night" until about 6 months or so. The reason being is because a breastfed child does not get the same "full feeling" as a formula fed baby does. Although breast milk is much better for a baby than formula is, it doesn't fulfill them for a long period of time. All of my friends who have breastfed have also not had a child who has slept through the night, so what you are experiencing is nothing unusual. I know it can be frustrating having to feed all hours of the night, but it's worth it in the long run. Good luck to you with your new baby!!!

C. B

Sounds like you are getting a good stretch of sleep so I would not worry. Atleast she is not up every hour. Breast milk breaks down faster than formula so it sounds as of she is getting the right amount to eat it is just leaving her body faster than formula would. If you are really determined to get her to sleep thru the night sooner I would try suplementing with formula at night. Otherwise as her stomache gets bigger and can hold more she will sleep longer. It was the same with my son.

4 hours is the actual definition of "sleeping through the night"
they don't tell you that right away, but it's true. : )

3-4 hours is a nice long nap for the night, so it sounds like your 8 wk baby is headed in the right direction. I suggest you get the book "On Becoming Baby Wise"(by Gary Ezzo and Robert Buckman--google it!). It will help you develop a schedule that can stretch that 3-4 hours into a good night's sleep for both baby and mom!

T.

i notice that you breastfeed thats great, so did i.
my little boy did the samething. around 9 weeks breastfed babies go through a spert where they want to eat more frequently than usually and then again around 12 wks.

now my little boy is 3mths and sleeps through the night.

Hi S.,
Your daughter is perfectly normal. My daughter began sleeping through the night (from 11pm or 12 until about 5:30 or 6am) by 2 weeks old and was up to sleeping 8 hours a night by 1 month. I had problems nursing her so I had to pump and feed her out of a bottle for the first few months. I think this is what helped her sleep longer because she was able to get more milk with less effort. Also, my daughter's doctor told me to only give her 2oz out of the bottle, but that was not enough for my child & I refused to withhold milk from my baby girl if she was not satisfied. She would usually drink 3 to 4 oz. When she was around 3.5 months I was able to breastfeed her without pumping and that is when she stopped sleeping as long. Now she sleeps from 11 or 12 until about 4 or 5am.
If you would like her to sleep through the night, you could try pumping and giving her a bottle before bedtime each night. Also, if you feel comfortable, I would suggest feeding her until she's full and she's more likely to sleep longer.

Bless your heart! I've been there. I am the proud mother of four (8, 6, 4, and 1 year old). Each of my children have had different sleeping patterns. I do recommend reading some books on the subject...There are tons available. Just go to the library, bookstore, or get online and check some out. The best thing I have learned is to allow my babies to cry themselves asleep at naptimes and bedtimes. This is truly an art each baby has to learn. I make sure they are fed, changed, and comfortable and approaching their tired stage. Then, I put them in their crib and let them cry themselves to sleep. Sometimes it takes them a while (yes, up to 30 minutes at times), but they do fall asleep. And each time should get a little easier. I am always amazed that when I do this during the day, the night time is a breeze! They just sleep better and longer. It's so worth it to me.

Some mothers aren't willing to do this...If you're not, that's fine. You're the mama! And, you'll do what's best for you, your husband, and your sweet baby. Enjoy your precious little one!!!

Girl you should count your blessings she is sleeping that much! It is usually much later when they sleep through the night.

Hi S.,
Congrats on your precious blessing!
Every baby is different. My first son didn't sleep through the night until he was three months old, but my second started sleeping 5 to 6 hours at a time when he was just seven weeks old. I think the difference in my case was experience. Breastfed babies, which both of my sons were, should be able to go 2-4 hours between feedings at your daughter's age and the time between feedings will stretch out as she gets older. Both of my sons were and still are early risers, so I feel your pain. For me and my sons, a schedule (a flexible schedule) was very important. I used the Baby Wise method and was very happy with it, as were my sons. I know some people will tell you that Baby Wise is not a good idea, but my view is that anything that restores some sort of sanity and makes my babies happier is a good thing.

Good luck and God bless!

M. in GA