Sleeping Times

Those first 3 weeks are kind of a honeymoon, baby is still as sleepy as when in the womb. How she is sleeping now is perfectly normal and you are at the stage of letting her be the boss of when she sleeps and eats, get some relief from someone so that you can catch up on the sleep you'll be missing. When she's 3-4 months you can begin to put her on a schedule.

nothing. she is just needing to eat. feed her on demand. as her stomach gets a little bigger, she will be able to drink more and then will last a little longer. It gets better. good luck.

My babies always slept well that first couple of weeks but every 3-4 weeks they seemed to wake up early for feedings. I think it's very normal cause usual they are growing and need more. (growth spurt) After my first, I realized, it won't always be like this...it gets easier and easier. It's just the first few weeks that seems to be harder cause of the lack of sleep. Your little girl will stetch her feeding out soon, I found that mine all got on a schedule at about 6-8 weeks with the occasionally early or later feed. Hope this helps. Congratulations and have fun:)

Hi A.-
You and the other new Mommy posting today are in the same boat. You have a BRAND NEW baby. Why do you think new parents are always sleep deprived? They don't sleep because the babies get up every hour! That's part of the deal.

Nap whenever you can get a few moments at any time during the day. At night my husband sometimes helped by getting the baby, changing her, and "presenting" her for breastfeeding. I didn't even have to get out of bed sometimes.

Of course he had to go to work, so I just had to drag my tired butt up most times. Check back with us when your daughter is 8 months old, only then should she be sleeping a long time.

It's such a wonderful time in your lives right now, don't wish these exhausted months away. The time will fly.

i don't believe there is anything you can do; that would be nice if it were up to us but babies know better than us when they are hungry and when to stop. she is still such a new baby. maybe the 3hr. intervals were due to how pooped out they get after delivery and transitioning into this new atmosphere. they always end up getting a little more predictable as far as schedule but then with each growth spurt it changes again. i think (and hope) that in a couple more weeks you will get longer periods of sleep through the night!

Babies hit a growth spurt about then and you will feel like you are feeding her all the time - even at night. Then she may sleep like a rock for a day or two before she balances out. Nothing is wrong - don't make her cry it out, just feed her. Welcome to the joys of motherhood and life without sleep. (A nurse told me to expect growth spurts a 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, etc. And you can almost mark a calendar by it with all 3 of my kids! Especially the earlier ones!)

You will have to wait it out. She is probably hungry! Mine did that, too, and it was really rough. I used to cry uncontrollably from exhaustion. But, it's pretty normal for such a tiny baby! It will get better. The MOST important thing to do, no matter what, is to have someone else watch her or take her out while YOU SLEEP. He didn't do it often enough, but a few times my husband took the baby out shopping for a couple of hours, and I just slept. That's the only remedy at this point, I'm afraid!

Sounds like she is going through a growth spurt. Give it a couple of days more and she will go back to sleeping for longer stretches. Let her nurse also as much as she wants during the day, so she won't have to make up for it at night.

That seems about normal for a breastfed baby. My second was up every two hours when she was breastfed because they digest it faster. Maybe give her a little formula to keep her full longer.

She just needs to nurse because she is growing. Let her do so often during the day and this will help you in a couple of weeks. It builds up your supply and soon you will be back to 3-4 hours at a time. Just a warning she will probably do this again in about 2 months. Don't get discouraged though, they grow up and start eating by themselves very quickly. Then you'll say "my baby doesn't need me". Been there 4 times. Good luck and hang in there.

Breastfed babies do wake up every 1-2 hours to eat. My twins slept 3 hours for the first month home, and then the next month they were up every 1-2 hours to eat too.

I'll copy the same response I just posted on another similar question. Sounds like your daughter is possibly sleeping out of the drowsiness just after eating as opposed to true tiredness and then hunger and tired signals getting mixed up in there. I too breastfed my babies and this routine works wonderfully to help everybody. :)
Not getting a chance now to read the other responses, but thought I'd do a quick reply. For napping, I'd try swaddling him real tight so he can feel cozy from that instead of the swing ideally...working toward that so he doesn't have that crutch of the swing that he'll outgrow for falling asleep. Also, if you do a routine during the day, your baby will naturally sleep through the night sooner (mine both were by their own volition without any tears or anything by 10 weeks). The routine is feeding every 3 hours and placing down for a nap half way between feedings. At first, it means waking the baby for the feedings and making sure they are awake/alert after feedings (warm milk causes drowsiness, not sleepiness so it may take a little playing with to get them alert and then they are good to go for awake play time) until the baby is keeping you to the routine then waking up naturally on their own at times to eat and falling asleep quickly after laid down for nap. So the routine looks something like this:
6am wake and eat
7:30 laid down for nap
9am wake and eat
10:30 laid down to nap
12noon wake and eat
1:30 laid down to nap
3pm wake and eat
4:30 down to nap
6pm wake and eat
7:30 down to nap
9pm wake and eat
10pm final feeding and then down for the night
Feed in the night on demand until baby weans themself from this feeding.
Baby is then naturally responding to this is the feeding to drop as this is the time I am not encouraged to be up to eat, whereas the other times I am encouraged to eat all I want.
The time to know when to go to a four hour schedule is after your baby is sleeping through the night consistently and then after your baby starts to consistently need to be woken up for the feedings after going well on the routine of waking up naturally for the 3 hour feedings. Then the baby is telling you they are ready for a bit of an extended schedule so on to a 4 hour schedule, still going down for nap half way between feedings.
This kind of routine not only helps with sleeping through the night, it also helps for healthier sleep habits as the baby learns to sleep without a crutch to fall asleep and it helps healthy sleep as the baby is not OVERtired when going to sleep. By the time a baby shows signs of being tired like yawning or fussiness, they are over tired. So the routine helps you to keep them happier by allowing and encouraging the sleep they need!
Hope this helps! Best wishes to you!!

Breastfeed babies usually wake up every 1-2 hours and she probably will continue to do so each time she has a growth spurt. She will sleep more when she is ready to. That was one of the reasons I choose to breastfeed and bottle feed, I'm a single mom and needed some sleep to take care of two kids.

This might not be what you want to hear, but it's perfectly normal for a breastfed baby to wake up every one or two hours to eat during their first month of life. Are you married or do you have a significant other to help out? If so, try to get your SO to take over a feeding shift (if you're opposed to supplementing with formula, pump enough milk for at least one feeding). My twins (who we fed at the same time) also ate every 1-2 hours for the first month or so, and my husband would take over one feeding shift so that I could get at least four hours of sleep in a row. I found that getting even four consecutive hours of sleep helped improve my mood and got me through the day. If you don't have a SO, have a family member or friend take over a feeding so that you can get some sleep. If you haven't introduced a bottle and are worried about nipple confusion, don't be: my babies never had a problem switching between breast and bottle, and none of my other friends who supplemented and/or pumped had any problems either when they introduced a bottle during the first month. Hang in there: before you know it, your baby will be sleeping through the night!

hi, my daughter is 11 weeks and her sleeping during the night has changed every few weeks still. i dont think that at that young there is anything to do. she is waking because she needs to eat lots to grow and gain the much needed weight at this time. may be a growth spurt. also many young babies dont know night from day yet. do things to distinguish the difference (like bedtime routine, no lights at night, no play, talk or anything exciting).
best of luck, L.

She is probably just growing. Since breastmilk (the best thing for her) processes so quickly she is going to want to eat often. There isn't really anything you can do except feed her on demand (whenever she wants). Eventually she will have longer periods of time between feedings. My boys (4 and 6) both breastfed until 21 months. It gets better. HTH

S.

There's nothing you can do at this point...she's 3 weeks old and she's telling you in her own way that she needs you and needs to eats because she's growing. My only suggestion would be try to supplement with formula if you feel that perhaps she's not getting enough when she nurses.

4 weeks is a big growth spurt. I bet she is gearing up for that. Expect her nursing to be frequent, as she is not only growing but your milk supply needs to grow along with her. By the end of the 4th week, she should be through it. However, most babies also go through a spurt at 6 and 8 weeks. Keep yourself well hydrated, eat frequent small snacks, and just nurse, nurse, nurse! :)

I agree with most of the other postings.

I will paste in my response to the other sleep question, in case some info may help you too...

Untill 4 months their brains aren't mature enough to sleep long. Their tummies are tiny too. Make sure you are encouraging sleep at the right times. Check out Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, but skip the crying parts. It's great for understanding the sleep needs of a baby. I do recommend swaddling. Kidoponomus and the miracle blanket are good choices. Keep the time at night quiet and dark. Don't bother changing the baby unless it's wet through, poopy, or has problems with diaper rash. If that is a problem check out one size up in a name brand diaper for nighttime. Hang in there. It's tough, but very normal.

Congrats on yur baby girl. Three weeks is usually right around a big growth spurt for babies, plus breast milk is more easily digested so they are hungrier faster. Hang in there it will pass.

She's still adjusting to everything. If she's only 3 weeks old, you just need to give her time. She will sleep longer when she's ready. Remember, if you're solely breastfeeding her, babies generally don't sleep as long because the breastmilk is going thru their body faster and also needs to be replenished sooner than formula.
Good luck!

A.,
Three weeks? She's going through a growth spurt and probably will stop eating so often as soon as she has increased your milk supply. Three week old babies have tiny stomachs. Just when you think that you can't stand it any longer, her behavior will change.

This is normal. She's very small and it will go away, faster than you think. Just roll with it; sleep when you can and don't worry about it. This is what you're doing right now - taking care of a baby. Don't let anyone make you obsess about how much she should be sleeping as long as she's growing properly. I am dismayed at how goal-oriented many people still are about how soon babies should sleep long hours. You just had her a few weeks ago. Don't expect to get back to a "normal" schedule very soon. And enjoy it - one day you'll miss it!