5 Week Old Sleeping Too Much?

Hi Marynyc77:

It appears that she is fine. Each baby's different; she just sleeps longer than other babies. I would say, if she goes to sleep around 10pm, wake her up around 2am for feeding. My other suggestion is to give her a formula that is low in sugar, organic and low/no dairy, these can affect immune system and other body function, including sleep patterns.

Hope this helps.

All the best,
N.
Holistic Maternity Care Practitioner
www.WholeCreations.com
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I say, "Never wake a sleeping baby!!" As long as she is happy, healthy and developing normally, she is probably fine. She is probably just going through a growth spurt. My son, who was only breastfed for the first several months started sleeping 6-7 hours straight by 2 weeks and was sleeping 10 hours straight at night by 6 weeks (consistantly). He was healthy, growing, and developing normally so I figured why would mess with his good sleep habits to have him feed every 3 hours?!! That would just get him in the habit of waking up to eat even if he didn't need it!! I figured he would wake up if he was hungry enough... but he never did... just cluster fed from 5pm to 9pm, but that was fine with me! I say let her sleep, atleast at night. You might want to try to keep her up a little more during the day. She is at the age where she might like some new toys, tummy time is important etc. Sing little songs with her or give her a massage... she might like more stimulation to keep her occupied....

Thank your lucky stars and get some rest!! My youngest daughter did the same thing at that age and I too was worried and would wake her to feed her until I realized I was nuts - not to imply you are:-). Until this day (at 4 1/2 years old) she likes her naps and has no problem going to bed at night. she is very cranky if she doesn't get her sleep. Enjoy as it could be the other way around.

I have a 6 week old daughter and at night, she is following the same patron as yours, she sleeps even 8 hours but I have not waken up her never. I just let her to sleep all she wants. She is growing fine. I;m breastfeeding her.
Hope this help you

Actually my three week old (this was a while ago) starting sleeping 12 hours a night. She was
8 lbs. 4 oz. at birth and full term formula fed. My motto is never wake a sleeping baby. She had a
good appetite and managed to get in what she needed during the day. She too was a sleepy
head. Remember she is only 5 weeks old. Trust me, she will wake up soon and realize, oh
there is a world out there!!!!!!!!! If your pediatrician is OK with things, catch up on your sleep while
you can. Obviously, if time goes on and you are concerned, go back to ped. Good luck and
enjoy your little one.

Ummmm be happy she sleeps so long :) Mine slept the same way from the beginning -- always sleeping through the night. She's 20 months old now and still a SUPER sleeper. Her brother (7 months old) has been a HORRIBLE sleeper, comparatively. So, you are VERY lucky.

My pediatrician said its OK that she slept that long and said not to wake her up.

And mine are BF.

One more thing -- enjoy watching them sleep. I miss that now that she is older. Enjoy her as much as you can :)

I let my babies sleep as much as they wanted as long as when it was feeding time I would wake them then let baby go back to sleep.I was asked why wake a sleeping bay to eat they aren't fussing to be feed,well after 3 or so hrs of not eating I felt that it was necessary to feed them.As for nite feedings I let them sleep didn't wake them until they woke themselves up.Patterns change baby may be going through a growth spurt when mine were babies they slept ate very lil & now they are 6yr,3 yr & 10 mo & still are the same way

Only knowing what you've mentioned, it sounds a little excessive. But, littles go through growing spurts around 3,6,9 weeks and 3,6,9 months. During this time, they eat and sleep more for 2-3 days. I also don't know what FF means.

Hi there, when you went to the pediatrician, did she have the same sleeping habits ie sleeping more than 4 hours before waking? I would call your pediatrician and speak to their nurse just to double check. I always thought babies that young needed to eat every 4 hours. Every baby is different, but they do sleep alot at this early stage. Keep a journal so you are able to report everything to your doctor and if you still aren't satisfied with their answer, try another doctor. I went to at least 5 pedis before I found the right one that made me feel comfortable. Your gut will lead you into the right direction.

Congrats on your bundle of joy!

Babies sleep about 20-22 hours a day. So she is sleeping a normal amount for her age. If she didn't sleep that much then she could get overtired and you could have a very cranky baby on your hands. It sounds like she is one the road to wanting to sleep thru the night. I would not wake her at night, however make sure she eats every 3 hours during the day. Babies that sleep longer at night will eat more often during the day in order to get all their food in. Enjoy that your baby wants to sleep thru the night and you don't have to do sleep training.

As far as I know, sleeping all the time is completely normal for a newborn. Mine is 3 months now, and he started sleeping through the night at 8 or 9 weeks. They do say that you should wake the baby to eat at least every 3 hrs, but if she's gaining weight and everything else is fine then I would just let her tell you when she needs to eat.

What is FF? Also, was she a preemie? How long has this been going on? Did you mention this to the pediatrician?

Every baby is different. But I wouldn't let her go more then 4 hours without eating. My pedi told me that when my daughter was born. I am a firm believer that they will wake when they are ready but that is way too long without eating. Babies that age will sleep ALOT. It's normal but I would wake her every 4 hours for a change and feeding. Good Luck!

I remember reading that formula fed babies could go four hours between feedings. I remember this well because my son was the opposite. He was awake all of the time! I would say if your doctor says she is gaining enough weight don't wake her otherwise just during the day. Enjoy it!