Breastfeeding and Sleep Deprivation

been there done that! I worked a full time job while doing all that and got to the point where I needed my sleep. I started taking her to my bed and breastfeeding while laying down. We got to the point where she could drink and i could sleep!!! Everyone warned me that this was such a bad idea and that now she wold always sleep in my bed and never in hers. She is now 10M and I am all done breastfeeding and she sleeps in her crib. it is me that misses the time we had in my bed and I try to have her sleep with me again but she always wants to go back to her own bed. Anyway this is what I did and it worked great! Also she did take naps in her crib so it was just at night so she could eat when she wanted to and I could sleep!

Relax, momma!! Totally normal! I know, it's hard. Really hard sometimes. But it does get better eventually. And when it finally does you get pregnant with a second and gotta start all over again... Hahahaha ;)

Yep - totally normal - that is breastfeeding, and it is not being "not full" it is that breastmilk is th eperfect fod, so they have no problem digesting it quickly, unlike formula, which takes them longer to process. Sorry to have ot break it to you, I nursed my 2 kids exclusively till 6 months, and then we started adding in occassional formula and solids.....until we added in other foods, they ate basically every 2-3 hours around the clock....I think about 4 months old, they had one good stretch at the start of their night of about 5 hours of sleep, from 6:30 pm till 11 pm....then I would feed them, I would go to bed, and it would be every 2-3 hours the rest of the night and day.

I did use the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" By Dr. Marc Weissbluth, with both kids. Our oldest we didn't get the book till she was 9 months, and I was desperate for sleep, and we did CIO ( cry it out - called extinction in the book) right away, and it worked wonders, your baby is still too young for that, though.

Don't worry, she will grow out of it eventually, and this time is a drop in the bucket of her life and yours, try to enjoy it and work through it - take naps when she does, even if you are laying on the floor next to your 3 year old while she plays, take a short snooze if you can - it is harder with 2, I know. My duaghter was 27 months when My son was born....the first few months of both of their lives is a bit fo a sleep deprived blur in my memory - thank goodness I took lots of pictures!

Their little tummies at this point can't hold too much - a few ounces at most and they can get that from one side, in ten minutes. Let her take the lead.

Jess

Sounds like you are a great mom! More sleep is good though for both of you. Nurse her on both sides for 10 min each and she and you will both sleep. I know sh falls asleep during nursing on one side right? So would I all snuggly and warm and fed ... But not full. Give her a meal not a snack. Just gently sit her up and burp her and wake her up. Nurse her on the other side. Remove a layer of clothing ... Just enough to get her awake enough to move those lips to suck. Help her by putting your index finger under her lower lip and move it in a circular motion ... Shell start getting the idea that eating is the plan. Good luck! The first of many times you will have to guide her that " this" is what we are doing right now not "this". Enjoy the sleep you have been only dreaming about!

I've skimmed a few other answers, and noticed a lot of people have this experience. I wanted to let you know that a 10-week-old can go at least 5-6 hours at night without nursing. I have 3 breastfed children and they were all sleeping longer stretches by about 6-7 weeks. You aren't doing anything "wrong" - I would just try some other options. You mentioned she only eats on 1 side each feeding, and I would try really hard to change that. What I do is feed on 1 side, change my baby's diaper to really wake her up, and then feed on the other side. If she doesn't wake up from the diaper change, then maybe start to get her a little undressed so she's not all warm and cozy. Also, do you pump at all so you know how much milk your baby is getting? I wish you lots of luck and sleep :)

My DD is almost 8 months old. She wakes up every few hours, sometimes to breastfeed, sometimes to burp. I think she is just using me as a pacifier at this point, but I am too tired to do anything about it.

Hang in there. It's gotta get better at SOME point, right?!

Very normal for a tiny baby. She's still a newborn (not an infant til they are 12 weeks). Breastmilk is more rapidly digested than formula and she has such a tiny tummy right now. I got really used to nursing my baby half asleep (me, as much as baby).

Kellymom.com is a good resource for these middle of the night questions, too. :)

That's how my little girl was - didn't go to sleep until really late (so I thought). We kept the pack-n-play with the bassinet in our room, but she didn't stay in it very long.

As a first time mom, I was still figuring things out, and ended up co-sleeping in the twin bed in her room. Once we got some reflux issues taken care of, we moved back to my bed, but co-sleeping is the only way I survived. Being able to let her nurse when she needed to (me only half-awake), roll over for the other side and then we both fall back asleep was the only way I could have done it.

EDIT: I realized I didn't fully answer your question. A 10-week old baby will nurse every 2-3 hours all day long. That includes at night. I highly recommend the book "The Art of Breastfeeding" - it is a clear, easy to read breakdown of breastfeeding. Some moms can go longer than 2-3 hours because they have a larger supply/storage. Others have less storage, and so they feed more frequently. 2-3 hours was about as long as we could ever go with my daughter. Ten weeks old is very young - my daughter didn't start sleeping 5-6 hours at night until she was about 5 or 6 months.

Oh, I feel for you! Every baby is different, and I think your baby is completely normal. Plus, she is still so young :)

My first girl was a terrible sleeper and woke up every 1-3 hours forever!!! My second girl is now 6 months old, and as a 7 wk old, she slept for 7 hour stretches, but now she wakes up every 2-3 hours to nurse.

Breastfeeding is not only about satisfying the hunger, but also about comfort. As long as you don't resent it, I think it is fine for you to keep doing what you are doing.

Sometimes I get upset about waking a lot in the middle of the night too, but I keep telling myself that I will be doing this only for another 6 months or so, and the benefits of breastfeeding outweighs the night waking.

Best wishes to you!

At 10 weeks, this is totally normal. Don't worry. She'll go for longer stretches soon.

My daughter would do this all night and I always thought the same thing that maybe she was starving but breastfed babies digest their milk faster and so require more feedings. My second daughter would wake up every hour or every two hours it would drive me nuts. It will eventually get better so hang in there. If your still concerned just run it by her pediatrician if her wait gain is good and he/she will know. Now my son was a different story. From birth he would go 3-5 hours before wanting the breast. He is now 10 months and is able to go 6-8 hours now. So every child is different. The first two weeks of his life he kept me up all night twice only. Something told me that he was suffering from gas and I would rub his belly and pull his little legs towards his chest and he would pass gas and fall right back to sleep. It was so awesome that we were on the same page. But good luck and stick with the breastfeeding only if you can. It's so much easier and healthier for the both of you. Take care and good luck!

Totally normal, esp. for a 10 week old! I'm bf'ing our 9 month old, and she's still up 3-4 times a night to nurse. I have a 7 year old, a 4 year old and a 9 month old, and we haven't slept through the night in over 7 years!! :) Our kids are not good sleepers, we don't believe in cry it out (our one attempt went over 3 hours--and, now, with other kids, the baby would wake up the others--cry it out is not worth it to us). Anyway--our 4 year old is still up about twice a night. Your body will adjust, and, hopefully, teh baby will learn soon!

Been there.
One thing you could try is to pump and then Dad could give her a bottle and do some of the feedings so that you could get some sleep.

At one point I was so sleep deprived I didn't know or care what day it was. I hadn't really changed clothes or left the house in like 3 days.

One thing that helped me tremedously was making sure that I got a shower and fresh clothes every day. Even if the shower is at 2a. I would feed him, put him down, knew I had a 2 hour window. I'd hop in the shower, fresh clothes and still get an hour sleep before the next feeding. Then in the morning I could just get dressed and go. Getting that shower, even in the middle of the night helped me get out of the funk I was and was in.

6 -8 weeks is when most babies will start to skip the midnight feeding and they don't really settle into that early bed time until later. I think that you still have a very normal situation. How much does your baby weigh? On nights you are really desperate to catch a 4-5 hour stretch of sleep you can top baby of with a bit of formula after you BF since it takes longer to digest and will stretch the next feeding out. Don't make a habbit of that if you want to exclusively BF because it will effect your milk supply. Or let hubby give him a night time bottle while you sleep just to start feeling human again. I'm not suggesting you do this regularly, but even one good 6 hour stretch might do you some good. I know I didn't feel human until my first 6 hours of sleep in a row.

Oh, how your post brings back memories. I felt at times I lived in a fog my first 3-6 months with a breastfeeding new baby, 20 month old (who woke 1-2 times at night) and an almost 5 yr old. I know how you feel and I know you will make it through. Parenting little ones is SO HARD, but worth the effort in the long run. It does get better as the children grow older, unless of course, like me you get pregnant quickly again (due to contraception failure with #3--but what a blessing he is!).
One thing that did help me make it through, is to make sure you eat small regular healthy meals (i know more work and planning), get some exercise each day (even a walk around the block with a stroller) and if there's ever a time when both children sleep, make yourself lie down and rest (NO HOUSEWORK!). If you have family or friends who can watch the kids an hour or 2 so you can rest, do so.
Your breastfeeding baby sounds completely normal. Follow her lead. Their tummies are tiny, but they grow and feeding patterns change. I'm so happy to hear you are breastfeeding--it's not the easiest thing in the world but definitely best for you and baby. Nurse Midwife Mom of 3

As hard as it is. she sounds pretty normal! I could never really rely on a 5 hour stretch or more until after around 6-7mo of age. It feels like it takes forever but soon enough it will be done and you will have long nights of sleep...if you choose to use them! ;) My 6yr old 4yr old and 1yr old all sleep 12 hours straight at night! Unless they are sick! Then it is back to the newborn days...lol

yes, normal... if co-sleeping breastfeed from one side half the night and the other side for the other half. Side lying during co-sleeping is great for aiding in Mommy getting sleep and usually baby will sleep a bit longer due to feel Mommy's presence so close.

I have a 7 week old and a 6 y/o so I can sympathize.

My son is 9 months old and still waking every 2-3 hours to nurse. Everytime I start working on breaking him of this he gets another ear infection so I stop. We do co-sleep and that helps with the sleep deprivation a little bit. Hopefully we will both get some sleep soon.

Ifyou can feed her on both sides when she wakes up you might get another two or three hours of sleep - it is a little work on your part but may be worth it. Also, if you are having trouble falling asleep after she eats it is okay to take Tylenol/Excedrin PM - one only needs like 1/4 to 1/2 a pill. I am pretty skeptical about taking medications while breastfeeding, but this was suggested to me by our naturopathic doctor/midwife and I trust her that it wouldn't have a negative impact.

I agree with Rachel that feeding her on both sides even if you have to tickle her feet to keep her awake might buy you another hour or two. However, I would be VERY hesitant to take Tylenol PM while you are nursing this frequently. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends the active ingredient in this medication (benydryl or diphenhydramine) for children under four due to concerns about possible serious side effects. Check with your child's pediatrician before you try this.

This is normal. I breastfed my three, each until around 3 years old. It helps with the sleep deprivation if you co-sleep. Your sleep cycles synchronize and you can just latch the baby on and both of you drift back off. But please -- if you do this, do it safely. Make sure you follow the guidelines for safe co-sleeping.