Sleeping at night

jlml2008 · July 2013

How long can I let my 1 month old sleep at night without waking him to eat or change his diaper? He was 8 lbs 9oz at birth and is now 12lbs. He eats every 23 hrs during the day and is EBF.

I just woke him up at the 6hr mark because I was worried he might be hungry and he slept thru the diaper change, nursed lazily for 5 mins, and then was out cold again

mjune3881 · July 2013

I let DS sleep as long as he wants at night since gaining back his birth weight. Last night was his longest stretch at 7 hrs!

kaleyandjason · July 2013

I was told once they reach their birth weight you can let them sleep as long as they want.

SJ7108 · July 2013

Yup.. like pp have said, you can let them sleep until they wake on their own.

WasNotWas · July 2013

Where do you have your LO sleeping? My DS is 3 weeks today and his longest stretch is 2.5 hours! I've got him in the RnP and am thinking that's not the best option ::mobile smiley::

smellychelly25 · July 2013

At least you know that he can go that long and be OK. My longest stretch so far has only been 4 hours. I am willing to let him sleep.as much as he needs at night.

WasNotWas · July 2013

Well done JennShea!! I'm officially jealous! ::mobile smiley::

steenger8 · July 2013

I agree! LOs pediatrician was not concerned with waking at night as long as she was gaining weight. It's soo nice to let them sleep!

[Deleted User] · July 2013

The user and all related content has been deleted.

homebird · July 2013

I let my kids sleep as long as they want. It's been 6 hours at the longest for DS, but I'd happily let him go longer if he wanted to. During the day I'll wake him up though.

skio · July 2013

Nooooo never wake to feed! That's only recommended when baby is having issues gaining or before they have reached birth weight. Neither seems an issue for you. A BF'd baby shouldn't be forced to eat at any time; their eating habits and the breast milk both adapt in time to fit the baby's nutritional needs. So rest assured that he's getting everything he needs! And get some sleep!

FunkyPhoenix · July 2013

Just want to say that I am totally jealous if all the lucky ladies getting 6 hour stretches of sleep!! What I wouldn't give to have my baby do that!

I have also heard not to wake them once they are past their birth weight...

lioness13 · July 2013

I EBF and I got a 5 hour stretch and a 4 hour stretch last night with my 1 week old DD. I was shocked! She sleeps in the RnP, is swaddled and tilted on her side a little, which she prefers. Her Ped said it was okay for her to sleep on her side. She was just weighed yesterday and is at her birth weight.

melissa0726 · July 2013

kaleyandjason:
I was told once they reach their birth weight you can let them sleep as long as they want.

Yep this! Enjoy the long stretches of sleep!

jlml2008 · July 2013

Thanks ladies! I will let him sleep from now on! He has been doing 5 hour stretches for the last 2 weeks so my body automatically woke me up at 5 hours. Hopefully I can sleep as long as he does tonight!

HeartLikeMine3 · July 2013

Like everyone else said I would worry but I am super jealous my LO wakes me up between 2.5 and 3 hours consistently and he will be 5 weeks ok soon I just want a 4 hour stretch.

sassygal29 · July 2013

My guy goes 5 and then 4. Goes to bed at 8, my dh wakes him at 1 to feed and then he wakes at 5ish. dh goes out of town today and my parents are coming in, so I am going to test how long he will sleep.

Achae · July 2013

Oh you are lucky! So far the longest stretch I've gotten is four hours at a month.

fabumama · July 2013

Are y'all waking to eat every 3 hours during the day still....even if they have only been asleep for an hour or so? I'm torn about daytime since she is gaining weight.

BC&LM · July 2013

I think it really depends on your specific baby, so I would ask your pediatrician what he or she recommends. Once my son regained his birth weight, my pediatrician said we could let him start to sleep one four hour stretch at night without waking, and then increase it to five or six hours eventually. She said six hours between feedings should be the max. As it is, my son hardly ever makes it past 3 or 3 1/2 hours. I think he only made it to four hours twice. While this is what my pediatrician recommended for my baby, who was slightly premature, this may not be the best for your baby. A lot of the other women on here seemed to get different advice from their pediatricians than I got from mine, so I think the doctors must tailor their recommendations to the baby.