STTN Question

mcahill1

My 8-week old (3-week adjusted) EBF LO is gaining weight great, though still small. She was normal 5'10 and is now 7'8. My questions is... When do you think I can realistically expect her to STTN? Is she still too small? We're nursing at approx 6:30am, 9:30am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 11pm, & 2:30am. I'd LOOOOVE to get rid of that 2:30am feeding but dont know if it's possible and, if so, any advice on how to start trying it? No one I know has had a preemie! It's so hard to get advice bc things might be different for my LO, since she was early! Any advice you ladies could provide would be amazing!!

Missa_g

3w adjusted is honestly waaaaaay too early to expect a child to go 7.5 hours without eating. Talk to your pedi to see what they recommend but it's likely they will suggest feeding on demand.

staceymack

Our doctor didn't want my girls going longer than 4 hours without eating at that age.

jbranden12

We were allowed to feed on demand after 8 lbs, but I believe most experts recommend 6 months as a minimum before any type of sleep training can be considered. Some are blessed with good sleepers, others aren't. Anna is 9 months adjusted and wakes up 1-2 times in a 12 hour night to eat.

carrotcake06

My first, who was full term, didn't STTN w any regularity until he was 3yo. Even now, it's still pretty much a crap shoot and he hasn't eaten MOTN in years.

3 wks adjusted is far too early to expect a stretch longer than 3 hrs.

PurpleIris30

I agree with everyone. One consistent 4 hour stretch is great for 3 weeks adjusted.

Kelly_12

Yep sorry OP but STTN isn't gonna happen anytime soon! My LO is 6months and hasn't done it yet! He's still up several times a night..but I think it's due to gas and reflux more than hunger.
Consider yourself lucky you're getting a 4 hr stretch!

mcahill1

Thanks, all!! It's just so hard when you hear all these magic stories or 5 and 6 week olds sleeping through the night. I actually don't mind our current schedule... She's really only getting up once, which is def manageable (famous last words?). Anyway- thanks for all the advice!

PhillyGal34

mcahill1 said:

Thanks, all!! It's just so hard when you hear all these magic stories or 5 and 6 week olds sleeping through the night. I actually don't mind our current schedule... She's really only getting up once, which is def manageable (famous last words?). Anyway- thanks for all the advice!

Most of those stories are just that. Stories. I think many parents are so tired that they really forget how early their kids did anything.  I had a friend who swore her kid was walking by 10 months. She then looked at the baby book and it wasn't until he was 13 months! Same friend also swears her son STTN after a few weeks... I don't buy it because I remember her complaining about lack of sleep for months.  

The other thing I learned with having a preemie is that none of those stories matter.  Great if their kid STTN at 8 weeks. My son wasn't even supposed to be born by the time he was 8 weeks old.  So even by 16 weeks I wasn't pushing for STTN because he had already proven he was a rockstar and so I tried not to compare him to full term babies. He is our only child so fortunately we didn't have an older sibling to compare him to either. 

All of this is said to help you relax. Your child will tell you when they can and want to STTN.  If you get to a point where it is a problem (down the road) you can look into sleep training. 

FWIW DS started to STTN early but then added a night feed back in at some point. He had a night feed for a while (I cannot even remember how long) but eventually dropped it.  We stopped nursing after he turned 18 months (so just a month ago) but he's been STTN (approximately 12 hours) for a while now.  

Throw3ks

My LO is 20w/10w adjusted and she Very occasionally will STTN and she is EBF. And gaining weight great.

conradtn

We fed LO every 3 hours until the pediatrician said we could start letting her tell us when she was ready to eat.  She only started kinda STTN around 2 months adjusted.  Usually if we can get one good bottle in between 10-11 she'll make it to 6-7AM.

Pips09

I agree with everyone else. While it is certainly possible she could decide to do it on your own, you probably have a long road ahead until she STTN.

BLPL101

The best advice I can give is do not compare (I know it's hard). My DD was STTN at 3 months, but that only lasted a month. She started STTN again at 10.5 months. Every baby is different...full term or preterm. Don't compare; it will drive yourself crazy.