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August 2012 Moms
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Questions for STMs who BF

CarWalsh17CarWalsh17
in August 2012 Moms

How old were your babies when they started to go longer between feedings?  My DD is 7 weeks old and nurses every 2 hours during the day.  She might stretch to 3-3.5 hours if she is in her sleeping in her car seat and we are out running errands.  During the night she goes every 3 hours like clockwork, and I have adjusted and become used to it.

However, last night I nursed her at 10pm and then put her to bed.  She didn't wake up and cry to nurse in her normal pattern.  Finally at 3:45am (almost 6 hours later), I heard her gently stirring.  I woke her up and fed her because our pediatrician said to not let her go more than 5 hours between feedings.  When I asked for how long, she had said for a few months.  Has anyone else been told that?  Or is DD transitioning to longer stretches of time?  What is the deal???  TIA.

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Re: Questions for STMs who BF

  • Novem06Novem06 member
    Both my LOs would go 2-3 hrs during the day for a really long time. They are also both crappy sleepers so I'm not much help there. DD is still up every 2 hrs. I didn't get a long stretch like that from DS til almost 4 months. As long as she's gaining weight I'd let her sleep!
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  • nrb4576nrb4576 member
    As previous post says, my ped. said as long as LO was gaining weight and eating well during the day, I could let her sleep as long as she wanted at night. No need to wake her up for feedings. DD#1 was sleeping consistently 5-6 hour stretches by ~5 weeks. We'll see how DD#2 does! 
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  • irerirer member

    Why did our paediatrician say that about waking her up? If she is healthy and gaining weight, let her sleep at night!! 

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  • CarWalsh17CarWalsh17

    I think the pediatrician said no more than 5 hours because of a drop in blood sugar could be dangerous.  I have been googling like crazy and I haven't found anything to support that yet.  I can understand in the first week or so, but not months... right?

    Also, DD was 9lbs 15oz at birth, lost 10oz in the hospital, and by one week old was 10lbs 4oz.  Then at two weeks she was over 11lbs, so weight gain is definitely not a problem. lol!

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  • pixieprincsspixieprincss member

    DS1 liked to nurse every 2-4 hours around the clock until after a year old. I have never heard advice to not let baby go 5 hours without eating. Unless baby has a health issue, his/her little body will wake when hungry. Babies have amazingly brilliant self-preserving natures that have served them since before clocks even existed, right? Wink

    As for your DD changing her pattern--that is totally normal. The only sure thing about babies is that they change.  Enjoy the longer stretches while they last! If she starts waking up more frequently down the line, that is normal, too. Baby sleep lengths are not linear and are ever-changing. I'm a fan of letting baby "drive" and heeding his cues.

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  • AprilAngieAprilAngie member
    what you are describing seems normal.  My LO is 6 weeks old and does exactly the same, but I dont wake her.. she will sleep for 7 + hours at night. However I dont wake her as she didn't have any health issues and dont see it as necessary
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  • CarWalsh17CarWalsh17
    Thank you for your input ladies!  I will enjoy the longer stretches of sleep!  Now let's just hope that she does it again tonight!
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