bf sleeping through the night

ladylisalt · September 2014

I am just in the early days of bf and in my sleep deprived world I am wondering at about what age do you get to go longer stretches in between nursing? Is it feasible to eventually sleep through the night without nursing or does that make you have engorgement/discomfort? I am thinking way ahead but need motivation.

surpriseaddition · September 2014

I BF and all 3 of my kids STTN by 4 months....but each child is different. I just wanted to let you know it is possible to get a good night's sleep when you BF. You will be engorged, and may leak on nights when your LO sleeps longer, but like PP said, your body will adjust. You'll be amazed at how refreshed you'll feel when you get a good 4-5 hours of sleep in a stretch. Go to bed right after your last nursing before your LOs longest stretch (even if it is at 8pm!). Getting that same long stretch will make you feel a million times better than you do now. GL!

jenn43 · September 2014

It will get better! Once LO was going to bed at a regular time, and waking up once or twice to eat, my quality of sleep got much, much better! Although a few months in the future seems like forever, it will happen!

blue_elle · September 2014

Ditto the last poster. We were all there, feeling like we'd never get sleep, never be able to leave the house alone because baby eats every couple hours, but it will get better soon! Bedtime will start to come at a predictable time, and MOTN wakings will lengthen. At 8 months my LO still typically wakes once, but I can get plenty of rest before and after. I actually like our MOTN cuddles now; it's our private quiet time.

Lena122 · September 2014

It gets better! DD was sleeping up to 8 hours by 2 months. She's now 8 months and sleeps 10-11 hours a night. She's been doing that since about 5 months (with a few regressions along the way).

DS was FF and slept pretty similar to her, although overall she's definitely a better sleeper. In our experience BF vs FF hasn't made a difference in sleep.

ladylisalt · September 2014

Oh wow! so at 6 weeks you don't have to bf every 3 hrs? When is it determined that they can go in longer stretches? My LO could go 4 hrs. now but I am sticking to the 3 hr. windows since she is a newborn.

casey78 said:

FF or BF, this depends on the child. Our EBF LO was sleeping 5-6 hour initial stretches by 6 weeks. She was up to 10 hour stretch by 3 months. She regressed with developmental leaps, teething, and illness. Yes, your body will adjust.

ladylisalt · September 2014

surpriseaddition said:

I BF and all 3 of my kids STTN by 4 months....but each child is different. I just wanted to let you know it is possible to get a good night's sleep when you BF. You will be engorged, and may leak on nights when your LO sleeps longer, but like PP said, your body will adjust. You'll be amazed at how refreshed you'll feel when you get a good 4-5 hours of sleep in a stretch. Go to bed right after your last nursing before your LOs longest stretch (even if it is at 8pm!). Getting that same long stretch will make you feel a million times better than you do now. GL!

Thanks, this is motivating. I was under the impression that when you bf you do an average of 3 hr. stretches for a long time. Now I feel a little better. I kept thinking, how can so many moms do this for long periods of time,esp. with other kids but now it sounds more attainable.

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