5 week old sleeping six hour stretch..

chillmama1518 · February 2016

two nights in a row now my five week old has slept 6 hours after a bottle of EBM. While we are loving the chance to get some rest ourselves, I'm worried this is too much for a little baby? I'll ask my Dr about it on Thursday but for now anyone experience this? More than anything concerned about my supply. I pump while he has the bottle but my breasts didn't even feel very full tonight after the 6hr stretch,whereas I would've thought I'd be engorged.
I exclusively breast feed and have been doing the bottle in the evening because he's fussy and won't concentrate on the breast.

blended10 · February 2016

My daughter does this occasionally, too. Shes 6-weeks now but it has happened (rarely) since about 4-weeks. I look at it as a gift for handling our witching hour especially well.

mhg54 · February 2016

My 7 week old sleeps 8 hours. I get up to pump in the middle of the night so I'm not engorged. Plus I tend to get more at this pumping session, something to do with hormones according to my LC.

andreaAL11 · February 2016

I've had the same issue! I would usually be engorged by morning but no go. I'm pretty sure my supply went down due to her sleeping these long hours of the night...even when I pump, I'll be there for 10 minutes and nothing will come out. Not good. I go to doc today so I'll try to remember to ask her and tell you what I hear.

Mizuiro007 · February 2016

It depends a lot on the baby but for some this is completely normal. The doctor will probably just want to watch that it isn't hindering baby's weight gain.

As for supply, it may be regulating. I've finally been going through this with DD. I've had an over supply and am block feeding. This initially left me terribly engorged on the side I didn't feed on but now my supply has regulated to it more. I don't get engorged as quickly but on the occasions I pump I get the same amount as before (tbh I'm getting more).

mltarrio · February 2016

My 4 week old daughter just started sleeping 6 and 7 hour stretches. I panicked the first night. Her pediatrician says to let her sleep, eat, and cry when she wants, so I think it's pretty normal. I pump somewhere during that long stretch of sleep though, both for my comfort and for my supply. I have read that when babies start sleeping through the night your breasts adjust to the changing demand.

blackw15 · February 2016

My baby does the same thing - he is almost 6 weeks old and sleeps 6-8 hour stretches most nights. I've talked with both my pediatrician and a friend who is a pediatrician, and they both say that this is totally fine as long as he's having regular wet diapers and gaining appropriate weight. He's just a healthy, chunky baby who like to sleep. I'm not complaining! Just go with it, and count your blessings that you have a good sleeper on your hands!

dec15mum · February 2016

DS is the same, he will sleep between 4-7 hours a night in one go.
My supply isn't effected, in fact they can hold more; this morning I pumped after 5 hours didn't feel too full but I fed him and pumped 6 ozs.
Just be sure to keep your supply up during the day (lots of feeding/pumping, drinking water etc) and that seems to work

sarahjulypsu · February 2016

Don't worry and enjoy it. I would not get up to pump. Your body will figure it oit and you'll have less engorgement soon. If baby wakes to eat you'll also have milk. I would only pump if you need a freezer stash. My LO goes from a 4-8 hour stretch at 6 weeks and she started with a 4-5 hour stretch at that age. She tends to tank up in the evening.

chewie5990 · February 2016

I struggled a lot with allowing my DS to sleep. My pediatrician kept telling me to continue to wake him every 3-4 hours at night but one night I forgot to set my alarm and woke up after DS had been sleeping for 5 hours. I panicked and when I checked on him he looked so peaceful and content. After that night I started letting him sleep and now he's 6 weeks and does a 6 hour stretch and then 3 hour stretch. We are both so much better rested and happy during the day. I was worried about my supply but I haven't been waking up to pump at night and I rarely feel engorged but I do pump once every day while DH gives DS a bottle and I have not had a decrease in the amount I've been getting from pumping

ATolentino89 · February 2016

No advise. Just jealousy. I get 3-4 hours usually. I have honestly stop keeping track.

angelicac06 · February 2016

My 8 week LO sleeps 6-7 hrs straight and there's mo way you can pay me to wake him up.

I also don't wake up to pump. After nearly two months of sleep deprivation, I am enjoying this long stretch. I do worry about mastitis and the lack of stash for when I go back to work however.

chillmama1518 · February 2016

Thankyou all for your comments. I feel more normal about it: and VERY lucky we are getting some rest because I know a lot of mommas aren't.
We're having some nipple confusion issues so the nighttime bottle may be out anyway and we may be back to 3 hr sleep stretches.

ETA spelling is hard when rocking a baby in a glider chair

millieb14 · February 2016

I was seriously just about to call my pediatrician about this. Same here with the 6 hours stretches at 5 weeks. LO does seem to feed more in the day now though. I decided to wake her up for our old 4 hour then 3 hour stretches and she was too tired to really eat and seemed crankier in the morning. I will folly her lead from now on so long as she is gaining weight and peeing/pooping.

groovylocks · February 2016

mhg54 said:

My 7 week old sleeps 8 hours. I get up to pump in the middle of the night so I'm not engorged. Plus I tend to get more at this pumping session, something to do with hormones according to my LC.

Whatever you're doing, tell me. Because it will be my new religion.

esscapelle · February 2016

I'm jealous of all you mommies. My 7 week old is still doing 2-3 hr stretches. I've only had 3 nights of 4-5 hour stretches and it was heavenly, but no more. Ugh.

jenEP · February 2016

@esscapelle I'm right there with you. Only 2-4 hr stretches here. I'm so exhausted.

preggoandglowing · February 2016

Super jealous over here, haven't ever gotten to 4 hours! The closest was 3h 45min and that was only one night. She's been doing 2-3 hours and now that DH went back to work this week, she decided to have some fun with me and regressed to 1.5-2 hours. I'm delirious right now.

angetralala · February 2016

I'm EBF, no bottles, and we started getting a 6 hour stretch at 5 weeks. By 6 weeks we hit a 7 hour stretch followed by a 4 hour stretch, and that's still keeping up at 7 weeks.
It was really difficult for me at first; I'd wake up drenched from leaking and with boobs of steel. It took about a week for it to regulate, and now although I still leak I'm not engorged. It hasn't affected my daytime supply whatsoever.
ETA DD gained 5 lbs in her first 6 weeks so I knew she could go the night without nursing. Her giant appetite was not compromised!

laurabwalker · February 2016

God I only 2 hours max. I may die from not sleeping, I see why it's a form of torture

angelicac06 · February 2016

@laurabwalker did you readhttps://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-babies-use-same-torture-techniques-as-cia/

chillmama1518 · February 2016

OP here...
must have jinxed it by asking because we've been up every 2-3 hrs for the last three nights! Ooooops.

laurabwalker · February 2016

angelicac06 said:

@laurabwalker did you readhttps://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-babies-use-same-torture-techniques-as-cia/

omg my life is a CIA torture chamber

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