After receiving multiple opinions from rounding doctors in the hospital and the few we have seen in office we are thoroughly confused on sleep. At three weeks and although breastfed LO seems to be establishing the same routine he had in the womb active in the morning and active in the evening with a good nap mid afternoon and sleeping well at night. Up until now I have been interrupting this sleep every three to four hours to feed him but last night I accidentally didn't set my alarm and LO went a little over five hours before I woke in a panic and got him up. It makes me wonder if I am doing the right thing or not. His weight gain has been good and the last doc even told us we could skip the one month visit and not come until two months. Everything I have read doesn't even refer to a baby this young wanting to sleep more than three hours at a time which further confuses me. He is eating like a maniac during the day so I'm not worried he won't get enough just that he will go too long without. What to do let LO sleep and let me know when he is hungry or keep waking him.? Anyone have experience with this?
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since weight gain hasn't been an issue and he seems to be eating a lot during the day, i would go ahead and let him sleep as long as he wants to. however, i would not skip the 1-month appointment in case there is weight loss resulting from the new approach.
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I honestly don't remember how things were with Xander at that age, but if he's gaining well and things look healthy, I think you can probably go ahead and stop waking him at night!
Also, we didn't have a 1 month appointment with Xander either. We did 5 days (2 days after leaving the hospital) and 2 weeks, and then we didn't get back until 2 months.
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I'd go to the one month. DD was a very good sleeper early on, we stopped waking her to eat once she was back at birth weight.
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Was the 5hr stretch during the day or night? I would say once he's reached his birth weight and continuing to gain consistently- don't wake him. At 3wks S was definitely sleeping 5-6hrs first thing at night.
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If LO is sleeping I would let them sleep as long as you think LO is eating enough during the day. Is LO back up to birth weight?
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@tillma: I just went back to check and it was around 3 weeks that Xander started sleeping some longer 4-5 hour stretches. And his growth has been fine! So I think you're okay to let your LO sleep!!
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LO never went more than 4 hours before two weeks, but right after she did a 5 hour stretch. She was back to birthweight already and was eating SO much during the day (about every 1.5 hours) that we just let her go at night. She continued to gain weight beautifully. Not all babies need to eat so often at night.
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DD started sleeping 4-5 hour stretches around 3 weeks and I just listened to my instincts to let her sleep. She was gaining weight and seemed to be doing well, so I just let her dictate her schedule. I think the first 3 months while I was on maternity leave, she was strictly fed on demand and that helped me justify the longer sleep stretches (so mommy can rest too!). I'd say take advantage of it and get some sleep mommy!
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I think the main concern with newborns sleeping long stretches is when they are not getting enough milk (usually due to bad latch, not supply) and then become lethargic and don't wake as often. If your LO is eating plenty and is generally happy then you might as well enjoy the longer stretches
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9 comments