A few times he slept from 11-6 or 9-4 and now it has gotten worse. I need to go to work and can't function with disjointed sleep. Does anyone have any suggestions.?
2006-09-07 05:28:37 · 14 answers · asked by monique 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
My son only slept 2 hours at a time til he was 6-7 months old. My daughter is a month old and sleeps 3-4 hour steatches. breast milk doesn't stick with them as long as food or formula. Maybe you can try baby cereal before bed and maybe that will help. I also work with both my kids up at night, it isn't easy but we find ways to get through it...
2006-09-07 05:34:57 · answer #1 · answered by TIA 3 · 0⤊ 5⤋
Try to nurse him more often during the day so he's more full at night. If you do have to get up at night to nurse, try not to wake up too much By that I mean, don't turn on a bunch of lights or the TV. Having him in your bedroom is a good idea, but it's definitely not a good idea to take him into your bed as this makes it extremely difficult for the child to eventually learn to sleep in their own room and in there own bed. Don't forget that babies go through growth spurts when they need to nurse more. Until they were six months old I had my babies in my bedroom at night in their playpen or a cradle and I had a rocking chair, in my room. When I did have to nurse at night, it was very easy to get back to sleep since I wasn't walking all over the house, and I wasn't really waking up. You'll get to a point where you can get up and nurse, put the baby back to bed get back into bed yourself and only have a vague memory of even being up. PS When you are especially tired have your partner get up and give the baby some water. Water during the day also helps your baby feel fuller and doesn't confuse them like formula would. Good luck. I know it feels like you'll never be completely rested again, but this time will pass and believe it or not, you may actually come to miss those middle of the night feedings. Ps it's definitely not true that formula sticks wioth them longer than breast milk. The advice you got about the La Leche League is great and so is the books suggestion. Alot of the other answers you've received already suck big time!!!
2006-09-07 06:11:32 · answer #2 · answered by kealey 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Have baby sleep in your bed. When baby wakes up, just pull out your breast and go back to sleep. That's the only way I could do it when my baby was nursing every 2 hours at night and I was working!
2006-09-07 12:27:23 · answer #3 · answered by I ♥ EC 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try adding a little cereal to breastmilk & bottle feed before he goes to bed. Breastmilk is not as heavy & isn't as filling. I even started a little babyfood fruits in the afternoon a 4 months. Sounds like the little guy is just getting extra hungry. Every child is different though. My daughter slept through the night at about 3-4 wks and my son did at 10 months!! (this week) Good luck!
2006-09-07 06:33:51 · answer #4 · answered by jillie76 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
My son was still waking up in the middle of the night at 13 months old. When he woke up, I'd give him either a pacifier or a sippy cup of water. That worked.
2006-09-07 06:17:21 · answer #5 · answered by Sunny 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is normal for babies to wake during the night.
One idea I have is:
Can you bring him into bed with you, so he can nurse lying down while you sleep?
Seriously this has really been a life-saver for me. I have a 4 month old too, and I have slept with her from the beginning. I find it really helps.
I included a link to some articles about sleep issues that may help you! Good luck!
2006-09-07 05:33:15 · answer #6 · answered by Kathryn A 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Sleeping in is where's it's at... You'll sleep better and bond more with your baby.
If your spouse or whoever gives you a hard time, read some Dr. William Sears, or books on the family bed.
2006-09-07 08:58:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
My son slept through the night starting at 2-1/2 weeks old...MY dr told me if he started waking up in the night to try and give him a tablespoon of rice cereal at bed time. At 4 months he started waking up...so I sis as I was told...and he started sleeping through the night again.
2006-09-07 08:08:50 · answer #8 · answered by mommy_2_liam 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
You are lucky that you get that much time away. When my little guy was 4 months he was nursing EVERY 2 hours, Every night, every 2 hours until he was 7 months when I weaned him. So everything is normal.
2006-09-07 05:41:38 · answer #9 · answered by squish72705 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
My two favorite books:
Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems
By Richard Ferber
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
By Marc Weissbluth
The second one does more for 4 month old babies...
Oh, and ignore the formula one - I nursed both my children beyond 6 months and they slept GREAT!
2006-09-07 05:53:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 5⤋