my breastfed bb boy of 4.5mths???

Question

he dont zzz for more than 3hrs in a stretch esp at night! why?

he's super gutless! are all babies like that? he sometimes cries at little things or startled very easily....

Answer 1

after feeding him top him up wth a bottle of either formula or milk you have expressed (stores easily in freezer) he should sleep longer. also he can start on solids, try farex (baby cereal) mixed with some of your milk. should keep him satisfied longer

Answer 2

Um....."gutless?" He's a BABY. The entire world is new and scarey to him right now. Remember that everything is a brand new experience to him still.

You *might* be able to get him to sleep a slightly longer stretch at night if you "cluster nurse" in the evenings before bed and do breast compressions while nursing. This will help him fill up on more hindmilk, which is the rich, fatty stuff.

You could also wake him right before you go to bed and nurse him again. This could get you a longer stretch of uninterrupted sleep at night.

Don't expect him to sleep through the night this early. Only babies on TV do that. :-) He is working hard to double his birthweight by 6 months. That's the earliest I tell people to expect their baby to sleep through (which means at least a 5 hour stretch of sleep). You should know that night waking is normal for the entire first year.

Consider bringing him into bed with you. Then you'll all probably get more sleep. All you have to do to nurse is roll over.

Answer 3

That is normal but their are ways that may help him stretch a little bit more at night. The funny thing is, when your baby finally does sleep a little longer, he will start waking up again because of teething, illness, or new developmental milestones.

If you do not have any routines set up, this may be the perfect time to make one. You can try a bath, maybe some rocking and cuddling and nursing around the same time every night. It may take awhile for your little one to associate this with sleeping but after awhile they begin to understand.

Do not pick up your son at his first whimper. Give it a minute or so, sometimes babies fuss in their sleep. When you do go in (if he is not in the same room as you) make sure that his diaper is dry, not too hot or too cold and lastly nurse him. Do this in dim light. Try to put him down after you nurse him and see if he can put himself back to sleep. I usually had to use the bathroom from all of the water I drink, so by the time I went and came back out 90% of the time my son was asleep. If he is not asleep, then by all means make him comfortable for sleep.

I also introduced my son to a small bear blanket at this age. He refused pacifiers and his thumbs or fingers, so it is his soother.
When you nurse, let him hold a soother and let him fall asleep with it. My son, when he wakes usually rubs his bear on his cheek until he falls back to sleep.

I do not recommend adding rice to your breast milk as was mentioned in some of the other posts. The other nutritionist is correct about the studies and the AAP guidelines.

Their are many reasons for babies only sleeping for short periods at a time. Some babies are simply better sleepers than others. If your son's naps are late in the day or if your son is mostly sleeping during the day this could also cause your son to have more wakeful moments at night. Try to put your son down when he is tired and not overly tired. Sometimes it is harder for them to rest if they get too tired and wake more at night.

If your baby is learning something new, like rolling (usually around this age) a lot of babies do not sleep well until they master that task.

For the second part of your question. You baby may be more sensitive to noise or lights. Try to pick up on your babies cues and make him comfortable (if the TV or radio is on turn it down or off). You can also carry your baby for awhile each day. It will make him feel secure and maybe less clingy as he gets older.
You may want to talk to your pediatrician about your son if he seems overly sensitive to everything.

Good Luck to you and I hope this helps. It will get better just hang in there!

Answer 4

YES!! all babies sleep like that, try putting some rice cereal in his bottle to help him sleep longer.

AND! Why the he** are you trying to scare the little guy! He is only a baby and yes ALL children have a fears it is called BEING HUMAN!
Besides YOU are the GUTLESS one if you MUST pick on an infant, how ignorant can you get!

Answer 5

I'm a nutritionist

oh my goodness! please don't start your baby on cereal this early! infants cannot digest anything except breast milk or formula till at least 6 months of age (per the American academy of pediatrics)

not only would starting the baby on cereal at this age malnourish him, it will not make him sleep longer (several studies have proved this)

it is normal for all infants to have irregular sleep schedules, the stomach of a baby empties every two hours and they need to wake up to eat!

your doing fine! if you need help call the local hospital, or WIC and ask to speak to a lactation consultant (its usually free), or try http://kellymom.com

when to start solids and solid myths http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

cereal does not help baby's sleep http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-sleep.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2672785&dopt=Abstract

Answer 6

My daughter is also the same age and she has also gone through the same thing. No sleep and being startled at many things. Our babies are going through everything new so whatever they feel like comes with a surprize will startle them. Try to make him used to little bit of loud noises and things like that. I've seen many parents who block their door bell or keep the TV volume low everytime. This will make your baby scared everytime the bell is rung or TV is played on high volume. If it will be in his habit to hear these sounds he will start getting used to them. Try to keep doing things in a normal way. Don't make him used to too much quiteness. this will result in the opposite.

As for the sleep, are you co-sleeping with your baby. Many times we don't consider this but if you or your husband are sleeping with your baby then maybe you are disturbing his sleep. Try to make him sleep in his own bed and see the difference. I too make my daughter sleep in her crib. I have put this crib in my room only so I can see her always. Also I have noticed that many times babies fuss in thier sleep. They will move around and make sounds. this does not mean they are getting up. We tend to believe that if they are moving we will pick them up and this will awaken them more. Try to see from far away... if your son is just moving then don't let him feel you are nearby. And he will go to sleep himself. If he fusses a lot then maybe it means that he's hungry and needs to be held. babies so small don't have a routine and every baby is different. You have to understand what your baby likes and dislikes.

Also try to make a routine for his night sleeping time. If you are giving him a bath at night and then putting him to sleep then try to do it at the same time everyday. Keep the lights on in the day time and let him feel that this is a nap and not night sleep. At night keep the lights dim and put a soft music if you want to. this will make him feel that when the lights go dim and everything becomes calm then its time to sleep longer. This has helped me.

I've started my daughter on rice cereal and I've noticed some difference in her sleep. She seems to sleep a little longer but if you plan to only breastfeed your baby and have not given him a bottle till now then DO NOT go for the rice cereal option in the milk. You can try to give him rice cereal with a spoon before bedtime but this is not recommended until 6 months for breastfed babies. Its your choice. I chose to do it. Many babies are not ready for solid foods until 6 months so don't force him if he doesn't like it.

Answer 7

maybe try pumping breast milk in to a bottle and put a lil bit of rice cereal in it, his belly might not be getting full enough to sleep longer hours. Or you can just start feeding him infant cereal, he is old enough for eating, that'll help fill him up more too.