How well does your LO sleep?

[cristeen]

I mean - when they're asleep, are they sound asleep? My LO seems to fuss in his sleep an awful lot, and we're trying to figure out if it's the brand of formula we're using or if it's something else. But I don't know what's "normal" for sleep patterns. But for example, yesterday I fed him to sleep, laid him down and he'd sleep for an hour tops. Then DH came home with a new brand of formula, we tried it, laid him down and he slept for 3 hours. Last night he got one bottle of each (new and old) and after the new stuff he slept pretty solidly, but after the 4 am feeding of the old stuff, he's been fussy and waking me every 30 minutes or so since. Even now he's still lying in there fussing in his sleep.

So, what does sleep look like for your LO?

[Dmitrizmom]

Viv generally passes out after nursing (we're starting to call it knock out juice ). At night, she'll be fussy from 10:30is to 11:30ish, then sleep until 4, up for 30-45 minutes, then back to sleep until 6:30ish, up for 15 minutes, back to sleep and then up around 9.

[confustication]

Wait, you mean people have babies this age who sleep? Last night was a long night, so my answers may be a little skewed....

Keagan will nap for 1- 1.5 hrs, and the blocks of sleep are longer during the day than at night. At night he's constantly fussing, rooting, eating, and generally being ravenous... sadly, he isn't super keen on sidelying nursing at night. I spend a lot of time on my couch with him as he nurses throughout the night and I try not to fall completely unconcious.

I know this time will pass all too soon, and I do love the snuggle time, but I would love a block of say- 2 hours?

[greeny]

I know this time will pass all too soon, and I do love the snuggle time, but I would love a block of say- 2 hours?

I was saying the exact same thing to my husband this morning! Not getting much sleep around here either.

[confustication]

I'm struggling with it because I really do love the tiny baby snuggle time, and I value cosleeping so much, but I'm seeing that his better blocks of sleep are in his basinette on his own during the day. While that's fine for him, and if he were an only child, and I a SAHM, I wouldn't bat an eyelash.

However, I do need to be alert for work, and I can see how the fatigue is impacting my interactions with my other kids. I'm considering letting him go to sleep in the basinette at night and not bringing him to bed with me until he wakes to nurse. It feels completely unnatural to consider.

Ack. Mommy Sleep Guilt.

[BekahMomToOliver]

Originally Posted by confustication

However, I do need to be alert for work, and I can see how the fatigue is impacting my interactions with my other kids. I'm considering letting him go to sleep in the basinette at night and not bringing him to bed with me until he wakes to nurse. It feels completely unnatural to consider.

Ack. Mommy Sleep Guilt.

NAK.
We have the bassinette beside our bed, then a bed rail on the side of our bed. When Row is down for the night, I pop her in the basket so that I can really sprawl out or snuggle with my toddler without having to be conscious of a tiny body in the bed. She's still right there, and when she wakes to nurse I just bring her to bed with us, usually for the rest of the night. She usually gets a good 4+ hour stretch this way (which seems insane to me, because my DS was much like yours and woke 8+ times a night until he was 18 months old, & even more if we didn't cosleep)
Oh, and are you able to nurse side-lying? My breasts are a ridiculous size right now (38 E's) so I need to support them quite bit while she nurses, but I still find that by side-lying I get a bit more rested than when I have to really get up.
Maybe that's something you could try?
Good luck inding something that works!

[confustication]

He's good at nursing sidelying during the day, but my nighttime supply is INSANE so he chokes when we try that- even when I only nurse on one side the whole night. It saved me with my other kids, but this one doesn't go for it- I think that will improve as he grows though.

[octobermoon]

it varies for our little guy. sometimes he sleeps really well for two to three hour stretches and quietly, i have to check to make sure he's OK, still breathing etc...... other times he'll make noises and faces and doesn't sleep very well at all. i'd say anywhere in between those two extremes as well.

[deymm]

Early on we got one 7 hour stretch out of him. Now he generally settles down anywhere from 9-11 p.m. and will sleep ~4-5 hours. Then he's generally pretty fussy (nursing every hour) until 7 a.m. when we have to get up and get DS to school.

Right now I'm cosleeping with him by myself in our king size bed. We gotta figure something out because I want to sleep with my hubby again. (although part of the reason DH is on the couch is because of his ridiculous snoring so it's not all the baby's fault)

[Julia24]

um....I would say it's totally possible - but do a test with all things equal. Like today at the 2pm feeding one kind and then tomorrow at the 2pm feeding the other kind. And be sure to burp well for each one.

I find my kids need the 'gentle' formula, but even then, there's a distinct difference if she's not burped well. And nighttime (or anytime they eat until they all asleep) is a prime culprit for not burping well, yk?

Charlotte is fussy if she's got an air bubble stuck or she's tired. Otherwise, when she's sleeping it's just silence. She might occassionally cry out when she has gas of some sort, but it's quick and passing....

[sugarpop]

OH I feel so stupid...ok I feel like a first time mom, I guess. Sophia sleeps well sometimes and not others. I must admit, at night, I am awful person and hardly burp her. Burping isn't easy for her and can take a bit of time. She is up every hour and I am exhausted. So you mean to tell me if I take the 15 minutes or more and burp her properly she might sleep for three hours? She does have awful gas...not burps So if I don't burp her can that end up in her intestines? I can't seem to keep up with her gas. As much as she burps during the day she still has gas pains! Grrr.

Oh sorry to highjack...OP so in in response, we breastfeed, I don't know if that makes a difference but...She sleeps 3 hours at the most and usually the best during the day while in her sling sitting upright against my chest. Wish I could sleep whle sitting upright because we would go to bed this way! I have had luck with Gripe water, she sleeps better when that is in her belly! But at night it has been hourly feedings...so exhausting.

[Julia24]

sugarpop - I can't speak for everyone's kids, but for mine, for SURE. If it doesn't come out the front, it will eventually come out the back, yk? They tend to gulp less when they're sleepy - unless they're starving because they've taken a long stretch, so there's generally LESS burping, but my kids still need to be burped. just fyi. Maybe it's something about reflux for my kids too? I donno - it was even when I was nursing, not just formula, so it's not soley aboiut bottle v. breast, yk?

[prettymom]

I have it way too easy... (it was NOT this way with DD1).

My LO sleeps basically all night. She wakes up a few times to nurse, but I just toss her a breast while still laying down, and she drinks it and we both go back to sleep. I seriously lost more sleep when I was pregnant from getting up to pee. Of course she poops a few times in the night. I wake up DH to change her. Then she nurses and we are back asleep. We are in bed from about 10pm to 7 or 8 am, when my toddler wakes us up.

[guestmama9922]

I'm happy to say that *finally* I have a sleeper! After two nightmare babies that didn't sleep through the night til 18 mos, Oscar seems to sleep all night. He wakes about 2/3 x's to nurse but we are co-sleeping and we get right back to sleep.
He sleeps from about 8 or 9 til 9. daytime he is wakeful and only gets about 1.5 hour naps.
Like prettymom above, I am getting more sleep now than I did when I was pregnant.

[pastrygirl]

I'm going to cry. I really need to not read threads about sleep.

For a while, he was sleeping great at night, waking up two or three times. BUT when he is asleep, it's a restless sleep that I can't sleep through. He's LOUD. And when he nurses at night, I can't sleep because he fusses so much. So what should take 20 minutes was keeping me up for 2 hours. Last night he nursed every hour. The night before, he nursed twice. It's hit or miss.

Day time is AWFUL. He barely sleeps. When he falls asleep, he wakes up every few minutes. I'm pretty sure it's because of reflux. We just started Zantac last weekend but it hasn't helped a whole lot yet. He had two good days where he napped well, but is back to not napping at all.

Oh, and all of his sleep happens ON MY BODY. I really need this baby to sleep somewhere else!!!!

[MyZoeJane]

I can imagine how much more difficult having to get up and make and then give a baby a bottle must make night time sleeping. Maybe it is the formula irritating your little one, but the busy-ness of it all might be the culprit, too. Do you wait for your baby to wake and start crying before you get up to make the bottle?

My suggestion would be to make the feedings as quick and low key as possible. Perhaps trying to anticipate her hunger by setting a quiet alarm and waking on a schedule BEFORE the baby wakes and then giving the baby the bottle while they are still drowsy might earn you better sleep? In my experience with babies, getting them to go to back to sleep after waking fully can be quite difficult!

If you can come close to mimicking the kind of cycle one gets with nursing and co-sleeping then maybe you will face less fussiness... My babies have both been pretty easy at night time and I credit the fact that they never really fully wake up to feed and they never have to wait for their meals to be prepared. I think maybe you can come close to matching this with formula feeding if you work out a bit of a schedule.

[zenproof]

oh my have i needed this thread!

it is so comforting to hear that our sleep situation isn't so different from everyone elses!!

this is where we are:

bf'ing has been a real challenge. ive had to wean from nipple shields b/c of a shitty latch/high palate/and tongue tie (that we had fixed). we area finally hardly using them anymore! i have a HUGE ASS HOLE in my left nipple that won't heal. it blows.

daytime sleep is all over the place. in general he typically falls asleep at the breast - but he will NOT unlatch himself - he hasn't figured this out (even when hes gassy or needs to burp or is getting to much milk, he pulls back and holds on for dear life!! ACK) - he HAS to be burped b/c he takes in so much air constantly trying to keep my nipple in his mouth (re: high palate) - and i suspect i have an overactive letdown - so he drowns often. i block feed (per LC instructions) - and he usually only goes for about 10mins the first roung - and swallows with every suck. i burp - which usually wakes his ass up - and he arches and writhes clearly out of discomfort - and hopefully burps or pukes. some times projectile vomits. about once every other day. when i put him back on the breast - he goes for MAYBE another 7mins and is 'comfort sucking' a lot.

he naps during the day in the lamb swing, the bouncy seat and on me after a feeding. unless i swaddle him (which i have been doing more often lately..as i see the trend) - he is VERY RESTLESS and his arms are constantly waking him up. he is VERY GRUNTY...and makes lots of noise. day /night. he cries in his sleep but most of the time doesn't wake up. he sleeps 1-2hrs usually. BUTTTTTT lately he has been straight up staying awake between feedings b/c he is pissy and screaming...and on the boob constantly.

at night we bring the lamb swing in the bedroom. he either sleeps there, on me on his side or stomach, or on the bed on his back - swaddled.

he has gone at most maybe 4hrs but ALL of his sleep sessions are ones that involve him waking up to some degree several times and us having to put him BACK to sleep by patting or shh'ing. ya know?

last night was HELL and he was pretty much awake and miserable from 5pm feeding to about 8:30 when he finally tuckered out. i had him on the breast tons - but in all he just wanted to SUCK -and i gave him a stinkin paci. he enjoyed that for all of 10mins and it was finally eough to get him to sleep. (he sucked a hicky on my husbands shoulder!). as soon as he'd get milk on the boob he'd get pissed off and scream.

he must be going through a growth spurt.

oh and my boobs are out of control at night. they are so full and getting him to latch (even after hand expressing) is always a challenge. ..then he gets flooded and is passed out after 5mins! sometimes i don't want to burp him b/c it almost always wakes him up - but i know for both of our sakes he needs to be burped! FORGET sidelie nursing...if i had me some Kenyan nipples that would work...but we have a hard enough time UPRIGHT getting sorted out.

he gained over 2lbs in 3wks - so despite his short (but frequent) feeding sessions - and occasional projectile vomiting...lots of spitups - he seems to be thriving quite well.

he is still little though. 8lbs 11oz...i can't believe some folks delivered ones bigger than that!! he is still barely fitting in NB clothes!!

[JordanKX]

Lil man can definitely be fussy when sleeping. He's slowly starting to get into a schedule - morning and evening naps are 2hrs and during those he's quiet and in a deep sleep. The other "naps" during the day are rarely more than 20 minutes at a time, and he's grunting and snorting and 1/2 crying throughout.

We did switch to a lactose free formula which has helped a bit with the gas, but hasn't markedly changed his sleep patterns. But he doesn't get too much formula - a bottle in the morning and normally another one in the mid-afternoon, depending on my schedule. The rest of the time he nurses. But I'd definitely try different kinds of formula to see if that makes a differences.

At night he sleeps 4hr stretches til he officially "wakes up", but we co-sleep and side-nurse through the night, so sometimes I don't notice when he wakes up... he just basically stays at the boob all night. I normally flip sides around his 4am wake up.

Overall I can't really complain. I'm more annoyed at DP in the bed than anything. He works graveyard so Rowan and I have the bed to ourselves most nights and have a great schedule down. If I have to wake up, I'm up... I turn on the tv, catch some horrible re-run while nursing and go back to sleep. But the two nights DP is off, he pouts and grunts each time the baby wakes up, gets genuinely frustrated that his sleep has been interrupted - which of course makes me resentful that he's not helping. Oh, that resentful brain. it's a killer sometimes. i digress....

[lmclanahan]

My lo is almost 8 weeks, and sleeps much better now. At first, only cat naps of 15-20 minutes, then at the breast again. All waking time was spent being fed, being changed, or crying to be fed or changed, lol.
Now, she still nurses very frequently, but if she is in the sling, she will sleep up to an hour or two once or twice daily. NOT unless she is being held, though. Twenty minutes tops in the bed/basinnett without me laying with her. Usually she wakes right up.
Once it is evening, she will nurse and then sleep for 2-3 hours, only if I am next to her or holding her. She wakes at night to nurse, and we go back to sleep. I try not to change her at night if I can help it. As long as I am with her, she will nurse/sleep until 10 am or even later. (Maybe 24/7 if I had time to try it,lol).
Her alert times are for 10-15 minutes, a couple of times per day. She smiles and coos now.
I got more sleep before, because I was trying to take it easier. Now, I am *back* to normal, and having trouble getting to sleep before 1 am or so.
I don't think there is any real normal, honestly. Newborns are their own people, and they pretty much do what they want, lol.
As challenging as it is, I just love newborns. Sigh. They all grow up.


Leocea

[pastrygirl]

zenproof, thanks for the laugh!!! I really needed it.