Co- sleepers, How many consecutive hours of sleep do you get?

[JenniferJeffrey]

I keep a journal and I recently looked up our sleeping patterns over a months time. 3 to 4 nights per month I get a 4 to 5 hour unbroken stretch. The rest of the time 1/2 hour to 2 hour sometimes 3 hr stretches between being awakened. Sometimes it is terrible, with gas and/or teething and crying every 1/2 hr-1 hr all night. Other times the frequent waking is for quiet nursing and I still feel rested in the morning. Other times the nursing is back and forth back and forth back and forth from one side to the other and I feel pummelled in the morning!:rotflmao :bgbounce :bouncy

What about you?

[JenniferJeffrey]

I'm sure every night is not the same, so for the poll, I guess just vote for the majority of your nights and add more in a post if you wish.

How well do we sleep?

[pina la nina]

oooof JJ - that must be tough - my heart goes out to you. I'm a lucky gal - I generally get 3-4 hours at a stretch with my 7mo dd, though it can vary. I'm actually not sure I fully wake up each time, so I may not know the true number. But for example last night, I think we slept through from 9 until 6 am - man I felt soo good this morning! (When she was younger she would wake up more often but sleep late - until 8 or 9 - that was great too!)

[jasnjakesmama]

It varies. If he is teething he is on me all night constantly nursing. It's tough but I deal. I'm a SAHM so I usually try to nap with him after a tough night. Most nights he gets up every 3-4 hours which is not so bad.

[stormborn]

I voted 6 hrs on average but that dosn't include nursing, because niether of us fully wakes up now that she can latch on without help.

[mommaLiz]

Up until about three weeks ago we were getting one good 5 hour strech, but since Samantha (7 months) started really teething, she has nursing pretty much every hour or two. Luckily she's in bed with me, so neither of us really wakes up.

Yawn!

MommaLiz
Mommy to Samantha (9/7/2002)

[finnsmama]

me too, stormborn--dd nurses off and on all night, but I have no idea how often as I never wake up fully enough to look at the clock. We usually get about 8 hours of what I consider uninterrupted sleep. :thumb

love, Eliza

[symbiosis]

DD just turned 20 months and it's been within the past month that she has occasionally slept through the night!

I average about 6 hours per night (it's been a long time comin')...now if I'd only take advantage of the sleeping babe and get off the computer to get some zzzzzs too :)

[motherdownunder]

I have no idea. I don't really wake up when ds, 10 weeks, feeds so I couldn't say. Sometimes I try to work out how many times he fed by remembering which side he went to sleep on, which side he woke up on and think about how many times I might have turned over. Hmmmm......

With ds #1 I was totally absorbed by how few hours sleep I got, how many times he woke up, etc. Now I just jugde a good night from a bad by how tired I am in the morning. If I'm too tired to get up for my 6 am bike ride then it was a bad night or I stayed up too late on the 'puter.

[saige]

With my first I always payed attention to stuff like this,but with #2 I actually feel like I get more sleep (though I have no idea) because I can sleep while she nurses,I never watch the clock,and I know soon she'll grow out of this,and I want to enjoy it as much as I can.

[JenniferJeffrey]

oh, boy tough night last night. I don't watch the clock but I had to be awakened every 2 hours or fewer. Nursing each time, but with the constant switching from side to side. I cried from exhaustion this morning. :(

[mommybritt]

I didn't answer the poll because it's totally all over the map :rolleyes:

For one sweet blissful period when she was about 3-6 months old, she would only wake up about twice a night to nurse and we were all rested and happy. 6 months came and all hell broke loose overnight ;) She is currently getting her molars so we're back to every hour or so (I'm assuming, I have banished the bedroom clock but am guessing by how I feel and what dh tells me - he keeps his watch beside the bed!). I am much more at peace with it now, though, I just go with the flow.

[mama2m&m]

Ours varies depending on dd. But mostly it's above every 3 hours at night, sometime 2. I used to be able to latch her back on and fall back to sleep but can't do that anymore. For some reason I can't go back to sleep until she's finished nursing. She doesn't really nurse for that long but it seems long at the time. I never wake up feeling rested because my natural sleep cycle ends sometime after 9 a.m. I went to sleep at 8:30 last Friday night and woke up for the day at 7:00 a.m. and still felt tired. One day I'll get more sleep but I can wait while I cherish my little ones.

[Sahara]

We've had a rough last couple of nights (teething), but I only wake for a few minutes while he nurses and I might wake up once to go to the bathroom. Definately 4 hour stretches, most mornings I wake up feeling pretty good. When he was little I used to set an alarm to make myself get up every two hours to nurse him, we would go out to the couch where I could be good and alert to make sure he got plenty of milk :rolleyes:
Then he went through this period from about 3-5 months old where he slept 8-10 hours a night :D

[precious moments]

My ds wakes up on average every 3-4 hours, I think. I generally don't look at the clock, but I know he wakes up often b/c I switch sides to nurse him, and to change my own positioning(I don't like sleeping with my back towards him).
When he's teething however, like last night, he wakes up every hour or more, if he sleeps at all. He will be restless, irritable and in pain so I'll get up and rock him, walk around with him and give him consolin & teething gel (both homeopathic)and nurse him as often as he wants/needs to.
I know that this too shall pass, and I only have one child right now so the days that we do not get much sleep we sleep in, cuddle, read books and do calming activities. Actually, today ds has had 2 long (1-2hr.) naps, so I have been taking the day easy by posting!!!

[saige]

You should let his auntie play with him and you can go have a nap!! I miss my little boy!!!!!!

[precious moments]

Saige, if you miss my ds, then you will have to visit more often!!:D

[Cranberry]

3-4 hours, tops. I try not to look at the clock during the night. Unfortunatley, sometimes it takes me a loooooooooong time to get back to sleep. I will be almost back to sleep and he'll wake up again. It makes me want to scream, but the worst is when he wants to get up and play at 3am. Yikes!

[Kate]

All of you who have talked about teething make me feel so much better! We had some tough nights in the midst of that.

I'm pretty lucky, usually the little one (7 mos) goes 4 hours and then wakes more frequently after that. This is a guess though since I don't look at the clock. Last night, however, we got 6 or 7 hour stretch . . . but I view these rare nights when that happens as the gift they are and don't count on them to happen frequently!

Oh, and this is slightly off topic, but can I just say how jealous I am of all you mamas who hardly wake up to nurse? I can't sleep through nursing . . . I think because I have to be positioned just right (small breasts, alas) and it feels too much like a balancing act to sleep through.

[mamabug]

I guess that I am one of the lucky ones! I think that the co sleeping actually HELPS me get more sleep. For a few nights we tried the boys in one bed in one of their bedrooms, I could not sleep, I kept worrying if they were ok. They have both slept with us since birth and I really sleep better knowing that they are right next to me. Don't get me wrong I have the crazy notion that they might get stolen so having them with me is a little crazy part of me but I honestly like snuggling up to them and smelling their sweet baby necks at 2am. The kids go to sleep at around 8pm and then I go at around 11pm and I sleep soundly most night until 8am!

[mommapepper]

I'm pretty lucky, after the first month I've been able to sleep for almost ten hours at a stretch some nights.

[sanfranmom2be]

I get a maximun of three hours but with our babe in the bed with us the feedings are easy - I just role over and give him my boob. Sometimes I wake up to find him feeding on his own! He is only 51/2 weeks so I am guessing it will get better.

[kdmw]

I have been living the same nightlife as you! Some nights I manage to sleep 3-4 hours, and even sleep while my nine month old nurses; other nights I feel like I am all over the place. Our 5 year old and 3 year old also share our bedroom and my five year old has been grinding his teeth at night which drives me crazy. My 3 year old often talks in her sleep. My husband is lucky cause he's a deep sleeper. But what is a light sleeper to do?

[paula_bear]

DD, 26 mos, finally began sleeping through the night, as if by magic, the moment she turned 2! Seeing that she could do this, I now restrict middle-of-the-night nursings to times of deep distress. Otherwise, I explain, "It's nighttime, sweetie. No nice-nice until morning. Mama's right here next to you." She usually just accepts that, rolls over, and goes back to sleep. While every child is different, I think many toddlers are ready to relinquish their middle-of-the-night nursings before we realize...

DD has had a strange sleeping pattern from day one. For the first six months of her life, she slept through the night. Then, with teething, came night-waking, which lasted a full 18 mos. Now she's back to sleeping through the night, which I had begun to think would never happen.

I voted that I get 6 or more hours, because the opportunity exists, depending on my ability to get off the computer and into bed, :shake , but sometimes it seems that I'll never learn! I guess I'm so accustomed to tiredness, I bring it on myself...

[Megs Mom]

Changed my ID so I could more freely post on the more personal topics, like "How's Marriage?"

I voted three hours. Usually we are in bed together about eight hours and Meg wakes twice. I get up the third time and then put her back down. We all go to bed together around midnight, so the time I have on my own is in the morning rather than in the evening.

[Momof4]

Around 3 is my best guess with 4 mo dd and 6 yo dd in bed with me. But, is it really sleep. I don't think so. I think I am in a state of wakefulness all night long. Two nights ago 6 yo dd roll over and nearly kicked 4 mo dd in the head. I didn't really "see" it as much as I "felt" it and had my arm there before it could happen. It is very odd how "concious" you can be even when you are "asleep". My DH says the same about sleeping with the twins -- although he complains about it more that I. I think of it as a blessing not a curse.

[kdmw]

Isn't it interesting though how strong that momma instinct is? I guess we have it even in our sleep, because I have often found myself in the same situation.

[paula_bear]

Lately I have had to "protect" DH and 8 y/o DS from our 2 y/o DD - she is literally kicking them out of the bed! Sometimes I wake just in time to prevent DS from using DD as a pillow, though!

Edited to add: Isn't it strange that DD never bothers me or tries to kick me out of the bed? Sometimes she gets in that horizontal position, leaving me about 3" of space, but otherwise she leaves me pretty much unharmed...

[JenniferJeffrey]

paula-bear, stories like yours make me think we all should get together and write a fun story-book on co-sleeping. We have some entertaining experiences to share!

[Viola]

Last night she only woke up twice, but the night before she woke up 6 times, twice in one hour. I just never know how much sleep I'm going to get.

[bensmom]

My son is three and hasn't ever slept through the night. Yes, I am tired. He sometimes goes 4 hours and I feel lucky those nights. I nap everyday:coffee gets me through the rough days. He is still nursing about 10 times a day. But, we are happy.:)

[Lemon Balm]

Jennifer,
My situation sounds like yours. How old is your dd?/ds? I voted 2 hrs. My ds is 20 mos. & to some extent I've lost track. I'm really worried about my lack of sleep as I am going to have to go back to work. I'm trying to get something where I'd go in while dh & dds were still sleeping so I could be home in the afternoons. I'm going to need to go to bed really early & I'm afraid dd#2 won't be ready for sleep & that she'll wake even more since I'll be gone for a chunk of the day:eek

Ooops! My dd is 20 mos., I don't have a ds:confused:

[JenniferJeffrey]

Courtney,

My ds is 10 mo. I have been sleep deprived for 10 mo. But I am pretty used to it now. We nap every afternoon together. The good nights help carry me through the tough ones. I love sleeping with and night nursing my ds, reguardless. I am happy. A daily routine free from stress, newness, changes, over stimulation, etc seems to give us the brest recipe for good sleeping.

[moxy]

When I co-sleep with my son, I bring him into bed with me at about 12:00 a.m. (after he's been sleeping in his crib since around 8:00 p.m.), and he'll usually sleep until 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. When he sleeps in his crib, he usually sleeps from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. So you can see how tempting it is for me to just leave him in the crib :-)

[sweetmama]

My dd is 2.5 and only sleeps in our bed. I think we go 2-3 hours usually, with more frequent nursing toward morning. It blows me away sometimes to think about how well I am functioning considering how long it has been since I got a full night of uninterrupted sleep. Sometimes I get a little cranky with the back and forth thing, I have never slept through nursing, but all in all, I'm a happy cosleeping mama...all the snuggling, the sounds she makes, her breath blowing on me, the smell of her damp sweaty head. I might have to go get in bed right now!

[JenniferJeffrey]

I had a charmed laugh when I read your post, sweetmama. I'm with you all the way.

[paula_bear]

Sometimes it amazes me that my prolactin still kicks in even after more than 2 yrs. of nursing DD. While I cannot sleep thru a night nursing, I find it nearly impossible not to drift off when DD nurses herself to sleep. This really frustrates DH because I go to sleep at 9 pm and we don't get to spend any time together! I really try to stay awake when DH is home, but I can't fight it! Anyone else have this experience?

[JenniferJeffrey]

paula_bear, maybe you need the sleep? I love falling asleep as my ds nurses to sleep. He can't sleep without me, is a high needs frequent wake and nurser, so I sleep when he does as much as I can. I don't always fall right asleep with him, but most nights I do.
Jennifer

[monkeymama]

oh that damp sweaty head!!! i love that too! :love

MonkeyMama

[Kayoz]

My 4 week old never seems to sleep for more than one or two hours at a time in bed, although he will sometimes sleep for 3 or four hours on my chest sitting on the couch (or the same with his dad). I've tried putting him in the cot which is next to our bed sidecar style, in case he is disturbed by us moving, but there he's lucky to stay asleep for 15 minutes. I haven't mastered nursing him in bed yet, especially in the dark, but in any case he very rarely goes to sleep right after nursing - usually he takes at leasty an hour or two, and most often he's grizzly with wind for much of that.

Is all that normal for a newborn? Will he grow out of the wind and learn to sleep? He's only twice fallen asleep not in my or his Dad's arms. Once after nursing in bed (during the day of course), and yesterday morning when I put him down on the couch next to me when he was nearly asleep because I just sensed that that's what he wanted. Then I lay down with him and we slept for nearly 2 hours.

[paula_bear]

Kayoz, yes it does get better. In a few weeks, nursing while lying down will become a breeze. Although difficult with a newborn, it can be done. I found the only way it would work for me was to cradle DD's head in the crook of my arm. Also, the gasiness should ease up as DS's digestive system develops. However, you may want to avoid aggravating foods such as cabbage, broccoli, excess garlic (see more on this in any good nursing or baby book.) My best suggestion is for you to continue napping when DS does so you aren't thoroughly worn out. If you can't get help with domestic chores, do what you can with DS in a sling or baby carrier, rather than waiting for him to nap.

Good luck and hang in there! If you need more support, head over to the Breastfeeding forum.

[Solange]

I just now get my 6 hour stretch-ds(23.5 months) still nurses here and there but it is rare until early a.m.-when he was a new born I got maybe a 2 hour stretch-but hence a bf baby sleeps nothing like a ff baby-so mamma has to be available for feedings b/c bm goes thru so quick...rambling sorry.....
:flower

[kdmw]

Kayoz-- oh how I sympathize. My ds had such a hard time with nursing at first, I could never nurse him without a light on because he had such a hard time latching on. Nursing in bed was impossible. All of this surprised me because I had already nursed my two older children, each for around 2 years. It does get easier, and your baby will learn fast. DS now nurses so frequently in the night and he is such a pro that sometimes I don't even notice.
My advice to you is to let that babe sleep on your chest and you'll get the longest stretch of sleep. I found that to be the position where our longest stretches of sleep happened too, and thus I didn't fight it. Eventually I got used to, and even enjoyed ds drooling on my chest while we both dozed.
Good luck and try to remember that this time is so fleeting-- try to enjoy it.

[m&m]

When my first dd was an infant, I had either a hard time sleeping because I'd worry about smothering, or I'd sleep so soundly she got into the habit of nudging her papa to get him to wake me up to bf - I'd sleep through the whole thing. (I never rolled though)

Now - with my 2cd dd - I wake up for her - and when she's hungry she either sucks her thumb or starts breathing differently. so quiet. I can't believe how much I've changed.

As for amount of sleep - I wake up for either cosleeper 1 per night. sometimes fully awake bf / sometimes leg cramps or nightmares. I sleep through other nursing sessions. although I get most tired if my 8month old is nursing more often than usual.

we usually get 11 hours of total sleep! from midnight to 11am -with the baby taking 2-4 naps day/eve as well.

[levar]

There wasnt any sort of age to this? That makes a HUGE difference!! When he was born, I got 30min if I was lucky! It slowly slowly oh so slowly [think the slowest turtle you can imagine] improved so that now at 2yrs old he finally sleeps about 7-10 hr stretches.

I also have noticed this honestly has nothing at all to do with co sleeping [in fact, co sleepers get MORE sleep I think] than with responding at night. What I mean by that is my friends who dont CIO but dont co-sleep either get alot less sleep than I do. They are in and out of bed comforting their babes back to sleep all night, but I just pat my sons back [half the time not waking] or nurse for a minute [again barely waking] and we go right back to sleep.

Anyway, since my son is 2yrs old I picked the 6+ hrs, but would've picked any of the others at all sorts of different ages too.

~Sandie

[stirringleaf]

i co-sleep, and the last 2 nights i was up sooo much. last night ds woke up at 3am and stayed up till 6, then slep 20 minutes so i woke dh up, handed ds over and slept a light 2 hrs alone...if only i could have longer! but ds needed to nurse...ds has been doing this thing where he falls asleep at 7 or 8, wakes at 12 or 1 to nurse, goes back to sleep and wakes every 1 to 2 hours till 7:30 when his eyes pop open wider than i ever see them, and we get up or some days dh takes him and i nap. some days i handle it better than others, but i used to need 10 hours of sleep before so this is wearing me out. however, like many of you have said you do, i just try to take it in stride...:rolleyes:

[Megs Mom]

Last night we tried something new, a la Elizabeth Pantley. DD and I went to bed around 11:30 pm and the first time she woke up DH put her back to sleep (cuddles, back pats, etc.). I didn't think she'd go for it, but it was successful! So, she didn't nurse for the first time until the next wake-up, at 5 am. I was so excited!

[Cranberry]

This is the night I had last night:

DS went to sleep at 9:30, I went to bed at 10, and DH probably about midnight. At 1:00 am DS wakes up and won't nurse back to sleep. After about 45 minutes, he wants to get up, so we do. We're up til 4 am, then sleep til 9:30. Yikes! I hope I get to nap later...

edited to add: My sleep from 4 to 9:30 was NOT uninterrupted. He woke up at least once to nurse!

[rysmama]

My dd is 2 1/2 years old. She has never slept (consistently) more than 2 hours in a row. We have recently been logging her sleep and two nites in the past 3 weeks she slept about a six hour stretch. The components of those nites included having a clear bedtime routine, bath, and eating pasta for dinner. I don't really think I can feed her pasta every nite, but don't think I'm not tempted.

[Megs Mom]

Originally posted by rysmama
My dd is 2 1/2 years old. She has never slept (consistently) more than 2 hours in a row. We have recently been logging her sleep and two nites in the past 3 weeks she slept about a six hour stretch. The components of those nites included having a clear bedtime routine, bath, and eating pasta for dinner. I don't really think I can feed her pasta every nite, but don't think I'm not tempted.

I imagine you are tempted! You could, however, feed her carb-focused dinners every night. Pasta, then rice, then bread, etc., yes?

We are finding the bedtime routine to be very helpful. I wish we could do a bath every night, Meg LOVES her baths, but she has eczema and they dry her out too much. We do try to do every other night.

[stinkerbean's mom]

My dd is 9 months old. She goes to sleep around 8pm and is up for the day around 7am. However, she wakes to nurse every 2-2.5 hours. At this point, I am a very sleep deprived mommy, and am tempted to try the No Cry method by Pantley(sp?). I have not read the book yet, is 9 mos(almost 10 mo) too early to start trying?? I don't expect her to sleep through the night (although I wish), I only want to sleep a little longer.

[Megs Mom]

There are a couple of Pantley threads in this forum.

[lizzk]

Devon's tough to get to sleep, but once he's down he sleeps like an angel. He still nurses a few times in the night, but he doesn't disrupt my sleep enough for me to even tell you how often.

[Dr. Mojo]

Our 7 month boy wakes every 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hours for the last 4 months. The sleep deprivation is devastating, to the degree that I sometimes feel that parents who get 3 or 4 hours sleep at night consistently have absolutely no idea how difficult having a child can be. Its like one person hiking a mountain with a backpack and another with a refrigerator. Filled. They're both hard, but come on, do they really compare? The rare times we have slept 3 or 4 hours we awake feeling superhuman, like alien beings with powers far beyond that of mere mortals!

Does ANYONE have ANY ideas on how to extend the nightime sleeping period without putting him in another room and letting him cry it out?

[sixkids35]

Breastfeeding and co-sleeping go so well together. This is the only way I get sleep.The dd nurses 2 times a night. She may nurse more I just don't remember or don't wake up fully to care.
I wish more people would co-sleep. It may cut down on SIDS. I like reading James McKenna's literatures.

[Megs Mom]

Dr. Mojo, :W

I highly recommend The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley, but I believe some here disagree with me. Go to www.pantley.com/elizabeth for more information, good luck, and keep us updated!

ETA: I agree with the above poster. Pantely is very supportive of breastfeeding and co-sleeping.

[simonee]

DD is almost 3, I sleep about 4 hours straight max. And it's never been more than that....

I work at home, so I work 3 or 4 hours at nite after she goes to bed (around midnite if we're lucky). She usually nurses once in that stretch, sometimes not, and then when I come to bed. Then it's every 4 hours on a good night (meaning I only wake up once or twice), and every 2 hours on a bad one. Yes, I'm tired, even though we don't wake up till 11 or noon. She doesn't nap, either. And I sleep on the wall side (to support my poor back), so I'm often pushed pretty tight.

Still, I wouldn't want to give it up for anything. How else can you wake up in the middle of the night with a kid turning toward you and muttering in her dream, "snacky, mama..." :D

And yeah, the sweaty head... mmmmmm.....

[MommyErin]

Originally posted by MilkfaceMama

For one sweet blissful period when she was about 3-6 months old, she would only wake up about twice a night to nurse and we were all rested and happy. 6 months came and all hell broke loose overnight ;)


(Short time reader, first time responder) :)
Thank you so much, MfM. This is exactly what happened to us and I was beginning to think I might be crazy and/or was doing something wrong. You have given me a great sense of relief. Tashi nurses every hour to two hours now whereas she was waking only once or twice a night for months .

It seems that just when I'm about to lose my mind, Mothering comes to the rescue again. None of my local peers are into breastfeeding beyond 6 months or co-sleeping so my only day-to-day support comes from my family. It's great to read all the posts here from like-minded individuals who aren't swayed by the mainstream media.

Thanks again!

[tessamami]

If DD nurses during the night I do not notice it. I think she does maybe 2-3 times a night.

And like Paula_Bob I drift right off nursing her down LOL!

[dream]

i should have read this thread before i posted this morning..
well for a few months i would have voted 5 hours sometimes 6) for the past coupla weeks this has all changed... and now i am at 1 hour. :coffee

[comet]

Every 2 hrs is about our average (I think). Rarely it's 4-5 hrs, and rarely it's every 30 mins! A lot of it doesn't seem so bad, I latch her on and go back to sleep after she's done. But the every 30 mins sucks!

[robin-ma]

i'm not sure--when ds was an infant i removed the clock from easy view so i wouln't go crazy but i think it may be about 3-5 hours avg

[truly_sarah]

My little co-sleeper is 25 months. I generally get as much sleep as I want or am able to get. When I lose sleep it's never because of my little co-sleeper but because of stuff I gotta get done or like recently because of getting some kind of cough-cold thing and my coughing fits would wake me up. He stopped nursing around 18 months but before that for a few months I don't think he was nursing in the middle of the night. So I guess from about 12-14 months onward I've been getting pretty good sleep.

I think all children are different. Mine just happens to like to sleep. He usually takes a nap during the day too if he is not too 'busy' but his nap doesn't seem to affect his ability to sleep through...if he doesn't have a nap then he falls asleep earlier in the evening. He goes to bed with someone reading to him and falls asleep but after he's asleep then he doesn't need anyone in the bed. A cold or vacant bed in the morning means he will get up earlier...if I stay in bed then maybe he will sleep in a bit longer...the rising time does have its limits though.

I have always been a sound sleeper and my older son as well. My partner has always been a bit of a finicky sleeper, needs to have things just so to sleep and will often wake up during the night and have trouble getting back to sleep. He's the oddball in the family. The rest of us love to sleep and have no trouble doing so whenever, wherever.

Sarah

[texasmama]

I can usually get about 4 hours sleep from dd. I don't get that much sleep though. Dh wants to play whild dd is asleep. then I get to waken with dd. she gets more sleep than i do.

[truly_sarah]

Texasmama I hear you on that one. It sure doesn't matter how much sleep you get if your waking hours are all consumed doing stuff for other people. Bottom line is no "me time" on any sleep schedule is just going to feel exhausting. Don't you just hate it when you get all caught up and are going to go to bed or sit down and have a little cup of tea and the little alarms go off in someone's head that you are free and available? Then the phone rings or someone needs to have an inane conversation or worse just come and stand in the middle of the room and hang out. What's up with that, I may ask......!!!!!

Sarah

[Momof3Girlz]

Wow! That's the million dollar question isn't it? LOL...I'd say between 3-4 hours between nursings.

[nikirj]

I am a very lucky woman in that both my kids started out with a 6 hour sleep period, right from birth. Of course everyone told me to wake them up to eat, and of course I didn't. My daughter stopped waking at night when we night-weaned a little after she turned 2. My son still wakes once at night after that 6 hour mark.

I think that in addition to it being their natural rhythms, it may have something to do with the fact that I have a bit of an oversupply, and when I lay down with my baby to nurse to sleep we will have a super-long nursing session (as opposed to the average 5 minute one during the day) and baby really tanks up for the night.

[Indigomama]

I voted every 6 hours though I know ds wakes up more than this. (DH sometimes is woken up). Myself, I have groggy memories of ds latching on, but I hardly register.

[Kalliesmama]

Well I voted 2 hours because that's what I get when she's not teething. I would get more if I could just convince her to nurse with us both lying down (she insists that i sit up with her in my lap)...we've been working on that one for 11 months now :rolleyes:

[Piglet68]

This thread has been going for a long time now!

The only problem with it is that it probably depends on the child's age. I voted back when DD was a newborn, and even then we were doing great at about 4 hours between night feedings. But for a long time now she's been going 7 hours between feedings (except for a few days in there when she was teething more than usual). So we've been in the "luxury" category for some time now, lol!

[LailaCA]

I too am not getting much sleep at night. My 6 month old son wakes every one to 1 1/2 hours. He does not nurse a lot, maybe 20 minutes....but it seems he wants to know I am there. This lack of consecutive sleep is absolutely killing me. I wish someone in my family could take over say from 9-12 and I could get some hours. I know I should sleep when he naps, however, there is so much housework to do....and no help in that arena either. UGH! I can not wait till he sleeps at least 4 hours in a stretch.:crying

[paula_bear]

If your six-month-old doesn't seem to need to nurse during all of his frequent night wakenings, perhaps you could just offer him some reassurance that you're there. Humming worked (still works) wonders for me in getting both of my children to sleep. You can do it with your eyes closed and just allow yourself to relax. I found that in the beginning, I could practically sleep through the nighttime nursings, but the older my child became, the more difficult (and eventually, impossible) I found it to sleep while nursing. Perhaps it has something to do with levels of prolactin decreasing. Anyway, you may feel better rested if you don't nurse your baby each and every time he wakes during the night.
Good luck,
Paula
P.S. It WILL get better! You will get that 4 hour stretch of sleep, hopefully soon!

[tarablesue]

I chose 6 or more because it isn't too frequent that my 2YO wakes to nurse...usually early am anyway and 6MO wakes so quietly I plop my boob in her mouth and I am back in dreamland:wink OH how I love co-sleeping:):):)\
Of corse, we have bad nights too....usually when one occurs they are consecutive for weeks...I happened to readthis thread on a good week or 2 stretch...lol
Take care,
Tara

[richardsmom]

Wow. I'm glad I checked out this poll. Somehow I feel a little better knowing that I am not alone. I get btwn a 1 hour and 2 hour stretch. I don't know anyone else who is both cosleeping and bfing. (So everyone else I know with a baby right now sleeps really well.) I have to admit I was jealous of my sister in law who has a baby that slept through the night as soon as she came home!

I think it would be much easier if I didn't work because I could sleep in longer. I get up at 5 AM. My SAHD and DS keep on sleeping until around 8 or 9. (So I am jealous of DH also.)

I used to be able to bf DS and fall asleep, but now that doesn't happen as often. I think I just can't get as comfortable. I am now trying to get ds to fall back asleep by rubbing his back, which sometimes does the trick.

Brooks, Mom to Richard - 7 1/2 months
Wife to Ric

[nicema]

I am with you Laila. Sometimes I wonder if I should try any of these "methods" of teaching baby to sleep, and maybe become a "better" mother during the day, b/c being sleep deprived is turning me into a monster, irritated, inpatient, that I feel I am losing it, constantly in this fog, can't think straight. I need to go back to work, just a few hours a day, but it seems such an impossible idea. I guess I am just desperate!

[Jyotsna]

I usually get 8 - 9 hours of sleep every night! If I go to bed with my kids at 8:30, I get even more!

My main co-sleeper nurses on and off through the night, and I usually don't notice. Some nights we wake up for a few moments, and I notice that she is looking at me. I say hi, and she giggles, then we go back to sleep. Very sweet.

[CerridwenLorelei]

its due to dh's snoring...

[PrinceE&LsMom]

My little guy (7 months) goes to sleep sometime between 10-11pm for the night. I stay up till 1am ish and he sleeps right through until 6amish (no nursing at all) then eats and stays asleep until 9am when I feel him start pulling my hair to say wake up momma! So I get a 6 hour stretch but if I went to bed with him I'd get an 8 hour stretch.

[JesseMomme]

Hey PrinceEL'sMomma, I found you at last ! :wink
I picked 4 hours of straight sleep, though if I went to bed when the kids nd baby fell asleep I would get alot more. But when the kids are asleep it is the only "me" time I get, so I stay up, unless I'm really beat. The other night I layed down with the baby to nurse him to sleep and I wound up nursing me to sleep lol. Woke up and it was midnight, oye! Ds will sleep from about 8-9pm until 1-3am, kinda depends. He's three months old now. So I'm usually awake to nurse him back to sleep, and we both sleep soundly until my younger two boys wake up, and lately that has been between 6-7am, yuck. However, once I've gotten up and taken care of the boys, Ds is still conked out, so I go take a nap on the couch.

[eclipse]

well, i have a two year old and he's been sleepign through for several months now without wakign to nurse. unfortunately, this didn't happen until i was already pregnant, so now rather than wakign several times to nurse, i'm wakign several times to pee! otherwise i would be getting at least 6 hous at a stretch.

[solekat205]

Originally posted by CerridwenLorelei
its due to dh's snoring...
HA HA my Dh's snoring keeps me up more then the baby too. I sleep for 4 hrs at a time bc DS nurses every 4 hrs at nite.

[Quaniliaz]

I get the first six hours of the night to sleep in peace. :zzz
Sage is 4 months right now, and she has been a great sleeper since the start. She nurses every hour after the first six until gets up.

I know I would get WAY less sleep if she didn't sleep with us. She rarely sleeps for more than 1/2 hour if I'm not right next to her or holding her. Sometimes she wakes up when I am gone to brush my teeth. :rolleyes:

[Evergreen]

dd goes 8 hrs without waking, but my boobs can only go 6. i wake up with them leaking but get to watch her sleeping as i try to empty them a bit.

[mama_kass]

Wow! We sleep through everynight! It is only on occasion that we have had broken sleep. Of course when my baby was younger we were up more but, he has been sleeping through the night since 4 months old. I had no idea that so many babies have troubles! I am very sorry that so many of you have had these troubles.

I really thought our situation was more the majority and that constant waking was more the minority. Or it could be that so many mamas come here for support of nightwaking, and few with out problems come to this board and that is why the numbers look as they do.

Wishing everyone better :zzz

[acsw]

I think I voted on this with my son, too but I just had to come back. My 13 week old went 10 hours twice this week and rarely goes below 6. Co-sleeping babies can naturally sleep through the night. I have "done" the same things (except I've always swaddled dd) with both babies and ds didn't go 6 hours until I nightweaned him at 11 months and dd went 6 hours at 5 weeks. A lot of it is temperment. Dd is much mellower.
Anne

[kimmysue2]

6-8 hours. My son is co-sleeps and nursing during the night is not a bother as we both pretty much keep on sleeping.

I only wish he would sleep in on the weekends like he does on the week days :D

[elisma]

how do you amazing women do it? my son elias wakes every hour and a half to two hours. i wake up in the night and feel like i could scream until my head bursts (like it would help me sleep)luckily my partner glenn takes the morning shift and i can get two hours rest. i refuse to give into the constant statement of let him cry it out or put him in his own room. any suggestions?:hippie

[richardsmom]

I wish I had advice. My ds is 11 months and is now back to waking up every 2 hours. The most sleep I've had with him was about a couple of months ago where he slept for 5-6 hours straight (but that lasted only a week!) I personally don't think he will sleep better until I nightwean him.
I would love to get just one night of unbroken sleep! I am considering having dh sleep with ds by himself one night this week.

[elisma]

richardsmom
let me know if that works. i am a little afraid of nightweening, as i think a deep part of me thinks that " no one else can do this" which i know is ridiculoius. also my dh doesn't here eli when he wakes, so no matter what room i am in i would probably hear him first. our doula asked if there was anyone in the family who would take him over night so we could get some sleep, but no one will until he sleeps through the night. lastnight ds slept for a 4 hour stretch for the first time ever!!!!!! when he woke in the morning at 7 he played till 9 and then my dh brought him back to bed and we all slept until 11. i feel like a new woman but i won't count on it happening again soon, (just to be safe):zzz

[dswmom]

It's so nice to hear that I'm not alone in my sleep deprived world. My 8 mo. ds usually wants to go to bed between 7pm & 8, but will wake up each hour until around 10 then his sleep stretches get a little longer, but he maxes out at 3 hours straight. Then it tends to go in reverse. Waking every 2 hours then every hour until he wakes up between 7 & 8am.

This whole sleep schedule often makes me wonder if he is suffering in some way--by not getting enough consecutive sleep hours. Those of you who have older children who went through these wacky hours when they were babies do you see any evidence of sleep problems now?

[stirringleaf]

guess what. i just talked to a mom who nightweened her son, and he was almost sleepng more at first but now he just wakes up as much as ever, only he doesnt need to nurse to fall back to sleep. she therfore doesnt think nursing had to do with the waking, that its just the thing her son does. i feel both relieved and exasperated hering that....releived cuz i can stop worrying that i am contributing somehow to the 2 hour sleep cycles, and exasperated cuz i just really would love for there to be a solution so i can sleep! :)

[hummingbear]

We usually start with a 2 or maybe even a three hour stretch and then they get shorter through the night. some nights I get a 4 hour stretch!!!!:D And some nights are the ping pong matches.

But I thought that I was right there in with the average and from reading a few replies I see that I'm not:confused:

I have been patiently waiting until DS last molars come in hoping that we will all get more uninterupted sleep then. But am I having pipe dreams?

Ann

[BusyMommy]

Never more than an hour. I am so freaking tired I could :Puke . Sorry.:brush I am just wiped out. Been this way since daycare started a month ago. Every half hour and he won't let go. He'll half eat for hour stretches all night. I am simply dying. 5 weeks till summer vacation.:zzz

[milkymama]

Just wanted to say after nightweaning my 20 mo ds that he sleeps all night long! 8:30-7!!!! Hooray. It worked for us. Sending lots of naps and encouragement to all of you mamas! :love

[sheenjek]

Generally one 3 hr stretch followed by many 2 hr stretches. Before he learned to crawl he was sleeping mostly 3-4 hr stretches (for about a month). Last night was especially bad, he woke up probably about 10 times total.

[Irish]

My answer would have been different every month so far. My first did her 1st 4 hour stretch at 10 months and I woke in a panic - she almost never slept more than 2 hours until she was almost 4 years old.

This time with my second, she slept through right from birth (6 hours or more) until the day she turned 3 months (long enough for AF to return:hopmad ) and then she started waking every hour or two. After getting 6 teeth in the last three weeks she's back to waking only twice a night.

I honestly think it has a lot to do with babes personality in combination with milestones etc and have come to the conclusion that, other than watching for their cues, it's a huge waste of my time and energy to invest it in finding 'sleep solutions'. This time around I've focused more on how to help ME deal with the nightwaking and it's like night and day...

[rzberrymom]

Wow, someone resurrected a thread that's 5 1/2 years old!!?!

[*Melissa*]

What is the meaning of this phrase "consecutive hours of sleep"? You mean some people sleep more than one hour at a time?!?~?!?!?


Oh, memories!!!

[Enchanted Gypsy]

Since DD was born she has slept all through the night . On average about 8 pm to 7 am. Then in the afternoon she takes a two or more hour nap. Honest !!

[Severine]

Well, let's see. It's 3:41AM and I've been up for over 2.5 hrs now. I think I have more consecutive awake hours overnight than asleep. :irked:

DS was great in the beginning. He'd sleep 5 hrs, nurse, 3 hrs, nurse, 2 hrs, up for the day. Now... I'm lucky if he sleeps 1.5/2 hrs feeding to feeding. It's supposed to get better as they get older, right?

DD... we didn't cosleep with her and I only breastfed her the first month. She was sleeping through the night at 11/12 weeks. I have to say, sleep-wise anyway, I'm not convinced this is the "better" way.... :nut

[~Purity♥Lake~]

I voted 6 or more.
This has been true since my youngest was about 9 months old, so only for three months now.
But I love it.
She only wakes once, if at all, during the night to nurse, and she doesn't even wake up all the way, and neither do I, so I don't think that counts.
If I go to bed shortly after my girls have fallen asleep, I can get up to 11 hours of sleep at night, but I usually don't go to bed until they've already been asleep for two hours.
But, I NEED 9 hours of sleep to function.

[lurve]

i don't know what to vote because honestly i am not sure. i just can't remember how many times she wakes up and if/when she does 99 percent of the time it is for seconds and not a big deal (except for last night where she thought 2:45 would be a perfect time to party!)

[stormborn]

Wow, someone resurrected a thread that's 5 1/2 years old!!?!

Hehe, I thought it was cool to see what I voted when dd was a 6 mo boobie leech.:lol I'm happy to report that she's now 6 years old and I can sleep for 10 hours if want!

[becoming]

We co-sleep with our baby who is not quite 2 months, and he wakes every 2 hours to eat. He wakes at 11:00, 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00. And I actually feel really well rested!

[DisplacedYooper]

In general, I get one 4-5 hour stretch from 12 to 4 or 5ish. Of course, if DS is sick, teething, etc, it can go down to hourly wakings. :-( But fortunately, that's not too frequent.

[Beppie]

6 or more hours, but that's only been since dd#1 was 22 months old in May, and it will change in December once dd#2 arrives. So I'm enjoying my sleep now in preparation for the following 2 years in which I'm sure I won't be getting much!

[AnnesMoM]

My ds usually wakes at 11:30 and then again at 3:00 and then at 6:30. I'm not complaining at all since when I co-slept with dd she wouldn't sleep for more than 45 min at a time until she was 18 months. :(

[orangefoot]

i don't know what to vote because honestly i am not sure. i just can't remember how many times she wakes up and if/when she does 99 percent of the time it is for seconds and not a big deal

:yeah: