When will sleeping at night get better?!?!?!

If this makes a difference, I bf exclusively. I also seem to post lots of sleep related questions/concerns, I apologize for the redundancy! I just feel a little desperate about this subject matter.

Our dd was getting better with sleeping longer at night but now has regressed! When I say longer I mean about 4 hours in between feeds, however, she did do a 7 hour stretch ONCE. Anyway, they both didn't sleep very well last night and here I thought things were improving. Her crying spells that she would have decreased significantly this week but re-emerged last night. My dh has been consistently putting her down because all she wants to do is nurse, which would prolong bedtime and actually make her more crabby. I even pump once during the night for her and have my husband give her the EBM in a bottle.

I read posts stating their little ones were sleeping through the night by 8 weeks, well ours are 11 weeks and sleep on average 2-3 hour intervals at night. I should be grateful they are sleeping at all, but when is this corner going to turn?! Am I not nursing them enough at night, I just don't know anymore. They nap pretty well during the day for the most part, I just would love for them to sleep better at night. Maybe they sleep too much during the day. Is that possible? When did your little ones start sleeping better at night? I would LOVE to know! THANKS!

 

If this makes a difference, I bf exclusively. I also seem to post lots of sleep related questions/concerns, I apologize for the redundancy! I just feel a little desperate about this subject matter.

Our dd was getting better with sleeping longer at night but now has regressed! When I say longer I mean about 4 hours in between feeds, however, she did do a 7 hour stretch ONCE. Anyway, they both didn't sleep very well last night and here I thought things were improving. Her crying spells that she would have decreased significantly this week but re-emerged last night. My dh has been consistently putting her down because all she wants to do is nurse, which would prolong bedtime and actually make her more crabby. I even pump once during the night for her and have my husband give her the EBM in a bottle.

I read posts stating their little ones were sleeping through the night by 8 weeks, well ours are 11 weeks and sleep on average 2-3 hour intervals at night. I should be grateful they are sleeping at all, but when is this corner going to turn?! Am I not nursing them enough at night, I just don't know anymore. They nap pretty well during the day for the most part, I just would love for them to sleep better at night. Maybe they sleep too much during the day. Is that possible? When did your little ones start sleeping better at night? I would LOVE to know! THANKS!

 

Oh goodness, whos babies were sleeping through at 8 weeks?? That would be some sort of miracle in my opinion!!

Ours slept through the first time at 12 weeks, and we put the dreaded rice cereal in the bottle that night. We had about a solid month of great sleep with our newfound cereal trick, then it all fell apart at 4 months when they got rotovirus. We did a few nighttime feedings in there, but now we only do binkie rescues and cuddling at night. There hasn't been a night in awhile when neither of us got up, but it is better than it was. We just have to get tough and do CIO with DD, but she is a screamer, so we have just been too chicken.

 

I exclusively bf and Wesley is still (at five months) a three hour waker. IN fact last night he woke up EVERY HOUR!

It will get better eventually.

 

I'm right there with you. However,mine are getting better. They are having at least one stretch 4-5 hours at night. We seem to have the evening fussies at my house though. It last anywhere from 5pm to 11pm, sometimes midnight.

One thing I started was not letting them nap longer than two hours during the day, trying to help get them do their longest stretch of sleep sometime at night. We are formula fed at my house, and from what I've read, BF babies tend to need fed more often.

I would lay my life down right now for any single stretch of sleep greater than 2.5 hours All I can say is that it will get better. I don't even remember this part of life from my first set of twins.

Crystal

 

I don't think breastfeeding or bottle feeding makes any difference in sleeping through the night. I think it is a myth so don't worry about breastfeeding, they will still sleep - eventually.
My twins started waking up only 1 time a night around 3 months and then cut out all night-time feedings at 5 months. I know it is a long way off and you are more tired than anyone can understand, but be patient - it will come.

 

i dont know of anobodys baby pr babies that have slept all night at 8 wks. wow that would be amazing.
mine are 8 mths and still dont go all night. caden will but caleb still sometimes wakes up. 8 wks is like only 2 mths god i wish i had a 2 mth old that slept all night. my singelton whom is now 3.5. didnt sleep all night until 7 mths. i know its hard ive been theire and im still theire sometimes but eventually it will happen. they are still so YOUNG i wouldnt get my hopes up just yet. sorry if that made things worse .

good luck

 

I thought I'd post -- not to be the bearer of bad news, but just so that those in the same boat don't feel alone (I sometimes do!). Mine are over 4 months and one is regularly up every 3 hours. The other will do longer stretches (as long as 7 hours), but lately is back to 3.

Kim

 

My girls were down to eating once at night around 3 or 3 1/2 months old. So they were sleeping from about 8 or 9 to 2 or 3, eating, then sleeping until 5 or 6. At 4 months Bella dropped the night feed and started sleeping through, and Josie followed about 2 weeks later.

 

I'm not sure how much help I'll be since my guys are FF, but here goes...

The way that I was able to get my guys to sleep thru was to get all their calories in during the day, then start reducing the ounces they got at night. After awhile, they stopped eating at night. Eventually they stopped waking up (about two weeks later...go figure!)

Maybe you could try holding them off for 15 minutes each night to see if they can stretch out the time in between?

Since you're BFing, I don't think the goal should be sleeping thru just yet...you just want longer stretches, like 4 hours right? I planned to BF (only made it one week before switching to pumping), but it seems like in several of the books I read that holding them off a little bit will make them hungrier so that they really eat rather than "snack", kwim?

I would check on the BFing board. Maybe they can help.

Shannon

 

I have "talked" w/you on the bfing board, but anyways....one of mine will sleep with anywhere from 4-10hrs at night but ds STILL wakes every 1-3hrs at night!!!!!! Every child is different.

Kristi
Molly and Zach almost 7 months

 

Sarah started sleeping through (7pm to 6am) at about 3.5 months. It was a miracle. We did nothing to make it happen -- she had a cold, she was sleepy, she slept through for a couple of nights, then she got better but she kept sleeping through!

Amy kept having two bottles (roughly 1am and 4am) until about 5-6 months (I'm already forgetting...). Then she dropped the first one, but kept having the 4am one until just a few weeks ago (they're almost 14 months). She's now gradually giving it up. But other than that, she more or less slept through the night since 6 months or so -- meaning that she slept 7pm-4am, drank her bottle, and went back down till 6 or 7am.

 

Hugs to all the 1st year twin moms....it's just HARD! Chloe probably started sleeping pretty good by about 3-4 months but not through the night completely. She still woke 1 or 2x for feedings. Addison was a different story altogether! She didn't sleep well for the first 9 months at all! Looking back, I really think most of it was to do with her reflux. I finally figured out around 6-7 mos that when she would wake (like clockwork) around midnight, to just go ahead and move her to the living room swing. I felt bad leaving her in there by herself, but she would then go back to sleep and sleep most of the rest of the night. But if I left her in her crib, she would not. I think the sitting up at an angle just really helped. At about 9-10 mos, I decided, it was time to learn to sleep in her bed all night. It worked pretty well by that time. She is actually a better sleeper now and Chloe will wake 1x every 2 weeks or so for her nuk that she's lost. Addie pretty much is knocked out all night now. You can do it!

 

My girls were 4 1/2 or 5 months before they finally slept through the night. They were breastfeed until 4 months and then formula fed and on cereal. It really didn't make a difference. I did notice they were waking at the same time every night and began to let them cry for a few minutes to see if it was just a habit. Within 10 minutes they were back to sleep and after about three days they kicked the habit and began sleeping through the night.

 

I agree the previous poster- i don't really think it matters whether you BF or FF. I BF my first dd, and she started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks! I dont know why, if I did, I would certainly do it to my twins...who at 6 months, are not sleeping through the night. They did for about a week before their 3mth growth spurt, and then they quit. Can't seem to get them back on track. The twins are now FF (just finished BFing at 6mths)...and they are eating some solids, so honestly, I do not think food matters (except in the very very beginning). I have read quit a few articles that it is more neurological than hunger, and I agree.
I would think that your twins should start having a 4-5 hour stretch soon. Like the other poster mentioned, try pushing out their feedings at night...start with just 5-10 minutes and so on. I know some people say they purposefully clusterfeed in the evenings...I dont know if this helps or not.

 

Thanks all for taking the time to respond! You all are great!

 

quote:
However,mine are getting better. They are having at least one stretch 4-5 hours at night. We seem to have the evening fussies at my house though. It last anywhere from 5pm to 11pm, sometimes midnight.


Yep, exactly the same here--particularly the evening fussies part! Ronan (bf) has started to do a 4-5 stretch most nights, then is up every 2 1/2 - 3 hours the rest of the time. He started doing longer stretches at the same time as he decided to do a marathon nursing session (30min each side) before going to sleep, so I think the longer stretches came at a point when his internal clock finally realized what "bedtime" means, if that makes sense.

Declan, who's primarily ff (long story), will occasionally do a 4 hr stretch, but most nights is up every 2 1/2-3hrs like clockwork.

My sense is that it just depends on the baby. It's tough though, right? Hope it gets better for you soon!!

 

quote:
Originally posted by ABeeCDandE!:
Oh goodness, whos babies were sleeping through at 8 weeks?? That would be some sort of miracle in my opinion!!


Mine were - about 6 1/2 weeks actually. I had a friend give me a crash course over the phone in "Babywise". So, I used a loose form of Baby Wise. But I really think it is just they way the babies are because my ds also slept through the night at 6 weeks (he is 3 now). I think I was just blessed with easy babies. BTW, mine are bottle feed and have been from the start.

But, to the original post - hang in there, sister! I know how hard lack of sleep is - it is no laughing matter around here. I feel for you!

 

I'm sure you've probably tried EVERYTHING at this point, so hopefully this isn't redundant. But...as someone whose babies are sleeping through the night at 2mo, I can at least offer you our technique. Could be the babies, the night routine, or some combo of both. But here goes:

I also exclusively bf, and I start cluster feeding them in the evening. At 8:30 we give them a bath (every night, no exception). After bath, I bf until they're falling off, and then dh and I give each a 3oz supplement of EBM. Usually they don't finish and it's a quick burp (trying not to agitate them). They get swaddled and given the paci, each held for about 5 minutes and then it's into the co-sleeper with lights out, fan on.

There are generally a couple more paci rescues of one or the other, but after that it's a good long sleep (10 to 5am/6am). This routine works about 9 times out of 10. Good luck! I know it's hard, and this whole business only just started working about 2 weeks ago.

 

quote:
Originally posted by tracymcg:
After bath, I bf until they're falling off, and then dh and I give each a 3oz supplement of EBM. Usually they don't finish and it's a quick burp (trying not to agitate them). They get swaddled and given the paci, each held for about 5 minutes and then it's into the co-sleeper with lights out, fan on.

No, I haven't tried giving them EBM after nursing. It is definitely worth trying. What part of the day do you pump to get a total of 6 oz? I have a difficult time pumping much at all because our dd is CONSTANTLY nursing and I don't have much to pump after that. I would have to figure that part out a bit. I read your post to my dh and he thought it was definitely feasible. Thanks for letting us know your routine and to be able to get a 7/8 hour stretch is awesome! I do have a question regarding your start time of your bedtime routine. We start at 615 or so because they are SOOOO sleepy at that time. We have pushed as late as 645, but they get so crabby. Are yours really crabby at that time as well or do they take a nap around 600pm? Thanks again for taking the time!

 

I think that the majority of babies just don't sleep through the night for many months (12 hours, I mean) so don't expect that. Especially if they are bf.

In order to sleep through the night your kiddos need to get all of their nourishment from you in their waking hours... so that means at 10 weeks (they'd have to have 24-28 oz I think , if they're the same size as mine were) their stomach capacity is about 4 oz at that age -- maybe less. so that means 6-7 feedings of approx 4 oz each. Ok, if you take into consideration that they sleep about 16 hours -- then you ahve to feed them every hour of their waking day..

I'm just trying to make a point, that babies will likely be up at least 2 times in the night at that age.

One other note is to recognize that your babies are 10 weeks old (8 weeks adjusted) so they are probably in a growth spurt and therefore that's why dd wants to nurse all the time -- cause your supply is down in the evenings and she's looking for more food to grow.

there are alot of growth spurts early on and they throw you for a loop when you're breastfeeding. I wouldn't worry about it --

I have one son at almost 5 months who sleeps real well and one who does not, but my good sleeper is still up 2x to nurse... as with 2 hour naps 2x a day, there's just not enough time in the day to get all that food in him.

Ahh, the joy of bf-ing twins.

Good luck

Teri D

 

I really hope some of these ideas are helpful!

To answer your questions:
I usually pump during their big morning nap at 11am. I know, it's almost impossible to find time, so I try to pump one extra time somewhere during the day to have a little backup stash too. That way, if you really can't squeeze it in one day, you've got backup. Honestly though, I rarely have more than about 8oz in the fridge on a given day, so it's tight.

Yes, they are SUPER crabby in the evening, but we just put up with it. There's usually a little snooze around 5pm. That and the cluster feeding seems to take the edge off a little, but there's definitely some serious fussing, and we rarely get to eat dinner together . We tried an earlier bedtime, and they woke up much more during the night. At this age, I think the later bedtime works better in terms of night waking. Once they can go longer we want to start pushing the bedtime earlier, but for now we're counting our blessings that we can actually sleep. Good luck--I'm crossing my fingers for you!