Hey :D I guess because Abby slept through the night (8 hours) from one week old this time round has been a real shock to the system LOL
Every night when she wakes up at like 4,4.30am or 5am I'm like "grrr why aren't you sleeping through the night yet?!" LOL I don't get angry with her. I'm just not used to this. I thought by maybe 2 months she'd start sleeping through because she did have a week where she was sleeping 6 or 7 hours. But now she's back to 3-4 hours. :roll:
I read on the net that 5 hours is through the night for a baby and that most babies will sleep through the night (8 hours) from 2-4 months. I know that some babies don't sleep through until they are much older.
Sophie is formula fed though and formula does last longer in their tummy. So I thought she'd be able to sleep 8 hours by now. I've even tried getting her to drink 200mls before bedtime instead of her normal 150. But she just falls asleep while feeding. Last night she only drank 125mls before bedtime. She woke up at 4.30am.

I know I'm probably putting unrealistic expectations on her. She is only 7 weeks old (8 weeks on Friday).
I guess I just want to see some light at the end of my sleepless nights tunnel LOL I'm still falling asleep most of the time when I feed her.
Let's just say I don't do early mornings very well :lol:

Anyone??

My DD will be 3yo in 3 weeks but she started sleeping "through the night" (7-8 hours) at 6 weeks and then 11-12 hours at 14 weeks. She was formula fed (my milk didn't come in until very late). She would wake up around 8:00 in the morning, I'd feed her and then she'd usually go down for another hour. Oh the good old days! :)

Thanks Renee :) I know I can make it another 7 weeks. I don't know how I could handle doing this until she is like a year old or something. I didn't even think a formula fed baby would need feeding that often. Abby was fine for 8 or more hours at night. It would help if Sophie would drink all her bottle instead of just half. :roll: She is meant to be having 150mls and very soon 200mls. But she only drinks between 70-140mls most of the time. If she has to wait an extra hour then she may drink the whole bottle but not often. But she is always hungry like 2 hours after her feeds if she doesn't drink the whole lot. And a couple of times she's had 150mls and then been hungry still. So she got another 50mls and drank most of that. She's all over the place with how much she will drink each time and we are wasting so much formula and I don't know how much to give her. When I give her 100mls she will want another 50. When I give her 150 she will only drink 70-80mls. I just don't understand babies. :? I am trying to figure her out so I am not wasting so much formula. I always make up a litre in a jug (lasts 24 hours) but we usually waste about 200mls or more each day. And once you heat a bottle you can't reuse it. If they drink from it it's no good after one hour from the start of the feeding.
My auntie and uncle reuse theres. They will just stick it back into the fridge and then reheat it once they get it out. But I am not sure I want to do this. They say not to. :? But there daughter has never been sick from it. Formula is expensive and we are needing two tins a week now. But if we weren't wasting so much I think we'd be fine on one tin a week. It's just we are wasting probably a whole tin (over a week). :roll:

They're not all that easy though! My son didn't sleep through the night (woke at least 4 times each night) until 15months old!

Maddy started sleeping through the night at about 8 weeks...and still does now. As far as the whole wasting formula deal...make half a bottle, if she want more than that try about a third of a bottle depending...do you try to feed her on a schedule?

Awww...Renee... You sound tired. Hopefully things start looking up for you and you can get more sleep.

I can't offer much in the sleeping through the night area, because I don't intend to even start thinking about that for a very long time. Hannah wakes generally two or three times to eat. I latch her on and stay laying down. It's generally pretty relaxing except for when I can't get her to latch on right. Sometimes she'll sleep 4 or 5 hours without a feed, sometimes she'll sleep only 3. It doesn't bother me, because I can feed her in bed.

Does Sophie sleep next to your bed? Maybe you could fix a bottle or two and set them right next to your bed. Then when she wakes you could just reach over and get the bottle.

Best of luck!

:shock: I somehow think my information will be useless since I had two prems first up, but they didn't sleep right through until 5-6 months, but being that they need "catching up" to other bubs and more feeding up, that is the reason why.

Matilda is JUST 5 weeks and her longest sleep at night will be between 4-5 hrs, which - compaired to having to get up to the alarm to feed prems around the clock is a breeze :wink:

The longest Matilda has ever slept in the night was 6 hrs.

Last night she did wake up from her late feed at around 4.30 - I tried getting up and giving her her pacifier and she went right back to sleep for another hour (she wasn't distressed, just googling around grunting, so obviously wasn't TRULY hungry) - infact I think she could have gone even longer than that because at 5.30 I picked her up for the same reason and she only had 60mls - when the norm is 100 - 120mls.

It will be interesting to see what happens with a full term baby and sleeping through that;s for sure.

AM

Maddy started sleeping through the night at about 8 weeks...and still does now. As far as the whole wasting formula deal...make half a bottle, if she want more than that try about a third of a bottle depending...do you try to feed her on a schedule?

Yeah I did start doing only 100mls but then she wanted more. I do make it in a jug (1L) so I can just put whatever amount in there. I might start only putting in 70mls and then just top it up if she wants more.
I don't feed her on a schedule. Just when she wants it. It's usually every 3 hours. At night she normally sleeps 5 hours.

Awww...Renee... You sound tired. Hopefully things start looking up for you and you can get more sleep.

I can't offer much in the sleeping through the night area, because I don't intend to even start thinking about that for a very long time. Hannah wakes generally two or three times to eat. I latch her on and stay laying down. It's generally pretty relaxing except for when I can't get her to latch on right. Sometimes she'll sleep 4 or 5 hours without a feed, sometimes she'll sleep only 3. It doesn't bother me, because I can feed her in bed.

Does Sophie sleep next to your bed? Maybe you could fix a bottle or two and set them right next to your bed. Then when she wakes you could just reach over and get the bottle.

Best of luck!

Sophie sleeps in a portacot at the end of our bed. But I can't put bottles in there for her because they have to be refridgerated until I need them. So I have to get up and heat them up.
I wish I could just feed her in bed and not have to get up. Even just being able to just lay there while she is feeding sounds so nice.

:shock: I somehow think my information will be useless since I had two prems first up, but they didn't sleep right through until 5-6 months, but being that they need "catching up" to other bubs and more feeding up, that is the reason why.

Matilda is JUST 5 weeks and her longest sleep at night will be between 4-5 hrs, which - compaired to having to get up to the alarm to feed prems around the clock is a breeze :wink:

The longest Matilda has ever slept in the night was 6 hrs.

Last night she did wake up from her late feed at around 4.30 - I tried getting up and giving her her pacifier and she went right back to sleep for another hour (she wasn't distressed, just googling around grunting, so obviously wasn't TRULY hungry) - infact I think she could have gone even longer than that because at 5.30 I picked her up for the same reason and she only had 60mls - when the norm is 100 - 120mls.

It will be interesting to see what happens with a full term baby and sleeping through that;s for sure.

AM

Yeah I think that if she drank all her bottle before bed she'd sleep right through (8 hours). But she is always so sleepy at night that she just continually falls asleep while I'm feeding her. I have to remove the bottle like every 10 seconds so she'll keep sucking. Otherwise she just falls asleep. And she never drinks that much when she is really sleepy either.
During the day is when she drinks a whole 150mls and at night she won't ever drink the whole bottle. :roll: Which means she is up more often at night but will sleep for ages (3-4 hours) during the day. :roll:

Sophie sleeps in a portacot at the end of our bed. But I can't put bottles in there for her because they have to be refridgerated until I need them. So I have to get up and heat them up.
I wish I could just feed her in bed and not have to get up. Even just being able to just lay there while she is feeding sounds so nice.

Hmmm...So they absolutely have to be refridgerated until you need them? That's too bad. I don't suppose that you know of anyone who
has a minature refrigerator that could go in your bedroom. Do you have a bottle warmer that could go in your bedroom?

Oh those tiny fridges aren't that expensive ... we could get one. But I don't know where we'd put it LOL We have no room (we really need a bigger house!) I have a bottle warmer but it has to be reset between uses by boiling it in water (although she is only having one feed at night between 3 and 5 usually). It's this really flash thing that has this little stick inside it and you bend it and it heats the thing up. It's really freaky to watch. The pack goes from clear to white. :shock: :lol:
I hate the thing actually. It doesn't work that well. I might buy a new one (a different one) for when we go out because some places just don't have the means to heat bottles (like the mall).

DS was around 4 or 5 months old before he slept that long and dd was 9 months old before she did. Stephanie :D

Can't help you out... My DS who will be 3 still does not sleep through the night. DD who is 7 months sleeps for only 3 hours at the most until she wakes to be fed. She nurses.. so I don't know is that is why, but DS was the same way. I figure I will sleep when they are in college :lol:

I can't really offer any great advice here. My 19 month old still gets up sometimes 2 times a night maybe even 3, her bed time is 9 and she is up at 9. She is nursed, and yes I am bad I nurse her to sleep. She was a premie too, but that's not an excuse at all at 19 months.

I agree with Nici hoping for sleep once she's in college maybe. But no each kid is so different Renee, my 3 year old was a great sleeper at a year and is still my best sleeper I have. In 5 minutes that one is fast asleep.

Don't worry in time she will find her schedule, hopefully sleeping longer for you soon, but if not I think us mommies have a way of adapting, somehow.

LOL You won't like to hear mine...

My kids don't sleep that kind of long stretch until they're weaned and out of my bed ... so, not before 1 yr

But...my kids have all been breastfed on demand. So.... that's different.

My DS#1 started sleeping through the night sporadically at 7 1/2 weeks and pretty solidly at 10 weeks. He was a bottle baby until 7 1/2 weeks and then he was a bottle and breast baby. DS#2 is now sleeping 7:30 to 5:30 with a dream feed at 9:30 he is not as consistant as DS#1 but he is only a bf baby.

With both of our sons we cluster feed in the afternoon and evening and did a dream feed. So DS#2 now quite often nurses at 4,6,7:30 and then I wake him to feed at 9:30. He actually has gone with out that dream feed but then my milk supply went down.

Since Sophie is so sleepy it sounds like dream feeds might not work. Do you feed her more often in the afternoon, evening? That might help. Also she is still pretty young it will probably come soon. At twelve weeks we started to delay our response more like waiting three minutes because quite often they would start to soothe themselves to sleep.

It will come, keep up the good work.

:D :D :D :D :D :D

Renee,
what formula are you using? I've used most of the major brands, not sure what you guys have there. when we go to bed at night, I make two four ounce (130ml) bottles, with room temp water and leave them be until he needs/wants them. I have done this with all three of my kids. I hardly ever heat bottles. room/tap temp has always been fine with them.

you said she was only taking 150ml at a time? that seems like hardly nothing for a two month old. Patrick is six weeks, yesterday, and he's taking twice that sometimes.

does she feed like this during the day? maybe she's just a light eater. some kids are, i was.

do you put cereal in her bottle? we have to put cereal in patricks, well all the boys had it for same reason, b/c of the reflux but if she's not eating much and waking a lot, I'd put cereal in it. It's not going to hurt her. If it were as bad as they make it sound, they wouldn't tell you to do it for the reflux, kwim?

*it's 5ml cereal per 30 ml formula.

Hey, btw I'm getting good at the metric system. They use it at the University Hospital where Patrick was for surgery and it's amazing how quick you catch on it a week, LOL.

My DS#1 started sleeping through the night sporadically at 7 1/2 weeks and pretty solidly at 10 weeks. He was a bottle baby until 7 1/2 weeks and then he was a bottle and breast baby. DS#2 is now sleeping 7:30 to 5:30 with a dream feed at 9:30 he is not as consistant as DS#1 but he is only a bf baby.

With both of our sons we cluster feed in the afternoon and evening and did a dream feed. So DS#2 now quite often nurses at 4,6,7:30 and then I wake him to feed at 9:30. He actually has gone with out that dream feed but then my milk supply went down.

Since Sophie is so sleepy it sounds like dream feeds might not work. Do you feed her more often in the afternoon, evening? That might help. Also she is still pretty young it will probably come soon. At twelve weeks we started to delay our response more like waiting three minutes because quite often they would start to soothe themselves to sleep.

It will come, keep up the good work.

:D :D :D :D :D :D

She gets fed every 3 hours during the day (if she is hungry every 3.. sometimes it's 4 hours) and I try to feed her 50mls more at night before bedtime.
Abby has always slept in her own room but Sophie is in ours. I'm thinking that might be part of the problem. Because Paul wakes up early (5am) and his alarm clock goes off then, I'm thinking it may be the alarm that is waking her up and she is basically being put into a routine of waking early if you KWIM? She doesn't have any choice but to be woken up at 5am. And Paul goes back to sleep (which really makes me :x :evil: ) and lets his alarm clock go off a further 2x before he actually gets up. Which means she is being woken up like 3x. No wonder she is waking up. :roll: :x So from tonight on I'm going to try sleeping in the lounge with her. I can roll her portacot in there and just sleep on the couch. I want to see if she'll sleep until 6am if she isn't hearing Pauls alarm go off.

At twelve weeks we started to delay our response more like waiting three minutes because quite often they would start to soothe themselves to sleep.

LOL It takes me 3 minutes just to get out of bed [rofl] :oops: :lol:

Renee,
what formula are you using? I've used most of the major brands, not sure what you guys have there. when we go to bed at night, I make two four ounce (130ml) bottles, with room temp water and leave them be until he needs/wants them. I have done this with all three of my kids. I hardly ever heat bottles. room/tap temp has always been fine with them.

We use Heinz Nurture. We have a few different brands but the most popular are Heinz and Karicare. The others (like SMA) are more expensive. Heinz is about $13.99 for a 900g tin.
I saw they have this formula at the Chemist that is for hungrier babies LOL I wonder if that would fill her up more. I never looked at the price though... it's probably twice as expensive :roll:
I'm so tempted to start her on solids or put a little cereal into her night bottle but I'd rather not do that. I am going to try and hold out until she is 4 months old. I can do this until then. I'm just not used to waking up during the night because Abby slept right through.

you said she was only taking 150ml at a time? that seems like hardly nothing for a two month old. Patrick is six weeks, yesterday, and he's taking twice that sometimes.

Yeah it says on the formula tin that the recommended amount for babies up to 2 months is 150mls. Then at 2 months it's 200mls. I'm finding it hard enough to get her to drink 150mls. I think she is a grazer KWIM? She will eat little amounts often rather than large amounts every 3-4 hours. :roll: Mind you, Abby was pretty much the same. And we started solids at 16 weeks.

does she feed like this during the day? maybe she's just a light eater. some kids are, i was.

do you put cereal in her bottle? we have to put cereal in patricks, well all the boys had it for same reason, b/c of the reflux but if she's not eating much and waking a lot, I'd put cereal in it. It's not going to hurt her. If it were as bad as they make it sound, they wouldn't tell you to do it for the reflux, kwim?

*it's 5ml cereal per 30 ml formula.

Here they have this formula thickener at the Chemist. They tell us not to put cereal in the formula. But for reflux they suggest the thickener. I'm too scared she'll choke :lol: And they tell us that it can cause constipation.

Hey, btw I'm getting good at the metric system. They use it at the University Hospital where Patrick was for surgery and it's amazing how quick you catch on it a week, LOL.

LOL I'm glad you know how much 150mls is. I usually have to convert measurements otherwise no one knows how much it is.
I think 150mls is about 5oz right? It does give the oz measurements on our bottles but I can't remember.