Need reassurance - 6 week old

[madtowngirl]

Hi all, I am a FTM with a 6 week old. She was born about 3.5 weeks early, and currently weighs about 8 lbs. I know several other couples who had babies in the same couple of days as us. They all claim their babies are sleeping for 6+ hours a night. Meanwhile, we are lucky if my baby sleeps for 2 hours at a time. I am starting to worry that we are doing something wrong!

A few relevant bits of information :
We keep her sleeping area dark and quiet during the night and bright during the day. We are working on routine, but we aren't there yet. She's mostly formula fed, due to my own supply issues, but she does get whatever bm I can express. She is just now the size that most babies born at term are. She stays awake for longer periods during the day, but still naps a fair amount.

Is she okay/normal if she's only sleeping for 2 hours at a time? Are my friends just lucky?

 

[bbbbbbb811]

Your friends just got luckier!
.. Unless your baby is in pain or distress. But my baby is 5 months, and my friend who's baby is 2 month sleeps through the night. Does my baby? No. Sometimes she's up 5 times a night on a bad one or once on a good one and anything in between but every baby is different so try not to compare and trust yourself and your instincts

 

[_Meep_]

Yes they are (or embellishing the truth!) - veteran parents don't take such delight in warning you about how exhausting babies are while you're still pregnant for nothing you know.

New babies have tiny stomachs and grow very quickly. They need to eat small amounts often, and have very little concept of day and night.

Mine still wakes in the night two or more times and she's 13 months. We'd be very lucky to get a six hour stretch out of her!

 

[Kians_Mummy]

My 8 week old will only sleep 2-3hrs! X

 

[madtowngirl]

Thank you so much for the reassurance! It was a rough night, and it's always nice to hear from other moms that this is normal.

 

[Button#]

Perfectly normal. Exhausting and hard work but normal. At 6 weeks she's also likely to be going through a growth spurt so she will be waking up more.

 

[MindUtopia]

Yes, your friends are just lucky or like someone else said, stretching the truth a little (you would be amazed how much people seem to find the need to lie about how well their kids sleep, even when they're really struggling). That sounds perfectly normal to me. My 2.5 year old only occasionally sleeps 6+ hours straight and usually still wakes 2-3 times a night.

 

[staralfur]

My LO has always been a terrible sleeper and still usually wakes up during the night at 3 (so less than a 6 hour block usually). At 6 weeks I don't think we were even getting 2 hours.

I did find that most of my real life mom friends were saying their babies slept through verrryyy early whereas when you read this forum most moms say their kids woke frequently for ages! I'm not sure if it's because people are more likely to lie to you in person or if moms who never get sleep are just more likely to be posting on a forum. But regardless, you're definitely not the only one and some babies really just aren't programmed to know how to sleep, especially not on an empty tummy.

 

[Taurus8484]

When it comes to babiex there is no 'normal'. Some babies sleep better than others. 6 weeks is a major growth spurt so baby will wake more and feed more. Ive been blessed with 2 amazing night sleepers but my friends toddler is 2 and wakes 5 times a night still.

Im sure you are doing an amazing job xx it will get easier

 

[Rainstorm]

The experience I've had with a crappy sleeper tells me that moms lie a lot about their babies' sleeping habits or, as pp said, embellish the truth a lot. We moved lo to his own room when he turned 6 months, and all these mothers were telling me how their los slept wonderfully while I had to get up three times a night or more. Then I would find out they all co-slept, while mine slept in his own crib in his room.

Anyways, the behaviour you're describing is completely normal. Their sleep patterns change a lot during the first months. Hang in there! You're doing a great job!

 

[BabyCleo]

I have a 2 month old LO and she sleeps 6-8 hours a night, but not always. We are very very lucky, but during growth spurts shes up every 3 hours. You will find that even when your LO sleeps longer there will be days where they wake up randomly. It was hard for us to get into a routine too, but I find keeping my LO up more in the afternoon it helps her sleep better at night

All babies are just different My mum told me I as a baby only slept for 40min at a time, whereas my sister was like my baby - sleeps through the night from early on.

 

[BabyCleo]

I just realized my post may sound like im bragging or rubbing it in your face that my LO sleeps well. I didn't mean that at all - I was just trying to get across that babies are all over the place even when they do sleep well.

You are doing really great - im a FTM too and I was terrified for a long time if I was doing things right.

 

[Taurus8484]

Without this turning nasty just adding that my DS1 did sleep 7-7 at 10 weeks old and DS2 has just started sleeping 7-7....both in their own cot and Im not stretching the truth or lying about it....why would I. Like I said I have been blessed with 2 great sleepers who both self settle also....I have never rocked or fed my children to sleep. I literally put them down and walk out the door and they drift off by themselves. Sure there are nights were they wake from teething or something else but sleeping 12 hours in our case in the norm. Im not bragging or anything guess Im just over reading it cant happen or mothers lie about it. Some probably do but some don't.

Op....as I said all babies are different. Some sleep better than others.

 

[Rainstorm]

Of course it can happen. Taurus you are very lucky to have two wonderful sleepers, just as I'm sure there are loads of other babies out there who have never had trouble learning to sleep.
However, in my own personal experience as a first time mum, I was made to believe that there was something wrong with me, cos all the other moms seemed to be doing just fine, when, as it later turned out, many of them weren't.

 

[Taurus8484]

As I said not trying to start anything just wanted to let OP know it can happen even though its probably not the norm. I may have had great sleepers but I struggled as a ftm. I had all the opinions thrown my way which made me question everything I did along with the added guilt of not being able to breastfeed. Its so hard and although you try to prepare yourself for it nothing does when bubba comes. Eventually I just learnt to trust what I was doing was right for my baby and things certainly become easier as I grew more confident. But thats what these forums are for, to share our experiences and to get advice, not a my baby is better than yours because he sleeps well if thats what it comes across as and if it does I apologise. God knows this forum helped me though the rough first few months.

 

[BabyCleo]

^^ I agree!! Im a FTM and I was actually shocked when my baby slept so well. I had lots of fears about it too.. was she getting enough food cause she slept in long stretches? Is she actually okay? Some people make it sound like babies are just a cookie cutter routine when they are SO different!! My mum told me I was a horrid baby, whereas my sister was amazing. Shes shocked that my baby didn't take after me lol.

So many opinions get thrown around these days - its nice to have a place to go to just share things without being told off or judged. We all have different experiences and its so lovely to hear them all - I know what to do if I get a bad sleeper next time!!!