My 1 month old son only sleeps 3 hrs at a time, is this normal? I haven't slept properly in weeks!

Kyrsten - posted on 07/16/2009

Yes, it's normal, but hang in there, it does get better! If possible, have someone spell you during the day for a long nap. Another idea, if you have a partner, is ask him to bring you the baby during the night so you can nurse in bed. Once your little one has eaten, your partner can change and put him (or her) down. That way you don't have to wake up all the way during the night. I know it feels overwhelming now, but you will make it. With my firstborn, I thought the lack of sleep would kill me, but I eventually got used to it. With my 2nd, I was definitely tired, but I knew I could make it. I even came to value the one-on-one time with my girl in the middle of the night. I will pray for stamina for you. Please don't hesitate to ask for help from your family and friends. Our culture doesn't teach us how to do that very well, but no mom should parent alone - that's what community is for.

Tina - posted on 07/16/2009

I consider you lucky! My son only slept an hour or two and still doesn't sleep more then 4 or 5 hours at a time and he's 7 months old now.

Molly - posted on 07/16/2009

Yes very normal. Mine slept only two hours at a time at one month. She is three months now and waking up every four hours. Last night was the first night she splept through the night.

Shanda - posted on 07/16/2009

Yep, definitely normal. In fact, my 7 month old STILL often wakes every 3 hours at night, but he sleeps with me so I just pop the boob in his mouth and he falls back to sleep in a few minutes. Once he falls back asleep enough for me to unlatch him I can roll back to my tummy and go back to sleep so I'm only up for 10 minutes or so at a time.

Elizabeth - posted on 07/16/2009

I have some bad news.. Yup it's normal :) It is really hard to get used to, but eventually, you will get into the rhythm of sleeping when he does. He may be going through a growth spurt too, and that never helps matters. Hang in there, it gets better!

Jessica - posted on 07/16/2009

It's probably a growth spurt, will pass:)

Amanda - posted on 07/15/2009

totally normal and not really a "problem". newborns have tiny stomachs (about the size of a golf ball, i've been told) and need to feed frequently. 3 hourly is about right. my first daughter was a catnapper (45 mins at a time) and i thought i was going to lose it with the sleep deprivation, but it does sort itself out as they get older. i can't guarantee that your bub will sleep x amount of hours at a certain age as they are all different but in hindsight its really such a short period of their lives. the main things i learnt were to ask for help if you need it and don't worry about housework etc - the only thing you need to worry about is looking after yourself and your baby.

Angela - posted on 07/15/2009

it is vy common prb ! i hv encountered the same prb for my 2 kids but it will get better when he reaches 4mths...meanwhile u need to try get enough slp during the day if u can,( i noe its hard but try to get help once in a while )

Sheila - posted on 07/14/2009

Quoting Renae:

My 1 month old son only sleeps 3 hrs at a time, is this normal? I haven't slept properly in weeks!

tt's soooo normal. i've not slept more than 5 -6 hrs at a stretch and my baby is 7 months. they need their feeds ev 2 to 3 hrs which is very normal. try to sleep when baby is sleeping...tt was the only i survived... if u r BFing, express milk so that someone can help to look after baby while you nap. but try and get every oppourtunity to rest while baby rest or wen u hv help to look after baby.

Chelsea - posted on 07/14/2009

I meant for you both to read this. It's really great and an easy read! It focuses on what your individual baby is doing and what is a realistic change you can expect. There are different sections based on age and it offers wonderful advice.

Teresa - posted on 07/14/2009

Who has time to read? ;) He can go back to sleep w/out nursing. He just keeps waking up again though. Last night he was up at 11, 2, 6, and 7, but only nursed at 2 and 6. He has major, major seperation issues which I think is a factor in his night wakings. It's just all a mess. I'm still in survival mode from my husband leaving us right before he was born. Eventually I'm hoping to get to LIVING mode and then maybe I can deal w/ everything and get this boy sleeping better.



Sorry to hijack your post Renae...

Chelsea - posted on 07/14/2009

Read The No Cry Sleep Solution. It's amazing!!

Teresa - posted on 07/14/2009

I haven't slept much better than that since I was 6 months pregnant w// my 15 month old son, so basically I haven't slept in a year and a half....

Chelsea - posted on 07/14/2009

I second Stina. Co-sleeping will save you!

Stina - posted on 07/14/2009

Ah sleep. A distant memory during the first months of having a new baby at home :-)

What gives me rest is cosleeping. I nurse my 2 mo dd in bed when she wakes in the night. That way I can keep sleeping/dosing and she can eat and drift back to sleep. If I'm still awake when she's finished, I put her back in the pac'nplay.

during the first month and a half or so, my husband would take her in the mornings when he was home and give her a bottle of pumped milk. This bought me an unbroken 5-6 hour chunk of sleep. (of course, a few weeks ago, she began rejecting bottles completely) Now, at 2 months, she sleeps through most of the night in her pac'nplay. So much so that we moved her into her siblings room last night. Dad brought her in to nurse at 4:30 and she spent the rest of the night in bed with me.

Jennifer - posted on 07/14/2009

My 7 week old just recently started sleeping for 4-5 hours at night! Seems like he is always hungry but he is growing like a weed! I was told that some babies wake up every 45 min even to nurse and I have experienced that also! Don't lose hope it will get better!

Kelley - posted on 07/14/2009

Not only is this totally normal but might last another few months. Both of my kids slept only a few hours at a time for the first three months. Then, all of sudden, they started sleeping great at night! My son, who is now 4.5, slept about 6-8 hours straight starting at about 4 months. My daughter, who is 5 months old, starting sleeping 10-12 hours straight just a few weeks ago (she's not a big napper during the day, though).



Just hang in there! It does get easier. The more active they get as they get older, the more tired they are at night. Plus they start cereal which fills their little bellies more. All the others who say "sleep when the baby sleeps!" are totally right! Housework and other things will get done when they get done those first few months of a new baby!

Nicole - posted on 07/14/2009

Hey had to post in case someone in similar situation read this. As everyone said, this is totally normal. But most of the above posters are incredibly lucky to think 3 hours at a month is a short amount. My third is now almost a month and she's my "sleeper" and by that I mean she'll go about 3 hours, 4 if I'm lucky. And every few days she sleeps less and nurses more. To compare, both my boys nursed on the hour every hour for the first few weeks. My first took 45 minutes at the very beginning to nurse so I was getting 15 minutes to myself before I had to start again. He finally slept 3 hours just shy of 3 months. Count your blessings if you have a "sleeper!"

Mary Jane - posted on 07/14/2009

It is completely Normal! The best thing to do is sleep when your little one sleeps... If you still are exhuasted get some help. Maybe, ask your Parents or someone close to you to watch the Baby for a few hours so you can get some extra time to catch up with some sleep. Don't worry soon you will get some rest... Good Luck and Congrats on becoming a Mommy!

Kristin - posted on 07/13/2009

thats how it was for me... mine is almost 13 weeks and usually does only 5 at a stretch

Paige - posted on 07/13/2009

totally normal. just hang ni there, it gets easier!

Teena - posted on 07/13/2009

Totally normal! As far as when he will sleep "through the night," it's different for every baby. My daughter started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks; some babies I know started earlier.

In the early weeks, I found that if I changed her diaper after nursing from one breast, she would wake up pretty well & I would nurse her a little from the other. I was able to bump her sleeping time up another hour :)

Amanda - posted on 07/13/2009

My baby was waking up every 30-90 minutes at 1 month, but now he is 3 months and is sleeping for several hours at a time during the night. Just hang in there!! You're almost in the clear. Maybe have someone else take him for one night so you can sleep. My mom will take my son every now and then for the night and feed him milk that I've pumped during the day, and it is SUCH a great help. If that's not possible, I've read many things about how to get your baby to sleep more at night. For example, during night-time feedings, don't turn on a lot of lights or talk to your baby as much as you do during the day. And during the day, play with him and maybe even try to keep him awake a little longer than usual during the early evening. That way he will learn that night time is for sleeping and day time is for play. I just googled "my baby won't sleep" or something like that and I got a whole lot of answers.
Hope this helps!! Take as many naps as you can :)

Renae - posted on 07/13/2009

Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences, I am looking forward to those 6-8 hour sleeps..

Yolanda - posted on 07/13/2009

yes it is normal...my baby is four months and is just now sleeping about 7-8 hrs at a time...thank god! but you really get used to the lack of sleep

Britney - posted on 07/13/2009

oh goodness, i feel ya!! not to be discouraging... but my daughter is 9 months and i'm lucky if i get 3 hours at a time. but its amazing how i have adjusted and how much a positive outlook makes all the difference. i am just now trying to wean her from nursing at night and she is doing well, but still wakes and needs me to rock her to sleep.



i think this is uncommon, most babies naturally become more independent as they get older, but each baby will be totally different on how they adjust! try not to compare your schedule to others (especially if youre the one getting the least sleep, lol)



in my experience, the more we settled into a consistent pattern of naptimes, bedtimes, and morning wake up... the better she did. and spending about 30 minutes of bath, book, nursing, singing, etc. before bed also stretched out that first shift to about 4 hrs.



good luck!

Tiffany - posted on 07/13/2009

yup! sorry!

lol

My daughter was a GOOD sleeper (I'll start by telling you that)

She slept about 3-4 hours at a time from birth til she was about 3 weeks. Then she would sleep about 5 hours overnight (midnight til 5 or so) and again for another 3 hours, 6-9am or so (after feeding/changing)

By 7 weeks she slept midnight til 7-8am.

And by 4 months she was sleeping 10-12 hours overnight with 3 1-2 hour naps in the day.

So expect it to get better by the week....

Good luck.

Catch as much daytime sleep as you can til he sleeps better at night.

Brandi - posted on 07/13/2009

Very normal, especially if you are breastfeeding. Breast fed babies metabolize food faster. It will get better and your body will begin to adjust to the lack of sleep.

Mandy - posted on 07/13/2009

Hang in there momma! :) It's totally normal. My youngest woke up every 2 hours, and thought it was stressful, I knew he needed me, and I kept in mind that it WOULD get easier. And I know sleepless nights seem like they last for YEARS at a time. Around the 12 week mark you'll notice a difference. For now, cherish the extra time with your baby, cause soon they'll be 3 and even cuddling will be few and far between!

Tamara - posted on 07/13/2009

Yep, totally normal. Tracy's right. Sleep when he does otherwise you won't get much sleep at all. :)

Tracy - posted on 07/13/2009

that is normal....both of my daughters would wake up every 2-4 hours to eat during the day and during the night. By 3 months, my oldest was through the night and by 2 months my youngest was sleeping through most nights (11 p.m.-6 a.m. or so). So hang in there it does get a little easier! Make sure to sleep when he does if possible