Baby Not Sleeping Through the Night!

QUESTION: My baby is breastfeed and is still not sleeping through the night. He still eats every two hours. His weight is at 14 pounds, at birth he was 7 pounds, 14 ounces. He was sleeping through the night at two months of age and all of the sudden he's up every two hours and doesn't take naps (at all) during the day. Could it be that he isn't getting enough to eat at one feeding? And could this be the reason for his more frequent feedings?
 

A couple of things could be happening to cause the change in your baby�s sleep pattern. At 5 months of age and nearly twice his birth weight, your son may be indicating a readiness for some solid foods. You might try offering him some rice cereal, or soft cooked vegetables or soft fruits that he can feed himself. If he doesn�t show any interest at first, don�t worry. Give him a week or two and try again.

The fact that your baby was sleeping through the night and has now reverted to waking up more frequently also may be a normal developmental phase that is unrelated to feeding. Your son is older, more alert, and more active now. He is aware of his surroundings and may wake up afraid during the night.

At 5 months of age he is capable of sleeping for longer than a two- hour interval at night, but it is unrealistic to expect a baby of this age to sleep through the night, unless your definition of "night" is midnight to 5 a.m. In Western cultures, we expect babies to sleep through the night at an early age. But, biologically, babies aren�t ready to sleep through the night until at least the second half of the first year. Many babies will continue to feed at least once during the night through the first year. While this can be tiring for mothers, it is normal for babies. You could bring Christian into your bed for the nighttime feeding so you could get more sleep.

Amy Spangler, MN, IBCLC, is a nationally known perinatal nurse, lactation consultant and member of the Breastfeeding.com medical advisory board. She has answered several of your breastfeeding questions. Look for more Q&A forums with Amy in the future.

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