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Babies who sleep through / SIDS guidelines

Ladies something has been troubling me. I know babies aren't supposed to sleep through the night when they're little and they stay in with you etc but what happens if they just do sleep through? Are you supposed to wake them? I'm confused! 

ive heard stories avout babies who are sleeping through at like, 6 weeks but I always thought they weren't supposed to? 

Replies

  • Isaac slept through at 3 weeks. Given the fact his 3 year old brother STILL wasn't sleeping through, we thought something must be wrong Laugh, he was feeding hourly during the day till 4pm then doing a mammoth cluster feed 4-8 and then sleeping 8-7. When I spoke with the hv she agreed it was strange for a breast fed baby to sleep so well but to just go with it and that it prob wouldn't last. We just went off the fact he had plenty of wet as dirty nappies, was putting on weight, was alert (when awake) and was feeding well Weep, and since is not slept for 3 years previously then I was loving it lol.

    I was under the impression that it's not a problem that they sleep, more that they should room share in order to regulate breathing to prevent apnoeic attacks?? So it's fine to let them sleep iyswim but obviously could be wrong

  • I don't think it's a problem. S was formula fed after a week and has always slept really well. She went 5 hours at a time from about ten days and was going (mostly) through the night by about 6/7 weeks. We've been very lucky. The only time waking for feeds was suggested was when she was jaundice at about 4 days old. Otherwise I don't think sleeping for long stretches is an issue, it's more about temperature, where they sleep, blankets etc...from what I understand anyway.

  • W slept through from 6 weeks.  I wouldn't ever wake him though. he woke when he was hungry, so i trusted that he was sleeping through because he was content.

    That didn't stop me from jumping awake every so often to make sure he was ok as it was strange for the first wee while.

  • S started off at two bottles a night and fell into quite a good routine of a last feed at 10.30/11ish, then would wake around 1 and 4 until she was about 4 weeks, then that dropped to one wake at around 3 until she was 8 weeks then she went through from that last bottle until about 6 which I counted as sleeping through. I remember telling the HV during one of his first visits (maybe around 3 weeks) that she'd had a random night of around 5 hours between feeds and he said that if that happened again I should wake her. Instinct told me to completely ignore his advice (would mean setting an alarm and waking up myself which was bad enough!). I figured that she'd wake and cry if she was hungry. I'm glad I did that.

    Once she was sleeping through from 8 weeks, she stayed in our room until 14 weeks when she moved into her own room.

  • When Z was little the health professionals told us to wake her if she hadnt fed for 4 hours.  We did it once and never again!  If they need feeding they'll wake, if they dont and youre lucky to get one that sleeps through then embrace it!  Z slept through 3-6 months, not so much since!! and she's now 15 1/2 months!

  • I haven't heard of a link between sids & sleeping through the night. Rafferty is only 6 days old & last night slept for 4 1/2 hours before waking for a feed. & I know that 'sleeping through' is counted as from 5 hours. I don't see what the problem might be. & I'm with those of you saying about alarm clocks, no way am I setting an alarm for the middle of the night!!

  • S slept through a couple of nights very early on (10pm-6.30), however each time she was horrible the next day. I think she did actually need her night feed then but was too lazy to wake up! Maybe we should have woken her, but we appreciated the opportunity to catch up on sleep instead!

  • I'm with TRF, I don't think it's the sleeping through that's the issue. It's recommended baby is in same room as you for sleeps to regulate breathing and to stop them falling into a really deep sleep
  • Ok thanks guys! I guess it's more trying to get them to sleep through that's an issue then? Like over feeding them, making it too warm etc?

    Thank god for MD!

  • You can't over feed a baby. If they take too much milk they will just be sick. I've never known sleeping through to be a SIDS issue and only ever a weight gain concern if they aren't gaining enough without night time feeds. X

  • I meant the people who put rusk in bottles or give them baby rice to 'help' them sleep...

    I know nothing. I'm going to be handed a tiny naked human in around 14 weeks and have no idea what to do with him :(

  • It's ok Rod, it took me two days to realise I needed to wind S after feeding when she was born! For some reason I thought that because I was breastfeeding her I didn't need to do it. Poor little thing! I had no idea what I was doing with her, had never changed a happy (not had H), made a bottle or even got a baby dressed. We sussed it all out somehow though!

  • Flossy due to an emcs I wasn't able to move for 24 hours so didn't change a nappy during that time and then he was taken to scbu where they initially did all his cares. Then during the night I was down seeing him and feeding him and the nurse said I could change his nappy! I had to ask how as not only was I clueless but I had to do it through two wee windows in the incubator! I actually gave up and asked the nurse to do it as I was making such a hash of it. Ooops.

  • Ah rod don't worry lovely, S is 13 months and I still feel like I make it up as I go along every day - and soon I'll have two of them to make a hash with!

    Wrt sleeping through, I was always told once baby had re-gained any lost birthweight and is gaining ok then to enjoy it if they sleep through :) S had jaundice initially and we were told to try and feed him every 3ish hours during the day and 5ish at night.

  • Rod Iove that description of a tiny little naked human

  • Rodders -  I had no freaking idea what to do with my bundle but somehow it just kind of worked - you wing it and it's fine, and you have people on here and fb for asking stupid questions in the middle of the night (as I frequently do!).  I even had a nurse show me how to change a nappy -  Id never done a thing before so was utterly clueless.

    Re sleeping through, you play it by ear - in the early days no way would A have let us sleep through - she was up every 3 hours without fail but if she had been sleeping through, there was no way in my sleep deprived state that I would have woken her up!

  • J has been sleeping 10hrs since 9 weeks & from about 5/6 weeks slept maybe 11-6am most nights.

    He feeds well (EBF) alert, loads of dirty & wet nappies - so all is fine.

    Re not being prepared. It's the most annoying cliche but honestly you will just find your groove, your maternal instinct  will kick in & you will do just fab!!

    We did practice putting a nappy on a bottle of frebreeze lol

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