Night Waking

The following information is revised from:
The Nursing Mother's Companion (4th Revised Edition) by Kathleen Huggins, R.N. , M.S.

If you're reading this you are probably one of many parents who is trying to figure out why their baby is waking up so much at night and you're probably looking for ways to end it. You may have tried manipulating daytime naps, feeding solids late in the evening, giving pain relievers or cold remedies when the baby isn't sick or in pain (personally, I do not agree with this at all), trying to keep the baby from falling asleep at the breast, consulting health-care providers, and trying different tactics in the middle of the night rarely work. You may want to have your baby checked my his/her doctor in case its an ear infection (especially if there has been a runny nose in the past few weeks). It could also be teeth coming in. Substituting pacifiers, bottles, or other comfort objects in the night is not likely to get you a full night's sleep either. If my son loses his paci in the night, occasionally that will be enough to set him off and wake him up. Also remember that unless a bottle is filled with water, a baby risks developing tooth decay when she falls asleep at night drinking from one. And just as a note...I don't suggest getting in the crib with your baby - but isn't that a hilarious picture?! If you haven't seen the video for it, check it out here.

For the First week (meaning, the first week of the baby's life):
1. Nurse your baby every two to two and a half hours during the daytime and evening.
2. Tuck your baby in with you for at least a few nights; she may sleep better. I am a co-sleeping fan. If you aren't there are ways to have the baby near you, without being in your bed. Just check out some of those nifty co-sleepers out there.

From Two to Six Months:
At around 3 or 4 months old about half of all babies start sleeping for about 6 or 7 hours at night. A smaller amount of babies sleep the 8 to 12 hours that I know you're all craving. Those babies that are sleeping longer in the night are going to want to eat more frequently in the day - about every 2 - 2 1/2 hours. If your baby isn't nursing at least 7 times a day he/she may not be getting the proper amount of nutrients, which can lead to low weight. Most babies will continue to need night feedings until they are 6 months old (minimum) and some babies will want them at later ages as well. Feeding the baby formula, cereal, or other solid foods in the evening will not help her to sleep through the night.

Sometimes babies who have been sleeping through the night begin waking again for feedings. If your baby has decreased the number of feedings he/she was eating in the day (usually because they're busy exploring or is spending too much time with a paci in their mouths), you should try to encourage your baby to eat more. Do this in a quiet space.

Sudden night wakings may be due to the discomfort of teething. Other signs of teething may include general fussiness, drooling, changes in feeding pattern, biting, and finger sucking. Giving the baby a cold washcloth or a chilled water-filled teething ring to bite on may make her more comfortable. Some doctors also recommend the use of gum gels or acetaminophen drops (such as Infants' Tylenol). An ear infection may also be the reason for sudden night waking. If your baby has recently had a cold (or a previous ear infection), beware that her ears may be the problem, even if she has no fever and isn't pulling on them. I LOVE Hylands Teething Tablets and so does my son. Beware, you have to use them properly or they may not work.


The Older Baby:
Weaning will not help your baby sleep through the night. If you become busier at this point in their life, they may want to have more breastfeeding time (or bottle time) as it is their way of being close to you. Weaning when the baby isn't ready can be very hard on not only the baby, but on you.

Although some older babies sleep well at night at this point, many wake frequently, night after night. Your baby may in fact be waking more at night and napping less during the day than he/she did in the first few months. You may have thought that when your baby reached six months or older and started taking solid food that his nighttime wakings would diminish. You probably even know someone whose baby sleeps through the night. These babies aren't common. When health professionals talk about sleeping through the night, they are referring to a six-hour stretch, not the 8 to 12 you're hoping for. Although some babies sleep a six-hour stretch, most breastfed babies wake two or more times a night. Many babies who slept long stretches in the early months wake more frequently later. Nothing is wrong if your baby isn't sleeping through the night. While he/she may be waking due to teething, illness, gas, a soiled diaper, superior intelligence (their little minds are racing and they want to be up, learning), or upcoming developmental milestones, it may just be that they need to wake up for a little cuddle or a small snack.

Breastfed babies are less likely to sleep through the night. Your friend's sleeping baby is probably already weaned or was never nursed at all.

One study found:

• Some weaned babies slept a median of 9 to 10 hours at a stretch at every age after 4 months and then a median of 13 to 14 hours throughout the first 2 years. 
• Nursing babies slept in bouts of 4 to 7 hours to the end of the second year. Not only do they sleep in shorter stretches than bottle-fed babies, but they also sleep less overall. They lessen their total hours of sleep from a median of 14 to a median of 11 hours. 

No one knows for sure why weaned children sleep more overall than those who are still nursing. It seems babies often nurse during light sleep; they release the nipple when they fall into deep sleep. This may be why a child who was obviously tired will, instead of falling asleep after a long nursing, wake up seeming completely refreshed. If nursing in a light-sleep state were counted as sleep, the average total hours of sleep might not vary at all between nursing and weaned children.