Roshan's Blog: Sleeping Through the Night

Written Thursday, July 1st 2010 by Alexandra

Roshan's Blog: Sleeping Through the Night

To hear another new parent say "our baby is sleeping through the night" can send waves of envy or disbelief through other new parents.

From the time of birth, and once the initial “baby honeymoon” is over, “sleep" is constantly on the minds of new parents as they wonder, "Will I ever get a full night’s sleep again?"

"Sleeping through the night” can mean different things to different people. As an educator, I would ask what the understanding of this statement was. For some this meant that the baby skipped all night feedings and did not wake from 7 pm to 5 am - lucky them! This is possible depending on the weight of the baby but less common until at least 5 months or weighing at least 16 pounds.

Initially babies want to eat every 2-4 hours until they reach the magic 12 lb. weight. It's then that parents may notice the baby is skipping a night feeding or maybe two! Gradually these night feedings space themselves out as the baby gets older and heavier.

I would reassure parents that “sleeping through the night” could be from 10 pm-5 am with neither parents nor baby being interrupted. This span of 7 hours provides rest for everyone and life becomes more normal. However, the key is that parents be ready for bed right after the last feeding so that they can benefit from these quiet hours.

Breast milk is digested quickly so some breast fed babies could benefit from a “top off” with breast milk or formula from a bottle right after the last feeding of the day. This might allow for Mom and Dad to get a few extra hours. If the room has been darkened, and baby’s belly is full, it might just be nighty, night!

-Roshan

Roshan Kaderali is a registered nurse, midwife, lactation specialist and CEO of Baby's Bliss^® and Mommy's Bliss^®. Originally from Tanzania and later a resident of Scotland, she has lived permanently in America for over thirty-five years. You can read more about Roshan here.

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Written Thursday, July 1st 2010 by Alexandra
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