MOTN question

[sporklemotion]

How long are your MOTN wake ups? I am particularly interested in hearing about wake ups for babies 2-3 months old, who are too young to sleep train, but who are old enough that they don't wake up every couple of hours.

We were usually up for about an hour to an hour and a half (I nurse and DH soothes her and puts her back down)-- she nurses for about 40/45 minutes (she is slow...).  Some nights, DH can get her to sleep in about 10 minutes, but other nights, it took a little longer if she was gassy or needed to be changed.  This worked for us because DH could sleep while I nursed and, while I wouldn't fully fall asleep until he was done putting her down, I could rest and zone out a bit.

The last few nights, though, it's been more like 2-2.5 hours.  She's been wide awake and raring to go.  So I'll feed her, DH will try to soothe her, and I'll end up trying to nurse her to sleep. 

DH falls asleep easily, but he gets worn out when the rocking/soothing takes so long, and I am having trouble falling back or sleep after being up for so long.  A couple of days ago, I had to get up early for an appointment, and by the time she fell asleep, I had only 20 minutes before my alarm went off.

Tell me this gets better? Any suggestions? I was doing OK with the shorter wake ups, but this is tough for all of us.  Most of the time, she'll sleep for a few hours, but two nights ago she was up at 8:00 AM and was a cranky mess in the morning.  

[AlpineSlide]

My baby is 2.5 months old and his wake ups are usually only 15 minutes. I just nurse him back to sleep and don't change a diaper unless it is poop). A normal nights looks like this:
Bedtime at 10 or 10:30
Wake up at 1:00 (sometimes he skips this one)
Wake up at 4:00 (if he skipped the 1:00 then this would be more like 3:00)
Wake up at 6:30ish
Up for the day at 8:30ish

Now last night was odd and he went to bed at 9, woke at 1 and was up for an hour (pooping twice) but that never happens and wake ups are just 15 minutes usually.

My DH works nights 6 nights/wk so it is just me MOTN and DS sleeps in a bassinet right next to me, so I pick him up to nurse him sitting in my bed, then put him back down.

[redpenmama]

DS is 8 weeks, so just moving into the range you're talking about. He is an OK but not great sleeper. Until about two weeks ago, he'd have at least one wakeup that was 1.5-3 hours long smack in the middle of the night when I was the most exhausted. He seems to be out of that phase. That said, between a diaper change, nursing, and falling back to sleep, I would say his wakeups now are anywhere from 15 minutes (first wakeup when he's less hungry) to an hour (usually around 3-4 am when he's hungrier/nurses more and has slept longer). The long wakeups are tough when you are exhausted and the clock is ticking closer to morning.

I have found with DD and DS (so far) that everything with a baby's sleep is a phase during this period, so just as soon as you want to pull your hair out and cry due to exhaustion, something shifts. For example, I was telling H last night how DS seemed to be shifting into slightly longer stretches (he had a 4-hour one this week) ... then last night, he didn't go to sleep until 2:30 a.m. and that was only when I put him in the bed with me because he was so fussy. Hang in there!

[Jalapeñomel]

15-30 minutes

D is 4 months old

[galaxy8227]

DD is 7 weeks and it's about 45 minutes start to finish

[crazycakes]

When DD was that age, usually about 20 minutes. She was an efficient nurser and I focused on keeping things as quiet and unstimulating as possible. I didn't turn on any lights (left the hall light on so I could kind of see), no diaper change unless there was poop, no talking. That seemed to help her go back down quickly.

I agree with PP that everything is a phase when it comes to sleep. DD has been all over the place. She'll go through weeks where she wakes up 4-5 times a night (STILL AT 8 FREAKING MONTHS) and refuses to go back down, and just when I think that I'm going to lose my mind she'll suddenly start waking up only once for 15 minutes. And when I get comfy with that, BAM - back to multiple wake ups.

Babies be crazy.

[julez]

My babies are just shy of 7 weeks and our wakeups are about an hour. H and I change them at the same time and I tandem feed, so I don't feel like we are awake longer bc there are 2.

[soozy87]

The first night my baby slept through the night was the night he turned 3 months. Since then he has done it again maybe half of the time. The other half he wakes up 1-2 times. It seems like all of a sudden it just clicked for him. Now in the evenings he is fed whenever he seems cranky and that seems to help him get through the nights.

[sookie]

She's three months and it's usually pretty short - just long enough to get her and get her nursing. Sometimes she wakes back up as I put her back down, but if I give her a paci she's usually out again within 15 minutes. Longer than that and daddy goes in.

Bed between 7:30 and 8:00
Up between 1 and 4, usually once but sometimes twice
Up at 7:00 if it's a weekday, by 8:00 if it's a weekend (usually still closer to 7)

[kristie]

She is 5 weeks old and at the most the MOTN feedings are 30 minutes. I don't turn on lights, change her if it is poop, nurse her, toss her back in her rock n play and go back to sleep. No time for soothing. Sometimes if she won't settle I will rock the rock and play with my hand while half asleep. Lol

I worked night shift when pregnant, so I think that is why she has never had her days and nights confused.

[sporklemotion]

Thanks for the replies. Fortunately, she wakes up only once most nights. We don't turn on lights and try not to engage or stimulate her too much. Hopefully, she'll pass through this stage soon.

[littlemisschatty]

My son is 6 mo old now and wakeups are a quick trip into his room to soothe him when he wakes up crying (belly rub, or paci, I know I know)

But at 2-3 months, i was up for a while. 2 hours sounds about right. He would eat, burp, sometimes puke all over me lol, need a diaper
change and then get him back to sleep. Keep the DVR stocked up!!!!! I watched LOTS of movies in those days.

Yes, it gets better