When Multiple Night Waking is not ok.

[caption id="attachment_1803" align="alignleft" width="150"] when multiple night waking is not ok[/caption]

 Getting a “good” nights’ sleep  when you are getting up to a baby who has multiple night wakings can feel impossible  and tiring for parents. And frustrating

 Young babies will wake a number of times at night and this is normal. Young babies need to feed more frequently and will be unsettled at times and so wake more. Expecting a newborn to sleep through the night is unrealistic.

 As babies settle into life with you usually nightime gets better and getting back to sleep gets easier. Older babies who wake frequently can be a frustration for parents because the longer you get broken nights sleep the more sleep drain builds up. Ideally as your baby grows and matures the number of times he or she wakes will reduce.

 Of course there are always going to be the times that your baby wakes overnight more than usual when they are unwell or out of sorts. That is to be expected and extra gentleness needed.

Average number of feeds for a newborn overnight is anywhere from 2-4.  From about 3 months anywhere from 1-3 feeds and up to 6 months or so waking for a feed at least once is normal. Some babies need a feed overnight for many more months and if  they have a big feed over night- that is normal too.

Usually if parents manage to get a decent block of sleep between feeds, they manage to adjust.  When it is impossible to get a decent sleep that’s when it becomes a problem for parents. It will pass as your baby grows.

When babies wake frequently overnight  and it is not hunger, it is often overtiredness that is the cause. When that happens we look at day and night sleep habits and see how we can build more sleep again.