Sleeping Through the Night

It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  MJ is 2 1/2 months old and last night, he slept 9 hours straight, from 9:30pm - 6:30am.  Straight.  No crying, no diaper change, no bottle from Maki.  He slept 8 1/2 hours three nights ago and we were thrilled.  Maki especially, because it meant he didn't have to get up at 2:30am or 4:30am to give MJ a bottle.

His longer sleep at night is probably because he's a lot bigger, can drink a lot more milk, and has enough fat in his body to carry him through the night.  During his last doctor's appointment, he weighed 14.23 lbs.  He was born 7 lbs., 15 oz., which means he's put on over 6 1/2 lbs. since birth.

During his first two weeks of life, MJ was not putting on much weight.  He lost a bunch of weight right after birth (which is normal); by the time he left the hospital, he weighed 7 lbs., 6 oz.  At his two week check-up, he had only put on an additional 2 oz.  The doctor asked to see him again at 3 weeks to check his weight.  At three weeks, he weighed 8 lbs., 11 oz. so he put on nearly a pound and a half in one week.  The doctor explained that he probably figured out how to nurse effectively and is now able to nurse well.

The doctor also said that pediatricians really like for moms to breastfeed their babies because breast milk is best for baby AND breastfed babies are much less likely to be overweight later in life.  He said that doctors don't worry if a breastfed baby's weight is off the charts because by the time he becomes a toddler, he is very likely to lose the extra weight.  He says doctors think this is because breastfed babies eat until they're full and moms can't stress over exactly how much they're eating (unlike a bottle, where moms might force a baby to finish exactly 3 or 4 oz. because that's what the books say he should be eating).

MJ is now getting both breast and bottle and although he eats every 3 hours, we don't force the amount that he drinks.  If he wants 2 oz. during one bottle feeding, that's what he gets.  If he wants 4 oz., that's what he gets.  When he's nursing, I obviously don't know how much he's getting, but he definitely lets me know if he wants more and when he's done.

I'm just happy that Maki and I are getting more sleep at night.  We need to resist the temptation to try and get some work done after both boys are asleep and just go to bed as soon as we can.

Sleep is Good

When you're a new mom, the question people always ask you is, "is he sleeping through the night?"  Well, at two months, MJ is technically sleeping through the night (doctors will tell you that 5 hours is considered sleeping through the night), but I wouldn't exactly say that we are getting a lot of sleep.

Most nights, he sleeps 5 or 6 hours for the first night stretch.  He nurses around 9pm, is asleep between 9:30 and 10:00pm, and usually sleeps until 2:30 or 3:30am.  At that time, Maki (God bless him) gives MJ a bottle and then they both go back to bed.  At five weeks old, MJ slept 7 hours one night, which was a miracle; that hasn't happened since.

I usually get up around 6:30am to get CJ's things ready for school (breakfast, lunch, backpack, library book, etc.).  MJ nurses between 5:00am and 8:00am; just depends on when he gets up.  When he wakes up determines his schedule for the rest of the day.

MJ is a champion sleeper.  After each nursing, he is awake for a half hour or an hour, then he naps.  He usually cries before falling asleep and generally needs a little snuggle time to fall asleep.  He still likes to be swaddled when he sleeps.

Since Maki gives Mj a bottle in the middle of the night, I'm getting a lot more sleep these days.  I get between 5-7 hours of sleep, so I'm functional during the day.  I'm tired but I can't complain; Maki and I can sustain this pattern for months if we need to because we're both getting more than the 2 or 3 hours we got during the first few weeks.