How often do babies wake up during the night?

One of my biggest worries is not getting any sleep when baby comes home. I was just wondering if you gals who already have had a baby could tell me how often your babies woke up at night to eat? How many hours did they sleep at night total? How old were they when they started sleeping thru the night? Thanks!!

-Ashlie

I breast fed. And my son woke up every 2 hours on the dot. Until he was around 7 weeks. I napped when he did. You will be tired....but you will make it through.


Jackie

Cooper is 8 days old.  He eats every 2 hours (3 if I'm lucky).  For the first few nights at home his clock was confused -- he was up all night.  Not crying.... just awake.  So I felt the need to be awake as well.

(Knock on Wood) The last couple nights he's slept for his 2 hours in between feedings. 

Last night looked something like this:

10pm- Feeding / diaper change
12:15am - Feeding / diaper change
2:45am - Feeding / diaper change
5:45am - Feeding / diaper change

(Dog woke up at this point and so there was no going back to sleep!) 

I tried to nap around 9am....  but napping doesn't work well in my household. 

Each feeding / diaper change takes about 15-30 minutes. 

I hope it gets "easier".   I miss sleep!

Cindy

With my son he slept all through the night fromt he time he was about 4-5 weeks old. It worried me and i would set my alarm all the time and go in and check on him. Before that when we first arrived home,..........it was horrible. I was half asleep, grouchy all the time.  You will find a way to make it.

For the first couple of weeks Max ate every 3 hours like clock work even through the night.  Then about 4 weeks he started sleeping a lot longer 4-6 hours at a time at night and since about 8 weeks he has been sleeping 10-12 hours at night, sometimes longer or shorter, He is a real good sleeper. 
Don't worry, you will get through it. Best advice is sleep when baby sleeps, housework can wait.

I think Nathan was pretty unique....he actually had a few nights the first week of his life where he slept through the night :) but mostly it was every 5 or 6 hours then moved to 8 and now it is like 10 hours....you will be tired at first but will adjust :) and it is totally all worth it :)

I have had 2 babies with colic, and their sleep is unpredictable if at all. Not trying to worry you more, just sharing. The advice to nap when baby does is very true. I did with my 1st and it really helped. It's nearly impossible now as I have 2 other kids, but I still function and cherish every moment.

My daughter slept 5 hours at a time at only 3 days old!

There's nothing you can do to prepare, but after the first few weeks, it doesn't feel quite as exhausting. I think moms have a natural ability to function on very little sleep, kind of like auto pilot.

I'm sure you'll do great and adjust with ease.

Hugs,

It's hard to prepare because kids are so different.  For the most part all of mine ate every 3 hours through the night for months.  My firstborn didn't sleep through the night for the first time until he was 4 months old, but then didn't start doing it regularly for several months later.  This 3rd time around my son went from waking 2x a night to sleeping through the night over a 2-3 week period (which is a fast conversion in my book) and he's 5 months.  My middle child never slept through the night, and even now at 4 he's often up in the middle of the night (of course he goes back to sleep on his own....usually).

Here's a couple things I learned between the first and this new one....A - just because a baby is awake at night doesn't mean you have to entertain him/her.  Keep the simulus to a minimum to discourage continued wakefullness: lights down low (I have a 25watt bulb in a small desk lamp for nighttime) , no music/tv/radio during feedings and changes, etc.  B- After 2 months or so when he stopped having BMs at night, I started using Diaper Doublers (like a unsticky maxi pad that inserts into diapers) so I didn't have to change him at night at all. C-bedtime routines REALLY help alot.  My son knows the difference between naps and bedtime because bedtime includes a bath and changing into PJs.  You can really see that half way through he's craving that crib.

Pam,
Where do you find the diaper doublers?
Thanks,
Amy

I first found them here in New England at Stop & Shop.  It's in a blue colored bag and half the time I can't find them.  The actual product name is "Diaper Doubler".   Even though I just bought a pack there about a month ago, the manager looked at me like I had 3 heads when I asked about them the last time I was there and couldn't find them.  They're often sold with cloth diaper stuff.

Today at Babies-R-Us I found a different brand, but do not recall the name of them right now.  I'll look at home and post a better answer.