10 Week Old Won't Sleep More than 3 Hours at Night

This sounds like a reasonable schedule for a 10 week old. I wouldnt rush it. I know you are desperate for sleep, I feel for you there! But it's too early to expect the vavt to sleep much longer at a time. I know some babies do, but not all. Try a soothing sound machine next to his crib, like with ocean sounds, heartbeat, soething like that? good luck

My advice would be, forget the swaddling. It is not for
all babies. Maybe he is waking himself up trying to get
out. Worth a shot IMO. Good luck.

This is what babies do, and it's completely normal. The WORST possible thing you could EVER do is let him cry. FEED HIM. It's also obvious that you are not feeding him enough.

Hi Wendolyn,

First, congrats on your new baby! Something that you might want to try is to pump a bottle or add an ounce or two of formula to a bottle. I am a nursing mother myself (my daughter 5 months old) And when she was younger that's what we did. It helped her stay asleep because she was satisfied. The only reason I suggest this is because you said that you should be back at work, She will have to have a bottle eventually so now might be a good time to start. If you do decide to give her formula or a bottle , I do suggest that you use only one type of bottle and nipple and try not to use a pacifer, if you want to continue to breast feed. It could also be something that your eating that might be bothering the baby's stomach. I had a lot of issues with stuff my daughter couldn't digest! Chocolate, dairy, gassy veggies, spicey foods etc... Hope you can get some sleep with these suggestions!

We had very similar issues around 3 months. I think my little guy was going through a growth spurt and started teething early...got first teeth at 4 months. This book helped us a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp...

You have to pick what is helpful in the book. Some people want babies to cry it out that young, but I always felt like my baby still wanted to eat, and I just did not agree with "forcing" him on an adult sleep schedule.

I totally believe in swaddling and someone gave us the BEST swaddle blanket:

http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm

It seemed to work very well. Our baby could get out of other swaddles in no time, but he did not learn to escape this one until he was about 4-5 months.

Your baby might need to go to sleep earlier. I know that sounds crazy, but we do bath at around 6, and then jammies, book, and nurse while swaddled. That puts him to sleep and he would stay to sleep for awhile. When he woke up at that age, I would change him, re-swaddle, and nurse back to sleep. He did not learn to fall asleep on his own until about 4-5 months...so at that point he had to be nursed/rocked to sleep.

We also used a noise machine with a soothing calm noise that helped him from waking up to any noises in the house.

Every baby is different, and I am just sharing what we did. I know how hard it is to be waking up so many times at night. I also took that 9-11 nap with my guy, and it always helped me after a tough night. Sometimes, when I just couldn't do another wake up at night, I would bring him into bed with me and nurse him on my side and let us both sleep for a couple of hours.

Hope something in here helps, if not just the fact that you are not alone in this and it is a normal thing...just a very hard for everyone involved!

Best of luck and let me know if you want to chat about any of this.

N.

Have you tried the miracle blanket? My baby is only a few weeks old but she also could get out of every swaddle until my friends recommended the miracle blanket. She sleeps so much more soundly. Unfortunately I don't have advice for the sleeping since my little one is also nursing every three hours. I have also looked online to try to find advice on how to stretch babies night time sleep to longer periods - advice in books such as the Contented Baby and The Baby Whisperer is helpful but not concrete enough. The only other thing I have read that might be helpful is that if the baby doesn't nurse for long enough then they don't reach the hind milk and therefore don't stay satiated. Good luck!

I think if you just give him what he needs, it will eventually work out on it's own.
At 10 weeks, he hasn't figured out how to manipulate you, so letting him "cry it out" is probably counterproductive. All he knows is that he's hungry, or needs you, or is tired, or is uncomfortable, etc. (i believe that) the only thing they learn by crying it out is that it takes that much more of a reaction to get their needs met....

Maybe you should just listen to him - it doesn't sound like the swaddling comforts him (it doesn't for all babies), maybe it even irritates him more than anything.

If his needs are being met, you will all be much happier. Although it's exhausting to nurse that often, you may have to resign yourself to nursing every 2-3 hours for a while (it will seem like forever, but it will probably be just a month or so). Maybe you could pump, and enlist your husband or parents to give a couple bottles so you can sleep? My oldest was an every 2 hours nurser for a while - he was my only one at the time, can't imaging dealing with that AND a toddler....

Up all day with the toddler and all night with the baby. You must be a zombie! I'd say swaddling doesn't work for him so don't bother; you're just driving yourself NUTS! Don't let him cry it out for the same reason. At 10 weeks old they are too little to self settle.

Throw him in a pack and play beside your bed and just nurse him as much as needed. Do you have family close by? Maybe someone could watch both your little ones and allow you to get in a nap or two.

Just remember that it seems like you'll never sleep again but pretty soon he'll put on enough weight to be able to hold him for longer periods of time.

are you feeding him at 2 when he wakes up or just giving him his paci? I would feed him and put him back down..you might get your long stretch there...from 2 until 6 maybe. He's too young to really be going more than 4-6 hours w/o eating. Thats just my advice. I have a 6 month old who has been sleeping through the night since he was 14 weeks. He seemed to have had the same schedule as your little one...every baby is different...and they will sleep through the night eventually!!! Good luck!

Hi,
I'm not an expert but I would recommend trying to bulk up his feedings during the day. I would Pump him full of calories all day, especially during the late afternoon/evening hours and maybe he won't be as hungry during the night.......that is the theory! : ) Also, if you start a bed time routine every evening around 6 or so and feed him before he goes down, maybe he will sleep more soundly in the beginning of the evening. If swaddling doesn't work maybe he would like to feel snug by being placed in between one of those crib "positioner" things? Just some ideas for you.......Good luck!

Have you tried Dr. Carps DU-DU(down up down up)swaddling technique? This worked wonders for my daughter. I believe you can find the technidue online. When I did it properly she could not get out of it. She slept soundly the first night. I actually had to wake her the next morning. We had a public health nurse suggest it to us. I found information on it at our local PAL (Parents As Leaders run by Mother's and Babies)Center.

You poor thing. Nothing worse than sleep deprivation! The only thing that helped my son was the swaddling also, which it looks like you're doing. Here's my suggestion, try to keep him up past that 7 p.m. mark when he's falling asleep on his own. I know it's hard, but we managed to keep Brendan up sometimes. Just keep him alert for that 7:30 feeding and maybe then he will be exhausted? By 3 months old, my son would let me get a good 6 hour stretch of sleep in, from 8 pm until 2 am. Maybe you could eventually get yours to do the same by keeping him awake a bit more! Good luck!!! I hope you get some rest soon! Lynsey

Hi,
I wonder if part of the reason your little one is waking is because he is getting to hot from being swaddled? My 14 month old hates to have her feet covered and if I cover her up at nap or bed time I ahve to make sure herfeet are not covered.

Good luck and I hope you start getting some sleep.

hi Wendolyn,
first off congrats on your lil baby....second of all stop the swaddling sometimes babies don't want that there too hot they aren't comfortable etc etc. 3rd of all maybe he has gas. my sister had a baby girl in April and i told her she's gassy because she would cry alot when and after feedings. there's a wonderful thing out there called Milicon Drops. they won't harm the baby i used them on all 3 of my children who are now 18 17 and 9. try them it won't hurt. again congrats on the baby and you will get sleep eventually just have to find what the baby really needs. also try pumping your breastmilk and letting the baby drink it from a bottle. in the long run it will help also with the weening stage. congrats again and good luck!

Hello Wendolyn! I saw your posting and had to respond immediately! I have a four month old daughter named Riley and I know how you feel. She kept me up every two to three hours for the first three months. I thought it was because I was nursing and that she was hungry but my husband and I started watching her more closely on the monitor and she was waking herself up with the startling reflex. I guess from sleeping on her back but I was too nervous to put her on her stomach. We had given up swaddling after the first month. She was getting out of it and not realy sleeping better. However my luck has changed thanks to a friend and I have the solution for you. Get the miracle blanket. Go to www.miracleblanket.com right away. I had it shipped express. It was an extra $17 but well worth it! Your son WILL NOT be able to get out of it. It has a special feature that keeps their arms held tight to their sides. Riley started sleeping through the night immediately and has ever since. It has no buttons or velcro and it comes as one size fits all. The material is thin so your son won't overheat. I put Riley in it wearing only a onesie. It has lot of room. Riley is 18pounds and still works well. I still put her to sleep on her back except it is impossible for her to flail her arms and wake herself up. She can turn over now so I still use a wedge. I wait until she is very sleepy and then I put her in it (somewhere between 9 and 10 at night.) Most nights she sleeps until 5 or 6. Occasionally she wakes up to nurse around 4 but goes right back to sleep because she is still swaddled so tight. I respond quickly to her in the morning when she wakes up because she needs to stretch plus I dont want her to try and turn over wearing the blanket. She is getting stronger! It is so funny to see her arms spring out of the blanket. The blanket was truly a miracle for me. It's funny that I sound like the women in the video on the miracleblanket website and I thought it was just a marketing ploy!! I am only sorry I didn't hear about it until she was 3 months old. All those sleepless nights. I don't know how I survived. There is a book called the happiest baby on the block which really promotes swaddling. I has originally thought swaddling was only for newborns. Boy was I wrong! Definately give the miracle blanket a try. You have nothing to lose. It costs around $25-30! The best money I have ever spent! It is my new shower gift for all new moms. Good luck and I would love to hear how you make out!

please dont let him cry. there is a huge amount of information on the web stating the negative aspects of it, and tons of positive benefits of not allowing him to cry. that being said-
just to make it easier on you for the future, maybe try to work on the 7pm thing. if he is falling asleep on his own, maybe try to feed him right before, or maybe try to keep him up till 7:30. the 30 mins isnt much help to anyone.
swaddling, white noise, and pacifiers worked great for dd#1. dd#2 hates swaddling and pacifiers, and i wonder if the white noise is more for me than her. if he likes being swaddled get the miracle blanket, dont shrink it, and if he grows out the bottom, try just swaddling his hands in. if we didnt swaddled #1, she would rub her eyes till she woke. there is also the snug and tug blanket that worked pretty good too. atthe same time, make sure he doesnt truly dislike it. maybe he just wants his arms out, or even just one arm. try to mix it up. but if he is waking because he smacks himself, i would try a miracle blanket.
as for your feeding, you nursing seems very average. im not sure what you are expecting, but to feed a two month old that often sounds fine. your 2 am feeding, he is definately hungry. everytime you insert the pacifier, he is sucking and sucking, thinking eventually he will feel full, then he spits it out crying when his hunger continues. that is the best indicator between wanting to suck and wanting to eat- spitting out the pacifier after a few minutes. why waste all that time battling. feed him as soon as he stirs so both of you go right back to sleep. you are not giving in, he hasnt eaten in hours and is hungry, so dont worry about anything like that.
as for the 4 am, its the same thing. why not try feeding him at 4, and see what happens. right now, you are spending all this time trying to delay it, but all you are getting is 30 mins, so just feed him then as well. if he actually nurses vs just sucks a little with no swallowing, then that means he is hungry.
also, the definition of sleeping thru the night only means about 5 hours straight, so when you read something, know they only mean a few hours, not actually the whole night. 10 weeks is so young, he is just hungry, so stop worrying about everything and trying to delay it and just feed him. in reading your schedule, its sounds like all the delaying is whats tiring. if you just nurse him right away, you should be getting more sleep with no crying. he is only crying because of being hungry.
for the crying it out, please reconsider, but even more so know that he is too young alltogether. even doctors who are supportive of this would say 6 months. until 6 months, babies have no concept of anything and may need more food during the night. remember, babies no nothing of manipulation. good luck!!!

Wendolyn,

Our son would be out of the swaddling pronto, so we gave that up. He spit out the paci, so we stopped that too.

More sleep? I would suggest an alternate route. Find someone you really trust, and ask them to sit for your child in your own home. You are there for emergency or whatnot, but they distract, cuddle, entertain and jiggle/joggle your baby until they have no further reserves, and THEN they come get you.

This may just be your son's schedule. It is amazing he does all this stuff at the same time.

Also amazing is: if you get the rest you need, regardless of what time of the day it is (and daytime, I suggest a cover for your eyes :) you may just find that you are better prepared for the evening, and instead of being frazzled, you are more 'there' and flexible for him. He might find that comforting too, and stay asleep longer.

The only other suggestion I have is to sleep a couple of nights on one of his crib sheets, then put it in his bed. The smell of you may be what will help him stay asleep - knowing you are nearby.

My DS is waking now, good luck!
M.

My baby just turned 8 weeks old and she's been sleeping 6-7 hours during the night. I'm sure she's not the norm, but I thought I'd share my experiences. I'm also breastfeeding. I find she likes to eat a lot -- make sure he's getting enough hind milk (are you letting him nurse for 10+ minutes minimum on one breast?). I'm sure you know that having less than a 10 minute feeding could be making him very hungry as fore milk is almost all water.

My baby doesn't like swaddling anymore either -- she'd always get out of it. If you do really want to swaddle, try using two receiving blankets -- swaddle w/ one, and then put the other right over top and swaddle him again (tip from nurses). It worked for her, but she doesn't seem to need it.

Also, we play a lot with her during the day. She loves to sit up, and stand, and look at toys. Keeping her occupied with all kinds of things really help.

And, at night, before bed, it is always the same routine -- around 9-10 PM she goes in her pack n play in our bedroom WITH the vibration on (she won't sleep right away without it), and the music going. And, its always dark in the house at night, so she knows its time to go to bed. She's been fantastic in the sleep department for quite some time. Oh, and she gets the pacifier only if she isn't falling asleep....otherwise she doesn't get it, because she, like your son, will spit it out and fuss, then we give it to her again (fuss..and repeat. lol).

I think all kids are different, and everyone I know with a second child has had the same experience as you....all babies are different and need different things. I would try feeding him more, but less often. Hopefully he'll sleep longer.

Hi Wendolyn,

I'm a mother of a 16week old who sleeps for 4-5 hours at a stretch for the first part of the night. I have found that when he goes to sleep between 7pm and 8pm that it is really just a nap and to let him get up for awhile. Usually by 10 he is ready to go down for the night. I would suggest you stop fighting the baby and the sleep issue. You will find that if you get up with him, feed him and try to gentley wait it out he will be a better sleeper. I will tell you I hate crying it out. I feel it is cruel and unusual punishment. Babies need your love and comfort whenever they need it and do not understand your reluctance to save them. There is plenty of scientific evidence to support the fact that the more you attend to your baby as it crys the less it crys and the more indepent they become. Reconize the fact that most babies do not sleep even six hours until they are almost a year old. Continue to take those naps and seek support and you will be fine. It all passes so fast, you just forget about that until its gone. Good luck to you.

I wish someone had the answers for me too. I've heard of a no cry method book. I don't remember the name but I need to get it. My son seemed to have a similar schedule to yours. On occasion he would sleep 4 straight hours. He is nine months and still wakes up 3 times a night. I've nursed him on demand since he was born. I did find that the advent pacifier worked the best because he had short tongue. It is straight vs. flipped up like the others. I've pretty much become used to not sleeping. I think some babies just have fast metabolisms and they sleep for short periods of time and eat often. My son seemed to live on my breast for three months. It was difficult for me to go anywhere. It was a looooong winter. So I know I may not be helping, but you are not alone in the world of no sleep. He also took the shortest naps. He wouldn't sleep unless I was holding him. Maybe get a sling and rock him or walk him around. That may help him feel secure and sleep longer. If he is not co-sleeping with you you may want to try it. Good luck!! I read Amy M's response and agree 100%. Feed him every time he wakes up.

I'm so sorry! Believe me i know how that feels! I found that crying it out didn't work until around 4 months or so... What did work for me at that age was more frequent feedings during the day, specifically before bedtime. I went no longer than three hours during the day. Oh i was breastfeeding. So i think people do that more frequently then bottle-bottle feedings you can spead out a little more. Some people i know gave formula in the night bottle to help baby sleep. I didn't do that but i did give a pumped bottle at night and tried to stuff him as much as possible before bedtime which also helped a lot. Good luck!!!

Hi Wendolyn,
I certainly understand your sleep deprivation. I am a mother of seven year-old twin girls and a two year-old girl as well, and I remember those days of little sleep. Here are a few thoughts: Ten weeks old is still young, and 3 hours at a stretch isnt abnormal, especially if you breastfeed him. I had the same issues with my last child, and my pediatrician reminded me that breast milk, while better for baby, is very thin, so when breastfeeding, you may have to feed more often than if you were formula-feeding him. I was told to breastfeed on demand until about 6 months, and I did. After about 4 months old, my daughter started to go 6 hours and even longer at a time. So, hang in there. I think it is way too early to let him cry it out. He is either hungry or maybe he is gassy. It seems that he may sleep better if he stayed swaddled. I had the same problems with my daughter busting out of her swaddle. Wish I could help you with that. It will get better. Best of luck to you.
:)K. G.

I know its hard but every baby is different. Your baby is still very young. He has a very strong survival instinct. Its totally normal for a breast feed baby to wake up as often as you say. You got some good tips, maybe he is too hot, maybe you can leave his arms out of the swaddle, make sure you have a good night routine, and give him a nice long feeding in addition to maybe some cluster feeding a few hours before bed. Give your baby what he needs, he is too young to be deprived feedings at this point.

I worried that I was creating bad habits too because my son was the same way. I would not let him cry it out, at least not for more than a few minutes. He is not trying to manipulate you, he needs food or love or security. As he gets older, you may want to set a deadline at night, like if he wakes up less than every 3 hours, just let him cry (he is not hungry). Then increase it to 4 and 5 and so on. But I think he is a little young for that yet. I would skip the paci. I understand that if they associate the paci with falling asleep then if it falls out, he will wake up.
I know this is little consolation, but as long as you are doing everything right, the situation will fix itself over the next few weeks/months.

Definitely not cry it out; he's too young.

3-3 1/2 hours seems normal for a breastfed baby that young. Can you make sure he's falling asleep at 7:00 with a full tummy? That would eliminate the 7:30 wake up. Adding another feeding during the day may help as well. Try to get a couple good burps after each feeding. It's possible that he's kicking out of his swaddles because he's gassy and uncomfortable... Or, it could be the pacifier. Can you help him find his thumb instead? If not, Harvey Karp in Happiest Baby on the Block has a good strategy for teaching a baby to keep the pacifier. Instead of pushing it in their mouth you gently tug on it so they learn to keep a tight hold on it.

Good luck!

My daughter was still eating every 3 hours at 10 weeks. I can't remember exactly but I would say she was about 16 or 18 weeks before she started to go 4 hour stretches between feedings. She's 7 months old now and is still up once a night to eat. And she IS truly hungry. I have a friend whose son is 10 months now and he's still up once each night. He's 95th percentile for height and only 55th for weight so the doctor said he really does need to eat. I would check with your doctor and make sure your baby is where he should be growth wise before you make any decisions to try to change his feeding schedule. That said I know how hard it is when you feel like you're nursing constantly and you're up half the night. One of the nurses at my pediatrician's office suggested trying to prolong feedings by just a few minutes each day, starting with 10 minutes the first day. Whether by distraction or a few minutes of fussing and crying. Then 15 minutes the next and so on. This didn't work for us but it might be worth a shot.

Hi Wendolyn. I have an 11 week old. She just started..about a week or two ago sleeping about 4-6 hours straight at night. I know how much difference that makes. I think it's a matter of how they grow. Some sleep longer and others still wake up. Up until this point, she was still waking every 2-3 hours to eat. Everytime she got up, I would change her, nurse her and then she would go back to sleep for another 3 hours usually. I did find that a side sleeper that was given to me seemed to help her sleep longer. My sister gave me a co-sleeper that had it in it and I put that part in her bassinet and swaddled her and she slept at least 4 hours. However, every baby is different. I do keep her in the bed with me sometimes and she does sleep alot better that way, but, I know it's not safe to do without a co-sleeper or something. Personally, I've done it and I never move when she's with me, but, I try not to because of her safety.
Good luck. I hope he starts sleeping more soon. :)

Why are you letting a 10 week old cry it out?? You know, I know we all get batty when we don't have enough sleep but he is still technically a newborn. It is completely normal for him to want to eat every 3 hours. It really bothers me when parents get frustrated because their babies are inconveniencing them.

Maybe he doesn't like swaddling anymore. Maybe he has reflux, gas. Maybe he just wants to be held because he's still so new to this world.

You know the older generations used to say you had to watch for baby boys especially to develop hernias and the younger they are and the more you let them cry the more likely they'd be to get them. Keep in mind too you are nursing which does NOT stay in their system as long as formula does. He will be able to go for longer stretches as he gets a bit older.

If you still want to swaddle
check out http://www.miracleblanket.com
Its great for swaddling!

I hate to say it but this is all completely normal. I would stop the swaddle, it sounds like he doesn't need it anymore. My son never liked his and was kicking out of it since the day he came home. My daughter liked hers and slept in it for 2 mos. The binky thing. I was replacing my son's nightly until he was 18 mos old or so. We kept a spare on the dresser so we weren't searching in the middle of the night. As for the night time feeding things, I know this isn't a habit you want to start, but it will save your sanity. When he wakes to feed during the night, bring him into bed with you. Lay on your side and put the baby on his side so you are laying tummy to tummy. Then "hook" him up and go back to sleep. I did this with both my kids and it helped me get some extra zzz's. When he's done he'll let go and go back to sleep. You can then move him back to his crib or where ever. When my kids were this little they were still sleeping in the pack n play by the side of the bed so it made things easier. I'm not big on co-sleeping so I wanted this done asap but it helped alot.

I have a 4 month old who has just started getting up 3 times a night. She used to love to be swaddled but then seemed to wiggle out. I found this bag with a zipper on the bottom, called a peke moe. It's made by a woman in New Zealand and the website is pekemoe.co.nz If you look it up on google you'll find it. It really helped my daughter transition from the swaddling. We started it during naps and then eventually used it at night. At least then you wouldn't have to worry about him waking up because he wiggled out of the swaddle:)My daughter has also recently started rolling over onto her stomach. When she falls asleep on her stomach she sleeps better. She's still not going all night but we get a good 5 hours at a time. My dr said as long as they can hold their head up and they're rolling over on their own it's ok to sleep on their stomach. Good luck!

I am no expert, but it sounds to me that he may just be hungry. At 10 weeks old babies can still eat a lot during the night and wake several times. My 3rd child was a beat at night looking for food and not sleeping and it lasted quite some time. She was almost 9 months old before she started sleeping through the night.

Maybe you can try more play time after 8PM and before putting him back down at 10 PM, that might help for the over night.

Good Luck!

Wendolyn, my boys didn't want to be wrapped up either and they did everything to fight it but you haveto let it go and don't swaddle him because it'll only make it worst. I found out and it's really my opinion because I have three boys and you learn as you go along, they are warm blooded kids. It's too warm to be swaddled and they didn't want that and it's understandable. About waking up alot it's because he is hungry and now may be the time to start cereal. All my boys have started cereal about 3 months of age because liquids, breastmilk and formula weren't enough for them. They needed something to carry them over through the night. My third one who is 10 months eats the most than the other two did. It takes two bowls of homemade macaroni and cheese to satisfy him. So, your son may need cereal to help out. Just make sure he can hold his head up on his own. Don't worry about sitting up by himself, that's not important right now. It's his head and if he can, great. Start him on cereal. Mix it with water, breastmilk or formula, but since you have breastfed him, use that to mix the cereal and it tells you on the box how to start off, but end it with breastfeeding to relax him and you. I bet you will get more sleep. Then you can give it to him morning and at night later down the road. Start off at night to get the sleep you need and once he gets the hand of it, you can give it to him morning and at night. Also, if he wakes up during the night crying and he has been sleeping through the night, watch out for teething. My first son got his first tooth at 3 mos. You may want to get the teething tablets or gel and give it to him and they are homeopathic, meaning natural and with cereal and teething tabs or gel and breastfeeding after feeding for the night, you will be much better. Crying it out, I think it's too early because during the first three or four months they are looking for comfort and wants to know if you're still there to give him the comfort. After that, work on it during the day to let him cry for a few minutes and that is how I did it with my third son. I let it happen during the day because I felt that I could keep an eye on him. He throws up if he crys too long and people say that they will be okay and let them cry it out. Not true for all children. They are all different and my third one cries too long and throws up. So, I don't mind it during the day because I can keep an eye on him during the day and at night, what if I don't hear him throwing up at night. Yikes!!! Which has happend a few times and found gross things on the blankets underneath his head. So, it made me realized he's really, really different from the other two. Now, he's a healthy good sized and sold kid. Not fat, just solid. Hope I helped and lets us know how it goes and if you have any more questions, ask us or e-mail me if you prefer. :)

Sounds like he's hungry. I needed to breastfeed my daughter every 3 hours around the clock until she was 6 months old. Why not keep him up later and play with him until 10:00-11:00 pm? Then nurse him to sleep..

A 10 week old breastfed baby should feed every 3 hours or so, so it sounds as thought hes right on track!! I know sleep sounds great, but he's still a newborn adn needs to nurse frequently... If you're so inclined, you can try feeding a bottle of formula at night since formula lasts longer in their bellies, than breastmilk... just remember, they're only little once!! :)

Here is what I think...
-1st stop swaddling him and get a sleep sak- my daughter hated being confined in the swaddle and always got her hands out and woke herself up. We put her in a sleep sak by Carters and she slept beautifully.
-2nd feed him every 2 hours during the day. Fill him up. Then let him sleep at night.
-3rd teach him the difference between day and night. Dark and quiet during the nighttime and bright and talking during the day.
-4th DO NOT put him in his crib until you and your husband are ready to go to bed. Keep him downstairs in a swing with you until you are going to bed for the night. Then before putting him in his crib feed him. (we use to keep her downstairs until about 11 o'clock when we would go to bed and she would sleep a good 4 hours)

I do not know if it was because of all these tricks or because she is a good baby, but she was sleeping through the night, I mean 6-7 hour stretched since she was 1 month old. Now she is almost 9 months and has been sleeping 12 hours a night since she was about 4 months old.
Good luck- I hope my suggestions help.

Hi Wendolyn,
Your baby's sleep is normal for a 2 month old. A breastfed baby his age should be eating 8 to 12 times a day. I would never condone crying it out, but even for those who do, the so-called "experts" who write books on those methods say it's not for babies under 5-6 months of age. You have a newborn. He is looking to eat because he is hungry. As for sleeping through the night, 5 hours is technically considered sleeping through the night ( I know, it was a shocker when I learned that one too).
I would not give him a bottle and add formula as someone else suggested. Formula does not benefit a breastfed baby. It simply introduces the health risks that come with formula.
Good luck. I know that the sleep deprivation is rough. My 2nd baby nursed more than once a night pretty much his whoel first year and I felt like I was sleepwalking through work from 11 weeks on.

I know by the time my son was 5 or 6 weeks (if not younger) he hated being swaddled....maybe he has just outgrown that and would rather be a little freer when he is sleeping? I think also that by that age he slept for about 4 hours at a time, once per night and then woke every two hours after that to eat also. While it's pretty hard, it sounds pretty normal to me. Good luck.