Pediatrician said baby sleep is abnormal

[nserchoftruth]

I have a 6 month old who has never been a great sleeper. I work full time (so does Dad) so he has been in daycare for the last two months. Naps vary there but aren’t always super great. His last nap usually ends around 2:15pm. By the time we pick him up, get him home, he’s ready to go to sleep by 6-6:30pm. I’ve asked his daycare to add a later nap but they said they won’t force him to sleep (which I completely understand). He will wake up around 5-5:30 am. He also has several wakes a night, looking for my boob, for what I believe are mainly comfort feeds. Our new pediatrician said he should be sleeping through the night and doesn’t need feeds. She recommended sleep training and talked about CIO. I was so frustrated because that’s not what I want to do. I didn’t think his sleep was that odd (yes, I’m tired) but he’s going to be my only child and I work FT so co-sleeping is the only time I get with him at night. But, if he’s waking so frequently (every 1-2 hours), I don’t want to contribute to his poor sleep. If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading. I just need some advice on if I should consider transitioning him to a crib, and/or night weaning, and how I could do it gently? Or just night weaning and keep co sleeping? Help!

 

[aprilprincess]

@nserchoftruth Hi I just want to reassure you that there's absolutely nothing wrong with his sleep. Babies get the sleep they need (as long as nobody impedes it) and some sleep through the night sooner than others.
Any changes you made would be for your own comfort which of course is also important. But please don't think you're doing anything wrong or harming him in any way by letting him nurse through the night.
It's so hard to be away for so many hours, if you enjoy the nighttime closeness don't let anyone guilt you out of it!!

 

[nserchoftruth]

@aprilprincess Thank you so, so much!

 

[appalonia]

@nserchoftruth You are doing great, mama.
My twins are now just over 15 mo old but they didn’t sleep through the night until after 1 year (when I finally started cosleeping). They certainly were bad sleepers at 6 months with multiple wakes and feeds each night for each. There is absolutely no reason babies must be sleeping through the night at this age! And eating at night is biologically normal at this age too. And I am also working mom and night time is my favorite time because I am near my kids now.

 

[lauris]

@nserchoftruth Hey OP, Lindsey Hookway's book Holistic Sleep Coaching is absolutely wonderful. It's aimed towards Dr's but in a very low key on the medical terms way. I cried the first time I read it and realised that what I thought was terrible sleep was so so normal. She also has Instagram and a Web page. I can't recommend her enough x

 

[nserchoftruth]

@lauris Thank you!! I’ll check her out!

 

[dan1958]

@nserchoftruth Came here to say similarly. My baby is almost 8months and still wakes for night feeds. Our doctor never seems concerned about baby having night feeds as long as she's overall healthy and happy and gaining weight.
Trust your instincts, and cherish the time together ❤ love those baby snuggles

 

[nserchoftruth]

@dan1958 Thank you so much!! I can’t imagine taking all of that away with the little time we have

 

[alangeh]

@nserchoftruth He’s breastfed and 6 months old he can absolutely still need to nurse at night.

Unless your current setup isn’t working for you at all, don’t listen to your pediatrician. In 3 months everything with his sleep will be different, even if you do nothing.

 

[nserchoftruth]

@alangeh Thank you so much - that’s what I have been reading and I was just so sad and discouraged after that appointment.

 

[patersonchristian]

@nserchoftruth Please ignore this doctor’s advice on sleep behaviour. It’s not part of their training, and the advice they gave is so, so cultural.

 

[iluvjesuslol]

@alangeh Exactly, plus milk production is at its highest at night so he's probably getting a lot of milk besides "just" comfort.

 

[smallz]

@nserchoftruth Personally, I’d find a new pediatrician, especially if mine told me I should let my child CIO. It is completely normal that your baby is still waking up at night, even if it is for comfort feeds. You know your baby better than anyone else, don’t feel guilty.

 

[katrina2017]

@smallz Totally agree. Especially considering that it’s well known how damaging CIO can be/ is. I couldn’t trust the DR after comments like that.

 

[nserchoftruth]

@smallz Thank you! We just switched to her too…I’ll still consider looking for a new one.

 

[funnjng]

@nserchoftruth Seconding. Ours told us something similar to what yours said, and so we are switching lol
I was very offended when he told me to night wean and sleep train, especially bc I hadn’t complained about sleep or mentioned sleep as we are cosleeping.

 

[nserchoftruth]

@bfaithful922 Thank you! When she looked at me and said he should be sleeping for 10-12 hours straight and doesn’t need to be fed, I was shocked and felt so awful. She actually has kids but she did CIO with them. I asked her about the cortisol impact of CIO and she said there aren’t any studies that show it affects babies and it took me two seconds to Google and find several reputable articles stating otherwise. Ugh. Thanks for your comment and for letting me vent!!

 

[bfaithful922]

@nserchoftruth My daughter was in the NICU. Everytime she cried for more than a minute her heartrate would get dangerously high and she'd forget to breathe. Numerous studies have proven that NICU babies are more likely to live if their cries are answered. If they're held. If they're handled carefully and their emotions aren't ignored. NICU babies aren't a different species. They're just fragile humans connected to monitors so we can clearly see what's happening to their bodies in response. It's infuriating to me that so many medical professionals claim there's no harm in letting babies cry when we have medical proof there is. These same doctors claim newborns don't feel pain and can't receive anesthesia though even though preterm babies have surgeries under anesthesia safely every single day. If we refuse to support bad doctors they'll be forced to learn something. Leave a public review, inform your insurance provider and don't go back.

It took me 4 pediatricians to find a pediatrician I love and trust. It makes a huge difference in the speed in which my kids are seen when I suspect an issue. Because I trust him and he's accessible I've gone several times "just in case" and 1 of those mommy gut feelings saved my daughter's life. It's also saved me several ER trips. Not googling everything because you have someone you trust is a huge huge deal

 

[nserchoftruth]

@bfaithful922 This is all so well said. Thank you for taking the time to write this all out. I’m so sorry your daughter was in the NICU and I’m so glad she has such a wonderful Mama! . I will look for a new one and good idea to write a review. All the best to you!

 

[bfaithful922]

@nserchoftruth you're son is lucky to have you