My 2 1/2 Month Old Is Having Sleep Issues!

your child is completely normal. babies aren't made to sleep through the night. most that do have been unfortunately sleep trained (see my links below). a great place to learn more about breastfeeding and sleeping is www.mothering.com. go to the "discuss" tab and then find the forum on nightime parenting and/or breastfeeding. my DD is almsot 21 months and doesn't even do a three hour stretch. so i think your babe is doing great! and so are you for breastfeeding!! that is so awesome!

Well, I am more of an "information geek" than a "try it out" mom. I think the evidence and studies speak for themselves.
Before I list a very few of them, I want to say that every family must do what works for them and there is no perfect way to raise a child.
I also want to urge every mother to do her own research. Be a critical reader! When reading, be aware of who wrote the information you are reading, what their credentials and motives are, and how the author is viewed by his/her peers. There is great information out there, but there are a lot of really bad books, too. Many written by people with little or no training, education, or experience. Anyone can write a book...
I also believe that a mother who mothers by her gut will usually do what is best. Any information that causes a mother to go against her natural mothering instinct is the wrong information for her. Any regrets that I have come from times when I didn't follow my gut.
Here is some of the research that I find helpful:
The studies on cortisol levels in babies while they are crying alone vs. crying in arms are astounding. The levels of cortisol measured in babies crying alone are high enough to cause damage to brain tissue and permanently alter a child's mental function. Clearly, babies are not meant to be left alone to cry.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp
http://home.mweb.co.za/to/torngren/bergman-int.html
The research in the fields of sociology, psychology, and anthropology show us that families around the world as far back as history dates have shared a family bed, breastfed on demand for and average of 4 years (still the current world average), and carried babies or strapped them on during their babyhood.
This body of research also tells us that a child who has his needs met by a single care giver (most optimally the mother) is a more independent, confident child than those who spend time fearing that their needs won't be met or those who are forced to be independent before they are ready.
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/lauren_lindsey_porter.html
Be sure and check out the sitations on this and any article your read.
Further, this attachment extends to the later parenting, making it easier to parent the child...
Nils Bergman on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcaMsZrElnE (he has several videos you can watch!)
His book, Hold On To Your Kids is a MUST READ!!!
The Discipline Book by Dr. William Sears
Here is some really compelling research:
Biology gives us a whole body of research on human milk composition which shows us that out of all mammal species, human milk has the lowest amount of fat and protein when compared to other mammal species, here is what that says:
Cache care - These animals must hid their babies and only feed them every 12 hours. They have the highest amount of fat and protien in thier milk. Rabbits, mice
Nest care - These animals have less fat and protien and feed their babies every 4 hours or so. dog, cat
Follow care - These animals have even less fat and protien than cache and nest animals. They feed every 2 hours or so. Zebra, cow, elk.
Carry care - These animals have the lowest amount of fat and protien and feed their infants every 30 to 90 minutes. Primates.
Humans have the lowest amount of fat and protien! What does this say about how our babies should be cared for? How often they should be fed, and what we should expect from them at night?
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBSepOct01p178.html
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/haa/breastfeeding/s...
BTW, new research is now linking colic to babies not being fed often enough and being left alone too often.
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/whatis03.htm
http://home.mweb.co.za/to/torngren/eng-berg.html
Dr. Sears recommends feeding your baby twice as often and half as much when colic seems to be the trouble. He also recommends holding your baby http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051300.asp
It is interesting to see the societal influences we have here compared to the rest of the world. We want our babies to be convenient, yet their very make up makes that impossible.
Again, mothers must do what their gut tells them and use information to supplement that wisdom. Don't choose sides, choose your child!
Happy Mothering!! Enjoy your babies

My friend had a baby that did the same thing. The doctor told her to put her in the other room and she started sleeping great. The issue was that the baby was a very light sleeper and any movement the parents made woke the baby up.
I currently have a 11 week old. He just started sleeping through the night. Here's the thing- I put him on his tummy. He just has a lot of gas and startles easily so he wasn't sleeping at all on his back, even when swaddled. He is my #4 and all of them have gone to their tummies. We are a non-smoking home, he was not pre-mature, there is nothing soft in the bed, he can hold up his own head.... all of those risk factors for SIDS. So, he is sleeping great- in another room (because I am a light sleeper and wake up for every little noise thinking that he is going to get up any second)and I am doing much better because of it. I am a SAHM and I have exclusively breast-fed all of my babies including this one.
Good luck.

I exclusively nurse my 5 month old twins and they were the same way. I only got 3 hours at a time before I had to nurse them again until they were 3 1/2 months when I got 5-6 hour stints. They also were completely swaddled the entire time. At around 4 1/2 months they began to break out of their swaddle (I used the miracle blanket) so I stopped swaddling them at night and they began to sleep through the night. I still exclusively breastfeed and now I get 12 hour nights from both of them and they are swaddle free. Just stick with it, believe me it's hard but it will get better. Follow his cues with swaddling - if he can roll from back to tummy that's another sign you can stop swaddling - and you will get the full night. Try also reading the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" by Marc Weissbluth - it's a life saver. Hope that helps.

A little about me:

I am a stay at home mama to 5 1/2 month old boy/girl twins.

Hi A.-
My daughter who was born in February didn't have her first night of 6 hours of sleep until FATHER'S D.! That's 4 months old. And she also woke every 2-3 hours during the first 4 months for breastfeeding. I was one tired mommy. So from 4-7 months she would sleep about 6 hours and wake on and off throughout the night for her pacifier. At 7 months once she could sit up on her own I put her in her crib in her own room now she sleeps 11-12 hours a night. So I know you are tired but not to worry the D. will come. I don't know if there is a secret to getting your son to sleep longer, when I asked my pediatrician about getting my daughter on a schedule and such she told me it was way to soon to think about schedules and let her (my daughter) make her own schedule, so I did. I don't know if this helped, just sharing a story. Good Luck! As tired as I was I think I would do it the same for my next baby, keeping the baby in my room until it could sit up. I felt more at ease.

My son was the same way, both with the feeding and swaddling. Didn't sleep through the night until he was nearly 1. I too exclusively breast feed. He was just a very hungry boy and during his growth spurts it seemed like all he did was eat. I think I swaddled him until he was 10 months old. He REALLY liked being wrapped up. Even though the doctors said to take the blankets out of the crib, I figured, if it helped him sleep better, it was better for both of us. Every child has their own schedule. It will happen, just on his schedule. Don't worry too much about what is normal, it will drive you crazy.

A.-

From what you're saying, your son's sleep patterns are very normal for that age and considering you breastfeed. The breast milk goes through their system alot quicker, so they don't stay full as long as if they were bottle fed. Swaddling is a blessing, not a curse. Don't change that at all :) My first child had the same sleep patterns as your son and yes it was exhausting, especially since I went back to work FT when she was 3 months. And she was still waking up 2-3 times. Each baby is different. He sounds likes a very normal baby. Congrats on your sweet angel.

Ok I have a evil suggestion! If he is waking up every two hours it is probably because he is hungry. breastmilk goes through them quicker and they need to nurse every two to three hours. I was hard core breastfeed mommy for the first three kids then I couldn't do it anymore. I supplemented only at night. I would breast feed on each side at least 10-15 min per side then I would top them off with an ounce or two of formula. I would do this for only one feeding like the two Am and this seemed to help them sleep longer. I did this with my last three babies and they all did great!
My pediatrician said there is no suchthing as nipple confusion. It is the parent who is confused. BUT~ the baby could prefer bottle to breast cause it comes out quicker so I only did this as a desperate option! After I nursed and only once at night!
I know lots and lots of hard core breastfeeding ladies are crappin their panties at my suggestion and are gonna write like mad over this but hey~ It did work for me and my kids are fine! Just a thoughtÜ

i think 5-6 hours are the "ideal", not the norm. they have short sleep cycles, esp breastfed babies who need to eat more often. give it time!