Should I feed baby or wait this out at night UPDATE

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Infants

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amother

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:33 pm

My 2 month old wakes up at night and I hear lots of fidgeting and that he’s sucking his hand but he doesn’t really kvetch or cry. When I feed him he drinks hungrily for around an ounce and then doesn’t want anymore, just sleeps. So I’m wondering if I should ignore his fidgeting and eventually he’ll fall back asleep. Maybe he doesn’t really want to eat. Any advice?

Update:
Last night I heard the baby at 2:15, I left him and he fell back asleep pretty quickly. Started hearing him again at 3:30 and decided to feed even though he wasn’t crying. He drank a grand total of 2 ounces. Then he woke up at 6:30 and all he drank was 1 ounce! Now it’s 9:00 and he’s refusing a bottle. I don’t get it! Help!

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:34 pm

You can try giving him a pacifier.

amother

Copper

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:35 pm

It's very normal for babies to move around a lot and make lots of noise in their sleep. Are you sure the baby is awake? You might accidentally be picking up a sleeping baby to feed.

amother

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:35 pm

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

You can try giving him a pacifier.

He refuses. Never was able to get him to take one.

imaima

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:36 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

For me, it would depend on his weight gain.
If he is gainjng nicely, I might wait it out. If he were little, I would feed him.
But if you wake up from fidgeting, what's the point of lying there awake and not feeding him? You don't sleep through fidgeting.

amother

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:36 pm

amother [ Copper ] wrote:

It's very normal for babies to move around a lot and make lots of noise in their sleep. Are you sure the baby is awake? You might accidentally be picking up a sleeping baby to feed.

His eyes aren’t open but he’s sucking his sleeve and moving around. Definitely not settled. I always think he’s starving but I usually can’t get him to eat much.

imaima

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:38 pm

He is a newborn and sucking on things means he is hungry... Maybe hungry but too sleepy to cry.

amother

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:38 pm

imaima wrote:

He’s gaining nicely but I’m not really getting much in during these night feeds because he falls right back asleep when I start feeding and keeps pushing the nipple out.

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:39 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

He refuses. Never was able to get him to take one.

Did you try different types and giving it to him when he's fidgeting in his sleep? Sometimes you need to hold it in place for the baby till they learn to keep it in.

imaima

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:47 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

He’s gaining nicely but I’m not really getting much in during these night feeds because he falls right back asleep when I start feeding and keeps pushing the nipple out.

Seems like he just wants to suck. If he won't take any pacis, try letting him fall back alseep by himself.

momof2+?

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:52 pm

How long after his last feeding is he waking up?

FranticFrummie

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:55 pm

DD didn't take a paci until she was much older. There's no harm in sucking on a hand or a sleeve.

2 months is still really tiny. He shouldn't be sleeping straight through the night. Even if you can only get him to take a couple ounces, it's better than nothing.

amother

Copper

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:56 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

His eyes aren’t open but he’s sucking his sleeve and moving around. Definitely not settled. I always think he’s starving but I usually can’t get him to eat much.

It's normal for newborns to seem fidgety and unsettled in their REM sleep cycles. They can move around a lot and make a lot of noises. They also use their sleep (and the time between sleep cycles) to "practice" their skills they learned during the day.

I understand the picking up the baby because you feel anxious - I did this too, until I learned my baby was actually sleeping. Babies usually cry to communicate that they're hungry. If your baby is gaining weight, and you're comfortable that your baby can usually cry to communicate it's hungry, I wouldn't pick up a baby with its eyes closed to feed it. It doesn't seem like it's helping much anyway. I say trust your instinct and the fact that you're asking suggests that you're questioning whether baby is actually hungry. I know it sounds crazy but your baby might actually be sleeping while doing all that, and you might be interrupting both of your sleep with these attempted feedings.

amother

Copper

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 4:02 pm

Another thing I almost forgot because we're just past that stage.... Newborns have undeveloped digestive systems that often causes wind. They're not mobile which makes it more difficult to pass the gas, and laying on their backs is not the most comfortable for wind, so they may move and fidget a lot to pass the wind along. I believe sucking also produces saliva which might help pass the wind. Feeding more often can produce more gas which can perpetuate the cycle. Of course feed your baby whenever they're hungry anyway, but if they're not hungry, extra snacks might not be helping.

amother

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 4:03 pm

momof2+? wrote:

How long after his last feeding is he waking up?

When it makes sense for him to be hungry. Usually at least 3-4 hours.

amother

Cobalt

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 4:50 pm

I don't agree with babies needing to eat at night. Consider it a blessing if he's not crying to eat. Plenty of babys sleep through the night. They don't NEED to eat as a rule but obviously you need to feed them if they're clearly crying for food. I totally get you that you're wondering if he's hungry but if he's not crying I would leave him.
Thankfully Hashem made it that when the baby is hungry they let you know. Does he cry during the day from hunger calling for you? If yes consider this a blessing and thank Hashem that you can sleep a longer stretch.

amother

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 5:13 pm

amother [ Cobalt ] wrote:

He kvetches but doesn’t really cry.

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 5:19 pm

amother [ Cobalt ] wrote:

A newborn baby doesn't belong to be sleeping through the night and they often do need to eat in middle of the night. Newborns need to eat everything 3-4 hours round the clock.

amother

Cobalt

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 5:21 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

He kvetches but doesn’t really cry.

My 3 month old is really the same way. She first let's me know she's hungry by day and only if I don't respond straight away bc im busy will she get louder. She also used to toss and turn at night I would feed her and she'd fall instantly asleep without eating.. She also doesn't use a pack. So basically sounds quite similar. I let her be at night and now she's sleeping really well and I am so thankful because I know from my older ones how hard it is when they don't. She's thankfully gaining weight really well so I don't see the need to feed her at night. Hope this helps you.

amother

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 5:21 pm

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

A newborn baby doesn't belong to be sleeping through the night and they often do need to eat in middle of the night. Newborns need to eat everything 3-4 hours round the clock.

Baby is 9 weeks old and at a weight that he can sleep through the night.

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