Answer:
Dear
Sheila,
No, there
is nothing wrong.
Young
infants tend to sleep for around two to four hours at a time, and
then wake for short periods, often to be fed.
These
patterns of sleeping and waking can vary, and they go on around the
clock.
At first,
these short stretches of 2 to 4 hours of sleep may be frustrating
for you as they interfere with your sleep pattern. Have patience —
this will change as your baby grows and begins to adapt to the rhythms
of life outside the womb.
Some
nights you need to get up and soothe a crying baby three, four, or
what seems like ten times a night. You're not used to waking up this
often and you're tired. It's one of the most challenging parts of
having a new baby. It can affect almost all aspects of your life:
your health, mood, relationships, career, and sometimes even your
sanity.
For the
first few months of life, 95% of infants cry when they wake up. And
most of them need someone to soothe them before they can get back
to sleep. But as your baby gets older, she may simply go back to sleep
on her own.
Several
studies have found that by eight months, over 50% of infants who wake
at night go back to sleep without any soothing from parents or other
caregivers. In fact, sometimes their parents didn't even realize they'd
been awake.
All babies
are unique, and sleep patterns vary greatly from infant to infant.
Even though typical sleep patterns don't apply to all babies, researchers
have identified general patterns that you can look for as your child
gets older.
When
you hear that cry in the night, remember these things:
Your
baby doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "sleeping through
the night.
"Don't expect her to sleep through most of a night before she's
three to six months old.
Even then, remember that it's normal for babies to wake up several
times during the night.
Every baby is different, and your normal, healthy baby may have different
sleep patterns than other children.
Be patient
and hang in there. Your baby will probably begin to sleep for longer
stretches of time when she's developmentally ready.
There
are so many wonderful changes in babies during the first six months.
Sleep is one of them, as babies develop more adult-like sleep patterns.
So hang in there. Sleep is on the way.
