online, i knew lots of mums bresatfeeding and co-sleeping at night
but IRL, i was the only one (in my mother's group)
my bub woke every two hours (until she was 20 months old, then she started sleeping for one five hour stretch)
although i knew there was alot of variation (amongst bf babies) thru chatting online and reading ABA stuff, in real life, i felt quite alone about it.

i later found out, many of the babies, who i had been told "sleep thru like angels", their parents had used Controlled Crying - ignored their cries for 12 hours type of thing - so then i realised - those parent's version of the child sleeping, and MY version of what a sleeping child means (e.g no crying or distress), was marketly different.

But at the time, sometimes i felt very envious, people were so competitive about it, so i did feel like a failure, cos i coudln't chime in "yes, us too". it was group pressure, cos i knew deep down, what my bub was doing was very very normal. with a stomach the size of a marble, she NEEDED lots of small drinks. ANd she looked so healthy.

Took me a while to work out, i was in the minority (to pick up baby when they cry, intead of leaving them to "cry it out".)

I decided, ok, i have chosen to "attachment parent", so i will have to do this alone. No point in trying to discuss AP with people who don't believe in it (you just get dissed). I worked out i could get my support online and i did. from other AP parents. who did get it. and didn't put me down with the "well, if you put her on formula, she would sleep through". I met many parents who DID follow that advice and their bubs STILL didn't sleep through.

have no idea if i stayed ON TOPIC or not. apologies if i didn't.

MummaSue, i would regard your bub as entirely normal, waking for 2-3 feeds per night. Their little tummy can only hold such a small quantity at this stage, they are not camels! I would not like to be denied a drink for 12 hours (if i wanted one). Babies are such primal beings, they ask for what they need, when they need it.
(i got to calling it "feeding by request" - as "feeding on demand" i know it's semantics, but just that phrase turned me cold. whereas "feeding by request" made me feel so positive. Like each feed was a precious gift to my lovely bub.)

and the TYPECASTING of babies, into Good Babies (who sleep 13 hours, don't cry, etc) immediately assumes there are the opposites out there - the Bad Babies who wake often, and do cry - heavens above, they act like real babies!!!!

Like everything, there is variation. But being at any end or in the middle of that variation, does not make a baby inherently Good or Bad. how ridiculous. it sounds to me, that tiny helpless beings, who happen to be hungry, are being castigated for having the temerity to ask their mum for a drink! (by strangers and other people you might know in mother's groups on a very basic level).

it's crazy, YOU"RE not worried about it, but perfect strangers are, it's a crazy world. You know your bub the best, at the same time as your hormones are going nuts, it seems new mums have to develop a thick skin to, cos everyone feels free to comment/judge/advise, once you've had a bub.