STTN?

Sometimes when Nathaniel is sleeping, I grab a sandwich and find myself perusing the chat boards on my favorite baby website. I've been reading {and occasionally participating in} discussions since before I found out that I was pregnant. I've moved from the various trimester boards to the 0-3 month board, then 3-6 month, and recently up to the 6-9 month board. I also find myself frequenting chat boards centered on breastfeeding, cloth diapering, attachment parenting, green living, and a few others. While I don't always agree with opinions and philosophies, I've gleaned lots of valuable information from these chats. The most reassuring being that we are normal! Whether I was worrying about strange pregnancy symptons, the unknown world of labor, the logistics of bathing an infant, or the strange new texture of baby poo--I was reassured that I wasn't the only mother panicking, and that everything I've seen is normal!
One recuring issue that I see discussed by mothers everywhere is sleep. Again and again, I see the question "Does your LO STTN?" posed. (If you're not current on your baby chatboard lingo, that translates as "Does your little one sleep through the night?") Mothers are desperate for their babies to sleep--some new mothers of only a month or two, and some more seasoned mothers of two and three-year-olds. I understand the need/want for sleep. Obviously, an uninterrupted nights sleep is a good thing--and, to a new mother, it's a luxury.
Nathaniel has never had any major sleep issues--he slept in perfect 4 hour increments when we brought him home from the hospital, and was sleeping 6-7 hours straight by 2 months. Recently, we've only been getting about 4 or 5 hour increments at night again. Yes, it's frustrating (why did he used to sleep longer? Isn't it supposed to go the other way?!), but it's do-able. When I'm struggling to open my eyes at 2:30 am, I remind myself that Nathaniel is only 6 months old. Sure, I feel like he's growing up so quickly, and that he's such a big boy now--but he's only 6 months! He's still such a baby. And, babies don't always sleep straight through the night. Big deal.
Ever since Nate was born, I've been confronted with some variations of the same question over and over again--from family, friends, even strangers! "How does he sleep?" "Does he sleep at night?" "How long does he sleep?" "Are you getting much sleep these days?" I know that many people are simply trying to be sympathetic. Or maybe they just don't know what else there is to ask about a baby. To me, this question is a teensy bit intrusive {especially when it's a stranger in the grocery store inquiring about what goes on in our house after dark}. I want to reply with, "Is it really important to you that you know whether or not my baby sleeps all night long?" But, I'm too chicken to be rude. I usually just smile and say that he sleeps well. And, he does! Recently, I've been wishing that he'd sleep in stretches a bit longer, but, overall, he does sleep well. When he wakes up, he simply nurses and goes back to sleep.
I've gone back and forth with myself about whether or not I should be nursing at night any longer. Does he really need more food, or is he just comfort nursing? Is it better to hold him or let him cry alone? Should I still be swaddling at night? Should we splurge and buy a Magic Sleep Suit?! Is it my fault that he's not sleeping as long as he used to be?
I feel like the common concesus is that 6-month-old babies should be sleeping through the entire night. (Random fact: Did you know that "sleeping through the night" is defined as 5 a hour stretch? That's it.) I'm hoping that as we increase Nate's solid foods, he will start sleeping for longer stretches again. But, if he doesn't? That's okay. I know that he's not the only one (thank you chat board moms!), no matter what a friend or the pediatrician might say! Eventually, Nathaniel will settle back into a more convinient {for us} sleep pattern, and until then, I will continue to love on him when he wakes, and I'll assure strangers that he is a fine sleeper!