7w old wakes up every night at same time/day naps

[Ines castelo]

hi! Im new here but this community has been really helpful since I had my baby girl August 18th.

Its been 7 weeks of ups and downs... but Im so tired that everything seems like a blur. Early on I manage to get a routine and I think she picked up pretty easy (of course sometimes if differs but not that much).

a little bit of a background: right now she eats at 8am; 11am; 3pm; 6pm; 8pm; around 1 or 2 or 3am she wakes up and eats; usually by 5am or 6am she eats again (its more snacking!) - if she eats at 5am she wakes up every night at around 6am in pain (seems like gas but only at this hour and night), and she does this since 3w old. I manage her to come back to sleep but from then on she wakes up every 30min until 8am. I give her gas drops every bottle. I know things will pass but this behavior is sticking and I dont know why. the same happened to you?

naps- since 3w its been a struggle to get her to nap. I would call my husband at work crying my eyes out bc I could not get her to nap the entire day, and if I did she only nap 30/40min (once or twice she napped 2h lol) anyway, I decided to try the sling and she started to nap wonderfully on it. she now naps from 9-11am, 1-2.30pm, 4-6pm. but I cant do this much longer, bc my back hurts and I kinda want to teach good sleeping habits (whatever that means). I feel like Im spoiling her and ruining my sanity at the same time. I know she can fall asleep on her own (did it a couple of times) but the majority it takes long long long to do so, and a lot of times she wakes after 10min. I darkened the room, I put white noise, I do the shh shh, I give her the pacifier (she never was that interested to begin with but some days ago she has been sucking on her hand loads). today after 1hour trying to get her to nap I gave up and put her on the sling - I know I know I must stick to it but its hard when she is not sleeping/fussy/crying/overtired. what can I do? stick to the plan and get her to nap 10/20min until the plan works? I know its not easy to newborns to pass one sleep cycle..

anyway, I wanted to know if someone had the same troubles (Im sure a lot did!!!). its not been easy. I cry almost single day, I wanted to be a stay home mom but now all I wanna do is go back to work. sorry for being so honest. I think I just need reassurance that this scenario will pass. Dont judge, I feel like shit already.

(sorry my english is rubbish! and sorry for the long post)

 

[yazzy]

First off you are doing great! Your little girl is so young that all she will want is you to cuddle her and get her to sleep.

My youngest (of 3) is now 4 months and she still loves to be cuddles while napping. I can sometimes settle her so she has a sleep alone but I feed her to sleep. Right now I am putting my oldest to bed and the baby is in her carrier on me fast asleep.

They do start to nap longer but in my experience that happens around 6 months. Mine have always been fed or cuddled to sleep and it hasn't caused any problems. I actually love those snuggles and time calming down for sleep.

 

[vickyandchick]

Big hugs
My eldest wouldn't sleep unless he was on me for the first few months of his life and he hardly slept at night, I remember it was just exhausting but it does get easier. She's still so little right now and is still getting used to the world.
My second is 11 weeks now and he's been resisting naptime the past couple of days but this time around I'm like 'screw it' and just enjoy the baby cuddles.
You're doing a wonderful job, I miss being at work sometimes too as I'd like to have a designated lunch break and to pee in peace

 

[noon_child]

At that age I don't think there's such a thing as a good sleeping habit...they sleep where they feel safe. I drove myself absolutely crazy trying to get my daughter to nap, and the "Sleep when they sleep" thing seems laughable when they only sleep on you on the sofa (not safe for me to fall asleep there!) or when driving in the car (not safe for me to fall asleep there!) or in a sling when walking at a constant brisk pace - don't slow down or I'll wake up - (impossible for me to sleep there!). 2 hr naps in the sling seems amazing - in those first weeks it can be "normal" for their nap to only be 20minutes long. So my opinion is that if you find something that works for you then do it, BUT you mention your back aches and you feel it's ruining your sanity? What type of sling are you using? It may be that a bit of adjustment or a slightly different type of sling might do wonders for your back pain - are there any sling libraries near you where you could receive advice on getting the best position for your back or even rent a few different types of slings to see what works best? Failing that, have a sit down while she's in the sling and bung on some box sets/Netflix. On the sanity side of things - is it the sling that's ruining your sanity or just the pressure of trying to get her to sleep the way she is "supposed" to. I think talking to other parents helps and realising there are many people in the same boat as you. No-one knows what the hell they are doing but one thing is for certain, holding your baby WILL NOT SPOIL HER.