Days and nights mixed up

[DLA]

I am seriously struggling with the sleep deprivation. At night my son only sleeps in 45min to 1 hour stretches but during the the day he can sleep for 3 hours at a time. I'm trying to keep him uP during the day the best I can but it's difficult. Any ideas?

 

[portablechick]

i cant help you - but i would also love to hear any ideas! My LO was great for the first 2-3 weeks seemed to have the days and nights thing sorted - but now it's like he's having a laugh. Last night between midnight and 7 he slept approx 1hr 45 min! the rest of the time bright eyed and bushy tailed. Sleeping soundly at present tho while i have to get up and start the day! GRRRRRR!

 

[DLA]

That's rough! Yea my LO sleep so soundly during the day and I feel terrible waking him up all the time as he doesn't like it lol. But I gotta do something to save my own sanity!

 

[Ozzieshunni]

It's very common for newborns to have day and night confused. Mine was up for 2-3 hours nursing straight as a newborn.

You can try this: during the day, make the room as bright as possible. Make all the normal noises you would during the day, not trying to be quiet for the sake of not waking the baby. At night, make sure it's darker and that the noises are reduced. That should help. I don't promise it will work right away, but with time, newborns learn

 

[lovehearts]

I agree. Really make the diff clear. Right from day 1 we kept lights off and no talking at night, it was hard when he was awake but I really think it helped him realise the difference. I think you just have to stick at it and they will figure it out eventually. I also left Tyler in the lounge as anewborn when he was napping and at night in the bedroom. I only swaddled at night too. Xx

 

[MonstHer]

Like another poster said. It is normal for their schedule to be mixed up at first, atleast for the first month.
Make sure he knows when it's night and day.

Also, your nursing hormones tend to be higher at night, which may be why he is nursing so much during those hours.
Needs to get your supply going strong.
The same exact thing happened to me at first, this is what our pediatrician said.
My girl is now 9 days old and much much better.

 

[supertabby]

Totally totally normal, all newborns are nocturnal. Doesn't make it any less awful though! They sort themselves out after a few weeks and like others have said, dim the lights and noise at night but keep daytime naps in light with background noise. Temperature helps too - warmer at night and cooler in day but obviously stay within recommended safe temperature.

Tbh I didn't bother doing any of that until about 4 weeks because I just couldn't cope sitting awake in a dark bedroom all night, I "slept" on sofa with Isobel in carrycot beside me and watched tv during feeds. She only went about 15-20 mins between feeds at first so that was my coping mechanism. Do whatever helps you stay sane.

And I whole heartedly promise you - IT GETS EASIER. Faster than you probably think it will.

 

[supertabby]

Also don't try to keep him awake during the day. It won't make him sleep more at night, it will make him overtired and fretful, therefore will be more unsettled for sleep. Sleep promotes sleep, as a relaxed baby will fall back to sleep easier next time.

 

[hanelei]

This is so common that there has been a post with almost exactly the same title every few days recently!

Time is the main thing that will solve this issue as your baby's brain develops and he's able to distinguish night and day. My LO used to be awake from 11am to 4am about the first 3 weeks but then slowly started to sleep longer stretches at night. He was sleeping 4-5 hours at a time at night by 6 weeks.