'it gets easier'/'the first few weeks are the hardest' anyone not agree?

[sapphire1]

I guess it depends what your LO was like when they were newborn Holly was AWFUL. She had undiagnosed silent reflux and cow's milk protein intolerance, we had feeding issues, she wouldn't sleep unless she was being held (including through the night), and she screamed pretty much all the time she was awake.

We also went through the 4 month sleep regression (which we're only starting to come out of now), and she's still a handful, but nothing compares to how awful those early days were. Now she's crawling I can't get anything done, and spend most of the day chasing her round. At least she doesn't scream all day though

 

[HellBunny]

i LOVED my LO being a newborn he was so easy and so happy, he went at least 4 hourly at night, fed easy etc

since 3.5 months ive just found him a nightmare. his sleep regression ended but he sometimes still wakes up every 45mins, hes so hard to entertain, i feel like i never have a second to myself and dread everytime he starts waking up from a nap. he never seems content, hes fussy with bottles and is so hard to put down for naps. just seems like one thing after the other sleep regression, diorhea, silent reflux, a cold, my back hurts from constantly trying to rock a 18lb baby back to sleep

gahhh i miss my happy newborn

OMG finally somebody agrees with me! It was only today i was talking to o/h and saying how easy having a newborn was, 4 months sleep regression hit, and since 7 months this has been the most challenging time. (he had reflux since 2 weeks and although feed time was a battle, apart from that he was so calm lol. When he was a newborn he slept and fed loads, i was able to get my housework done and a few hours sleep now no such thing lol!

 

[louandivy]

And you can drink cups of hot tea without worrying about your LO sticking their fist in it

 

[kerrie24]

Me! The newborn stage is such a special time,I wish it lasted longer.

From about 10 weeks Owen was hard to put down/ entertain,then an early teether,then obviously when he crawled and walked it just meant I had to chase him everywhere lol.
At least you can sit and cuddle your newborn without them turning round and whacking you in the face!

 

[c.m.c]

to original poster:

I think it gets easier but it never gets easy lol

 

[Snowball]

I must admit Louie's sleep pattern has gotten better over the past couple of weeks. For a while he'd want to wake up in the middle of the night and I'd have him awake for 2-3 hours. Then i'd have to get back up between 6-7am and start the day again with the older ones. It was exhausting

So from that POV it's easier. On the flipside he's now awake a lot more in the daytime and because he isn't mobile relies on me to entertain him... or he'll scream the house down

I just think kids in general are constantly tiring

 

[HellBunny]

And you can drink cups of hot tea without worrying about your LO sticking their fist in it

or grabbing my energy drink nooooo too lively without all the caffeine, thats mumm'y pick me up you hear me

 

[Farie]

The first 2 weeks were fine (shes high needs and struggled BFing but that was ok and we we're coping) then reflux and allergies kicked in and from 2.5 weeks - 4 months it was hell .... it has slowly slowly got better and now we feel like we're on the other side of it.

So no, newborn was not the hardest part!

 

[Natsku]

Newborn stage was easier than sleep regression for us! From about 3 months onwards it was sooo tiring, hardly any sleep, so grumpy in the day, urgh. It only got better once she started crawling cos now she entertains herself and sleeps better (probably from using up all her energy crawling everywhere) however it has its downsides - she just found my chocolate I thought she had gone suspiciously quiet and there she was, with a piece of chocolate sticking out of her mouth! Got it off her though, I don't share.

 

[Blah11]

I don't think it gets easier or harder, just different. Newborn is just a.shock I think and the first few weeks is just a case of getting used to your new life. It does get more rewarding as they get older imo. I find toddler hood way more of a challenge but its also been my fav stage so far.

 

[hanelei]

Sounds like we were very lucky to get no 4 month sleep regression! When he was a new born very often we couldn't get him to sleep at all between 11pm and 4am- I was beyond exhausted. While he's never slept through the night, at about 7 weeks he started to sleep in 4 hour stretches which was such a relief! So for us it's definitely got easier, the newborn stage was physically and emotionally very hard on me.

 

[Blah11]

Sounds like we were very lucky to get no 4 month sleep regression! When he was a new born very often we couldn't get him to sleep at all between 11pm and 4am- I was beyond exhausted. While he's never slept through the night, at about 7 weeks he started to sleep in 4 hour stretches which was such a relief! So for us it's definitely got easier, the newborn stage was physically and emotionally very hard on me.

We didn't either but we had no sleep to regress from

 

[Lina]

Mine was never easy and to this day sleeps no longer than 2hours. After all the sleep disturbances, I struggle to go to sleep as I lay their waiting for him to make a fuss.

 

[RileysMummy]

Pfft i don't agree! Millicent has never been a difficult baby, we're still very lucky with her now, shes very laidback, sleeps through, entertains herself if needs be etc..But..she's still alot harder now then when she was newborn to a couple of months. For one we have to be constantly on guard now with her cruising and crawling, she can get abit of a temper when we tell her no etc..x

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I think there are hard things about every stage but I'd definitely trade the newborn hard things for the toddler hard things, just because I find it soooo much more rewarding overall. So I guess I DO agree then...

 

[Faffalina]

Hmmmm...

Well, I think the newborn age has its own difficulties, but mainly adjusting to less sleep and new resposibility, reduced social life etc.

This age (9 mths) is more demanding in terms of chasing her around the room, constantly making solid food for her, keeping her entertained. Plus she now wakes at night and is not settled by a breastfeed - something that never failed when she was younger.

 

[Faffalina]

I liked a few things about him being a little baby, like sleeping everywhere we went, and him just being easily mobile, but I would NOT want to go back. I love this stage. 6-9 months has been a dream! He is so much fun, great personality and he sleeps finally. So as much as I miss the baby cuddly stage I have zero desire to go back...

This would have been me until about 2 weeks ago when she just changed... aaargh!

 

[freckleonear]

I think it completely depends on the baby. My son was a nightmare newborn, difficult to feed and spent the majority of his time screaming. At about 10 months he suddenly switched and became a really easy baby/toddler, so with him it definitely got easier. My daughter was very easy as a newborn but things got harder as she got older.

 

[moomin momma]

I've found the past few weeks (5months) the hardest. maybe I'm looking back at her newborn days with rose-tinted spectacles but right now I'm pretty miserable and crying quite a lot most days. She won't sleep for long at night, won't nap more than 15minutes, 3 times a day if we're lucky, so i pretty tired most of the time. Am seriously close to sleep training in an attempt to fix it, something I said I'd never do!

 

[Natsku]

I've found the past few weeks (5months) the hardest. maybe I'm looking back at her newborn days with rose-tinted spectacles but right now I'm pretty miserable and crying quite a lot most days. She won't sleep for long at night, won't nap more than 15minutes, 3 times a day if we're lucky, so i pretty tired most of the time. Am seriously close to sleep training in an attempt to fix it, something I said I'd never do!

its so hard when they won't sleep, hope it improves for you soon. You could try a gentle form of sleep training maybe. I never thought I would do it either but have had to resort to it now.