please sleep....HELP ME

[baby D]

Amelia is two and a bit weeks old and she hasn't slept a wink a night in all that time....except cat naping on my lap or in her chair - it rocks...seriously!

Am starting to feel so ill - people keep saying sleep during the day when she does, but i have a child to get to school and pick up, plus the housework - i do sleep a little during the day but it is NOT enough - i need a little sleep at night too - even just two or three hours would be nice!

Am starting to feel like i can't cope - a bit resentful! I'm always snapping at my son - who is so well behaved it is not fair! As for eating -well, my appetite has all but gone!

Really think im getting a touch of the baby blues which i guess is being bought on by tiredness?

Thing is, during the day her sleep pattern is ok - but at night - nope! No chance - not unless i hold/rock her and then as soon as i lay her down or stop, she is wide awake again - during the day she will often soothe herself to sleep if i lay her down once she is sleepy - so why not at night? Even her bottles don't make her sleepy (they do during the day).

I'm guessing her body clock is just well and truely round the wrong way, but i really don't know how to change that?

It is now 2 in the morning and Amelia has been awake since 5.30 dinner time! She has had a warm bath and two feeds in that time but nothing seems to make her sleep - other than being bounced/rocked - well i can't do that all night - even then she wakes within about 30 mins....

Am so tired - can't cope, please help me! How do i turn this round?

PS - have tried to make the dif between night and day obvious
- day is bright, noisey - we sing, dance and i chat and play with her all the time she is awake...
-night time, the lights are out, it is quiet (telly on low but that is to give me something to focus on/keep me awake/sane), i haven't spoken to her ATALL, other than making shhhh shhhh sounds while trying to get her to sleep, she has a bath and bottle at the same time every night........

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO ....

 

[JennTheMomma]

In all honesty, your daughter is normal. Most 2 week olds don't sleep much at night. They don't understand night and day. My son slept all day when he was a baby, and never at night. He's 19 months old now and has only slept all the way through the night maybe twice. It is a phase and they do eventually start sleeping better. Not much you can do, sorry

 

[Chel]

What does she do if you put her in her cot? You REALLY need to sleep or you wont be able to function as a person, let alone function as a loving mother.

Maybe... just maybe... put her in her cot, wrapped, safe, fed, clean nappy etc... then go to bed and put some headphones/earplugs in. Maybe not so you absolutely cant hear her, but maybe so you can sleep for an hour or so (maybe set an alarm so you check on her after an hour, just in case?)

I dont know, thats the kind of thing my mum would have suggested when Jasper was being difficult and waking up at 3-4 am every night and not going back down for a real sleep sometimes until 9am!!! I never did it, but I dont think it would really hurt her and if its night after night, it might do you some good to just get some sleep, then you'll be less stressed and she'll be more settled.

Maybe... just a thought anyway!

 

[baby D]

chel - that is pretty much what my nan suggested and though i am sure it wouldn't do her any harm, i just couldn't bring myself to let her cry for too long as she is still so young - reckon i'd just be so anxious i wouldn't fall asleep anyway! Thank you so much for trying to help me though - any other thoughts you may have woould be much appreciated xxx

 

[Pyrrhic]

Is she fully fed when you're putting her down? A feed used to just about knock Niamh out. Get her used to dark, quiet rooms during the day so it won't be so strange for her at night. Try swaddling her, putting her blankets over a radiator first. At that age Niamh was sleeping through the day and waking every 2 hours at night.

 

[baby D]

will try warming her blankets - thankyou x Yes she is fully fed and swaddled x

My mum suggested changing her sleeping position as maybe she isn't comfortable on her back?????? What do you think? Very wary of lying her on her tum, maybe i could try her side - still not sure about that either, though as i don't want to put her in any danger!

 

[Pyrrhic]

Niamh much prefers lying on her tummy (she's asleep on my chest as I type!) but I've never laid her to sleep on her front unless she's on me.

Is she fully asleep when you put her down? I pick Niamhs arm up and drop it to see if she's in a really dep sleep.

I did end up co-sleeping as I found it easier at that age. I think she perferred sleeping next to me where she felt my warmth and smelt me. She is back in her basket now.

Also, is there any chance she's waking up from being too hot or too cold? Niamh wakes if her hands get too cold.

 

[baby D]

She could be getting cold i guess - i do put an extra layer on her once heating clicks off. Maybe i should try leaving it on low continuously toight and see if that makes a difference?

She is asleep when i lay her down, but maybe not deeply enough as i tend to lay her just after she has drifted off.....could be that!


Thak you for all these thoughts - i intend to put them into practise tonight!!!!

 

[fein&waiting]

i went through this, and ended up co-sleeping for most of the first 6-8 weeks, then when he started to sleep more between feeds, and wanted him out of my bed, i started putting him on his tum cos he wouldn't settle on back or his side. And now after a few weeks of dummy giving at night to replace that middle feed and then dummy weaning so he wouldn't wake for no reason, he's now sleeping through. i wouldn't have been able to get to this point though if i hadn't co-slept or put him on his tummy, it was the only way i could get any sleep. Hope there's something in this post that might help!

 

[Flower]

I'm the same ast rafwife - I let my LO sleep in our bed - not the ideal of situations - but it was the ONLY way I could get some sleep. You can sort out them going in there own bed when she's a bit older.

I start of with LO on my chest on his tum then when he's asleep, (if I haven't fallen asleep that is!) then put him on the bed next to me - making sure my pillow is well away from him or hold it away with my arm. My LO sleeps much better in our bed than in his cot.

Just a thought.

 

[Pyrrhic]

She is asleep when i lay her down, but maybe not deeply enough as i tend to lay her just after she has drifted off.....could be that!

You'll probably find it's that I wait until Niamh is asleep, then do the hand test, then give her another 10mins. If I put her down when she's in a deep sleep then I know she'll sleep for longer and give me a break