Should I worry that my 3 week old is awake for 6 hours each morning?

[Jayneypops]

Hi,

My LO is almost 3 weeks old and for the past 3 days she has been quite wide awake during the day. She has been waking for a morning feed at roughly 8am then staying awake until around 1pm (today she was awake longer until 2.30pm). She seems tired at certain periods throughout the morning like after feeds but almost looks like she's fighting the sleep (her eyes close but she keeps opening them and fidgeting). She is also quite fussy while awake, cries if left, fidgets etc
I wouldn't mind but she is awake every 2 hours through the night and feeds for an hour each time so I really need to catch up during the day with a couple of naps! I'm really struggling at the moment, especially as DH has now gone back to work so I'm doing all of the night feeds.

Should a baby so young be awake for so many hours? She did go through a period of sleeping for exactly 3 hours at a time all day and night - oh how I long for that now!!!!!

Any advice really appreciated I feel like I'm going out of my mind.

 

[steph1505]

Hey!!

My LO is only a few days younger than yours and he is exactly the same!

He is awake LOADS thru out the day and is grumpy if left for more than 15 mins! I paced the floor with him this afternoon & he fell asleep in my arms...minute u put him down he wakes up!

My saving grace tho is that he sleeps very well thru the night! Do u try to rock ur LO to sleep or anythin?

Sorry i dont really have any advice

Xxxxx

 

[candyem]

Same! Zac will be three weeks tomorrow and sometimes he will be awake for 4-5 hour periods in the day. He is quite content if someone is holding him or with him on his play mat but he can't be left too long without being cranky. I've noticed that he usually has a long nap in the afternoon but other than this he is pretty much awake until bedtime. He only wakes once or twice for feeds in the night so it could be worse.
No advice but know how you feel. It is horrible seeing them overtired! Xxx

 

[mum2b2009]

He must be tired poor thing..have u tried white noise hun?

 

[Mummy Bean]

mine is doing the same but a bit later in the day he seems to be awake most of the day from 11am to 7pm with only a couple of half hour naps.

as lovely as it is I really could do with a afternoon nap...but i am denied.

 

[Jayneypops]

white noise occasionally works with her but not always Im just hoping that she soon starts to sleep for a bit longer through the night - I'd have the energy to enjoy her long awake times during the day then! At the moment im just willing her to sleep so that I can!

 

[patientgirl]

Exactly the same with my little boy who's now 15 weeks but has stayed awake almost all day since 3 weeks! I spoke to the health visitor about this who said it's not a concern and that he's probably learning lots as he's so alert.
The down side is I can see when he's tired (he gets grizzly, rubs his eyes and ear and makes funny noises when sucking his dummy) but there's very little I can do about it! I've tried white noise, darkened rooms, mobiles, cuddling but unless he wants to, there's nothing I can do to get him to nap. Motion sometimes helps - I will take him out in the car or pram at a time when I think he's due a sleep and he might have 20 mins, but apart from that he's pretty much awake from 7am - 8pm.
One thing that may help you is that when I'm super tired myself I'd take him up to bed and breastfeed him lying down on my side. He would feed and drop off and so could I.

Can't wait to get him sleeping during the day - think he'll feel so much better for it and so will I. I don't get a second to myself!
On the plus side, he sleeps from 8pm-4/5am before waking for a feed and will then sleep til 6.30/7am

Good luck!

 

[CJane]

Hello. My LO is a little younger than yours, but sounds similar. Unfortunately for him he is a 2nd child so much as he would want to be held all the time, my hands are needed elsewhere!
Have you tried putting LO in a wrap/ sling? I carry LO everywhere with me during the day, and it seems to be the only time he sleeps well - he is free to sleep or look around as he wishes, but being close to me and the movement seems to rock him to sleep. (Downside, you still can't sleep yourself as he won't be put down after being in the sling!) But might be worth a try?

 

[lozza1uk]

Same here, sure he's not sleeping enough but people keep telling me some babies just don't sleep! Apparently I was the same as a baby!

 

[YoshiPikachu]

I have the something. The only thing is she mostly sleeps threw the night now.

 

[aliss]

"Worry"... well no, but I think it's something that you can help fix. Mine was awake from 4am-11pm at that age (yes, 19 hours and only slept 1-3 hours in between 11pm-4am), really it was a horrendous nightmare.

At 3 weeks, they shouldn't stay awake more than 30-60 minutes or so (60 max) so 3 hours means baby is not knowing to go to sleep when tired. I didn't start until 4 months or so, but every awake period (ie. he should be tired at x o'clock) I desperately tried everything to get him to sleep (rock, shush whatever) and then after a month he got the hang of it. I suspect it might be easier the younger they are, but its also more difficult as they will get overtired faster.