Sleeping help!

[redpoppy]

Hi there,

I've posted something similar in Baby Club and I'm a little overwhelmed and wondering why I've been born with no maternal instincts!

I've been reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and am getting a little worried about my baby's lack of sleep and my inability to put her to sleep and her inability to actually get any sleep and was wondering what people on this part of baby and bump did in regards to their children's sleep habits?

My baby was sleeping quite well through the night when she'd get to sleep around 10 or 11 but I moved her sleeptime earlier as she starts getting sleepy now quite early on (between 6 and 8 ) and it says in the book this will happen around now, but this has resulted in her waking up innumerable times throughout the night and not go back to sleep after I feed her (which she was doing after her night feeds until the earlier sleep times) and so both she and I end up getting very little sleep at night time.

On top of that her daytime sleep is near impossible and it's very difficult for me to put her to sleep unless its lots of effort and crying and then I have to either wear her or keep her on me which is making my life a little impossible and needs to stop. Even so, her total sleep hours can sometimes be around 9 hours, which isn't the 16ish hours everywhere tells me she should be sleeping. Sometimes it's more than that but I don't think it's ever 16.

She's not colicky and I wonder if I tried more co-sleeping at night (although I get afraid of the safety as I'm quite tired) that maybe it would help.

I imagine I wouldn't worry about her lack of sleep if I hadn't read how unhealthy it is for babies.

I suppose I'm looking for stories and advice on how others dealt with sleep habits and what other theories there might be other than Dr. Weisbluths' book and also, how much more difficult it will be to train her to sleep well as she gets older? The reason I'm putting a lot of faith in the book is that he's right about so many things (babies get tired within 2 hours, they get sleep earlier around 6 weeks or more etc.)

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[littlestar]

one thing i to remember is babies don't read books - they have their own rules.

i struggle to get my LO to sleep during the day but he will snooze on the breast!
he does get grizzly at night but his body clock winds down about 8pm, we then give him a bottle of ebm. he's in bed by 9pm ish and sleep through.

i listen to him. any earlier than 8.30pm and he will wake frequently - strange isn't it!

 

[anothersquish]

This is the problem with books and guidelines....they make people panic!!
Just because "the book says so" doesnt make this phase 'wrong' for your LO. She is six weeks old, TYPICAL growth spurt and often they become quite unsettled, not all babies respond to growth spurts in the same way, some sleep lots, others are very wakeful and seem unsettled and wake more during the night to feed.
Dont worry, it will NOT last forever! Firstly, if you need to wear her in the day then there is nothing wrong with this, it will not affect her longterm, it can be difficult for some people but it is a short term thing and can help keep them a little more settled so at least you dont have your hands full of baby and you arent having to constantly pick up and put down. If you wish to co-sleep (I do by the way) then you can do so but follow all safety guidelines, if you are particularly tired have you got an OH who can have the baby for a few hours in the evening so you can catch a few hours and therefore be less exhausted for the nighttime sleep with your LO, this would reduce the risk associated with you being overly tired.

Trust me 100% that these disrupted sleep patterns now will not affect her long term sleep habits. I use my 5yr old as an example all the time but he did this not only at 6 weeks but during other growth spurts as well but inbetween times his sleep habits were perfectly fine and he is an excellent sleeper now. Dont worry about long term, these things work themselves out.

 

[saraendepity]

hun it will get better like Squish said, can you get someone to gave your LO for a bit so you can get a bit more rest? are you BF?? if so then Co sleeping is defo the way forward (well it was for us anyway!) its defo Growth spurt time so things will be difficult for a few days/week or so some babies just dont need as much sleep as others.... remember they are little people.....i for one dont need as much sleep as OH etc etc

i know EVERYONE says this but it does get better

sara

xxxx

 

[redpoppy]

Last night was awful! I luckily have my mum staying with me and she took her at 6 in the morning and I managed to get 2 hours sleep while she looked after her.

I tried keeping her in the bed with me too but she wakes herself up with all the noises she makes at night (coughing, snorting, gurgling and all sorts) and then WILL NOT go back to sleep unless I nurse her, then she wont feed but just suck for soothing for ten minutes, if I take her off, or if she feed and I try and burp her she wakes and goes off again. If I wait for her to come off the boob herself it might not happen for anywhere between half to a full hour and then she'll wake herself up again and cry until I put her on the boob again.

I tried and am trying to let her cry a bit and soothe her by rocking and holding her but she when her crying stops being disgruntled and when she starts PROPERLY crying I can't bear it and I end up in tears and so put her back on the boob.

Last night she slept 4 hours straight (which is great) but then no more than 50 mins but more like 10 to 20 mins between waking. This with her lack of sleep in the day means she's just simply not getting enough sleep. my poor baby.

And everyone keeps telling me I've spoilt her by holding her all the time when she sleeps in the day. It's okay in the day but I can't stay awake the whole night just holding her! I don't know what to do.

 

[FemmeEnceinte]

Molly is a little grump and if she wakes when we co-sleep it can take a good hour to get her back to sleep. I swaddle her, then rock side to side whilst bouncing her and patting her on the bum whilst also shhing at her. It always works.

Maybe try buying the happiest baby on the block dvd, it's a few pounds from amazon but taught me so much... sometimes babies need a weird combination of things to get to sleep but ever time I try his method, she stops crying and soon falls asleep.

Molly often fights it but by the third attempt she's usually been drifting in and out so much that she loses her little battle

You will get there. I remember Molly being 6 weeks and thinking that all I did was post miserable sounding threads on here. But it passed, miraculously... I'm lucky because OH and I can sleep in shifts if she's having a particularly huggy night. What have you been doing at night until recently to get her to sleep?

xxx