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SOS Please help
Okay, I have met my end of sanity. Matthew is now 4 weeks old and we are still no better sleeping than we were in the hospital. We had one night of sleeping 4 hours straight, but we have recently been back to 2 hours or less. I understand that he was going through a growth spurt in there, but it's not just sleeping that we are having a problem with. Okay, he will fall asleep in your arms, but put him down and he wakes up. I tried to put him down like every hour this afternoon, and he would sleep for about 5 minutes, and then wake up. Also my milk supply has stopped (I think due to my BP meds), and we have started formula. He's hungry like every hour, and only eats about an ounce, and either falls asleep or wreches like he is constipated. He hates his swing, likes his bouncy seat (only if I'm moving it as well as the vibrator is on), likes the vibrator on his bassinet. He needs to be in a swaddler to sleep, and will only sleep against the wall of his bassinet, on his side. Oh the other problem is that we are WIDE awake at like 5 am. It usually takes me about 30-60 minutes to get him back to sleep in the middle of the night.
I'm so exhausted, and frustrated. I'm thinking I also have PPD, which isn't helping anything. Between the BP issues, and issues with my short term disability, and not sleeping, and not being able to pump breast milk anymore for him, it's just become more and more hard for me.
Please give me suggestions, or throw me a line to fish me out!
I'm so exhausted, and frustrated. I'm thinking I also have PPD, which isn't helping anything. Between the BP issues, and issues with my short term disability, and not sleeping, and not being able to pump breast milk anymore for him, it's just become more and more hard for me.
Please give me suggestions, or throw me a line to fish me out!
I agree with Dani711, Cooper just turned 2 months and has started sleeping much better. He will sleep from about 10/11 pm to 6 am only getting up once tp eat, where we were getting up 3 or more times a night. Thank God!
My best advice I got was wait til around 2 months to really get them to sleep on their own. At 9 weeks (this past week) I finally got my guy to sleep after I put him down without waking back up. I read in a baby magazine that around two months they start to require more naps and sleep around every 2 hours. So I kept him sleeping in my bed and on me until them and just enjoyed it for what it was! And it has all started getting so much easier and even more fun!!!!! Good luck : )
My lil' guy was like that. He would sleep an hour to an hour and a half then wake up and be up for hours. I started putting him on his tummy to sleep (I have to motion sensor etc) and he has slept 8 + hours the last 3 nights!
Well, last night was horrible. Slept 2 and a half hours, and then up every hour on the dot! We've tried the bath time thing, but it wasn't a great response. I tried putting him down on his tummy for a bit today, but our vibrator on the pack and play isn't hooked up, so it was short lived. I have Similac samples in the house, but i want to give him at least a full week of one type before i switch. He has a doc appt on Wed., and i'm planning on talking to his doc about it. I usually don't try to do too much when he wakes up in the middle of the night. I only change him if he;s awake or dirty. And i try not to have much light, or outside factors. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has been having problems, and i appreciate the support and suggestions.
I would make sure you have him on the formula most suitable for him.. I supplement with formula (Similac Sensitive-the orange one) and it seems to agree with my little guy pretty good, but may not agree with yours. Its a trial and error thing with formula usually. I would also suggest low iron if constipation is a concern. Also, I always sleep my kids on their bellies. Its the only way any of them were ever comfy enough to rest... that's just me though. I'm not endorsing it or anything, im just saying - its always works for US... good luck! :)
I also have to prop the baby up at night that really seems to help. I put her Boppy inside the bassinet then put her wraped up proped up inside of it. I don't care what anyone says it was the difference between sleeping 40 minutes at a time to 2 hours or more.
Another bad mom trick of mine is to put the baby on her tummy when she is fussy. I don't know why, but when she has a tummy ache she likes to lay on her belly.
To further cement the fact that I'm a bad mom... I let her sleep on my chest sometimes. When all else fails I wrap her up and put her on my chest while I sleep proped up on pillows. That will make her sleep longer than anything else.
I agree with trying the low iron formula. I did that with my son and it made a huge difference. He went from sleeping 3 hours at a time to 6.
Another bad mom trick of mine is to put the baby on her tummy when she is fussy. I don't know why, but when she has a tummy ache she likes to lay on her belly.
To further cement the fact that I'm a bad mom... I let her sleep on my chest sometimes. When all else fails I wrap her up and put her on my chest while I sleep proped up on pillows. That will make her sleep longer than anything else.
I agree with trying the low iron formula. I did that with my son and it made a huge difference. He went from sleeping 3 hours at a time to 6.
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I think kaprvea has a good idea about the bath. Maybe you could TRY setting a routine. Bathtime, alittle rocking and maybe lay him down while he is awake so that he learns to fall asleep on his own. Also as she said, all bussiness at night, try not to talk to him or make eye contact, just change feed and lay him back down. No matter what you do, its going to take some time. Also I dont think they recomend formula without iron. You can try sensitive formula and see if that help or switch brands. We ended up using soy but only as a last resort:) Good luck!!
I know that one suggestion that the doctor made to me about sleeping at night is to be all business at night. That you shouldn't turn on bright lights and just have a night light that you can barely see with .. also don't change the baby unless they are completely soaked or they have a poopy diaper. Have you tried giving him a bath before he goes to bed or even during the day you could try a moby wrap or something like that where the baby is still against you but you can have your hands free. I have one of those and our little guy just loves it adn I can still do anything I need to do because I have my hands free.
The white noise, we have covered. DH cannot sleep without it, so we have a fan going. He's currently on Enfamil Lipil, which is what he was on in the hospital.
We were awake last night from 12 to 2:30 straight! He finally had an explosion poopie, and fell asleep, after having to change everything. Maybe i should try formula w/o iron?!? At least he took a little nap already today, out of my arms for about 30 min.
My next course of action, unfortunately, is to kick our dog out of our room, although i think she feels like a secind class citizen already!
We were awake last night from 12 to 2:30 straight! He finally had an explosion poopie, and fell asleep, after having to change everything. Maybe i should try formula w/o iron?!? At least he took a little nap already today, out of my arms for about 30 min.
My next course of action, unfortunately, is to kick our dog out of our room, although i think she feels like a secind class citizen already!
i agree- try white noise. when dd is exceptionally fussy, the vaccum puts her to sleep instantly. Exceptionally fussy is an understatement- when she was screaming uncontrollably, white noise helped a lot. I ended up having her nap in the bathroom with the exhaust fan running once.
i would've recommended a swaddler, but i see you are using that already. it makes a big difference. If you are uncomfortable leaning him against the side of the bassinet, you can get a very cheap sleep positioner to help keep him slightly angled on his side a bit more safely. Not giving anyone sh!t, but at this very young age, i personally would not risk having him sleep on a pillow or on the tummy. Especially since bassinet mattresses aren't very firm (at least mine isn't). i've been tempted to do the same, but know that i could never forgive myself if anything happened.
I know many people got their babies to sleep longer stretches in the carseat carrier. not ideal, but they all told me their peds told them it was OK. how does he do in the carseat?
i also agree that you may want to try a different formula. tummy upset can make a baby miserable all day. We actually just got relief this week when we started reflux meds. DD was eating every hour to soothe her burning throat. she would scream when burping and after feeds, and was very fussy and restless all day. we saw a difference almost immediately and i attribute her problems to reflux. we're still on a 2-3 hour feed schedule, but it's much better than every hour!
i would've recommended a swaddler, but i see you are using that already. it makes a big difference. If you are uncomfortable leaning him against the side of the bassinet, you can get a very cheap sleep positioner to help keep him slightly angled on his side a bit more safely. Not giving anyone sh!t, but at this very young age, i personally would not risk having him sleep on a pillow or on the tummy. Especially since bassinet mattresses aren't very firm (at least mine isn't). i've been tempted to do the same, but know that i could never forgive myself if anything happened.
I know many people got their babies to sleep longer stretches in the carseat carrier. not ideal, but they all told me their peds told them it was OK. how does he do in the carseat?
i also agree that you may want to try a different formula. tummy upset can make a baby miserable all day. We actually just got relief this week when we started reflux meds. DD was eating every hour to soothe her burning throat. she would scream when burping and after feeds, and was very fussy and restless all day. we saw a difference almost immediately and i attribute her problems to reflux. we're still on a 2-3 hour feed schedule, but it's much better than every hour!
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I am have been going through the same thing up untill 2 days ago. Taylor is 6 weeks old and I used to have to let her sleep in my arms or on a pillow next to me in my bed. When DH would get home very late I would move her into the bassinett and that would be it. She was up for hours. I have recently started putting a pillow in her bassinett. I know im going to get sh it for saying this, lol. But it has been working for us. Taylor hates the hard surface of the crib and bassinett. The pillow we use is as big as her bassinett so im not worried about her slipping down off the pillow in any weird positions. Also I have a fan going in our room to help too. I think they call it white noise, IDK. I am really hoping this keeps up becuase I would really love to move her next door with Dalton and not have to worry about screaming her head off and waking him up every hour:)
Those are just a few things that have worked fro me. Now she has been sleeping frm 12- 1 am to about 5:30- 6 am. The sucky part is that have to get up at 7 am to get my other kids ready fr school. t takes about 45 mins to feed, diaper and get her back to sleep, So im just stuck awake:( I wish she would sleep untill my alarm goes off, but that would be asking too much, lol!
BTW- Im suffering frm PPD too and it makes it worse if your not getting enought sleep. I hope a few of the suggestions you get will work fro you:) Good luck! Are you getting help for your PPD?? Im not saying you need meds (although they help) but it could help to have someone to talk to:)
What kind of formula do you have him on?? I noticed once we found the right formula it helped with some of the problems with her eating, although night time is really her only time she doesnt eat too much:)
Those are just a few things that have worked fro me. Now she has been sleeping frm 12- 1 am to about 5:30- 6 am. The sucky part is that have to get up at 7 am to get my other kids ready fr school. t takes about 45 mins to feed, diaper and get her back to sleep, So im just stuck awake:( I wish she would sleep untill my alarm goes off, but that would be asking too much, lol!
BTW- Im suffering frm PPD too and it makes it worse if your not getting enought sleep. I hope a few of the suggestions you get will work fro you:) Good luck! Are you getting help for your PPD?? Im not saying you need meds (although they help) but it could help to have someone to talk to:)
What kind of formula do you have him on?? I noticed once we found the right formula it helped with some of the problems with her eating, although night time is really her only time she doesnt eat too much:)
my baby girl and iwere having the same extact problem! (she will be 1 month 9/28/09)
she would only sleep in my arms and no where else! My Breastmilk flow has almost became to nothing- idk what would be causing it.
But, back to the point- i no the hospitals nowadays say to have the baby sleep on the back to reduce the risk of SIDS... well, i tried letting her sleep in her bassinet on her tummy and she slept for 5 hours! which is roughly the amount of time she would sleep on my chest (bc that was the only way i could sleep! lol)
So, i think- just as long as your careful and you check ur baby having him try out the tummy position would be a suggestion...
it really helps me Good Luck!
she would only sleep in my arms and no where else! My Breastmilk flow has almost became to nothing- idk what would be causing it.
But, back to the point- i no the hospitals nowadays say to have the baby sleep on the back to reduce the risk of SIDS... well, i tried letting her sleep in her bassinet on her tummy and she slept for 5 hours! which is roughly the amount of time she would sleep on my chest (bc that was the only way i could sleep! lol)
So, i think- just as long as your careful and you check ur baby having him try out the tummy position would be a suggestion...
it really helps me Good Luck!
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