I just had our second child on Nov 5th and I can't remember what I did with my 1st child to slowly change her clock around so she sleeps better at night. She sleeps great during the day but terrible at night. I am breastfeeding so she does wake up every 2-3 hrs to eat which is normal but the frustration is she has her "bad" hours (very gassy and cries ALOT) from 9:30pm to 12:30 am like clockwork so I'm not getting a chance to sleep until midnight plus she only wants to sleep on me or in my arms. If she falls asleep at my breast and I lay her down flat, either between us or in her cosleeper, she wakes right up and screams so I end up holding her and poof, she passes out. She won't let my husband hold her so he can't help much plus he commutes to work so he is up early and he needs his sleep which I try to give him. During the day, she sleeps great - lies flat or sleeps in her papasan without any problems - its just at night she won't do this and I end up holding her and sleep sitting up so my neck and back are all jacked up. If anyone has any advice on how to slowly get her days and nights on a more normal schedule, or how to get her so I don't have to hold her all night, I sure would appreciate it. We have a 2 1/2 yr old so my getting in any naps while the newest naps is almost impossible.
I used to let my son sleep on my chest and we slept on the couch at that age. It was the only way I could manage to get any sleep. He outgrew it on his own.
Aahh G. you have my empathy and I do remember. Try to keep her up more during the day. It won't take much but play with her a bit more. If she falls asleep at the breast wake her back up and keep her engaged for an extra 15-20 minutes. It will be a challenge but luckily it won't take more than a couple days of wearing her out in the day to get her to recognize the nights. I hope this helps.
Take Care,
LLP
I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 month old. Both of my babies are/were high maintenance and had the gassy hours. The thing that saved me with my son was swinging him in a large baby blanket, it takes two people holding the four corners with the baby in the center. Try it, it really works for an inconsolable baby. I also had a set up so I could swing him on my own with one end of a folded sheet tied to his crib. In 20 minutes he was asleep. It's not quick but it's better than 3 hours of crying. My daughter wants to be held constantly so what works for her is a night time walk in the baby Bjorn. My husband usually does this but I do it too sometimes. She cries initially but then gives up and goes to sleep. It really tires her out, she won't fall asleep some nights without her walk. She just gets overexcited almost hyper, she will fall asleep for a minute then jerks herself awake and starts searching for the breast again. Whatever you do- experiment, they're all different and different things work for different babies. Also if you don't already, keep the curtains open during the day so it is light when she is sleeping. You can close them again once the day night thing is worked out. I feel your pain... Best wishes!
Hello G.!
My 3rd baby is now 8 weeks old and had her days and nights mixed up also. I also breastfeed my babies and am amazed as to how quickly they learn. During the day, I always breastfeed sitting on our rocking chair/couch or while standing tending to my other (very needy)children. Lights are on, plenty of noise, etc. When it is bedtime, I nurse laying down with the lights off and the room in quiet except for the TV (to keep me awake). When she is finished nursing I make sure she is safe and leave her on the bed. When I finally go to bed I move her to her bassinet and she sleeps until 1:00-3:00ish. I pick her up, nurse her again while laying down and try desperiatly not to fall asleep. When she is done I put her back in her bassinet and continue on like this till morning. (now I will admit I do sometimes fall asleep before she is finished and she does end up in our bed for a few hours, but as long as she is safe, no covers, no other children in the bed, she is fine.) She has associated sleeping in my bed as bedtime and laying down nursing. Last night all I had to do was lay her on my bed and she fell asleep before I was even done brushing my teeth. I've done this with all of my children and they have all transitioned to their own beds just fine when they were old enough.
I also just bought the Snuggle Me swaddler. $9.99 at Babies R Us and she sleep sooo much longer when swaddled. My first son associated bedtime with nursing on my right side so I'd feed him on my left side burp him and then move him over to my right and within minutes he would be asleep. Consistancy is the key with parenting. It may not be the easiest but it really is the best thing for them.
Also, watch what you eat at dinner. Stay away from all gassy foods at dinner time for awhile and see if that helps. Onions, garlic, pizza, beans and broccli, salad and salsa are foods that my little girl could not handle. Now I can eat little amounts of onion and garlic and refried beans each baby is different. Staying away from certain foods may result in more sleep and we all know how much we like sleep!
Good luck and God Bless!
Just having been through the 5 week old stage (now we're at the 9 week) have you tried using Mylicon gas drops? They saved me those first few weeks. I wonder if you could look at what you eat in the morning. I don't know the time frame for milk production ,maybe someone else dose. Is she asleep before 9 or is that when your going to bed? Our routine is to diaper change ,lay down together and nurse and she goes to sleep. I lay on my side and nurse her laying next to me so there is no transitioning her once she's asleep. I just scoot over a bit. She has a slightly raised spot in the middle of our bed where she sleeps. I did this be layering a couple blankets underneath her. When she stirs in the night I do the same thing, Diaper change and breast feed laying down. Now she is 9 weeks old and I skip the diaper change and she wakes up at about 1:00 am to feed and again at 5. But babies are always changing so as soon as you think you've got a great schedule going they'll mix it up on you. Try the nursing laying down if you havn't. I love it. Congradulations on your baby.
