My 8 Wk Old's Nighttime Fussiness

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My doctor told me to ward off any day/night confusion by having all the lights on and noise during the day, and then at night turn down all the lights and noise for less stimulation. When you have to get up for feeding, don't talk or make much eye contact with your son, they will soon learn the difference. Good luck! I know it is frustrating :)

this is normal.. fussiness peaks at 6 weeks. starts to decline by 12 weeks..it is developmental.. it is not your diet. get the book healthy sleep habits happy child. cant remember the author .. but it is a pediatrician=-- great book.

I went through this with my duaghter we were up all night and she cried most evenings... we used to call it colic..

He's so young, and this happens, they are still getting used to our world... anything from smells, noises, light/dark, textures, etc, can really affect or tweak a newborn. AND... they often get tired...but if OVER-tired OR over-stimulated, they can just overload their senses. AND an over-tired and over-stimulated baby or newborn or child for that matter, will NOT sleep well AND they have a harder time falling asleep, AND they will wake more often.

Usually newborns nap a lot. After about 2 hours after waking a newborn will get tired. Look for his "sleepy" cues... even a bath at this age is an "activity." If he wants to sleep, let him. Don't rouse him awake on purpose.
Newborns sleep a lot.

ALSO, he may just be hungry. Are you feeding on-demand? LOOK for his hunger cues...ie: rooting, fist to mouth, his head turning toward you... this means he is hungry.

It could also be gas. A baby's digestive system is NOT developed yet... and they often get gas. It can hurt. The infant gas drops really helps this.

But keep in mind that in newborns, they feed often. And something called "cluster feeding" also occurs (and is normal) and this is when the even need to feed every single hour. If not, they are hungry and will get fussy and cannot sleep. You need to feed on-demand. NOT according to a "schedule" or you will miss his growth-spurt intake needs and hunger needs.
In a newborn a growth-spurt can occur every 3 weeks, then every 3 months or so in an older baby.

Also as this young an age, they are still "bonding" and Mommy is the thing they need. Its just instinct. They can "smell" you and know your voice. They will look for you. My son and daughter did that, as newborns.
Whenever I even walked past them, they immediately made noises for me and turned their heads and would start "rooting" or opening their mouth.

Also make sure he is latching on properly. Otherwise, a baby will not be getting adequate intake. Make sure he nurses for as long as it takes until he gets to the "hind milk." This can take 15 minutes of nursing and then they will nurse longer. Nursing sessions can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes. I would use BOTH breasts at each nursing session. My kids drank both, until empty.

He also sounds over-tired. Newborns and young babies get tired quite fast. So cue into his cues.

But, babies do this, as you describe your son. That's how it is. And breastmilk metabolizes quite fast in a baby.

The book: "What to expect the first year" is real good. You can get it at any bookstore or on Amazon.

All the best,
Susan

Hi K., Congratulations on your baby boy and on getting him home! It is normal for babies to become fussier around 6 weeks. I noticed you mentioned reflux meds so I assume your doctor has already taken you down that route. You also mentioned medications...plural, most of the time they start babies on zantac and some do well, but most do not. Then Prilosec is next, usually compounded (if your pharmacy will do it) and some babies don't do well on that either because 1. The compound can be harsh on baby's tummy. 2. The compound starts to break down after a week or 2 and most RX's are filled for a month's supply. My baby girl is on Prevacid after trying the others and she is doing wonderful, I mean different baby. She is soooo much better now but they usually don't prescribe that until they reach 3 months. You have about 1 more month. Talk to your doctor about that next visit. (BTW, my daughter was premature too) I also started seeing a Pediatric GI doctor who is wonderful and has helped dramatically. Try looking into that as well. Also, since your nursing, dairy could be the cause or one of the causes. I am still dairy free, my baby is 4 months now. Food can play a major part in his reflux. I am pretty much down to chicken and rice because of her reflux. Also, if he is refluxing, avoid lying him flat on his back but have him sleep upright(30 degree angle) and that will help his symptoms as well. There are websites that you can look into regarding infant reflux and also look up "triggering foods". Lastly regarding having days and nights mixed up, just remember to be a bore at night. Keep the lights off, feed but don't talk and play to stimulate him. He'll catch on real fast. You just got to get him comfortable and get his reflux under control as much as you have the power to do. I hope you see a difference soon and good luck. My baby is 4 months now and is much much better just to give you a little hope, it does get better.

One last thing, how is your milk supply. Is he gaining weight? Breastfed babies eat more often. Let him eat as much as he wants as often as he wants. He could just be hungry. If he's losing weight....although my baby was only 2 weeks, she started losing weight and was too tired she ended up being jaundiced. That is really common in premature babies. Yours is 8 weeks now si I doubt that but I thought i'd mention it. Good luck!

T.

It's very common in newborns that they get trapped by wind or other tummy bugs and they become fussy. I used babies magic tea for the same symptoms and got positive results.

My daughter seemed to have a problem when I ate things containing tomatoes. I didn't make the connection for a while, but once I started avoiding ALL tomato products (catsup included), she got better. She doesn't seem to have that problem now that she's eating them on her own, but it's something to consider. I hope you are both able to start getting some sleep at night soon – and congrats on the breastfeeding; I really do think it’s one of the best things we can do for our children!

Sounds like colic, which wouldn't start until about 2 weeks AFTER your son's due date. If you've consulted your pediatrician and can't work out anything else, the fussiness is probably due to your little one being in his 4th trimester. Fortunately, there are techniques that you can learn to trigger his calming reflex and help him to sleep better and longer. I'm not kidding about this. I used it with my own son and, more recently, with a neighbor's very fussy little boy -- and it works. You can get the book or dvd called, The Happiest Baby on the lock (by Dr. Harvey Karp). The dvd is particularly good, because you get to watch him do every technique. If you need further assistance, I'm a certified Happiest Baby Educator now and can help you troubleshoot. Good luck! C. ###-###-####

The problem and solution may be a simple thing you have over-looked. My grandson born preemie also spent time in NICU and experienced some sleeping difficulty after coming home. It may be simply that night time is too quiet for him. We got my grandson a 'heart beat bear' and found a quiet radio station that played 'elevator' music as quiet music of this type was a constant in the NICU. Also, we made sure to dim the lights but not make it too dark. You may not have realized that when he first came home you probably fussed over him more at night and as you became more settled his sleep time got much more still, quiet, and dark. Reverse his stimulation and gradually remove the stimuli one at a time to develop quiet nights. After about 6 to 8 weeks of my daughter wanting to pull her hair out, she tried this and got her first decent nights sleep. His being able to sleep all day also indicates the medication may not be your problem as this would affect him 24 hrs a days causing short sleep/wake periods, not allowing for sleeping all day. Give it a try, good luck!