Newborn Sleep - Omaha,NE

You may just have to ride this one out. Accept this time for what it is. You have a newborn and this is what they do. Fighting it will only make you feel worse. As a few months pass it will gradually change. Read books like the Baby Whisperer. But for right now, you just need to ride the baby wave ; )

Try swaddling if you already haven't. They have little swaddler pouches that you put the little ones in and just cross over the tops. It may help. I found them at babiesRus and Target (I think). Very reasonable and you only need a few at a time.

My son did almost the exact same thing. I finally learned that firstly, he wasn't getting enough to eat, secondly, he wasn't warm enough and thirdly, he had to sleep on his tummy.

SO - I started supplementing him, dressing him in warmer PJs, and lett him sleep on his tummy (no blankets, no toys etc...) and that night... the first night we did that... he slept all night, at 5 weeks old. ALL NIGHT! Woke up at about 6 am the next morning just as happy as a clam.

He's now 18 months old, sleeps by himself in a twin bed, always on his tummy, and still needs a snack before bed...

Good Luck!!

Please look up 4th trimester and Dr. Harvey Karp. That is where your baby is. Babies for the first few weeks to months want/crave/need the comforts of the womb while they are trying to figure out this great big world. Read up on 4th trimester and it will help you make sense of his behaviors and how to help him be more comforted.

There is nothing wrong with co-sleeping as long as you do it correctly and safely-no blankets near baby, baby only sleeps by mom not between mom and dad and baby sleeps where he/she can't fall from the bed. I co-slept with both of mine. It was the only thing that saved my sanity when I brought my preemie home from the hospital. He was so disoriented from the change and needed lots of comfort.

Are you swaddling him? If not that is one thing that may certainly help. Be very careful about putting him in the boppy to sleep. It's not recommended and when he's able to move around even just a bit he can wind up under it. I'm sure you are watching him closely now but it's probably just not a good habit to get into.

I wanted to edit to add that him snacking at night is also just part of him building and regulating your milk supply. That's one of the amazing parts of breastfeeding, if you follow babies lead they will help your body make the perfect amount that they need! And when they need you to make more they will get busy nursing to up your supply so don't limit him or supplement.

Congrats on the new little man and breastfeeding!

Well....we co-sleep. We didn't plan on it with number 1, but it was the easiest way to keep my son happy and for me to get some sleep.

I would just keep doing it. You can always, if you are really against co-sleeping, transition them to a crib in a few weeks when things have settled down. The first few weeks are a blur of eating, pooping, crying, eating, pooping, crying and I would just do what you can to rest.

We "argued" with my son the first couple of weeks trying to get him in a cosleeper...I finally gave up and co-slept. He left our bed at 2 years old! :)

BUT, number 2 was a totally different kid and slept better and would have gone into a crib no problem....I put him down after a few weeks and he'd sleep for hours! But, by then, we were committed co-sleepers, so he's with us.

It's just so hard at that age...they want to be close to you and nurse for food and comfort and let them...they will gain weight well, they will be at lower risk for SIDS, they will be happy and secure knowing mama is right there.

Hang in mama, those first few weeks are rough and are not an indication of what is to come. They will change their wants and routines a million times. I recommend going with the flow and seeing where it gets you. You will soon look up and baby will be 6 months old before you know it.

Read Night Time Parenting by Dr. Sears. It saved our lives when our oldest was born!

Congratulations!

You could try swaddling him in a blanket. Not just wrapping - swaddling. It's a technique used to wrap a baby up really tight and gives them a feeling of security and comfort similar to what they felt in the womb. Remember - all your baby has known up until a week ago is the sensation of being warmly, tightly enclosed in your belly. He became familiar with your voice, the sound of your heart beating... Of COURSE he wants to be close to you all the time. If you really feel a need not to co-sleep with him, try swaddling, then putting him in his pack n play bassinet (which I assume you keep next to your bed...?) and then you can reach out and have one hand on his back or something to rub him for comfort when he starts to squirm like he is waking up... That might help...

One thing to keep in mind, too, is that your baby's sleep pattern is probably opposite of yours right now. If he is sleeping all day (as my son did in his early weeks), then he probably is more likely to wake up more often at night - regardless of whether he is next to you or apart from you. As his sleep pattern adjusts to "normal" you may find it becomes easier to extract yourself from his tender snuggles when you want to have some mama-alone time...

Don't underestimate the joy and value of co-sleeping, though, when you are up for it! My little guy slept right on top of me all night sometimes for his first few months. I REALLY miss those days now... I nursed him throughout the night - sometimes with him just "plugged in" next to me all night like a little piglet. There are plenty of mothers and books that will tell you this is "spoiling" your child and that you need to "teach him discipline" and "teach him to be able to sleep on his own" as soon as you can. I frankly disagree. I mean...why? Why does a 2 or 3 or 10 month old child need to "learn to sleep on his own"? What is the supposed danger we are trying to avert? Most of the world co-sleeps. Really, only in the USA, have we deemed it something to frown upon largely.

My son co-slept in our bed until he was almost 2 years old... Yeah there are times it's a hassle and sure, perhaps babies who get used to "sleeping alone" are able to "sleep alone" more easily when they are toddlers than kids who co-sleep for a while... I guess I just don't really get what the point of that is...? Research suggests that babies who co-sleep are just as likely to be well-adjusted, self-confident, unspoiled older children and adults as those who don't co-sleep. (In fact - research truly suggests that kids who co-sleep are actually even MORE well-adjusted and self-confident than those who are put in their own bedrooms from an early age...)

I know it's nice to have some mama-only time. And that can be adjustment for a while, trying to work out your rhythm with your baby. When I was new mama, it helped me to ask myself pretty often, "If I were a cavewoman, what would I do right now?" Trust your instincts. They're reliable. Cave women didn't have books and experts and websites and dozens of other opinionated mothers...they just did what seemed the most obvious suitable thing to do in a given situation. (And I bet very few of them ever considered placing their little baby in some "other part of the cave" to sleep...no doubt they slept right up next to their babies. Which also seems to be the example we see from nearly all other animals. We humans are natural creatures after all - and our new little infants respond to the world like any other newborn animal: they want to be close to their mother all the time).

Good luck to you!!

It's pretty normal for newborns to have their days and night mixed up for the first 3-4 weeks. I know it's exhausting! (I had two very colicky ones.) In general, other than swaddling, white noise and some of the other tips listed by other posters, there isn't a lot you can do about their sleep patterns for the first 3-4 months. I always recommend Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's book, "Sleepless in America," for developing good sleeping habits. She helped my boys. There's a lot of controversy about co-sleeping--many parents swear by it, but many doctors say it can be very dangerous. I was a little concerned about the boppy mentioned in your post. They were just getting popular when my kids were little so I'm not completely familiar with them, but I wondered if they are approved for sleeping? I would just be worried about the baby's face turning into the pillow, and the pillow interfering with his breathing. To get my babies transitioned to a crib I used to put them in their car seat (with straps removed) and then put the car seat in the crib. Some babies like to have their head elevated a little and like the feel of a smaller space. I don't know if that is considered safe anymore, but at the time it was one method that was recommended by my pediatrician! Good luck and congrats.

when my kids were that young we co slept, it was easier for everyone involved.

Congrats on the new baby!

For us - if we didn't swaddle, we co-slept. My sone grew out of the swaddle by 4 months and we co-slept until he was 8 months. He now sleeps through the night in his own crib in his room.

Your baby is so new - it will take some time before you get into a routine that works for both of you.

My son liked feeling "enclosed" at that stage. It wore off after a week or two.

You're absolutely not supposed to do it, but sleep deprivation takes over after awhile... We rolled up receiving blankets and tucked them along side of him in his basinette. Worked like a charm. We just made sure that they were nowhere near his face.
Now, we did this for naps, and also swaddled him tightly.
At night, we stuck to only swaddling, since we wouldn't be there to check on him constantly.
Maybe try a sleep positioner? They have "walls" to keep him from rolling, and maybe that would make him feel "cuddled". That's safe for babies at all ages, I believe.

I feel for you! When we brought our little guy home, my husband and I each took half the night with him, sleeping on the couch or in the chair. Though I didn't breast feed. Like you said, he slept fine during the day when I would lay him down, but wanted to be with one of us at all times during the night. After about 3-4 weeks he started to sleep a little while on his own and it got better after that. Hang in there, it will get better! Definitley nap when he naps during the day if you can put him down. I always napped at least once during the day. Good Luck!

Little Dude has his days and nights mixed up!! When this was happening with my little Guy I started making sure that he was eating every 3 hours.... on the dot!! during the day and making sure that there was a period of time that I would keep him awake a bit. I would say that the eating part really made a differance because he was getting his nutriants/calories during the day and no longer at night. There were a few times that I just let him sleep or went 4 hours instead of 3 and he would than want to eat at night. The tight swaddle idea is also a good idea. He is only a week old so it will take a bit for the two of you to get into a routine. Congratulations on your little bundle of joy!! Enjoy every minute they grow so fast. I hope that you have better sleep in the near future!

i agree with some of the others that if you arent swaddling him you should try that! also use a sleep positioner... it helps them feel secure. Also remember that at this age he will normally want to eat just as often during the night as you are feeding him during the day....so if you are letting him snack throughout the day thats probably what he'll want to do all night! I know everyone has their own opinion but what worked for me and allows me to get some sleep is scheduling. you can choose how often to feed him ( 2,3 or4 hours) just try and be consistant during the day and he should go at least that long at night. I've done 4 hours with all of my babies and theyve all done great with that. Id nurse them at 10 then go to bed and theyd wakeup at 2 to eat then go back down till 6. i loved that schedule (AND all my kids slept thru the night very early!) but again, it's totally up to each mom what hey want to try! I hope you get some sleep soome!

do you have a bassinett? those things work good because it gives baby the feeling of being closely contained. in a crib its hard to acheive the same thing because you arent supposed to put anything around them in their cribs because of SIDS..

just a short piece on bedsharing (which isnt the same as cosleeping) - bedsharing is safer and more normal than you think! many parents choose to do this and it works great! it is normal for babies to like this, and its also great for sleep because you dont have to get up to nurse; baby can just get latched on and you will do it while mostly asleep. i understand your hesitance now, baby is only a week and a half old! i didnt start bedsharing with my son until he was 2 months old; we had him in a basinette until then. so just wanted to put that in there.

other things to help baby sleep without bedsharing is co-sleeping; which just means having baby sleeping in your room. there are ways to hook up the crib to your bed so that its like bedsharing but safer and more comfortable for everyone. heres a video description about how to do this! :) its really awesome and might give you the effect you are looking for:
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/turn-your-crib-into-coslee...

other than that, soft light, never use glaring lights (which is something you probably already know) white noise! my husband and i ran the vacuum pretty much all night long until my son was like 1-2 months old and we foudn and bought a WELL WORTH IT cd called "for crying out loud". it has 8 tracks at 9 minutes each of different types of white noise so you can find the sound that helps your baby sleep the best. obviously, our son loved the vacuum. so we made another disk (so we wouldnt ruin the original) of ONLY vacuum tracks. it worked great.
heres the link
http://www.amazon.com/Crying-Out-Loud/dp/B00000DAN0

dont sleep babies in a pack and play; they are unsafe for sleeping, and highly uncomfortable! i mean, with that bump thing in the middle, i cant imagine anyone being comfortable in them :\

either way, this is normal for babies to be more awake at night. just do what you can to remain quiet, calm and "sleep like" at night, and try to be more awake during the day. theres no keeping a baby this age from sleeping, and not sleeping when he wants to, but you can remain as normal as you can for yourself. the important thing isnt to listen to doctors, friends or us, but to listen to your baby, his needs, your instincts, and do what you have to do as a family. there is no shame in cosleeping (sharing a room) or bedsharing (sharing a bed) or doing the sidecar situation. your baby spent 8-9 months inside of you, hearing you breathe, your heartbeat; being out in the world isnt fun! the closer he can get to you, the closer he can be to your smell, your sounds, your heartbeat, the more comforted he is, and thats normal, and actually very helpful to babies! baby's heart rate and breathing are directly affected by hearing moms heartbeat and breathing too, so thats awesome. :) :)

dont let anyone tell you that something you feel is right for your son is wrong, or is spoiling. theres no such thing when you follow your instincts! YOU are the mom! you are the one who has to live with the results of any decision you make. that means that you must make the ones that are best for your family, no matter what anyone else says. also; to solve this problem; you dont have to answer to anyone else for anything either. if they ask you some question that you know you are going to have an answer for that they dont agree with, you do not have to answer, or you can say something vague like "its working out just fine thank you".

the more you listen to your baby now, the easier it will be to hear him later when tantrums start! LOL

anyway, write to me if anything i wrote is unclear. www.askdrsears.com is a great resource, and ive heard the "no cry sleeping solution" by elizabeth pantley (i think thats the right name?) is a great book as well. me? i bedshared and coslept with my son until he was nearly 3 and he is by FAR the best sleeper, and the most agreeable at bedtime of any child i have ever met. so theres no reason that any of those behaviors have any negative effects on sleeping habits later on in life.

anyway im blabbing. blag blab blab. sorry if i gave you info you didnt want :( :(

my biggest message is to trust yourself for the answer. only you know what is best for your family.

I have 3 kids and they all were like that with the most recent one being 5 months old. She is now a great sleeper but the first few months were rough. I have no good advice as I think it just takes a little time for babies to get their nights and days in order but I did want to suggest what someone recommended to me. When my daughter was 2 months old and still sleeping horribly someone recommended the Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper. I ordered mine from Amazon for $50 and it has been well worth it. I have mine right next to my bed and my daughter sleeps wonderfully in it. Unfortunately she is starting to out-grow it so I will need to switch her soon to the pack n play next to our bed. I did co-sleep with my other kids but can't with this babe, I wake up extremely sore if I do.

Anyway, good luck and I hope your little man gives you longer stretches soon.

As you said you cannot expect too much at this young age however a few tips we got from our pediatricians.
1. Do not let your baby sleep more than 3 - 4 hours during the day without eating,

2. Part of the key to getting kids to sleep through the night is to get them their nutrition during waking hours, at this age it is still expected that you will have to get up a couple times a night to feed.

3. Don't let the baby "snack" I know it will be hard to do but he is doing it to pacify himself not to eat. Get him used to a pacifier or something of that nature.

4. Get some white noise if you don't have any, part of the reason he cannot sleep at night could be due to the house being quieter than it is during the day. I still have radios in my children's rooms and fans.

5. Swaddle, the tighter the better, they need to feel secure like in the womb.

Good luck and again, not everything works for every child, these are just some tips we were given and that worked for our kids. Here is to some ZZZZ's for mom.

Our pediatrician gave us the best advice when our son was only 2-3 days old and had nights and days mixed up:

"Never let him sleep more during the day than he lets you sleep at night."

If he only sleeps for 30 minutes at a time night, then don't let him sleep longer than 30 minutes during the day. We did this and helped a bunch!

Also, like some of the other responses, we swear by swaddling. That helped our little one sleep so much better. We used regular receiving blankets at first, but then progressed to "Swaddle Me" blankets. Our son slept so much better when we did these two things.

Good luck!

Do not let your baby sleep on a boppy pillow unless you are watching the whole time. It is a very dangerous smothering hazzard.
Many babies have their nights and days mixed up at first. It will work itself out. Buy a co-sleeper or bassinette for safety reasons.

My husband and I wove shirts through the bars of the crib that he and I had worn. Our boys slept so much better because they could smell us nearby.

www.snugglemecushion.webs.com

Check out my website for our Snuggle Me Cushions. These work great for Newborns, and really inexpensive too. If you have any questions let me know.

We used swaddlers with both our children. When our son was a newborn he did the same thing at night with waking up all the time so we finally bought a co-sleeper bed to use and that worked great. They have hard sides so you can't roll into the baby and you put it between your pillows so they are agian high enough so you have no worry of rolling over the baby. We had bought ours at BabiesRUs. After a few weeks I moved the co-sleeper to his crib so it was less of a big changed for him and did that for another week or two then removed that. He did great and I felt he was safe in our bed because he had his own little bed in our big one. Good luck.

Ok here are a list of my favorite swaddles. I didn't get a wink of sleep until we swaddles. I used a Woombie. They are amazing!! I didn't like straight jacketing my son, but these let him move, but we wont hit himself when he startles. I also used that hippo one from babies r us. It works well until he is strong enough to wiggle out. A great thing about the woombie is that they cant wiggle out! I wanted to try the miracle blanket, but I decided to go with a Woombie. I hope this helps!
http://thewoombie.com/

He could have gas. What kind of cries is he doing?? My DD SCREAMED (no lie) for 4 weeks until my mom came to the rescue. She would cry cry cry all the time after feeding. I was literally up every night for hours feeding the kid because I thought she was hungry. If your little dude is waking up 20 mins after feeding, sounds like gas to me.
My mom is a nurse and a mother of 5 kids...she did this with ALL of us and I did it to my DD (and I thank God for that advice my mom gave me)
Get a rectal thermometer (mine has a stopper on it so you cant stick it up too far), take the babys temp (not literally but put the thermometer up there) and gently wiggle it around. sounds gross but his little rump muscles cant push out gas or a BM.
If you are uncomfortable doing that,exercise his little legs in a bycicle motion to work the gas down, or let him sit in some warm water.
Try to think about what you eat as well. My DD responded REALLY WELL when I STOPPED drinking Milk...The milk is what gave my baby gas. Instead I took calcium pills with my Prenatals to give her the xtra vitamins through the breast milk
For the night time, Swaddle him up REALLY REALLY tight in his blanket
and big advice...DONT COSLEEP. works for some people but I dont know how.
Good luck mamma!!!

Like a lot of newborns he has his day and nights switched. Try keeping him awake a bit more during the day so that he is ready to sleep when it becomes night time. Of course at this age you will be up in the middle of night for feedings. Get him used to sleeping in his bed/bassinett everytime he sleeps that way it will become a pattern. Break the co-sleeping habit immediately not only because it can become a habit but it is dangerous.

Updated

Like a lot of newborns he has his day and nights switched. Try keeping him awake a bit more during the day so that he is ready to sleep when it becomes night time. Of course at this age you will be up in the middle of night for feedings. Get him used to sleeping in his bed/bassinett everytime he sleeps that way it will become a pattern. Break the co-sleeping habit immediately not only because it can become a habit but it is dangerous.

If you are wishing to avoid co-sleeping because of fears that it may be dangerous, please look into the research some more. Some highlight SIDS deaths that occurred despite co-sleeping, without comparing that number to the (higher) number of deaths that occur when not co-sleeping. This resource can point you towards some more information: http://thebabybond.com/Cosleeping&SIDSFactSheet.html

I am also not a fan of co-sleeping but we did it for a few weeks with our newborns because we just needed some sleep , their body clocks are all over the place in the very early weeks and you just need to do whatever so that you can get some sleep as you will be no use if you are run down. I always found that from around 6 weeks old I was able to establish a little bit of a routine more , in the way of daytime/nightime.