How to get your newborn to sleep when she is inconsolable?

Question

My 2 week old daughter Kalinda is very fussy and refuses to go to sleep at night, even for an hour. When we pick her up, etc. to try and calm her, she cannot seem to calm down except for when she nurses. Of course I can't nurse all of the time, but I do give her the breast to calm her. The thing is, she drifts off to sleep but when we transfer her to her nearby bassinet, she immediately wakes and screams bloody murder. We do not know what to do. We swaddle her and believe me have tried everything. she keeps us up all night trying to get her to go to sleep for just a little bit of time. Help! The dr. said to try a pacifier, but she wants nothing of it and spits it out. If we get her to sleep using one method one day, it is guaranteed that the next day it won't work. I know that she will eventually develop a pattern, but we're so exhausted, mentally and physically. My husband works and is trying his best to be a hands on team player, but he needs his rest.

Edit: she has gone to the dr. and the dr. says there is nothing wrong with her. I know this is all very typical but we've tried everything and nothing seems to work, leaving me to ask even more people :)

Answer 1

If a pacifier doesn't work then I suggest you take her to a specialist just to be on the safe side. If you and your husband can't get any sleep either that won't do anyone any good at all. Your daughter may have a serious problem and if not checked out now it could end up costing the life of your child.
Seek medical professionals now and don't wait another minute, okay.

Answer 2

First, do not let a 2-week-old cry herself to sleep, and don't give her cereal. She is not developmentally ready for either of those things.

Have you tried nursing her while lying down? Here are some tips for safe co-sleeping if you want to try keeping her in your bed: http://www.kellymom.com/pantley/pantley21.html

Another idea... can you put her in the bassinet and then lean over it to nurse her? It's definitely an awkward position, but then you won't have to move her once she's asleep.

How soon are you trying to put her down after she falls asleep? I found that with my girls, if I waited until after they were done doing those sleepy twitches, then they were sound asleep, and it was safe to move them.

It's also possible that she misses your scent when you lie her down. Take your pillowcase or the shirt you slept in and put it under her in the bassinet. Having your scent nearby may make her rest more peacefully.

Does she sleep during the day at all? If so, then you need to sleep then, too. This newborn stage won't last forever, and for now, you need to do what you can to survive. If necessary, let her sleep in a bouncy seat, swing, or car seat (if she will), and you can get her used to lying flat when she's a bit older.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that when our girls were very young, we spent many, many nights sleeping with them in the recliner. My husband slept pretty well that way with a tiny baby on his chest, and we were all able to get at least a couple hours sleep.

Good luck to you! And I feel your pain with the exhaustion of a young baby. Hopefully, you'll be getting more sleep soon.

Answer 3

Well make sure the baby is sleepy. It's easier to get her to sleep if she is tired. Try playing with her in the day time. Try feeding the baby then giving her a warm bath in Johnson & johnsons vapor bath (the green kind) make sure the house is warm when the baby gets out of the tub but not uncomfertable. Put on some soft music. The baby will probally fall right to sleep. But, if that doesn't work take her for a ride in the car.

Answer 4

The same happened to me. It's your first, right? What i did was, let's say at 6pm, give her a bath, then nurse her. She should be feeling sleepy by then. Take her to her crib and wait. If she wakes up immediately, let her cry for just 5 minutes. Pick her up till she calmed down, and repeat the cycle, but wait 8 minutes.
Repeat... all this respecting her feeding time. She has to learn to calm herself down. If you don't teach her, she cannot learn, see. You can do this only after checking with the doc if it's not colic that she has. Remember the importance of burping, as it can cause abdominal distention if left undone. I cried outside the room together with her, but my baby learned in 4 days to calm herself down this way. Really hope it helps, if not, we all passed through the same at some point, and she'll grow out of it.....

Answer 5

ok been there many times - try this and is really works - after you nurse her lay her flat on her back for the count of twenty seconds then slowly lift her placing her stomach on your shoulder then start to pat her back until she burps- she must burp if it doesn't work the first time try it again. All my kids needed to get out the air or else when you think they are through nursing in reality they are just filled will air and they are really hungry. There is one other thing you can buy is a llittle sound activated vibrator for her crib and that helps a lot too good luck

Answer 6

Young babies dont have the gag reflex so dont give her cereal or she may aspirate it into her lungs. Have you tried drinking chamomile tea late aft? its been known to help windy/colicky babies when they receive it through breastmilk, if she is filling up with wind then she may be feeling full so coming off the breast unsatisfied. Wind her more often whilst feeding her. If it is colic (high pitch screaming, drawing up knees) you can buy remedies from the chemist to help with this. Cut out foods that could be transmitting through your milk and upsetting her tummy, orange juice and some veg are known to cause probs but it could be a number of things so its trial and error.Colicky babies have a tendency to want to feed more often as it makes them thirsty so try some cool boiled water from a bottle. It will pass, good luck.

Answer 7

my first daughter slept through the night at 6 weeks....however my 2nd daughter didnt sleep through the night til she was a year old. My doc told me that when its night time ( sleep time) when she wakes up dont socialize, just do the basics, feed & change & a little cuddling, but no lengthy talking. my doc also said its ok to let a baby cry for a while, ut no more than 10 minutes at a time without checking on her. The crying builds their lungs up. I hope I helped. Good Luck!!

Answer 8

Do you have one of those infant car seats (the kind that you strap the baby into, and then clip it into the base in your car)? If so, buckle her into it and set her on top of the clothes dryer and turn the dryer on. Just be careful to sit right next to her incase the vibration of the dryer or her kicking shifts her around. Also, have you tried taking her out for a drive? Both of these things always worked for my boys. You could also try vacuuming. Not right in her room, but put her in her crib/bassinet, and shut the door, and vacuum right outside her door.

Answer 9

I was a big fan of letting the baby cry himself to sleep. But, only after we went to the doctor and made sure it wasn't any kind of illeness. Sometimes, when I couldn't handle the crying a walk outside at night in the stroller would get him to sleep, then I'd just leave him in the stroller. We walked on a dirt road so it basically vibrated him to sleep. When I took him to the horses, and they'd nuzzle his head while I held him, he'd calm down and sleep too.

Answer 10

She wants to feel your body warmth and hear your heart beat. Let her sleeo inthe bed with you. I know a million people will disagree with this but it works. There is time for weaning her from sleeping with you later. Some babies need the security of being with their Moms for a while. The best sleep my grandson gets is when he is up on a warm loving chest, is fed, burped, in a dry diaper and in subdued lighting, not complete darkness. Sing lullabies to her. Read (whatever novel you are reading) the soothing sound of your voice should lull her to sleep. Lots of love, less stress and you're nearly there. Good Luck!!