3 day old won't sleep in cradle.?

Question

My 3 day old will only sleep if you are holding her....I have gotten her to sleep in her bouncer in 30 min intervals but then she wakes up and wants to be held...Is this normal??

if I put her in the cradle after she is asleep she wakes up....

is it ok to let her cry to see if she wiill cry herself back to sleep

Answer 1

I think there's been some good info passed to you...until I saw that post suggesting you 1)not pick up your baby every time she cries and 2) they learn to entertain themselves quickly 3)helps exercise their lungs! Oh MyGosh! It does not! One of those old myths. As baby gets older (several months older) she can start to learn that it may take you a few seconds or minutes to get to her when she whimpers or cries, and she may well attend to herself before you get there. But at 3 days old, when she cries it's for a reason, and you need to go to her. If you do not, you are teaching her not to trust that you will meet her needs and that she is incapable of getting help. Crying is very bad for infants because it decreases lung capacity, increases intracranial pressure, reestablishes some fetal circulatory patterns and starts stress reactions within the body" (See the crying page in sources). It's a myth that should have died LONG AGO.
I echo what other posters have said: she just got yanked from a cozy, noisy, very warm, constantly moving place where she was 'one' with mom, it is unrealistic to expect that she'd be perfectly content to sleep by herself in what seems to her a huge, cold, quiet bed. I'm sure you're tired and stressed, if possible, lay down with her. Enjoy holding your precious baby, it only lasts so long, and would you rather have to be one of the parents who has to look back later and say, "Gee, I should've held her more"
BTW, it is perfectly normal for her to want to be held darn near 24/7. Use a sling, you can still get some stuff done, and baby is happy and secure. As well as the catnaps. Babies tend sleep frequently, but not for very long. I still put my 2 year old to sleep by holding him, and then I can go off and get things done. I cherish those moments knowing all too soon they'll stop.
And babies as they grow, will entertain themselves for slivers of time, but they thrive on interaction with other people. They need it to develop properly.
P.S. don't use any comforters/tee shirts/afghans under, around, or over your baby trying to get her to sleep. It's dangerous, seriously increasing the risk of SIDS and suffocation. It's not likely to help much either.

Answer 2

Absolutely normal. Remember that she spent 9 months in your womb -- nice and warm, hearing your heartbeat, feeling your movements, hearing your voice. Now, she's out in the big world, and it's a little cold and scary. She just wants to be near you -- to be safe and warm and cozy. Newborns also need to eat often, and they need frequent diaper changes. She may be waking because she's hungry, wet, or dirty.

Now, I know that it can be frustrating to feel like you're just sitting and holding her all day, but you should take advantage of that time to let your body rest and recover. Watch TV, read a book or magazine, talk on the phone, etc. I got really good at nursing my daughter on my lap on the Boppy and typing on the computer at the same time when she was tiny. :-)

Also, you might want to try out a sling or other baby carrier. There are lots of great slings/carriers out there that allow your baby to be close against your body, but keep your hands free to move around and do other things. You can walk, do housework, run errands, shop at the mall, etc. all with your baby happily riding on your chest, side, or back.

At night, try keeping her in your room (if she's not there already), and maybe put your shirt or pillowcase underneath her so that she can smell you and feel like you're nearby. I've found that my girls didn't like to sleep in silence either, so you may want to try some background noise -- soft music, a fan, white noise, etc. You can also make your bed baby-safe so that she can sleep next to you, and you'll both get more rest. My husband spent many nights sleeping in the recliner with a baby on his chest when our girls were tiny.

The newborn days can be very tiring, but it goes by so quickly. Try to take advantage of that early cuddle time, and when you need a break, call a friend or family member who would certainly be happy to hold that little one for a while while you rest.

Good luck to you!

Answer 3

yes very normal, mine would not sleep in his cradle til about 3 mos. the big open spaces are hard for them to get comfortable in. You can try a wedge or rolling some recieving blakets and wedging them next to the baby (front and back). i tried the swing next to my bed this did seem to work better. Also try swaddling and a hat. For mine that seemed to make a sizable difference in his comfort and relaxation. but to be honest I slept upright w/ him in my arms ALOT!! My baby did not sleep well and not to scare you still doesn't (i too me til 8 mos to get him through a 5 hour stretch)(alot of it is in the personality/temperament). try the best you can to find out what is relaxing to the baby, try to put the baby to sleep b/f they are over stimulated. If your babys movements look scared, frantic, jerky (chances are tired).

other things that worked a bit for me were:

1. sling, i wore my baby all the time (i did not get to sleep but at least he was and the quiet was better than nothing)
2. making a bit of a nest with a comforter and placing it on the couch/floor putting baby in the middle (i know this is against the books) But when babys not sleeping sometimes the books gotta go hehe!
3. afghan worked better too, fluffy, warm and cuddly.
anything really where my baby felt warm, cuddly and closed in seemed to help.
4. I know people who use the little car seat and buy a cover to go over it and that sometimes works.

keep experimenting, something has to work to give you a bit of rest. Also if you can get some family in there to help you, even if they hold her while she sleeps so you can sleep thats a good thing too. she may fuss at first but she will settle in someones elses arms. you need to rest !

Answer 4

Yes. Babies are very physically attached to their mothers. You've spent nine months together, so she's really used to being near his/her mommy. Babies have irregular sleep patterns and tend to get awaken by the slightest noise of movement. Newborns take a lot of time to adjust to their new environment. If your baby wont sleep on his/her cradle, sleep beside him/her for a while until he/she gets used to sleeping alone. I strongly recommend mothers to co-sleep with their infant babies this early. If your breastfeeding your baby, doing so will be more convenient for you and the baby, furthermore, this will help you grow more accustomed to your baby's sleep pattern. Your first 2 months with your child is the most difficult and excruciating part but with a little support and an established routine will be of great help for you, mom.

Good luck to you. I hope I was able to be of help.

Answer 5

Yes it is normal....when you hold her close it gives her that sense of being in the womb again. Being out in the worl dis a huge adjustment and right now you just need to keep her feeling safe and happy.... so if you need to hold her for now do it. They say the best way is to hold her close to your chest so she can hear your heart beating like when she was in the womb.... maybe after you get her alseep you can try to put her down into her cradle.
The same thing happened to me with my little girl... for some and now my new problem is she only likes to sleep in her boppy pillow!....there is always something!

Answer 6

did you know that a baby's intellect develops from being held? neural connections are only made through skin to skin contact - it's true! your baby needs to be held because she needs to be held.

she has evolved to need your arms and your milk. think about human evolution and you should realize immediately the proper way to care for an infant. without human milk, her iq will be lower and she is at greater risk for diabetes and cancer.

a child learns about the world from you. your baby is crying, this is her only tool right now. she has needs, only needs. she is pure need. she is NOT manipulating you, except to this extent - her survival depends on you meeting her needs. that's plain, yes? Okay, so, she uses her only technique to get her need met and, if you ignore her cries, her technique is a failure.

what does your daughter learn? fools will tell you self-reliance. in fact, your daughter learns that she is ineffective at helping herself. absorb that, it's huge.

in addition, when you ignore her cries, you teach her that the world is indifferent to her needs. and, when she figures out you are separate from her, you teach her that you are indifferent to her needs. Day care will teach her the same things, if she is abandoned there before ages 3 - 5 years (yes, years) old.

You love your baby, you don't want to teach her this. You certainly don't want her seeking out partners in the future who reconfirm that she should feel bad when she's seeking love and comfort.

you should sleep with your infant and hold your infant whenever she wants to be. when she's a little older, a sling will be fabulous for you both.

she is telling you her needs. holding her when she cries, and when she doesn't, will not, cannot possibly in any way, spoil her. people who believe so are ignorant and are actually advocating abuse.

when an infant wants mommy and doesn't have her, the infant's brain floods with a stress hormone that impairs learning and puts the poor dear at greater risk for anxiety and depression disorders.

You should spend at least 15 minutes of her every waking hour holding her and talking with her. Cue into her moods and what she's expressing and reflect it back. Let her know she's getting through. Go wild with baby talk, it's okay. She hears it better. But, use lots of words and complex sentences and her vocabulary will blow you away in a couple of years. Name everything and talk about it. Ask her her opinion on everything, listen to her gurgles, and respond. Get used to pausing to wait for her opinion! As she no longer needs to be held to get around, you must still spend 15 minutes every hour engaged in her games and her interests.

This is how you give your beautiful child what she needs. Not by abandoning her to bouncers, pacifiers, playpens, cribs, tvs, etc etc etc

Think of all other primate mothers and you will see how you should be.

Answer 7

Yes. She just spent the last 9 months in the comfort of a tummy. where it was WARM! she is probably just having problems adjusting. Be patient, she will eventually be able to sleep in a cradle. If the problem persists, ask the pediatrician.

Answer 8

This is very normal so not to worry on that point. When my babies were new they slept with us, I know that people have strong opinions about this but I still believe that this is good for the babies. You have to remember that as big an adjustment as this is for to be a new parent it is a big adjustment for the baby she is used to being held inutero. I know you are tired and there is nothing worse than sleep deprivation but hand in there. Good luck and congratulations on your new precious baby.

Answer 9

Yes. Swaddle her up in her blankets and put her to sleep like this. I have seen this done w/my friends baby. Newborns are very insecure and they are not used to have all of the room to move after they are born and it scares them so to speak. IF you swaddle them up in a blanket and get them bundled up tight and warm they will have security of being in the womb and should sleep. If that doesn't work you may have to teach her to sleep in the cradle by herself.

Answer 10

I ended up holding my baby to sleep for his first 2 months...big mistake. Finally we slept in the same bed. After that he cried it out at 6 months and we have been doing great ever sense.