Did anyone experience this when they baby was born, any suggestions on how to make him sleep atleast three hours at one time or create some sort of routine, plus how long did your new born keep you up all night (does it get better) thanks so much for your suggestions
2006-11-30 23:18:10 · 12 answers · asked by Caro 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Some children used to sleep nicely and some wakes up frequently. If the baby is waking up frequently then till the age of 5 or 6 it will spoil your night sleep. Better consult a doctor
2006-11-30 23:25:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely your son is confusing day and night. Many newborns develop that pattern simply because they became accustomed to such schedule from the womb as the mother's daily activities would most likely lull them to sleep. My 4 months old son had the same problems when he was born - he kept us up all night long and demanded feeding. There is nothing you can do at that point since it's too early to work on his eating/sleeping schedule - wait until he is at least 1 month old. The good news is that within the next 3 weeks your son will most likely start sleeping through the night with no effort on your part. Certainly he will not give you the whole night, but at least longer hours at stretches.
In a meantime my best advice to you is not to panic (I know that can be nerve wracking and frightening), but you've got to remember that YES, IT WILL GET BETTER. I know it feels tremendously devastating for you after giving birth just 9 days ago... but think about your little one. Just imagine for a moment how frightening everything is for him - he just came to this world... The more love and patience you'll show to him, the easier it'll become for him to adjust.
You also must concentrate on taking care of yourself, so you can remain sane despite of the sleep deprivation and constant tiredness. You can take naps during the day when baby is asleep, soak in the tub, walk around - whatever works for you... Hopefully someone can help as this is too much of a job for one person especially as your body and mind have not fully recovered after delivery.
One more advice (sort of looking ahead): boys in general give parents harder time as they are more likely to have colic. Gripe water and baby gas drops (symelax) can help. There are plenty of good suggestions if you search by "colic".
Hang in there :-) and Good luck!
2006-12-01 12:25:08 · answer #2 · answered by mimemamomu 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you're experiencing is very normal!
A baby this age needs to eat frequently. Their tummies are tiny.....about the size of a walnut or of their fist. If you are breastfeeding, he'll need to nurse *at least* every 2 hours, from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. He is working on bringing in your milk supply. He'll also go through a few growth spurts in this first 6 weeks, which may make it feel like he does nothing but nurse for a few days.
He doesn't just want to be held.....he NEEDS to be held. At this age it's a true NEED and you can't overdo it or "spoil" him. Something that is spoiled is something that is left on the shelf to rot, not something (someone) that is given attention and love. Just a few short days ago he was inside you and he could feel/hear/smell/taste/see you every second of every day. Now, he doesn't understand. He doesn't have a true sense of you as 2 separate people yet AND he doesn't understand that when he can't sense you, you still exhist. His need to be held is a survival instinct.
At this age, you really don't try to mess with what they want. You really need to follow his lead. Trying to schedule him or space out feedings could lead to problems with weight gain or with milk supply. Watch the baby, not the clock, and nurse him when he needs it.
At night, bring him into bed with you and turn the alarm clock around backwards so you don't watch the clock. During the day, nap when he naps. "Sleep when the baby sleeps" is a very important lesson to learn when you have a newborn.
Keep the lights dim and any talking very low and soft at night to begin to teach him that night is for sleeping, not for being awake or playing. He will eventually space out his feedings some, but I'd expect him to wake at least some at night for at least the first 6 months, if not the whole first year. Once he hits 5 hours straight, then technically that is "sleeping through the night."
2006-12-01 12:42:40 · answer #3 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Congrats first of all! Well dear, this is only the beginning. U have lots to go! Now that ur baby is just 9 days old, he is totally new to the world. So he wants sometime to get accustomed to the atmosphere. So its quite common for him to be up every hour. If u find him hungry-(u will know if he is really hungry being a mom!), feed him enough just dont think abt ur sleep. When he has had enough milk, he will doze off automatically and this is when u can also rest. U bath him in hot water which will be a real massage for his body pains(helps him to sleep longer). Check his diapers as well which might make him uncomfortable. Dont worry, every child differs and this is perfectly normal to be up every hour at nights! My baby did not trouble me a lot. She was so sweet just when she felt hungry(for every 3 hrs), she would cry. Now that,she is 7 months, she is just the opposite- crying desparately at nights every hour! Me and my mom carry her for sometime till she sleeps, sing songs-what not we do! But I have learnt that all these are very common and just take them as they are. Just feel proud that u r blessed with a bundle of joy. Gud luck.!
2006-12-01 07:31:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are going through a hard time, babies take about 6 weeks to adapt to sleeping at night, which is why you're having a hard time now.
How long does your baby feed? Is he getting enough when he does feed? Babies process breast milk more easly and quickly than formula milk. This means they come more often to be fed than bottle fed babies.
You could try slowly stretching the time between feeds, by 5 mins at a time. Try giving him a dummy (pacifier) between times. This may help.
I found with my kids that once I started giving them formula at night they started to sleep better and longer.
It is really important that you talk about getting a routine established for him. It will help him feel secure and it will help you manage him more easily. If you try to establish a good routine now it will help with sleeping as he gets older.
My kids started sleeping thro the night from about 6 weeks. Until then it was awful, and just hard work. Things do get better. Try to rest as much as you can, sleep when the baby sleeps (even if it is inthe day).
2006-12-01 07:26:27 · answer #5 · answered by Sally E 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes it gets better. This is a hard time for all of you. He's probably not going to sleep for three hours at a time until he gets bigger and his stomach gets bigger and can hold more. My advice is to keep it really boring at night. Don't turn on lights, or if you need one for a diaper change make it a night light or a very dim light. Hold him but don't talk to him or make eye contact with him at night- he will learn it's a time for sleeping. Also the only thing that saved me with my daughter was to hold her while she and I slept. I would lie down on my side with her cradled in my arm and we would both sleep better that way. It didn't last forever but that's the only way I saved my sanity. I did this in my bed with her on the inside so there was no way she would fall off.
2006-12-01 07:38:21 · answer #6 · answered by AerynneC 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My daughter was like that when she was born but i couldn't breast feed her after 3 days because she wanted to feed every half an hour. It turn out my milk wasn't enough for her so i put her on formula. That doesn't mean you can't breast feed your baby in the day it just sounds like your baby is not getting enough to sleep the amount of time he needs to. try giving him 60mls of formula and i assure you he will sleep because it fills there tummy so they can sleep, but please don't breast feeding him in the day i so wish i could have done it.
2006-12-01 07:27:29 · answer #7 · answered by regie811 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
My daughter was doing the same thing. Up every hour or so. I switched her to soy formula because she was not getting enough breastmilk. We started sleeping 3 or 4 hours at a time after that. I used soy based formula so the lactose in dairy based formula wouldn't irritate her stomach. Good luck .
2006-12-01 07:29:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, I suppose you should get used to it.
Now that he's a baby he's hungry.
Later they want you to stay with them until they fall asleep.
Then it's just another glass of water...
As pre-teens they tend to have bad dreams.
As teens they won't come home until the break of dawn.
You'll be such a heavy sleeper once he's out of the house...
2006-12-01 07:27:53 · answer #9 · answered by ImHimL 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My first child was always attatched to my breast and finally after 2 weeks i had to switch him to regular formula and he started to sleep better, i was told that he wasn't getting enough breast milk and thats why he didn't sleep that much
2006-12-01 07:24:50 · answer #10 · answered by Coffee Lover 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋