How do I get my 5 week old baby to sleep at night?

Question

I'm so deprived of sleep it is unreal. My soon to be 6 week old baby will not sleep at night. I've tried bathing her, rocking her, comfort music etc... nothing seems to work. I can see that she's tired because it shows in her facial expression and she wants to go to sleep, but when she feels her eyes clsoing she talks herself otu of it. Sometimes she sqirms a lot when I'm nursing her and I give her gas drops or try and burp her but nothing seems to work. I thought the situation was solved a couple weeks ago because she was actually falling alseep at night, but then it went right back. It's like she'll sleep and wake up to be fed around 11 or 12 and won't go back to sleep till 5 in the morning. I will be going back to work in a couple weeks and I need to solve this issue soon or else I'm going to collapse. I try not to get frustrated, but it's hard not to b/c I don't have a partner living in the house with me. I pump milk, but she will still want the breast. Please someone help.

Answer 1

When they are that little, they often need to eat frequently, and they won't sleep through the night. I remember how hard it was with my first.

With my second, I'd figured out breastfeeding, and I could sleep with her in my bed, and just pop in the boob when she started crying.

One thing is to take a nap during the day. It's really hard to figure things out when you are sleep-deprived.

The second thing is, they do start sleeping through the night. The first 100 days is the hardest!!! Believe me, it will get easier, but it is very, very tough right now.

The third thing -- get in touch with some other mothers in your neighborhood. Sometimes it just helps to hear that people are going through the same problems. They might have some helpful hints that will work for you, too. And, you can pass on what you know. Ask your pediatrician if there's a mother's group you can attend.

You will not collapse. You will be fine -- but it's not going to be easy. Try and find someone to talk to and it will help ease the hard parts. And when your sweetie starts sleeping, and smiling and laughing, you'll be so glad you made it through the worst bits!

Answer 2

Hi poor new mom!
I know how you feel - I really thought I would die from lack of sleep the first time I was a new mom. It is often very, very exhausting!

Since your baby is awake so much at night, it is ofcourse even worse than for some others. But many this young babies are awake or wake up often at night.

One thing I thought about when I read your post is that you should try to make sure that your baby gets a lot of daylight during the day and to keep the bedroom very dark at night. This way his hormones (melatonine) will help your son get sleepy at night and be awake during the day over time.

A five week old baby is so young.. I would personally not recommend any tough sleep training methods yet. He needs to be close to you to bond with you and to feel secure.

But - you need to survive too. If you can breastfeed lying down, I would do that at night, rather than sitting up and giving him the bottle (or the breast). Co-sleeping, breastfeeding lying down and dreamfeeding your son when you go to bed will help you get some sleep.

If there is any chance at all that you can have a relative or friend come over and help you sometimes, it will also help you cope with the situation.

For a few more tips on how to help yourself get some more sleep (or help on how to dreamfeed, for example) go to http://www.easybabylife.com/new-mom.html

The tips that talk about dad would of course be someone else in your situation.

A last thing - maybe you should try dreamfeeding your baby right before his usual wake up time at night, MIGHT just make him continue to sleep. Could be worth trying, at least.

Good luck to you! And don't forget that many before you have felt the same. It is frustrating and very hard work. But you will survive and better times will come together with your little baby!

Answer 3

Have a whisky and then breastfeed her. (Just joking!)
Seriously though, it can take months until you have a sleep pattern worked out, but she's far too young to have developed one yet anyway.
What you need to do is to subconsciuosly show her the difference between night and day, and i know that sounds silly, but here is how to do it. When you breastfeed her at night, don't turn the light on, have a lamp on instead with a lower wattage, avoid eye contact with her when you are feeding and make sure that everything is very quiet. Obviously in the day time, make sure there is lots of light, lots of eye contact etc and this should help her learn not to take a nightime feed for comfort, but instead only when she is hungry.
This sounds silly too, but your baby will sleep better at night if she has had lots of rest in the day. Although the opposite seems more logical, a tired, cranky baby is harder to put down of a night.
If these things don't work you should take her to the doctor for your peace of mind. I know this is extremely frustrating, but hold on there and seek help from a nurse or doctor - that's what they're there for.
Also, i read above that someone suggested having your baby sleep next to you in your bed. Please do NOT ever do this as it is dangerous and can lead to accidental smothering or SIDS. SHe is far too young to do this, it is ok later on when she can move by herself, but most definitely not at 6 weeks.
Good luck!!!

Answer 4

Sounds like she has her days and night mixed up. This is a hard time for you, I know I went through it. My first suggestion is ask and a family member or a friend to come over so you can get some sleep. You need that to feel better. Next just keep trying. You are doing all the right things. Good Luck and God Bless!!

Answer 5

Good luck. None of my kids ever slept through the night until the age of 5! At one time I had to infants waking me up, at different times, during the night. I survived to tell about it.

Babies wake up in the night because they are hungry. Some sleep longer at night than others. Yours sounds like all of mine!

The best thing you can do is talk to your pediatrician about your concerns, and see if he has any suggestions.

At this age, a regular routine is important. When nursing her, sit down and relax. Talk to her while she's nursing. You might try lying down and covering up, so that she's cozy and warm while she's nursing. Watch your favorite TV show or try to read a good book, so you are relaxed, too. She should fall asleep while nursing. And, just lie still until she lets go. She could nurse in her sleep for quite a long time (my kids did).

Babies do get their days and nights mixed up, that's normal. Get a copy of Doctor Spock! I swear by him. He has a lot of excellent advice on babies.

Good luck.

Answer 6

try to limit her naps during the day dont let her sleep for more than 4 hours during the day.. 5 week old dont sleep all night anyway. try keeping her up till like 1030 ish and then giving her a bath and then a bottle. this is what i did for my son and he is now 5 months old and only is awake for 30 mins during the night to eat. sometimes he doesn't wake up at all. i try to make his day as full as possible, playing laughing, tickling, reading, watching tv (the boy loves his food channel), tummy time, standing in his walker, you can do some of these things with your 5 wk old to help her sleep at night. playing, laughing, peekaboo, reading, tummy time. just keep it up and shell end up sleeping sooner than ya know it!

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Answer 7

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Answer 10

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