Maternity leave over...dealing w/ sleep deprivation??!!?

Question

My daughter is 8 weeks old. She is a delight, but she will wake up for a feeding and not go back to sleep @ night. She will sleep ok from 11pm-1 or 2 am, wake up and eat...then not go back to sleep. She will cry and cry unless I hold her and rock her. Then if I try to put her back in her basinett she will be up in 5 minutes and the cycle starts again. So, I am getting maybe 2 hours of sleep early on in the night, then nothing. I am almost falling asleep driving to work. Due to our work schedules, I have no help at night. Then taking a nap when I get home is out of the question because she is colicky early evenings. She is on nutramigen, and mylicon for gas. Any tricks to getting her to sleep longer or fall asleep after her mid-night feeding?? Any ideas on how to deal at work w/ no sleep. I am in a complete fog all the time and my job is suffering. HELP =(

Answer 1

I am sorry you are going through that--I sure don't miss those days.

If $$ is not an issue, you might want to consider hiring some help to get you through the rough spot. Or is there a family member who might be willing to come & stay with you for a month or so? You are probably approaching the end of this, but that last month can seem like an eternity, especially if you are trying to work.

Always bathe her at night--somehow this seems to calm a baby, as well as expend some energy and make him/her more tired and able to sleep. Get a lullaby CD or even try some of those nature sound--some people swear by the one that sounds like mother's womb and heartbeat an such.

You could also try either putting a bit of rice cereal in her bottle for one or more feedings of the day--the extra "weight" seems to stay on their stomachs longer and require fewer feedings. They stay full longer, so they are more satisfied. This doesn't work for all babies and it is sometimes tricky to get the nipple hole just the right size for this thicker formula. If she has gas you may end up exascerbating that problem, and there is always the concern of allergies when introducing additional foods this early. Some mothers will pitch a fit for me even suggesting this, and not all doctors recommend it except in cases of reflux, but sometimes for a desperate sleep-deprived mom it is worth a shot. I never had much luck with the cereal in the bottle, but I did start introducing very runny cereal on a baby spoon at somewhere around 8-10 weeks. You really have to work to get it in there because their tongue has to learn how to deal with solids vs liquids, but if you are very patient and careful, this method can work, too.

Another trick you may try that is of course NOT recommended is to allow her to sleep with you for the rest of the night if she wakes up. You will have to be very diligent and careful not to let her get smothered by pillows, cover, or you--many times I would just lay mine on my chest and sleep lightly on my back without cover---just DON'T turn over! This works especially well for a nursing mom with a bassinet or cradle next to the bed because you don't even have to get up, so you really can kind of "doze" through it, as opposed to getting out of bed and preparing a bottle. I realize that if you are working, you may have already switched to formula, but maybe you could have a couple of bottles prepared and use a small dorm refrigerator to store them nearby. I suppose if you had a very comfy rocker/recliner, you could also doze in this spot while holding her. I know there are people who will disagree with this answer, but there are probably just as many moms who've been there, done that and lived to tell about it!

Do everything you can to prepare things the night before to save you time in the morning---your clothes/her clothes & bottles, etc. Perhaps you could shave off 15 minutes or so to allow you to sleep later in the morning before work (if she will let you!)

Good luck--this too shall pass, I promise!

Answer 2

I was in the same boat as you are. I tried all the things that everyone say ... swing, rice in bottle, bath before bed, lights on during the day ... we tried EVERYTHING. Our little one was on Nutramigen and was having colicy fits at night too. We were all misrible. We changed her formula to Similac Allimentum and it worked. It is the same as Nutramigen but a different brand. The colicky stuff stopped, she was happy and so were we. Then, all the stuff that people said to do worked and she slept through the night from 8 weeks to about 5.5 months. Then she hit a growth spurt and we were up all night again. Fair warning though, the first time she sleeps all night it will scare you to death. We both bounced up out of bed to check if she was breathing ... lol ... first time parents I guess.

Answer 3

Get your daughter one of those electric or battery operated swing bassinettes -- they WORK! I would put her in after her 2AM feeding, and the gentle back and forward rocking motion (and I would go through batteries like there was no tomorrow) was what let her relax enough to sleep -- and it was the best solution available). By the way, my daughter was like this for almost 6 months ... and know also what it feels like to have a baby colicky through the evening hours as well (for I could not even shop during those hours for groceries --- she'd be crying and doing those typical colicky things .. not conducive to being out in public at all).


(I was on Active Duty with the Military when my own daughter was born, and she was colicky and could NEVER sleep through the night. I had horribly long hours .. and yes, was sleep deprived (just after this .. I went through divorce .. so became a Long Term Single Parent to her and her older brother while on Active Duty with the Military too).)

Answer 4

My baby was the same when she was just born. She is now 8 weeks and only wakes up once at night around1am. I need the sleep...I am working and going to school full-time...so I did my best to Create a routine!! The sooner the better and the easier it will be Give her a warm bath at 9pm and feed her, I give her breastmilk which relaxes babies due to the qualities it has. Then let her fall asleep on her own...and turn the lights off...but during the day try to keep her awake and lots of light so she can differentiate night and day It will be hard at first since she will want to be rocked to sleep, but you will get there....and it will be better for both of u...Good Luck...!!!

Answer 5

You'll get used to it. Most of the moms I worked with, we all coslept for that very reason. You can easily wake up and breastfeed and then go right back to bed. I honestly did not get a full nights sleep until I quit her night feedings at 19 or 20 months. The night feedings are what wakes them, but at 8 weeks old it might be too early to eliminate them yet, 19 months old was definately too late! I always took naps on the weekend and tried to go to bed early because you know you are going to have to wake up.

Answer 6

Hi:)
Seems like your daughter just needs to be comforted. What you can do is, instead of taking her in your arms and rocking her, after her feeding, put her back in the crib but talk to her. Stay a while and talk, sing, touch her. You can also put something that smells like you in the crib, lets say your t-shirt.
Show her you're there, without taking her in your arms.
During the day, give her a hard time sleeping (When you are there) leave the curtains up, make noise, and wake her up for her feedings. When she's up, play with her and make sur she stays up as much as you can -so she'll be tired during the night.
Good luck :)

Answer 7

All I have to add to the other answers is: how long are you waiting from when she drops off (she does drop off, yes? Or just stop crying?) in your arms?

Best to lie there and cuddle (and definitely see if you can get her used to being cuddled with you lying down instead of having to be vertical) for about 15-20 minutes, minimum, after she falls asleep, before putting her down.

The one caveat is that you will likely fall asleep yourself a few times while cuddling your daughter. Unless you are a drunk, which I doubt, you will sleep very lightly (unfortunately) and not move around at all; your baby will be quite safe in your arms even when you're asleep. But wear warm jammies and eschew a heavy blanket and so on just in case.

Finally, if work and home are both so hard, I have to wonder if there isn't a way to ditch the work for now. There is NO WAY I would've been able to work outside the home with an eight-week-old. Laughing at the thought of it, etc.

Answer 8

some people are very opinionated about co-sleeping. they either are pro or anti co-sleeping.

i say whatever gets you to sleep! when my 7 week old wakes up for his night feeding, some nights he wont go back to sleep unless he is next to me with a pacifier. i'm a light sleeper ever since i had him. i make sure not to have any blankets near him and put one pillow behind him so he cant accidently roll off the bed and i put a tightly rolled baby blanket between me and him.

Answer 9

Congratulations on becoming a mother. Your daughter will take a little time to settle into a routine. Perhaps you should ask your work if you can temporarily reduce your hours. you are obviously not able to give 100% to home or work. It will get better

Answer 10

get a comfortable rocking chair. that way at night you can feed her and then sit in your chair and rock the BOTH of you to sleep. It is NOT the same as sleeping in your bed, but 6 hours in a rocking chair has got to be better than 2 hours in bed. This worked for me and my husband when we were dealing with the same situation.