DS won't/can't sleep. Help! I am the one crying myself to sleep.

[BlingLoving]

DS is 9 weeks. From the start he has notbeen one of those babies who sleeps a lot. He is quite colicky which I think is related.

But he just does not seem ti be able to fall asleep. I try to catch the window when he is tired before he gets over tired. Sometimes it works but then he often only goes to sleep for just a short while. Or he lies there half awake for ages until eventually a small noise will startle him awake. Then he cries.

He needs to sleep but I dint know what to do. I have tried a gentle winding down routine - bath, nursery rhyme, cuddle, bed - but it doesn't work v often.

I feel he wants to sleep, but doesn't know how.

Please help! I am desperate.

[realslimshady]

Are you BF? Where is he sleeping? Is he napping during the day?

[SurprisEs]

My daughter was a terrible sleeper so I empathyse with you. Don't try and be supermum and have a nap as soon as you get a chance, I slept everytime she napped unless I had something major to do

[BlingLoving]

Sorry - not quite accurate. When he goes down properly, he sleeps ok. But often if I get him tk sleep it's a very light sleep that he wakes up 30 mins later.

[BlingLoving]

He is not bf. During the day, if I get the sleep window right, he will nap. But it's a big if andsometimes he simply can't do it and wakes up 30 minutes later. I try really hard, because if he does sleep duri g the day the nights are easier and he will possibly sleep or if not, doesn't have the colic as badly at night.

[KittyBump]

Sorry you're having such a hard time. My DD was a very poor sleeper, she would not go in the bassinet in the hospital or her Moses basket and only ever slept on me or in the sling. We ended up co-sleeping, I didn't want to at first but I would still be awake now if I hadn't!
This was ok as i got some sleep but she was still a very light sleeper. When she got to 7 months and still hadn't slept longer than 3 hour stretches I took her to see a cranial osteopath, the second night after we went she slept a 5 hour stretch and it was amazing! I wish I'd have taken her a lot sooner. I was fairly sceptical about anything helping but this really did, I know it doesn't work for everyone but it's worth a try, my DD never had colic but osteopathy is meant to be good for that too. Ask around your area for recommendations. I hope it gets better x

[BlingLoving]

Thanks. We see a chiropractor! Similar to osteo but doesn't seem ti help. Or perhaps it would otherwise be worse?!

We have co slept at times. But problem is falling asleep in first place. He has gone 4 1/2 hours once asleep (only once, but shows he can do it - normally once down he sleeps about 2 1/2 hours) so I think once he masters getting to sleep, we will quickly improve. But it's the falling asleep part we struggle with.

[KittyBump]

Hmm, I'm not sure then. I always feed DD to sleep as she is BF, if I couldn't do that I think we'd be in the same position as she also really struggled with falling to sleep unaided. last night she woke up and was chatting away so I thought we,d be in for a few hours of awake time but she just chatted for a bit and then went off to sleep for the first time in her life (she is now 7.5 months). I'm pretty sure it's the osteopathy as nothing else has changed, I don't know how similar it is to a chiropractor. The osteopath certainly described my DD's sleep accurately he said she is unconsciously afraid to go into a deep sleep and will not let her body shut down and that's why her sleep is so light.
Does he sleep in the car or buggy?

[BlingLoving]

Thanks kitty. He sometimes sleeps in car or buggy. Sometimes not.

Yesterday he spent most of the day dozing. We have a chiro appointment this week so will speak to her.

[misshoohaa]

Hi op, your thread rings true with me. My 7 week old is the same, will only sleep for one sleep cycle during his day time naps and is usually a nightmare to get down, also a really light sleeper. I could deal with the battle of getting him to sleep (currently dummy and patting him - I Know they are sleep 'associations but I can't bear to let him cry) if he would have a sleep longer than 40 mins - hour and wake up rested.
I am using a White noise cd as well which dies help, del room etc but just feel I'm creating such a specify sleeping environment we'll be chained to the house forever more!
If you get any decent advice that isn't too self settled focused I'd be grateful. Even some stories of babies growing out of the one cycle wake up in a few months, if I knew it was a newborn thing that he'd grow out of I'd be fine with it but just want to know if there's anything I can do now to help things.