I'm a first time mum to a challenging 7 week old. He seriously fights sleep during the day and putting him down for naps has become an hourly and tearful (both of us) struggle.
After waking up, I feed and change him, play a little if he's happy and then I see the cues e.g. zoning out, yawns etc. This is usually within an hour of being up. I can then spend upto 45 mins trying to get him to nap before giving up. I've tried it all- swaddling, white noise, bouncy chair, dummy, dark room, co-sleeping, shush pat, feeding, rocking/swaying/bouncing. I can see his eyes close then they spring open as he fights sleep. I'd be happy for him to sleep on me, but he just squirms and refuses. He will sleep in a carrier (thank god), but I have to be constantly moving and even then the average nap is only about an hour. I'm now starting to feel exhausted carrying him for up to 6 hours a day. He is ebf and still waking every 2/3 hours in the night so I'd love the chance to be able to rest, even sit down a bit more, during the day.
To top it off, he has such a difficult temperament at the moment. Yesterday, he whinged and cried literally the entire time he was awake leaving me feeling like the worst mum ever and emotionally drained. I'm hoping this is just a phase (wonder week leap 1), but I hate seeing him so unhappy.
The doctor doesn't seem concerned as he's put on 5lb since birth. I have a wonderful husband who does so much in the evenings and weekends. However, I find myself dreading the long days and not enjoying motherhood at all.
So apologies for the long post. I'm just looking for some reassurance that this will pass and any helpful advice. Is this normal behaviour?
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Behaviour/development
Feeling down with 7 week old. When does it get better?
21 replies
Ibu1986 · 22/06/2015 05:25
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