Am i the only mum to have had two babies like this.....?

[Megglevache]

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[compo]

My dd did this for ages. Nap for 20 minutes, feed again, be miserable if ut down. The only thing that worked was going out all the time in the pushchair. Now she's older (nearly 10 months) she sleeps in the cot sometimes after lunch.
Have you conseidered a sling?

[Tamdin]

M ds didn't sleep very much as a newborn either but could never have lasted all day. i do however have a friend who swears that her ds (Now 11 months) has never had a daytime nap but has slept through the night from 6 weeks. She's happy with it now. you're def not alone and i'm sure there will be other non napping 'owners' along soon

[BeatrootandBenedick]

put your fingers in your ears and go LALALALALALALALALA whenever she is near.

And put your baby in a baby bjorn type thing close to you and she may sleep.

[Megglevache]

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[Megglevache]

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[lemonaid]

DS did that (it was the subject of my first-ever post on Mumsnet... ah, the nostalgia) until I bought an electric swing (which I had never intended to do -- thought they were the spawn of the devil, but I was desperate) and then, provided I got him to drop off before putting him in it, he would sleep properly for nice long stretches. It saved my sanity.

[WigWamBam]

Your HV is a patronising cow who should be avoided at all costs.

[castlesintheair]

My eldest & youngest were like this. They would only sleep during the day if they were in a sling and then it was only for 20 minutes. I used to be amazed at DS's ability to stay awake all day and be so chipper about it. Not the same story for DD2 though she's started to sleep better now she's nearly 7 months, just not at night .

[Elibean]

Sounds like a HV who doesn't know how to say 'I don't understand/know/know what to do' v annoying.

My friend's dd and ds were both just like your LOs...though her dd slept very well at night. Is there any possibility she could have silent reflux? Just a thought, but acid pain tends to hit about 20 minutes after a feed...and my dd had interrupted sleep patterns until her reflux was treated.

Maybe worth putting her down almost upright, on a bouncy chair or something, if you have't tried already?? (bet you have, sorry...)

[allgonebellyup]

OOh my dd was like this too, slept really well all night long (and the HV said "you HAVE to wake her for feeds otherwise she'll starve!") then awake ALL day long, without so much as a half hour nap.
dd is v highly strung and this was how it manifested itself when she was a newborn!

the HV also used to have a go at me because dd wasnt napping at all (and i'd say "yeah but she sleeps 15hrs at night!", just for HV to say its not normal or right.)

tell her to take a running jump.

[lemonaid]

Here's what I posted in 2005, pre-swing, if it makes you feel less alone...

"The main problem is that he more or less WILL NOT sleep during the day, although he is clearly tired. He will doze off while feeding (exclusively breastfed) but only sleep for ten minutes or maybe half an hour tops (very occasionally he might sleep for nearly an hour in the very late afternoon/early evening) and that's assuming he's gently cuddled; any attempt to move him or put him down to sleep in his Moses basket and he's instantly awake. He won't go to sleep on his own in his Moses basket that just results in inconsolable crying. As a side issue, he starts to fuss and cry which I am pretty sure is down to overtiredness but can be soothed by feeding. So he ends up feeding most of the day off and on which I know is bad [edit: now I know it's actually not unusual. But I hadn't discovered MN at this point, remember] but I don't know what else to do when he's crying and I can't figure out any other way to calm him down. Carrying him in a sling (especially outside) used to work to send him off to sleep but generally doesn't now. He's realised that there is a whole new world outside and is now determined to look at that if he's taken out (again, I have managed to get him to drop off for about half an hour but no longer than that for some time). He actually sleeps pretty well at night (possibly becuase he's so worn out by the end of the day). Generally he'll have a bath around 7-8, then a bit of a kick around and be fed to sleep to go down around 9ish. Since he's not been sleeping in the day he'll then normally sleep 5-6 hours, wake up around 3am for a feed and change, then sleep around another two hours and wake up around 6. Sometimes (today is one of those lucky days) I can settle him back down after that feed for another couple of hours but after that it's go-go-go for the rest of the day. I know a 7 week old needs more sleep than that surely? I just don't know what to try to get him to sleep during the day. Just one nap so that he doesn't get so tired would be good. "

[beansprout]

Ds didn't sleep during the day either.

Where do they train these people?!!

[Megglevache]

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[Megglevache]

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[lemonaid]

DS wouldn't go into the swing awake, either. I had to swaddle his top half (a la Miracle Blanket and Harvey Karp), jiggle him to sleep (a la Harvey Karp), wait long enough for him to be properly under (around 10 minutes IIRC, which I probably don't) and then transfer him into the swing in extra-vigorous "shussssh....shussssh..." mode. It was no use at all for getting him to sleep, just marvellous at stopping him waking up.

[Megglevache]

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[12lbnaturally]

I found swaddling was a real help in getting my sprogs to sleep on their own without being cuddled/ rocked etc. I fully swaddled my daughter from birth, and half swaddle now (13 months) she has been a really good sleeper both day and night. she has always slept better on her side (i know that isnt advised).
Do you think the HV was having a bad day? Try and talk to her again.

[Megglevache]

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[evenhope]

My DD2 is now 14 weeks and just like yours Megglevache. She sleeps from about 11.30pm to 11am, with a dream feed at 7ish and then doesn't sleep during the day. DD1 was exactly the same. I don't think your HV knows what she's talking about.

[Megglevache]

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[evenhope]

Mine did at 5 weeks too

[PinkTulips]

both mine were like that too, ds less so than dd though but neither are great daytime sleepers but will do long stretches at night now they're older.

nightmarish dealing with overtired newborns though, you have my sympathy

[annoyingdevil]

neither of my babies had proper naps until they got to 4 or 5 months - and that took a lot of hard work - gettting them into quite strict routines. It's definitely worth persevering with (if you want some time to yourself.) It's totally down to temperament -I got two difficult ones!!!!