Help! 7 wo not settling in evenings - overtired

[Marcheline]

what can I do?! She's definitely not hungry, she's burped, and she's now been awake for nearly three hours. She's beside herself.

I'm currently typing one hand on iPhone as pushing her in her pram with blanket draped over. Getting desperate.

[Marcheline]

This happens every day. I just don't know what to do.

[mrsbugsywugsy]

things which worked for dd were swaddling and listening to white noise.

[Whereisthesnow]

Over tiredness? Vicious cycle sometimes.
Ok this sounds controversial but have you tried settling her in blankets/swaddle wherever she sleeps and leaving her for a few minutes rather than rushing to her if she makes a noise?
Other than that, you have my sympathies, am trying to do same with 3 week old!

[Marcheline]

Yep, have tried leaving her. It's awful. If I try to feed her to sleep, she will eat until she throws up. I haven't tried White noise - will a hairdryer work?

[llamallama]

Will she just cuddle with you to sleep? On your lap perhaps?

[cleoowen]

Put her to bed earlier, when she is tired but before she gets to the over tired stage. I do this with ds sometimes as I know if I wait he will kick off and there's no getting him down.

Turning lights down and making it darker and set bedtime routine worked for him. Feeding in the dark with a warm bottle so is practically asleep when I put him down works well.

How much sleep is,she getting in the day as I find ds gets very over tired if he's not slept enough.

[Wishfulmakeupping]

Sound of running water soothed my dd in the early few weeks

[mrsbugsywugsy]

hairdryer or vacuum cleaner should do the trick or you can get white noise apps - not sure about iphones but I have an android one called chromadoze.

good luck - 7 weeks was the worst of it for dd

[BluddyNora]

Had the same battle with my LO a few weeks back, he's still a pain for daytime sleeping but actuall bedtime seems to be ok...

Half a feed, bath & dressed, swaddle, pitch black, rest of feed nd put down. When he didn't settle I used white noise and cuddles & tried again. I downloaded a white noise cd in iTunes.

Good luck!

[Marcheline]

I tried doing it earlier today - she fed to sleep at 6 and then woke up as soon as I put her down, has been awake ever wince.

She sleeps really well usually but her late afternoon nap went to pot. Maybe that's why. She falls asleep by herself noproblem in the mornings.

I have the hairdryer on while searching for White noise app.

[Marcheline]

Hairdryer has calmed her but she's still awake... Thank you all so much for your suggestions, I really, really appreciate the help.

[MandragoraWurzelstock]

Ok don't panic for starters! They DO this.

It's entirely normal. It's probably colic or trapped wind. Don't put her down especially not on her back - will just make it worse. If you can manage it, ditch everything else and just hold her, upright, against your shoulder and keep walking around - or if that doesn't help, hold her along your forearm, face down, so a little pressure is on her tummy.

Keep moving, calmly. Eventually she will calm down.

Thinking about naps etc - are you trying to give her a routine? If so I'd ditch that too - they just don't do routines. They are very random at this age.

Mine is 14 weeks now (third baby)_ and after about 4 weeks he cried far less and slept more and got generally happier.

Please don't panic. You've done nothing wrong x

[MandragoraWurzelstock]

Oh also, have you got a sling you could try - it frees your hands a bit if they cry a lot during the day.

[NorthernLurker]

Evenings are a hungry, grumpy time for lots of very young babies. She's so new still. If she will self settle some of the time you are doing INCREDIBLY well. Personally I would feed and cuddle her and use a sling. She's too young for 'bedtime' and she will settle better for you in your arms and close to you than anywhere else. She's biologically programmed to make sure she gets plenty of milk and you don't forget her and leave her in a bush or cave . This will pass.

[Marcheline]

Thanks mandragora and northern. I DD1 was worse than this - I basically wore her until she was 8 months old, coslept, fed on demand - but I was so tired and suffered so badly from PND, I'm trying to get a bit of time in the evenings where I can just sit by myself, without having arms full of baby or ge climbed on by a toddler.

But I know this is normal, and hopefully won't last forever. She is great during the day, really chilled out and happy. It's just the evenings.

[NorthernLurker]

It is really hard to lose your evenings because somebody wants to be held but it will pass quicker than you think. You're talking weeks not months.

[Marcheline]

I hope so! I gave up in the end and took her downstairs and held her. I feel awful for all the time she was crying :(

It's the worst thing about having two children, I'm always feeling guilty about something because I just don't have the energy for both of them at the moment. Thank goodness for DH.

[MandragoraWurzelstock]

Marcheline I understand. The rules here are we go to the baby when he cries/needs us - everyone else comes second. Not because they are less important but because they are less urgent - and the baby won't be urgent for very long. I don't have a DH, so that's me and the other children.

It won't be for ever. You must be scared about the impact on you after having PND but I think if you roll with it, it kind of takes away the element of choice and I find that quite liberating

You must do what works for your family xxx