Baby Sleep… Seeking Reassurance (and positivity?)

[FolkloreEvermore1989]

I have a seven week old DD.

Sleep has been a nightmare. If anything, it’s getting worse. She only goes down for around an hour, and is otherwise up between that for up to two hours. She doesn’t seem to like being put down but will be eventually.

Sometimes, even once down, she makes horrible noises and grunts loudly like she’s in pain. It’s hard to sleep through but sometimes I’m so tired I do.

Until recently she did a first stint that was 4 hours which meant I could cope at that baseline but that seems to have ended recently. Now it’s more like 2.

During the day she mostly sleeps on me but will occasionally be put down. She often does a bigger sleep in the morning.

I exclusively breastfeed. She hates the swaddle. I can’t co sleep due to anxiety.

I’ve started using infacol which seemed to make a difference to the grunting.

I have a 5 year old DD and in hindsight she was a dream for sleep. She would be put down and if she woke in the night she was just fed back to sleep. She didn’t sleep through the night until 2 but I can cope with brief wake ups…

I’m going back to work in 5 weeks.

I know that this is all normal for babies and they’re all different.

i just want some reassurance that it will get better and an idea of when. So, if you had a nightmare sleeper - when was it a bit more manageable? Is there anything you changed that seemed to improve things?

Bump?

Sorry no advice but am just messaging in solidarity and to give you another bump as my 6 week old is exactly the same. The nosies she makes for the hour or max two she'll go down are insane too! But then she doesn't make them when sleeping on me or in the bed next to me so I do wonder is she having me on 🤪. Everyone just keeps saying it will get better but it doesn't! I am BFeeding too but most of friends bottle fed so seemed like routine was better for them as she just wants to feed all the time it feels x

I'm so sorry you're going to work so soon. I have a 4 month old, he's never been a great sleeper, but sometimes we do get a more decent chunk. Sometimes he's awake every hour, sometimes he won't be put down, but sometimes he will be and he'll sleep until 5ish, which is a dream. Sending love, it's tough x

Does baby sleep on their side? I ask as my DS would ONLY sleep on his side. I rolled up two towels and put them under the moses basket sheet, then wedged him in

Possibly silent reflux maybe? Do you have HV involvement?

Aww bless you, I suppose it’s nice to know they’re all doing it!

hope it gets better for you soon. 🩷

Thank you. I hope it gets better soon.

I think I’d feel better about the regular waking if she went back easily but it’s the hour windows between that are just so disruptive!

I don’t have any further HV involvement than the basic visits. I’ve found them historically unhelpful…

I haven’t tried her on her side. I might during a day nap at first, but I think I’d be too anxious to leave her that way at night.

I considered reflux but she has no difficulties with feeding at all: she’s never been sick. Even so I’ve been trying to keep her upright after feeds and it doesn’t seem to have solved anything…

My 4 month old at 7 ISH weeks was often up for 1-2 hours after each night feed, so I feel you there. From my vague memories I think my first two children often were as newborns too. It's because they don't know day from night properly yet.

I would say only a few weeks later than that this largely stopped with all of them when being breastfed. However they all have/had occasional night bottles and it often would take up to an hour to settle back to sleep after a bottle. So moving completely to formula feeding definitely wouldnt help in our case.

I think by the time you go back to work, your baby will definitely know the difference between night and day so shouldn't have many long awake stints in the night. Note I say many, because obviously occasionally this happens to even much older children, as you will know since you have a 5yo.

It is so hard when youre in it. I'm sure you're doing great and things will get better with time! My 4mo usually wakes 3 times a night and if he's breastfed he tends to feed back to sleep within about 20-30 minutes at each wake-up, sometimes gloriously even less!

Thank you. 🩷 it’s just nice to have the reality check of how early we are in her little life.

also, it’s interesting your memories of your firsts are vague. I’m the same with mine and I wonder if I’m idealising it just because of how difficult baby is at the moment.