Two week old baby

[PeggyL]

Hi all, I know it's early days as LO is only 2 weeks old but does anyone have any tips on helping her sleep. I know it's a bit crazy at night with a newborn but she just won't settle and if she does fall asleep on me/feeding/with dummy - she just wakes up again as soon as put her down or when dummy falls out. Thanks x

Peggy don't worry, it will get easier very soon - this bit is like flying by the seat of your pants particularly when you've never done it before.

It will get better in a few weeks. Seriously - you're doing grand and it's not anything you're doing wrong, honestly, it's not necessary to panic. Babies get better at sleeping all by themselves, wonderful when it happens - just lower expectations, try to minimise any other demands on your time and it'll all be ok x

just sleep when you can, live in your pj and dressing gown- bliss!

if people want to visit tell them to bring food or hold baby while you are having a nice bath!

they can make their own tea and give you one or take the bin out and pack the dishwasher!

this is definitely the time to be unashamedly selfish, putting baby, you and DH needs first! every one else can wait.

early days are foggy, but it is the same for all of us, muddling through, having bad days and good days - welcome to motherhood!

you are doing great!

A wise friend of mine, who'd had 5 children (including twins) gave me this advice when I had my first:

Just go with it for the first 3 months. Don't try routines or stressing about when they do or don't sleep, because it will fall into place.

Every time I'd panic about things not happening 'properly', I'd think about this. THere's also a theory that babies aren't really 'separate' from you until they're about 3 months, which would explain why it suddenly gets a bit easier around then.

Incidentally, Dc2 was an absolute bugger for teh first 4 weeks - she'd sleep happily in her basket during the day, but would only sleep on me or dh at night. It drove me nuts.

By 10 weeks, she was happily sleeping in her cot in her own room. But still had me up at least twice a night until she was 1

astronaut - I totally agree with your friend!
I still pretty much winging it with baby and she is 9 months old!!!!
she has a vague routine based on her brothers routines, but I've given up trying to do a set nap or bedtime for now, it's just too complicated.

I decided that I will not stress about when she sleeps or wakes up, because every day's routine is different due to school runs v. weekends, clubs at different times on different days for different kids, shopping trips, gp appointments, grandma looking after her & everything else going on with the rest of the family!
I tried to figure out a time schedule but I got really frustrated as no 2 days are the same, it's just impossible.

If she she's tired she'll fall asleep or I put her to bed and if I have to wake her up then that's that.

she's healthy and happy and developing well and I feel so much better for embracing a slightly organized chaos rather than feel disorganized and a failure for not keeping to a strict routine!

Try putting something that smells of you in the basket/crib with her, like a t-shirt that you've worn overnight and keep her tightly swaddled. These are the things that worked for us to get our daughter to sleep in her basket for a few hours here and there, but to be honest when they are that tiny there's not much you can do - they don't even realise that they're a different person to you yet! It's a shock to join the outside world and adapt to being a little individual.

It gets easier about 6-8 weeks and they become more able to sleep alone, but till then my advice would just be to respond to her in whatever way gets both of you some rest. I wish my baby would sleep on me now but she hardly ever will!