not much sleep!

[bradcomp]

does anyone else find it difficult getting jobs done during the day with a baby that doesnt sleep? DS IS 8WKS and only cat naps for 20-30 min all day. i find it near enough impossible getting anything done other than quick ran round with vacuum. Have loads of things need sortig but he never asleep long enough to do them! he feeds, sleeps for half an hour then wakes and its constant pacifying, holding etc till next feed then! wouldnt mind this so much if he slept well at night but he only goes 3hours then. know he is only small but reality is other things have to get done.

Have you tried putting him somewhere quiet in the house to sleep? Perhaps down in his cot?and closing the curtains etc? 8 weeks is young but if he is not sleeping well at night I would expect him to sleep more during the day.

well they do but cut yourself some slack. It's only 8 weeks since you had a baby after 9 months of being pregnant. I think you're entitled to fall behind on the housework (I will be using this excuse until DD is 18 ).

Are you worried that his eating/sleeping pattern is abnormal? Do you think he's waking cos he's hungry or colicky?

Does he need your attention all the time he's awake?

Sorry for all the questions but I've seen some threads on here recently which might reassure you if you explain a little more how things are?

Oh and if he's breastfed and you think poor feeding might be the cause of his restlessness then posting on the feeding board would no doubt get you some really good afvice from the bf experts on here

I wouldn't worry about the three hours at night. It's only about now that they start to realise there IS a day and a night and that they are different.

Get a sling so LO can sleep and leave your hands free.

Forget about housework -- lower your standards.

Three hours at night is great for an 8-week-old!

I know it's tough but try to put your feet up and enjoy your new baby -- it passes so quickly

DD1 was like this but then DD2, who had to be happy with lying in her bouncy chair whilst I attended to DD1, wasn't.

With DD1, she would only sleep 4 hours max at night at 8 weeks and then very little napping during the day. I used to put her in the baby bjorn just so I could do housework and eat and things like that! Is this your first?

Things started to improve with DD1 when she started having solid food and I then forced a more rigid milk feeding routine ... that was at about 16 weeks (as was the fashion 4 years ago!) and she started sleeping a lot longer at night (sleeping through properly at about 5 months) and having a morning and afternoon nap.

It does get easier. In the mean time, try not to stress about the housework and just enjoy your tiny baby x

live in squalor and enjoy your baby

My ds only ever catnapped in the day, but did at least sleep through all night. I just used to plonk him in his chair/basket with me and do little and often to get stuff done. A none-sleeper is hard work, I sympathise.

And it did get better for me - as soon as he was more mobile he wore himself out more. Is now snoring his little head off whilst I catch up with all the jobs...er...not. Get used to Mumsnetting instead of vaccuming, far far more useful!

do want to enjoy him and feel guilty moaning but he seems to survive on so little sleep! its my second child and the first was the same! must be something im doing! he is mixed feeding, mainly bottle though. Karen, ive tried him in his crib upsatirs, curtains shut, downstairs in doomoo chair, bouncy chair, settee(safely)none of which makes any difference. Sling works, but kills my back. dont want to wish away his babyhood but im sick of a quick once over in the house, difficult to do ironing, clean windows etc. ive dropped my standards but it drives me mad!

I understand how you feel. I'd have a list of jobs that needed doing and would keep running through it mentally, only feeling ok when I could cross something off. Eventually some things just slipped forever - eg windows now just get done when needed, not every week, other stuff figured out it's own little routine and my house is still pretty tidy. You do get to an acceptance eventually I think.

this is it Annabel, he doesnt sleep at night much really otherwise i could accept it more. i ff him at 1pm (5oz) and has just woken after a slightly longer 40 min sleep(but thats more unusual). not cheerful when awake alot of the time. sits in gym for maybe half hour(which is good) looks happy, but then have to pacify him plus, plus till next feed. not sure is colicky, started colief just in case but to be fair id say hes not colicky most of the time

he sounds v much liek my little man. I felt like he just wanted to be older - he seemed bored with the whole baby phase. It's tough.

enjoy the baby while he is still little. don't worry about not doing the housework and don't worry about him crying for 5 minutes while you sort out the washing. he'll get used to it.it does get better, and ask friends for help. everyone wants to hold a new born or push them around in the buggy for half hour. get to a local toddler group asap and you'll make friends in the same position as you and they can help

have accepted that cannot do marathon cleaning session every day like used to but this is ridiculous! have mental list and want to try and do one job each day but cant even manage that in 30 min break i get. today just wanted sort out all my underwear as falling out wardrobe and im only using stuff on top but no chance, i do take him room to room with me but most of day taken up with basic stuff, washing, putting washing away etc. when do you think i should be more strict with him and not break my neck to attend to him. i hate to leave him if he needs me but dont want him getting used to ytoo much attention either

i love being off work and at home with him but id love it more if he would just maybe have an hours kip. id be chuffed

Have you got someone who could come round for half a day one day a week to babysit for you, whilst you stay in and get jobs done?

Denbury is right about letting them cry for five minutes or so...even if it is just enough time to load the machine etc...my 2nd dd is much easier because I have to deal with eldest dd and sometimes you can't deal with both at the same time!! Even if dd2 cries because I am doing something, she usually stops after a minute or so. Nobody likes to hear their babies cry but a few minutes here and there will not do any harm.

hes awake and wanting to be held now so im gonna get him strapped into pram and slow walk to school, otherwise he will be grizzly till next feed

I do agree with you K, but I just couldn't do it. Still can't leave my ds if he's crying. I had plans for all the sorting out etc I would do on my mat leave - never did most of it. And when non-sleepers do have a long snooze you just end up panicking that something is wrong. For me, it all got so much easier when he was 5 mnths old.

my sis will help and i do get stuff done when dp is here, frantically running round. my house is still tidy its just frustrating having had 2 kids who are just mnot happy to amuse themselves for a couple mins or sit quietly. other people seem to have babies that either sleep loads or sit quietly. not me!

yes annabel, it started to be better for me at 5mths with ds1 thats when he slept thru

Just remember that it does not last forever and things do get easier as they get older. My dd is at baby walker stage and this is a life saver!! Also, I started to introduce a set routine at about 10 weeks and this really helped.

bradcomp

does anything on this thread remind you of your DCs? www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=8&threadid=423898#8593747

there's a link to Dr Sears on high need babies.
Might ring a bell with you, might not. I don't think it's anything you're doing that making an 8 wo demand attention though. He just needs lots of attention. MY DD on the other hand even at that age sometimes used to do everything in her power to get me to go away because she'd had quite enough attention now thank you and wanted to be left alone for 5 minutes. It's like having a teenager already ..................

thanks, i will have a look at that thread! GOd, how i wish i had a baby that wanted to left alone, u lucky devil!ds2 isnt very well today think he has a cold and lots of dirty nappies. oor thing. wish i could blame that onbeing high demand but hes always like it!ds1 was ten times worse though, coupled by the fact i used to jump every time he cried.

i remeber reading somewhere once that the way you are when you are preg afects babys behaviour when born. Iwas very active in both pregnancies and with ds1 worked until 39 wks. both active babies in womb too, never has to be monitored with reduced movements, quite the opposite!

talktothebees,
how interesting. I hvent gone onto the link yet but the thread was great. DS1 was like the baby on that thread! very high maintenance and i often though maybe he waS ADHD. hOwever, iknow hes not cos he sleeps so well. After the 1st 5mths he has always slept a good 12-13 hrs and had a big daytime nap till he was 4. he was always very independent, and still is at age 8, but very bright and funny too. we always joke who he takes after cos DP is very laid back and i was such a quite, shy child(though he is more like me now im an adult).i thought it was a boy thing, but nowive got another im not sure. maybe its personality. I dont know. The thing is although DS1 is wonderful and crazy and funny he was terribly hard work and i was hoping for a more chilled out child this time. i always thought you didnt get two the same!