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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

BF DS 4.5 weeks will only sleep when held, any advice please ? Exhausted !

6 replies

smk84 · 07/07/2012 08:52

Hi, DS is 4.5 weeks old and EBF so far. We have been able to put him down for sleeps at night up until a couple of nights ago. When he was newborn we were able to put him down for sleeps during the day, but he seems to have become quite windy and so we have ended up holding him so that he can sleep properly, and so that I can have a break from feeding (otherwise he wakes up and I need to let him feed back to sleep). We thought this would be sustainable until he gets a bit older and gets over the wind, but now he has started not going down at night. We sleep on a matress on the floor at night, and he sleeps next to us on a slightly raised part of the matress to help with wind, but for the last 2 nights he will only settle when held. We have been trying to get him to lie down, but he wakes up every time and we rock him back to sleep, but untimately he is not going as long between feeds as he was, because he is stirring through being put down. It means that he feeds less effectively, because at night he just tends to glug what is there and go back to sleep, but because he is waking more often through us trying to put him down, he then doesnn?t have as much to glug, goes back sleep and then wakes sooner because he hasn?t taken as much iyswim. He was sleeping 2-3 hour blocks in the night and now it?s about 1-1.5 hours (I realise this could be just his feeding need, and if it is that?s fine, but we are pretty sure that he wants to sleep longer but can?t because he doesn?t like being put down. DP and I are exhausted, and have 3yo DS to look after during the day. We have tried infacol to help with the wind to no avail, and we did even try a dummy a couple of times (both these things I don?t really want to do but getting a bit desperate). DH is taking DS for sleeps at night so that I can get some sleep when not feeding, but he is getting super exhausted. I struggle to sleep in the same room as DS as even when he?s asleep I can?t relax cos I hear him moving or stirring. Any advice would be really appreciated ! Thakn you.

OP posts:
JeewizzJen · 07/07/2012 09:44

Are you feeding him back to sleep lying down? He may settle for you just being nice and close?

I'm possibly not the best to give advice, DS would only sleep on me until 5 months... Still always feeds to sleep, his 12mo, but doing it lying down makes it much easier!

SwivelHips · 07/07/2012 10:31

Smk my ds is 5 wks and we have same problem so alas no advice just understanding how you feel. For us its got worse in that we sometimes could get him to sleep in his Moses but past 3 days not once. We get him into deep sleep and within 5 or 10 mins he's crying. Ds is also windy and we've tried all sorts. Let's hope someone out there can help...

Lawabidingmama · 07/07/2012 12:00

My DD is 16 weeks and was the same only sleeping on me for naps occasionaly she would entertain her basket but 9 times out of 10 would wake as soon as she was put down. At night I could usually settle her for one two hour stint in the basket then she would not be put down all night I was exhausted as we also have 2 yr old DD in the end I kicked DH into spare room threw off the duvet and pillows and brought her in with me this was huge for me as I have always been of the camp against co sleeping fearful of squashing her but you just don't sleep the same do you! I feed lying down and she will then sleep snuggled into me. This to me is not ideal I want her in her cot! We have the cot up against the bed with the side down and she does now spend part of the night in it. She was terribly windy crying in pain gurgly tummy etc tried infacol but ultimately she has grown out of this probably by about 8 weeks sometimes she wakes up through night with wind and I find rotating her legs pushed to her tummy gets it out! Anyway what I would say is she's getting better last two days has had decent stretches in her cot but it's still a struggle!

Lawabidingmama · 07/07/2012 12:02

Basically I'm not much help re sleep but the wind goes away on it's own she doesn't cry with it now just very rarely wakes pumping! This will pass... This will pass.....

smk84 · 09/07/2012 07:49

thank you everyone, sorry can't reply properly but always feeding or sleeping means i don't have spare hands to type !

OP posts:
BigBoPeep · 10/07/2012 22:20

I was another anti cosleeper but when dd arrived it all went out the window - she just would NOT be put down, ever. So, she came into bed with us and she slept with her head on my arm, I think this helped with her wind as she was more upright IYSWIM and could burp. I now just leave a boob out and she helps herself while I'm asleep most of the time Grin - we all get plenty of sleep (didnt kick DH out - he doesnt drink or smoke and enjoys cosleeping) and it feels really cuddly and natural. She went in a sling during the day.

Ignore people saying you are making a rod for your own back - she is now 14wks and will sleep by herself for long naps during the day and will tolerate being in the pram for quite good stretches, which never happened a few weeks ago. I haven't pushed it, she just does it one day and that's that! It's a relief too, because she's a massive baby and having her in the sling all day was doing my back in!

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