Overtired Newborn - HELP!

[expatinscotland]

DD2, 4 weeks old, is knackered! This baby will NOT allow herself to fall asleep during the daytime. At all. She's exhausted, but keeps fighting it. We've tried it all - going for a drive, walks, rocking, swing, etc.

HELP! She is NOT hungry, wet, dirty nappy, cold/hot, etc.

Why is she doing this??

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Becky is the same expat - but shes 11 weeks now. How does baby sleep at night? As Becky doesnt sleep during the day, she goes 12-13 hours at night....

Are there any panicky vibes she can be picking up on? I know you are an experienced mother, but are you panicking a bit do you think? I know my children became impossible as babies if the atmosphere wasn't 100% relaxed.

She does sleep very well at night, JARM. Last night, she slept from 3AM-9.30AM! It takes a lot to get her down in the evenings, tho. Most nights, my SIL comes over and watches TV - she lives down the street and has older children - whilst I take Roisin a drive b/c DD1 is sleeping (she's 2.5) and I can't leave her alone.

It's sort of hard to make it really quiet in here b/c it's a small flat, no garden (2nd floor), and DD1 is in here all day making noise and running about.

The weather's abyssmal outside, too.

This is the second day she has NOT slept at all during the day.

She's only had about 10 hours of sleep/day. Not much for a baby her age.

I seem to recall her elder sister did this, too, about this age, but it was summer and we didn't have another kid around so it was easy enough to take her to the beach for hours on end.

Have you tried one of the white noise tapes/CD's for your dd? They can have amazing results. I think it's worth trying because although white noise had no effect on dd2, it worked like a dream on dd1! I think you need to start using them before the baby is about 10wks old.

Does your DD have a dummy? although my DS never had one, he went through a similar thing when he was about 3/4 weeks old and I gave him a dummy, only a couple of times, to help him suck himself to sleep, he literally only had it for about 3 or 4 days and I would take it out as soon as he was fast asleep. Might be worth a try, the theory is that at this age, when babies are awake they think they are hungry, because generally babies at this age sleep a lot and then when they wake they have the reflex to be fed, so sucking on something like a dummy might help - just a suggestion

And when he got a couple weeks older he would fall asleep to shania twane/ronan keating (don't ask)

I do sympathise, my ds was like this for 7 months - would not sleep longer that 20 minutes. Had dark circles under his eyes! Health visitors couldn't understand it. Sorry to insult you if you've tried it, but what about lying down on your bed with her in a dark room? If you breast feed this might work (feed her lying down). It was the thing that worked most often for me. Does she have any tummy upset? Again, if you breast feed you could try drinking peppermint tea as this is supposed to help gastric problems. With the benefit of hindsight though, I wish I had introduced formula earlier. It was only when I did this that he started to sleep and appeared more content. Good luck and I hope things get better cos it's awful when they won't sleep. You must be knackered

We took her out to the shopping centre. And she crashed out! She slept from 1-5. Then we got her home. And she's been awake since then! She doesn't like staying home! It's nuts. DH has to take her a drive every night to get her to sleep.

She was wide awake during ER.

She doesn't have any colic, although it is hard to bring up wind from her. She has a dummy, but she's not that crazy about it.

She stuffs herself in the evenings and then sleeps all night. But she should be sleeping in the day more than she does, too.

yeah typical, they sleep when you're out so that you can't get any damn sleep.

Maybe she likes noisy environments? My ds was like that - slept at family parties/weddings but never at home!

She's a wee radge! She was all awake after ER. She was watching it. I love it how they hold their wee handies up by their mouths. That's what she was doing, blue eyes watching away.

I vaguely recall DD1 doing this.

DH is back. And she's STILL awake!

S*it!

Ah yes, but she's your lovely wee radge!

both my girls did thisa and I just didn't get it, it's jsut as you described, they should be so v v tired.......I remember it didnt last, maybe a week or so? I was so tired at the end of it too
hope she sleeps soon

Can we swap? Alex sleeps all day and wakes lots to feed at night! Tried everything, most evenings are spent being horrid to her trying to stop her from sleeping! By horrid i mean bathing her, rattling toys at her, taking her clothes off (she hates that!) and dh has found lifting her above his head and playing aeroplanes works well!!!

Just get in a routine of taking her out every day in her pushchair - twice a day for at least 45 mins, then after she falls asleep, just leave her in her pushchair or carry her upstairs quietly and try to carry on the sleep. Pain to begin with, but it will give her an idea of when to go to sleep

Have you tried a sling? Both my babies needed to be next to me (or someone else) to fall asleep for several weeks. You have to break them out of the habit but it isn't hard when they are a few weeks older.