Does the newborn stage get easier?

[Trufflepuffpuff]

My baby is two weeks old and she's lovely. I'm enjoying taking her out for walks and snuggling her when she's calm. But I am finding the cycle of feeding, changing and (not) sleeping exhausting. I've struggled with breastfeeding and she won't settle well in her bedside crib at night, so I'm not getting much sleep at all. I feel awful that I'm just not enjoying it. Does it get easier? How did you get through the early days?

Yes, it gets easier! I now have an almost 3 year old and a 4 month old - and so far nothing has matched the utter exhaustion and stress of my first being a newborn.

How is feeding now? I highly recommend going to a support group (they’re still running in person in most areas) - even if you’re getting on ok now they can help to finesse things.

Personally co sleeping saved my sanity, my first hated the cot with a vengeance - look up the safe sleep seven and the lullaby trust guidance.

I think the real difficulty now is not getting the support you might expect outside of lockdown. Have you got a supportive partner? Make sure to catch up on sleep when someone else is around to hold the baby. Some nights I went to bed as soon as my husband was home, he would bring the baby to me to feed them take him away again.

Hi OP, I’m currently awake feeding my 3wk old second DC. This time is harder for me in some ways because I have another child to worry and cater to but in some ways it’s easier because I know this stage does pass, very quickly (though doesn’t feel like it when in the thick of it).

Are you still breastfeeding- your hospital may have a bf team you can speak to if you need advice (I did for the initial latch). My advice; just rest whenever you can. Sod anything else you think you have to do; nap in the day, go to bed when they do, keep hydrated with snacks near by when feeding. I wouldn’t put an exact date on everything improving just trust that every day is a day closer to them sleeping through. My LO has finally just started to sleep better in her Moses basket, we still have the odd nights when she sleeps on us (I miss that now with my Eldest- oh the irony).

I don't know if 'easier' is the right word. It certainly becomes easier for you to deal with the baby as you get to know each other and you learn as you go along. It is challenging because as your baby grows his needs change.

12 weeks is a milestone for a lot of babies OP. They are often sleeping a bit better by then and you'll have got the hang of breastfeeding. Don't put pressure on yourself to enjoy the early days - it is really hard!

It 100% gets easier. By about 3 or so months my son was much more settled. That said, I FF so I dont know if that makes a difference. I hated the newborn phase. Im not having another because of it.

Omg yes it gets easier! 2 weeks is so new still, and they just want their mums.. Any advice I could give you is...
1.cuddle like there's no tomorrow

1. be proud of yourself, you just gave birth to a human being!
2. You're a better woman than me lol, at 2 weeks I was still in m pjamas!!

Echoeing what everyone else said really, ask your health visitors for help with the breastfeeding. I had my second baby in lockdown 6months ago and they still sent someone out to help me as I was getting so sore. Turns out I had the technique right, I just needed to be a bit more forceful in putting the baby on.

With regards to the bed, we had a snuzpod for night time and a Moses basket for day time. She’d happily sleep in the Moses basket all day but cried every time we out her in the snuzpod. We ended up putting the Moses basket in the snuzpod and it worked a dream. You just have to do whatever you can when they’re that little.

Absolutely. The first few weeks are brutal. Don't forget you have to recover from birth, however your baby was delivered and even if it was an easy birth, as well as take care of a newborn who can do nothing. It's exhausting and amazing in equal parts. Plus it is very isolating, especially at the moment (my dc3 was born over summer - it is really different this time).
"La leche league" gives breastfeeding support and is still running but virtually - have a look at their website www.laleche.org.uk/. They also have information / videos but getting someone to talk to us best. Your health visitor should also have a feeding support service so please pick up the phone to them. Breastfeeding is often hard to get started, especially the first time around, and this support makes a huge difference to confidence. If you want to continue then it's absolutely a wonderful thing to do and gets way way easier.

Everyone's advice here is absolutely spot on. Cuddle, get someone to hold so you can shower and sleep and drop all the other household stuff. It doesn't matter. They are small for such a short time.
The only other things I'd add is get a good sling - see here in safe sling wearing babyslingsafety.co.uk/. They're a life saver when your partner isn't on hand to help and you need to do something. My dc3 (6m) still naps in the sling at least once most days whilst I cook dinner.
Finally, if it all gets too much and you're on your own, put baby in their cot where they are safe, shut the door, go into the fresh air and scream/cry/make tea/have a wee. Then you can go back. A couple of deep breaths and I have then felt ready to go back in for more cuddles. I don't think I've ever needed more than a minute or two or done this more than a couple of times but it has been a good way of taking a breather from crying newborn wails.
Good luck - you've got this!

It does get easier! I'm up now with my exclusively breastfed 8 week old. She's just woken after sleeping almost 5 hours and will hopefully go down for another 4 now. I know it seems like a long wait but I found with both mine (this is my second), that longer stretches of sleep came in weeks 6-8. It makes all the difference when you can get some decent chunks of rest in.

At 2 weeks, your baby is still probably getting their days and nights a bit muddled and also looking for lots of comfort cuddles (google fourth trimester). With breastfeeding, even second time around, I struggled until about week 4/5 but now it's much easier. Not painful and lo has got the hang of it too and feeding more efficiently. I watched lots of YouTube videos about how to get a good latch and different feeding positions.

Regarding settling her in her crib. I swaddled both of mine and that definitely helped get longer stretches. I also use white noise.

Hang in there! You're doing great!!

What everyone else said! For me things definitely improved once the newborn stage was over / ds was that little bit older. It's hard! Well done on bf

P.s. at 5 weeks I got my first stint of sleep that was longer than a few hours and I ebf too. Hang in there.

First of all I love the fact that everyone's replies have come before 5am! 🤣
I now have a 10 week old and I felt the same when he was 2 weeks.
The first 3-4 weeks for me were so overwhelming! I just cried a lot!
Our DS had colic too so there was a lot of screaming and not a lot of sleeping!
Our DS started to turn a corner from around 6 weeks. He is bottle fed so appreciate it's different but he now only wakes for one feed in the night, so the lack of sleep is more manageable.
I had a C Section too so it was so difficult for the first few of weeks until I was properly back in my feet and moving around.
I follow the other ladies advice.
Nap where you can too! I did and it really helped me get through the nights when he was so unsettled! My DH works shifts too so it on me to do the night feeds.
Be proud of yourself! You're doing amazing and before you know it the first few weeks will be a distant memory!
🥰🥰

The new-born stage doesn't get easier - they just stop being so new-born as time goes on.

My son went to 4 hourly feeds from 6 weeks old - he was bottle fed though so daddy did 11pm feed & I'd do 3am and 7am so technically only 1 night feed. He slept through (10 or 11pm till 6 or 7 am) from 12 weeks till about 6 or 7 months old. I think we were just very lucky, also he was formula fed which may have helped - not sure!
I would say to be honest, yes it gets easier! ... then harder, then easier then harder etc
(My son is 2yrs 3months at the moment and he is beautiful and hard work in equal measures )

2 weeks is the hardest time as you are sleep deprived and baby is very demanding. It slowly but surely improves from 2 weeks so that by 6 weeks you will have noticed a very definite improvement. Just concentrate on feeding and sleeping and don’t worry if not much else happens.

The newborn phase is brutal and it's okay just to admit that you don't enjoy it. I'm not sure I really enjoyed anything about having a baby, but it certainly gets easier. Between 3-4 months is a real turning point for most, but that feels like an age away in the early weeks.

A lot of people don't enjoy the baby phase - they just don't talk about it openly. My advice would be just to survive as best you can without putting any pressure on yourself to be feeling a certain way.

Thanks everyone for all the messages, it's so reassuring to know lots of people have felt the same. I am just finding the cycle so relentless, I thought I was coping ok initially and now a few weeks in I think it's sinking in that this is what it's going to be like for a bit. Six weeks does feel far off at the moment but I'm sure it'll come around quickly.

It definitely gets easier in the sense of they start smiling, playing, babbling so it’s not the newborn cycle of eat, poop, sleep repeat. Breastfeeding suddenly just worked one day I can’t even remember when it may have been around 6 weeks and that has made life easier as well.

I just remember trying not to do too much I binged watch tv and Netflix whilst cluster feeding and when baby would only sleep on me.

Now at the 4 month sleep regression mixed with teething so not a great time and feeling tired again but definitely feel like I know my baby now so is easier than those first weeks.

I found the newborn stage SO hard with my first. For me it got so much easier and fun after the first 4/5 months. She is now 16 months old and I absolutely love it!! I do currently have a 4 week old (second daughter) and have written down 'milestones' to get me through the first 6 months as I am finding it so tough. This might give you some hope!!
4 weeks: breastfeeding became a lot easier
6 weeks: first smile, such an amazing moment
10 weeks: longer stretches of sleep
12 weeks: more head control so easier to carry
16 weeks: started to proper giggle
18 weeks: can hold baby on your hip, so much easier to do everything!!
5 months: went into own room and got to be loud in my room again
6 months: sleeping much better at night so I finally got my evenings to myself from 7pm
8 months: slept through the night wooooooo
Obviously all babies are different, but in my opinion it gets better and better every day :)

Yes it gets easier plus also goes so quickly (in my experience) so 6 weeks will be here before you know it, then 12 weeks (turning point for me), then 6 months etc etc. Just focus on getting through each day & enjoy what you can xx

Hello all mums! I’m after your advice please. I have DS who is 4 years old and a newborn baby girl who is just 2.5 weeks old. She is formula fed and few days ago she got extremely gassy abs unsettled, plus her poop got very hard . She makes poop only once a day and struggle to make it. She is also a very hungry baby - eats every 2h and in the evenings every 1h . She cries a lot because of her being gassy and her poop problem. I don’t know what to do . Sometimes at nights she does not sleep for 3-4 h and I sit in the ball , bouncing her to sleep . My husband helps me a lot with the older boy but I feel so guilty because if that , like im missing out on being with him .
Please tell me when it will get easier with the newborn stage ( I hate this stage ) ? Will my life be normal again soon ? Will I enjoy time with both children again ? I sound despots the moment, sorry