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Newborn not napping well in the day

290 replies

bleachblondemom · 07/01/2021 13:26

My baby is 3 weeks old and for nearly a week he’s struggled to nap during the day. Sometimes he has 2-3 hours, but a lot of the time I can only get him down for about half an hour. He spends so much time awake it worries me as I’ve read they should only be awake for about an hour at a time at this age. His feeding is all over the place because he wants to eat when he wakes up then by the time he’s ready to sleep again he’s also hungry. He’s also noticing he’s hungry faster because he’s awake so gets into the habit of eating little and often. Advice online is confusing me because it says to keep day times bright and noisy, but that baby needs quiet and darkness to sleep. So how do I do both? For a start my house is not dark at all during the day so I can’t even take him to a darker room just to get him off to sleep. By the end of the day he is very grizzly and overtired because he hasn’t had much good quality sleep in the day/evening. But to be fair to him he does sleep some really good 4-5 hour stretches during the night. I feel like I can barely breathe when I put him down to nap during the day as I know he will wake up at any moment. Also feel like I’m having to force him to go to sleep rather than being able to spot his sleepy signs and just put him down and let him go happily to sleep. Any advice?

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bleachblondemom · 12/01/2021 10:43

The only thing that worries me about the sling is him getting so used to napping on me that he won’t go down at night!
Got his swaddle bag back out last night, he’s ok in it but it didn’t make a difference to his sleep. Still didn’t go down til 11 and then did his usual 5+2+2. It’s our fault for hoping we could watch tv whilst we tried to settle him, probably could’ve got him to sleep by 10 if we hadn’t done that.

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Ahorsecalledseptember · 12/01/2021 10:49

It sounds like a bit of a paradox but the more they sleep the better their sleep is. So I wouldn’t worry about that just now, once he’s well rested he will go down more easily.

Mines in right now and we are buying Daddy a bacon sandwich from the village coffee shop!

bleachblondemom · 12/01/2021 17:49

I’ve got him in the sling now, he seems alright in it and is asleep but it feels so tight, I was a bit concerned I was squashing him! But I think he’s ok. Not super comfy for me if I’m honest, it’s hurting my shoulders, but I guess I need to get used to it a bit more.

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addler · 12/01/2021 18:32

What type of sling is it? A stretchy one? A ring one?

Ahorsecalledseptember · 12/01/2021 18:44

Which sling do you have?

bleachblondemom · 12/01/2021 19:28

Boppy comfyfit

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icratt · 12/01/2021 20:33

Hi OP. I've joined Mumsnet to reply to your post as the way you're feeling really resonates with how I felt about my firstborn's sleep. I don't know if any of this will work for you, but I wanted to share.

Firstly, it is so incredibly challenging. You are doing so much to help your baby, and you are doing an incredible job. I know those feelings of not being enough, of baby hating you, and they are powerful. But you are seeking help and you care, and those are really important things.

My first baby didn't sleep 'well'. Night or day. He'd wake up every 45 mins at night. Daytime naps were a battle. For the first year (and then some but the first year was the most intense) I'd fight and fight to get him to sleep. He'd go and his eyes would pop open again. Or he just wouldn't sleep. I was desperate and worried about him, and I was desperate for space. I would get so angry. I was so anxious and keyed up and I could never sleep when he did sleep in the daytime, and nights felt like constant, shocking torture.

And, though this may not always be the case, and of course if you're worried about his health and development it's worth checking in with your HV/GP (though that can be easier said than done at the moment), my son is completely and absolutely fine. No-one was worried about him because he hit every milestone and was happy and healthy. I however, was a mess, and unfortunately a lot of the advice out there made me worse, including what HV's said, like stuff about making a rod for my back/creating 'bad habits'. My baby who was fed to sleep at every single stir because it was actually easier for me than any alternative now, and has for a long time, gone to bed with his dad for naps and night sleep and been settled only by his dad, and even slept through the night (unthinkable only a year ago) without even a whisper of me. I wish I could travel back and smooth all the stress about it off me.

Really what I related to is how you're feeling in your posts. I would do everything to help him sleep. The days he slept 'better' I would go through every tiny detail of our day. How much sunlight. How much he fed. How many times I'd blinked. I felt it MUST be something I was doing, and that I was damaging him and failing him. I hated myself for getting the most angry I've ever been with the thing I loved most in the world.

Now I'm 6 months into our second (great sleeper until 4 months and it's all gone a bit more challenging since though I haven't changed - he has, as he will) I've realised it was just the way my first son was. And so many babies are. And there's all this stuff about sleep, because when you're tired, and a new parent, and your whole life has changed, and you're desperate, sleep is big business. Plus, and I think this more, when you become a parent everything has changed, and sometimes there's a feeling, a need, to control things you just cannot control, because - I don't know your story but - however much you wanted to become a mother of however much you love your child absolutely - it is a massive transition from who you were before to who you are now. And of course you want to do everything right by this incredible and important new life.

So. There are some things about sleep which helped me. I try and take a pinch of things from here and there and try and listen to what instinctively makes sense to me (again easier said and it is so different now I have our second and I'm a different person in relation to his sleep). Sarah Ockwell-Smith and her stuff about ranges of infant sleep and the reason why babies wake so much, and that it is normal, was helpful to me, as was the 'BEDTIME' ideas (to help me feel I was doing something). I decided to choose that way over other ways and it did take some pressure off, to help me feel less of a failure, and it did. It was still challenging though. With my second I've accepted he sleeps when he sleeps. He has to, because I don't have the time to dedicate to his sleep like I did with my first. And he's absolutely ok, and so far there has been really no rhyme nor reason to when he sleeps versus when he doesn't, other than because he's growing and changing. I find it easier to sleep because of this, and I've learned the things I need to preserve my own sleep (eye mask, Bluetooth wireless earphone headband, listening to silly podcasts/music/sleep meditations) and focus on that to help me stay sane(ish).

If you can, talking to someone about how you're feeling about all this might really help, and getting some support for you.

I shall stop this long long post now - mostly I wanted to say you are not alone.

Ahorsecalledseptember · 13/01/2021 00:43

Does your baby face outward in it?

Mine was tricky yesterday. He did have two sleeps, but both were in the sling and on me and it wasn’t enough: he was overtired. Had a really difficult evening with him: I had a bath with him and walked around but he was very wound up and exhausted. We finally got him to sleep with the dummy. OH had him until midnight to give me a chance to sleep as I really feel a bit drained!

bleachblondemom · 13/01/2021 11:19

@icratt thank you so much for that. Everything you said is 100% true, that is exactly how I’m feeling. I hate myself for not enjoying looking after my own baby, a baby I wanted for so long. I just didn’t think I would struggle so much, I feel so disappointed in myself. I thought I’d be so much better than this. I’m too ashamed to admit to anyone I know that i can’t cope. I’ve spoken to my husband a bit but he doesn’t know fully how I feel, he just thinks I’m upset because I’m tired. I do want to talk to the HV but she’s not back until he’s 6 weeks old, that’s in 2 weeks time. And I can’t drive until 6 weeks after my CS so I can’t take myself to a GP appointment. But I don’t know what that would do anyway as it’s not like anyone can help me get him to sleep.
I just feel so trapped by him. Everything revolves around getting him enough sleep. I think about it 24/7. Me and my husband barley get any time together because once we’ve bathed him and spent however long getting him down for the night, we have to go to bed too because we can’t then watch tv in bed for a bit or anything as it will disturb him. We can’t even have the tv on while we just sit with him and settle him before bed, which can take up to 2 hours. Even before we start putting him to bed we can’t relax properly or have time to ourselves because he’ll be awake. We can’t eat dinner together in peace because he’ll be awake so one of us will have to be holding him.
-Just little things like that that I can’t even do any more. I feel like I don’t get a break.

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addler · 13/01/2021 11:48

I have a friend who had her second a month before I had DS. She said the biggest difference between her daughters is her emphasis and obsession with sleep.

With DD1 she was obsessed by making sure she had enough sleep, she's track her naps and night sleeps and get so stressed and do everything she could think of o try and make the total hours of sleep for that day at the 'acceptable' level. They would have friends over and she would be in her room trying to get DD1 to sleep. She ought about it every day and cried nearly every day because she thought she was failing, because all the books and experts say sleep is the most important thing for an infant and they'll suffer without it. She said it ruled their lives and she felt like she missed out on enjoying those first few months with her baby because she was so stressed and upset.

And said that at the end of the day it didn't matter, or make a difference. DD1 didn't sleep whatever she tried or didn't try, and yet she's a lovely, happy, sociable, clever toddler now. Those hours of stress and worry and feeling like a failure over those sleepless days and nights were wasted, it didn't make a difference.

With DD2 she's taken a far more laid back approach and says she'll sleep when she sleeps. If she's awake for 6 hours straight she's awake for 6 hours straight, she'll sleep at some point. With DD1 if it hit two hours she would be incredibly stressed out. Just allowing herself to not worry about it or be ruled by it has meant she's enjoyed the first two months of DD2's life so much more than DD1, just letting herself have a break.

After she told me that I've found myself relax slightly more with DS as well, and not be so upset if I felt like he hasn't sleep well (like yesterday).

It may not help him sleep, it may not help the tiredness or the lack of time to do anything else, but it should help you feel better in yourself, and not spend every day miserable. Because you matter too, not just your lovely baby.

Hopefully if DS likes the sling, you might be able to find some tips online on how to adjust it- I did that with my stretchy and it's made such a difference, and then if he's happy in there he can spend all day in there while you eat and potter, and at some point he'll start sleeping better. This won't last forever. And in the meantime you can give yourself a break, and whether he sleeps or not you'll both be alright in the end.

addler · 13/01/2021 11:51

As for bedtime, we don't even have a set routine at all yet. We bath DS every few days, then sometimes I'll feed him and put him to bed if it's already late and I want to go to bed too, but most of the time he'll sleep on one of us while we watch tv etc, often with white noise on if he's not in a deep sleep to drown out any random noises, and then we'll put him in bed around 10/11 when we go. I'm not going to really try a routine until 3 months or so

Ticklemynickel · 13/01/2021 12:14

I'd give up on any notion of bedtime for a good few months - I mean this kindly, but I think your expectations are a bit too high. With DD1 bedtime came in about 3/4 months when she started to naturally want an earlier bed time. DD2 (8 weeks) sits with us of an evening and just nods off on one us until I go up to bed and take her with me, DH and I get to eat dinner together and watch TV or I leave her with him and go and get a couple of hours extra sleep if I'm exhausted. She has a bath every couple of days, usually in the morning. DD1 has never been a relax after a bath baby, it's usually just another opportunity for her to play so don't expect it to have any magical properties!

Call your HV if you want to talk to her, you don't have to wait for your appointment- if she's any good she should be able to give you some advice.

bleachblondemom · 13/01/2021 12:16

@addler thank you that makes me feel a bit better.
The thing with bedtime is that we can’t just put him down when we are ready and off he goes. It takes ages to settle him. It has to be fully dark and quiet. Id love to be able to pick my own bedtime and know that DS would go down in his cot no problem but he won’t. Also if he had been asleep for a while on one of us prior to that it means he’ll need a change and a feed otherwise he would be up again an hour later for those things.

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bleachblondemom · 13/01/2021 12:18

This is the thing I can’t just let him nod off on me then transfer to cot when I’m ready to sleep. He will wake up, he’ll be upset that I’m moving him to his cot, he’ll want feeding. Then he’ll need soothing and settling again. This will take hours. We’ve been bathing him about half 8/9 and not getting to sleep until 11/half 11, that’s how long it takes.

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bleachblondemom · 13/01/2021 12:22

When we do put him in his cot for bedtime we then have to sit with him for ages because he will keep waking up and fussing, we can’t leave him and lie down ourselves until we are sure he is in a fully deep sleep. This is what I mean when I say it is a battle to get him to sleep, at any time of day. He’s asleep in his cot now but I’m trapped next to him because I have to soothe him when he stirs, I can’t go downstairs or get dressed or do anything.

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bleachblondemom · 13/01/2021 12:37

And he is tired, he does want to go to sleep. He just won’t. So no wonder he’s miserable. I don’t know why he does this to himself :(

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GiveMeAllTheGin8 · 13/01/2021 13:05

My dd was like this . Older dd was a dream sleeper , would sleep in her cot from two weeks old and have great naps .
Second dd was a disaster . Would only sleep on me for all naps . When she was 3 weeks old, I stopped fighting it and let her just nap on me. It was actually easier as I could do what I needed to with older dd and just carry baby dd around asleep!
I bought a sling but she didn’t like it after about 5 weeks old .
She had all naps on me, dh, her granny, anyone that was around up until she turned one.( she would also sleep in car /buggy for school run )
When she turned one, I just brought her to bed for naps and then slipped out of bed when she was asleep .
Honestly life was much easier when I had a well rested baby. Maybe try and let baby have all naps on you to see if it works ?
Another thing was that my dd had reflux so could’nt settle lying flat

bleachblondemom · 13/01/2021 13:23

Well he’s decided he hates the sling now. Hates that, hates his swaddle, hates his cot, hates his Moses basket, hates sleep, probably hates me too. What’s the point.

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Ahorsecalledseptember · 13/01/2021 13:43

I had a day like that on Sunday, I genuinely thought he hated me.

He loves you so much, I promise. I think the problem is they can’t tell us.

Is he wailing when you try to put him in the sling?

Ahorsecalledseptember · 13/01/2021 14:31

Mine won’t sleep today either if it helps!

addler · 13/01/2021 15:18

I finally got DS to sleep in the crib in the living room and then DP came home from work and went to kiss him and woke him up Angry

Ahorsecalledseptember · 13/01/2021 15:21

I’m soaking wet after walking for an hour with ds in an ergo baby wrap under my coat (I bought a maternity one in October and it’s come in VERY handy for baby wearing!) - he’s snug and warm and asleep thank god but I’m exhausted!

OH definitely owes me a bath tonight and I mean a bath alone, not with ds trying to drink the bath water and wailing because I won’t let him!

When was your little boy born addler? I think I’d have strung OH up although in fairness when mine is like that anything can wake him, I opened a packet of hula hoops a few days ago and woke the baby up!

Gerardeen95 · 13/01/2021 15:40

I feel for you. My DD used to sleep 8 hours a day (in 24 hours) and I never managed to get her sorted when she was a newborn. Sad Now she's 8 months she still doesn't like naps during the day but is an amazing sleeper at night and I never rock or cuddle her to sleep like my other friends have to with their babies so it might be that your little bundle of joy is a terrible sleeper during the day but they'll grow up to be great sleepers at night, which sometimes is better Wink

My MIL's first was like that too.

You said you tried swaddling, the traditional one didn't work for us but the love to see swaddle was great and did sometimes help. Could be worth a try? Also could you use a bouncy ball to gently bounce while giving a cuddle? Great for putting babies to sleep and burning off calories.

icratt · 13/01/2021 15:51

@bleachblondemom Oh lovely. I'm sorry it's such a hard day. Your baby doesn't hate you. You're allowed to hate the whole situation though. It is so incredibly hard. I remember the first time I tried the sling, I thought it was going to be my salvation as I sat down to eat with my husband, at least I could use my hands, but my son hated it and I felt so hopeless. I kept going with it, making sure he was fed, changed and happy enough and he loved it and I wore him into my second pregnancy. In fact I wish I'd used it more for naps, like I do with my second.

Of course you want and need space with your husband and to eat and get on with things. But with a young baby it's very difficult to do those things, and it may be some time until you can. At this point these weeks will feel unending, but it will all change so much and then feel like a blink of an eye. People used to say it to me and I couldn't get it, of course, I was so deep in it, but it's so true. Soon your baby will be sitting, and then able to sit in a high chair, and play on the floor, and that will free you up a bit. But at 3 weeks, your baby is still getting used to being in the world, you are his world, and hjs instincts are that he needs you to be close for his survival. He doesn't hate you nor is he trying to be difficult, he's just doing all he knows. It's his biological imperative to keep you close. It is safer for him to be in the same room as you. There isn't something wrong with your baby because he won't sleep well/long/at all when he's put down.

It's so challenging to have lost that time for yourself and with your partner. It honestly will come again. Are there ways you can have closeness with your partner and baby? Like sitting close on the sofa with baby in the evening? At 3 weeks old I'd take advantage of your baby not being so aware of TV and lights. With our second evenings would be camped on the sofa with him feeding, us having our tea, and watching TV. It gave us closeness and time together I didn't have with my first because I was trying to put him to bed. I relished this time with my second. For the last month he has become too aware/alert of the TV so now he does have a bedtime and settles in his bed (and then frequently wakes, which is its own challenge, and I really really miss those evenings of the first 5 months, but am so glad I had them.)

The stuff you might have read about lights and routine etc come in handy from around 3 months. Until then, could you give yourself permission to let go of the routine, to try relaxing in the evening with baby and your partner, and seeing how that goes/feels? It may give you even a precious hour together without feeling resentful that you're fighting to get him to sleep and not getting any time. It may really not work for you. But I wonder if you're feeling so much pressure to put baby down (it's totally understandable) and I wonder if that pressure is coming from inside or outside yourself? It could be both and again that's totally ok, I was desperate for space.

You will be able to eat at that table again and it will feel so lovely. Life is easier when you have a well rested baby bit it's also easier when you have a baby that sleeps easily!! I think life is easier when you're able to find acceptance with how things are in each moment, knowing that honestly it will change. I'm mentioning her again but I'd recommend at Ockwell-Smith's Instagram, it has posts you can dip into easily without reading the books.

This is an incredibly intense time. It shocked me how hard and how unprepared I felt after all the preparation I'd done.

I'm thinking of you.

addler · 13/01/2021 15:55

@Ahorsecalledseptember he was born on the 9/12 so 5 weeks today! And growing like a weed. He's back up to the 80th percentile after being born on the 90th and then dropping to the 50th on day three. I've had to pack away all the 0-1 month stuff and I don't think he'll be in 0-3 very long Sad

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