Hi all,
I'm posting because Mum and Dad are exhausted and I'm hoping others have experienced similar situations and can share what worked for them.
Our son is four weeks old and just doesn't want to sleep. We put him in his crib and 20-30 minutes later he's up and crying. We've done white noise, putting him on our chests, swaddling, baths etc. and none of it consistently works and certainly not for a long period. Often he will lie in his cot squirming and making noises - never quite crying - but often getting a bit screamy before calming down again on his own. He sometimes seems like he's agitated or something is giving him discomfort, but he's otherwise well fed and clean.
The problem is that I know newborns are supposed to sleep 16 or so hours and day and not be awake for more than two hours, but yesterday he was awake almost constantly from 9am-10pm, which is clearly not normal. I don't think he's getting anything like 16 hours' sleep a day, probably a few hours at most. His room is quiet, so he's not overstimulated, and we've done everything that's suggested for overtired babies.
We've spoken to the midwives and others and they all assure us it's normal, or tell us it could be colic and to get some drops. We've tried this and it's not worked - and to be honest we're not sure it's colic as he's not crying most of the time, just unsettled.
Has anyone experienced anything similar and what worked for you?
Sleepy Dad