6 week old won’t sleep

[Leaf86]

Our 6 week old doesn’t seem to enjoy sleep .. he fights to go down during the day (more than the night) and we can be rocking / swaying / walking in sling / feeding / using the dummy etc for literal HOURS. Then he’ll eventually drift off and within 10 minutes, he’s awake again. It’s not as if we are trying to transfer him to a cot or pram, he wakes himself up even when lying on us. At night, he’s sleepier ( eyes closed, easier to soothe to sleep) but wakes hourly and then gets up at 3am for the day. One particularly bad morning he wouldn’t go back down to sleep between 3am and 9am. He doesn’t cry (unless he’s left in his crib) but is just very alert and fights sleep - grumbles and thrashes about, even though he is showing all the sleepy or tired cues. I am so so tired - people are telling me to sleep when the baby sleeps, but he doesn’t …

Is there anything we are doing wrong? Is this normal?

It's so hard! My DD did sleep but only on me for the first 8 weeks or so...so I feel you on the sleep deprivation.

First off, can you and your partner do shifts so that you get at least a chunk of sleep (I found 3-4 hours straight made a massive difference).

Second, can you call the HV? They may have some advise for you.

If he is grumbly when awake, does he have gas, is he feeding OK? Also newborns do something called 'active sleep' which you could Google and see if it looks similar?

Sorry you're having such a hard time of it.

Could baby be hungry or have wind? Both these will disrupt sleep

@Leaf86 just wondered how things are now? I'm in exactly the same boat as when you wrote this. My LO was up at 8am and only fell back to sleep at 2pm,she was just so awake. I don't know how to settle her but she is now sleeping on me but even that as an option didn't work in that hour window this morning. Is it just a growth spurt? Will she grow out of it?

@marleyandme DS is now 12 weeks and it’s generally much better. He fell asleep on his own in the Moses basket the other day (from drowsy!) and it takes far, far less time to help him fall asleep. We have 4-5 45-60 minute naps a day. Introducing a dummy and comforter as sleep cues has been a big game changer, he sort of snuggles in to them when given now. He’s still a bad night sleeper (no longer than 2 hour stretches) but I am hoping that changes with time too. Hang on in there, 6 weeks is still so little - I can’t believe how different he is 6 weeks on in so many ways (not just sleep!).