Absolute despair!

[Strawberry06]

It's 2am and I've been feeding my 5 day old since 9pm.

He keeps falling asleep at the breast but the moment I put him down he wakes up screaming again biting his hands and grunting. Also managed to get him to fall asleep in me but again, soon as his head touches the crib he wakes up.

Is he still hungry?

Or could it be he hates his crib?

At my wits end and he's not even a week old!

Hello, they can be this way unfortunately! Have you tried swaddling him? That helped DD.

It will get better, but yes I had a few horrendous nights like that.

He’s doing what he’s meant to be doing - feeding as much as possible to increase your supply. If he will sleep if he’s being held can you get your DH to hold him for a couple of hours while you sleep? Don’t worry about making bad habits, you just need to survive this bit. It will be better in a few days when your milk increases.

I found sleeping bags really good rather than blankets because it means the baby is staying warm and doesn’t notice as much when they go back in the crib.

@DuploTrain I had him in a sleeping bag but was worried it was making him too hot

As long as the room isn’t too hot (not more than 20 degrees) then a sleeping bag will be fine. They get cold very easily when they’re tiny.

I’ve noticed my 6 weeks old grunts and bites his hands not long after a feed when he has a burp stuck and is uncomfortable. As soon as the burp is out he settles and most of the time doesn’t want an extra feed for comfort. He’s a very gassy baby so there’s usually a couple of big burps. I’m wondering if your baby could have a burp stuck too, but I guess it could be that he’s just very hungry!

For tonight, do you have someone who can hold baby for a few hours so you can get some sleep? You can work on acclimatising him to the cot when your less exhausted.

Is he feeding for a while then going to sleep, or is it just a few gulps then short sleep over and over? If the second, it could be he's to tired to feed until full, but to hungry to sleep until rested. You could try hand expressing a few ml into a syringe, then giving him that to fill him up without the effort of nursing, then he might have a longer sleep and break the cycle.

Have you managed to settle him, it sounds like wind to me, try holding high on you shoulder a gentle rock whilst firmly rubbing his back, I know you’ve probably been trying this.

but it does sound at a week your milk is coming through, just keep going the first few weeks can be tough put you’re doing fine

Still here, he's just been crying all night apart from the short periods he falls asleep either at my breast or on me, put him down then he just wakes up! Repeat repeat repeat. He's not really interested in feeding anymore. DH rocked him for 2 hours while I got some sleep but I just dunno what to do, exhausted :-(

Has your milk come in yet?

@IggityZiggity yeah I think so. Certainly when I squeeze my nipples I can see it there

Your baby is not even a week old yet, they’re in the 4th trimester and just want to be with you. It’s hare but unfortunately some babies can be like that for a while. If they really won’t go in then come up with a schedule with your partner so you can both get some sleep.

If you feel comfortable and can do it following the safe 7 guidelines then cosleep. Your baby has been snuggled up in your womb until a few days ago so a cot will seem very strange! It will get a bit better in a few days when your milk comes in, baby is just doing what they’re designed to do!

Some babies are just like this. Make sure you're somewhere safe like the bed and carefully move to laying down while latched. No loose covers nearby. Much safer than falling asleep upright or on the sofa. If baby doesn't need to be latched, you might try holding upright and walking laps - they're used to this movement from the womb.

Neither of mine ever took to the cot. I didn't try hard with the second to be fair and coslept even in the hospital.

Our crib can be used for co sleeping so we will take the side off today and maybe that might make a difference.

He's currently lying on my chest and I darent move him

Ugh plucked up the courage to move him as it had been a while and it was 5am yesterday morning when he settled.

No chance and now he's back on me sleeping instead

Just wanted to give you a cyber hug. This is normal. It doesn't last. 💐

My 2 week old was like that in the first week, then we realized that he’s lost weight since birth and HV advised to give him formula to top up as he’s a big baby and my milk was not enough for him. Since then he has settled more easily in the night (and day). We thought it was that he didn’t like being put down into the crib and had to be held all the time at first, then realized that he was just constantly hungry because breast milk wasn’t enough yet.

And yes the first week I was feeding him non stop in the night for 4-5 hours straight. Now he’s almost 3 weeks it’s getting much better in the night. Hang on there and it’ll get better! x

My second baby slept on my chest for months, I put pillows to stop myself from turning in my sleep and we just muddled through.

Been there, done that, so just sending sympathy and a hand hold. It's exhausting but they do honestly improve.

Try to go with it, don't do anything which isn't absolutely essential. If you have visitors, set them to work. You need tea and food, you might need some basic housework done, you might want them to hold your baby while you have a shower.

Princess not hostess should be your motto.

💐☕

This is quite normal, my eldest daughter would feed continuously from 6pm till 2am till about 8 weeks old (they are trying to boost your milk supply). But a few tips to help to transfer into a crib-

• Make sure the crib is warm (this sounds silly but the sheet on the crib being cold can cause them to stir) cover it with a blanket when not using then remove before putting him in it.
• Have him in a sleeping bag or even swaddle when feeding at night (I found swaddling worked better for mine but not sure if its reccomended for safer sleeping).
• When you put in the crib place hand on his chest and gentle rub/rock. I would often sleep with my hand on babies chest (still need do this occasionally with my 20 month olds when they are unwell).
• Have something that smells of you near the crib (I used to put a sweaty vest top of mine under the crib sheet).

Sounds like tongue tie to me!

How has today been, @Strawberry06 ?

DD slept on me for about 4 months.

your baby should still be inside you. Most don’t like being put down when they’ve been held and rocked 24/7 for 9 months. Be kind to yourself. It will pass.

@JMGSinging this is my exact concern, that he's not getting enough