3 month old sleep

[SerialSleeper25]

I would really appreciate some help and guidance here as I feel like I'm losing my mind.

Our 3 month old who is EBF is currently really fighting both day time and night time sleep. He has always only ever napped on me for up to 1.5 hours per nap but suddenly he struggles to get to 30 mins even being held by myself and that is even if he goes to sleep in the first place. Today for example, it's currently 2:40pm and he has had a total of 90 minutes of sleep since 7am this morning. I had to put him in the pram and have a walk about but even that only lasted 35mins.

When it comes to the night, he wakes every 1-2 hours and won't go back down unless he is on the breast. He will very occasionally sleep for about 2.5 hours but it is a rarity.

Can anyone help with some advice. I'm losing it quite frankly and don't know what to do.

Thank you

My daughter was exactly the same. The only thing that saved my sanity was cosleeping. Following all of the safe practices of course. She just wanted to be latched and near me all night. That way I at least got some sleep and wasn’t fully awake myself each time she woke up.

It does get better- my LO just gradually started doing longer stretches, and then we had a period where she was continually pushing away from me in the night, so we decided to try her in the cot again and bingo- she started sleeping through in her own room. It was like she just needed the period with lots of close contact and then gradually realised all was fine and she could get better sleep on her own!

Its brutal, I remember how you are feeling so well.

Thank you @Cali8 I appreciate the response. I struggle with co sleeping sadly as I'm so small chested I feel like I have to arch my back for LO to latch. We did have one successful morning though so maybe we need to keep going with it.

You just survive it and it gets better eventually. Just accept for this short period of time you are effectively bed bound. As soon as baby falls asleep at any time of day and night try and snatch a tiny bit of sleep.
Make sure you have loads of decent supportive pillows for when you are sitting up breastfeeding in bed. Huge bottles of water and handy snacks nearby. And a really good book / tv series.
You're right in the thick of it at the minute- it will get better!
Might be worth posting your experience on the thread where the pregnant OP is talking about going to an overseas wedding at 3 months pp. Crazy idea I bet that's the last thing you'd want to do right now?!
Good luck op I promise it gets easier soon x

Sounds completely normal and very common, babies sleep changes so often so hang in there mamma in a few weeks itll be different again no doubt x

Yeah, sleeping in the C curl position for months on end didn’t do my back any favours, so I can appreciate that if you feel you need to arch then it probably won’t be a long term solution! Although as other posters have said, it’s likely to get better soon and this will just be a temporary phase for you anyway! 3 months is still so little and he’s adjusting to being earth-side still!

I do advocate for cosleeping even if you are having to sit up slightly and feed that way though, as it’s still less physical than you having to get out of bed to pick baby up etc. that was what I found hardest- especially as doing the transfer back to the crib would set her off the second I put her down. At least with cosleeping you can give them the contact they want and you can stay in bed.

whilst I’m obviously pleased she’s sleeping much better now in her own room, and I really enjoy lying in whatever position I like, I do really miss those middle of the night snuggles and hearing her breathing or reaching out. I really think it helped our bond. There’s something quite instinctive and natural about it.

Thank you @Cali8 @Sahmcharlie @Wavescrashingonthebeach This has made me feel less alone in the problem! I will definitely attempt co sleeping again, even just for a break myself.

I didn't co sleep with mine until they were 6 months old but one thing I did do was tilt the cot a tiny bit. With my 2nd baby in particular if he was flat on his back he would vomit straight away! So I'd have the cot tilted then raise it again slowly once he was really deep asleep as I struggled to settle until he was fully flat on his back. Good luck hope you get some rest soon!!