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Original poster

*The Amazing Sleepless Ever-Feeding Baby*

32 replies

KeepOnSwimming · 04/08/2011 02:20

5 + 1/2 week old DD.

She is still awake and happily kicking periodically - and I've been trying to get her down since 7/8pm. Every 15-20mins she wants feeding again, sometimes shorter intervals, and feeds for about 5mins each time.

My nipples are getting very sore as at the end of each feed she chews and pulls on them!

If I don't feed her she cries. If I leave her to go to sleep, she cries. Rocking, walking, white noise, fan, DP, nothing is getting her to sleep. She will sleep for about 5 mins on a shoulder, but then wants feeding again....

This is about the third night running, and she doesn't nap much during the day either - 1 hour in the morning, plus 20mins midday, then 1 - 2 hours in the afternoon, if I'm lucky.

I'm now beyond exhausted - I thought it was supposed to get better, not get worse!

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TanteRose · 04/08/2011 03:57

four words for - "6 week growth spurt"

she will settle down in a week or so.

she is feeding to order up more milk to keep up with her development

however, chewed up nipples are not good - maybe offer your little finger for her to suck and get some lansinoh cream to heal them up a bit (your baby can still feed)

good luck - you are doing great Smile

beatofthedrum · 04/08/2011 05:05

Great thread title!
My ds started demanding constant feeds at that age. I remember it seemed like everyone else's baby on my PN thread was settling to longer sleeps and my baby was managing 35 mins. And you're barely getting that, you poor soul. It's so tough but it will not last. You will sleep again. it's very hard not to panic when you're soldiering through intense sleep deprivation. I second the attention to sore nipples - been an ongoing prob with me and I so sympathise. Ask for help from a bf consultant - there are multiple phone lines if you have no local link - national bf network helped me. Very best of luck. Things will change very soon.

Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 04/08/2011 06:47

Ah see now I'd heard of the 6 week growth spurt, but strangely I was expecting it at 6 weeks not 5... so my daughter is an early developer!

Lansinoh cream I have - used it in the initial weeks and had forgotten all about it so will see which sofa cushion it has lodged behind....

Thanks for the encouraging sentiments! beatofthedrum you are so right in that the other babies are settling to sleep for 5 hour stretches, while mine is shortening them!

Ah well, this too shall pass....

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Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 04/08/2011 06:53

It's more that she's feeding constantly in order to fuel the growth spurt. Building up the calories. Mine always got fatter then longer, in that first year. Was very funny to watch, but logical if you're a baby I suppose.

beatofthedrum · 04/08/2011 07:52

It also has no bearing at all on how she will sleep in the future. My baby is 7 months now, and after a crazy first ten weeks is now a really good sleeper. Keep thinking, you are in the middle of the hard bit. It will get easier and easier. I'd been thinking of 6 weeks as a magic mark where everything would get easier whereas for us it was more like 10. Hang on in there and let us know how you're getting on.

Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 04/08/2011 11:01

Yes I'd been thinking "just get to 6 weeks" and it would all be fine, just got to readjust my expectations I suppose.
Well she's just slept for a 2 hour stretch and is asleep again now so I suppose I should nap as well.... I never seem to get anything done!

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beatofthedrum · 11/08/2011 18:38

How are you getting on KeepOnSwimming?

Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 11/08/2011 20:11

Well night before last she refused to nap and didn't sleep until 4am....

Last night she woke hourly for feeds but did nap during the day for 1 1/2 - 2 hours each time...

So I think it's getting better!

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beatofthedrum · 12/08/2011 09:25

Wow, that's pretty full-on!! Cannot imagine how exhausted you must be! Her sleep absolutely MUST improve bigtime soon! Hope you're getting some help. Sending sleep vibes...

fififrog · 12/08/2011 19:31

Just to throw a spanner in the works... And not to say it's not a growth spurt but at a similar age I thought DD was having a growth spurt and wanted to cluster feed all evening... After a couple of days I realised I was wrong and it was wind - inadvertently all my feeding was making it worse. Good luck, it doesn't sound fun.

Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 12/08/2011 20:02

She does get bad wind.......

... so what did you do?

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Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 13/08/2011 10:37

Last night she slept 10.30 - 12, 12.30 - 1.45, 2.30 - 3, 4.30 - 6, 6.30 - 7.30, 8-9.... I count that a good night.... what's other peoples opinions on that for a nearly 7 week old?

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beatofthedrum · 13/08/2011 13:10

My first baby did similar. I found I could function on 5 hours sleep, however divided into chunks it was. It's tough but it's not weird!

Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 15/08/2011 15:55

Ok so she's not ever-feeding now at 7 weeks, but still never sleeping.... last 24 hours she slept 9 hours in total with me trying everything to get her to nap more/earlier.

Today she napped in the pram on a walk for about 10mins - was awake the rest of the time. This was 11ish. She has not slept since then...it is now 4ish.

I have tried: feeding her, rocking her, rocking her in the moses basket, a drive in the car, a walk in the sling, and just quiet in a darkened room for a hour. Today has been devoted to trying to get her to nap basically with me cancelling my afternoon plans as she (and I!) is sooo overtired.

Help please? I am so rundown now and am at the point where I feel like just walking out on her for a bit....or calling someone else to take her.

She wont take a bottle so that's not an option....

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Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 15/08/2011 15:58

Oh she did nap for about 40mins at 9am having woken up for the day at 6.30am... overnight the maximum sleep was 1 1/2 hours in a row.

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Woodlands · 16/08/2011 10:06

Oooohhhhhh you poor thing. Sounds hideous. I can't think what advice to offer but just wanted to reassure you that they don't always sleep as long as the books tell you at that age. I clearly remember being really concerned that my DS had only slept for maybe 8 out of 24 hours at about that age - but it does change, and he frequently sleeps for maybe 14 hours total now (13 months).

Sleep deprivation is totally awful. It does get better, promise.

Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 16/08/2011 14:30

When did other peoples dc start sleeping more than 2 hours in one stretch? I think all I need is 3 or 4 hours in one go and I'll feel soooo much better!

What's the worst case scenario? Grin

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kellieb7 · 16/08/2011 20:47

KeepOnSwimming Six months ago I could have wrote your post, my DD would average about 6 hours sleep in 24 (that was throughout the whole day), despite co-sleeping etc. At one point I thought I was actually going to die. However it did improve, I think DD was about 12 weeks and very slowly she began to sleep longer. Just to give you a bit of reassurance, DD is now 7.5 months and sleeps really well (usually asleep for 7:30 and wakes around 5am). Just do whatever you need to do at the moment to survive, it will get better. x x

pettyprudence · 16/08/2011 20:49

Hi KeepOnSwimming my ds suddenly switched from 2hr wakings in the night at pretty much bang on 8weeks and he started sleeping for 3 hours and kept stretching. We have just been through (I hope we are over it!) the 4 month sleep regression where he went back to waking every 2 hours but now he generally has a nice big 8hour chunk and then 3 hours.

At 7 weeks i noticed that his night feeds were getting shorter, which given that he took so long to feed in the daytime, I thought he was getting more efficient. Turns out he was just waking and feeding back to sleep out of habit so at 8weeks i introduced a dummy. I found that after 3 nights he dropped his 1.30am wake up so it was definitely a habit, and then fed better/longer at his other wake ups (he would cluster feed 6pm-10/11pm, sleep then til 3am, and sleep again 3.30am-7.30am). At 11weeks he dropped the cluster feeding and brought his bedtime (and initially his waking times) forward.

worst case scenario, erm..... she has a 24hr party?

beatofthedrum · 17/08/2011 08:31

Ooh, dummy such good idea, I didn't use it for dc1 and have found things much easier having one with dc2 - settle him for all naps with it, though feed to sleep at bedtime. I think I introduced it at about 8 weeks too. Don't know how you feel about them - I wasn't keen first time round, but looking back I ended up comfort feeding her for hours when a dummy would have sufficed. Definitely worth a consideration, especially when your sleep deprivation is so extreme!

Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 17/08/2011 09:27

Lol! Thank you.... might try a dummy then at night

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Original poster
KeepOnSwimming · 17/08/2011 19:50

Right - she wont take a dummy.

Sigh

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dreamfeeder · 17/08/2011 19:58

keepon swimming, this could have been me. I was so tired i couldn't cope. I tried lots of things. Loads of distraction to stretch out times between feeds worked ok in day- didn't really have energy ever to try it at night. I found she'd feed as often as I offered and it was only when i accepted she couldn't be having continous growth spurts for months that I made an effort to actually say no, i fed you an hour aago and you fed well, you can wait another 10 min- and sometimes if distracted enough she'd go longer. My DD has never taken a bottle!!!

It will change. Honestly, by 10 weeks my DD had NEVER slept for more than 2.3- 3 hours in a stretch. By 4 months she SLEPT THROUGH!!!! She's 11 months now, i'm getting sleep and you will too!

Nobody can make you understand how hard it is before you have a baby. You are doing great.

dreamfeeder · 17/08/2011 19:59

my DD also wouldn't take a dummy. I found she was v windy. and refluxy. if she wasn't laid flat she was better- basket tipped at an angle so head up etc

dreamfeeder · 17/08/2011 19:59

so she did the sleep on a shoulder wake if put down thing...