2week old will not sleep! Please help!

[Nshark]

Does anyone have any advice for a newborn that will not sleep.
She stays awake for up to 5 hours and we've tried everything to get her to doze off! All she wants is to feed (getting to be every hour) or is screaming the house down! Normally from 10pm through till early hours! When she does settle she isn't staying asleep longer than an hour then the cycle starts again!
Any advice would be really helpful :-/

I'm afraid the only sensible advice is if she is asking to feed, then feed. You'll probably find that she sleeps/dozes on the breast so gets her sleep that way.

Yeah mine did this. Just keep feeding, winding, feeding as long as she wants it. In a week or so, the feed will end earlier and she will probably go to sleep about 1am and have 3-4 hours. Eventually (by 4-5 weeks old) she will just cluster feed in the evening and then sleep through. It's important to keep feeding if she's asking for it though or when she does drop off she won't sleep for long. If she's had her fill she will sleep for much longer.

Feed your baby, hold your baby, let your baby sleep on you, but don't fall asleep, this stage will end sooner than you would like. Remember that baby was feeding constantly in your womb ! And at this age, there is no bad habit yet. Enjoy motherhood, congrats !
I have a 7 week old baby too, so I have just gone through the same experience. She now started a routine and I must say I miss holding her already...

hi just saw your post now. my advice to you is if your baby constantly wants to feed and you are breastfeeding then you need to consider supplementing your feeds as well with some kind of formula (or whatever it is called in the UK.) There are many good types of bottle feeding formulas around. research and find out whats best in the UK. (i'm from the states so dont know what they have there in europe) Also make sure to give the proper amount approximately 25cc per kilo. hope this helps.

Why would she need to supplement with formula? That is very bad advice! Newborn babies need to feed very often and formula will reduce your milk supply.

What terrible advice the baby does NOT need formula this is normal behaviour it'll pass

If your DD wants to feed, let her feed. You shouldn't need to supplement with formula unless you want to.

Talk to your MW or HV about when is a good time to introduce a bottle if you want to mix feed (I started giving my DD one bottle a day at four weeks because I was exhausted), but do not feel that you have to switch to formula if you do not want to!

In the words of many on MN, this too will pass...

Keep bfing and holding. If you feed upright in bed at night, sit in the middle surrounded by pillows so you can doze off. You can set your phone alarmto wake you gently to change sides. No need to supplement with formula at all. And do ignore the poster who said to expect your baby to sleep through the night at 4-5 weeks.

Ooh, lots of xposts

Is cosleeping an option for you?

Supplementing with formula when you are tired is not a bad idea, as long as you express, your milk supply will not decrease. And mix feeding is not bad. I am EBF but I get very tired of this increasing myth that only BF is good. Mums too need a rest. Besides, an exhausted mum will have less milk.

Agree with everyone ...apart from commutinghell - surely the number of 4-5 week olds who are sleeping through is vanishingly small? Babies that small need to feed frequently day and night. It is very rare indeed for a baby that age to sleep through, and totally normal for a 4-5 week old to be waking up for milk every 2, 3 or 4 hours or maybe even every hour through the night.

Lady24 - there is no reason at all (from what we can tell from the OP) to supplement with formula. In fact, as has been said many many times on these boards by BF experts and counsellors, topping up this early can negatively affect your BF supply.

Personally I would also co-sleep, even as a temporary measure. This phase probably won't last long so you just need to do everything to preserve your sanity whilst it does last. And feed feed feed.

Being tired won't effect your milk supply.

And what is the point in adding a formula feed if you have to get up and express anyway?

Hi there, we've moved this into Sleep. Best of luck OP

Op, do you have the support to ensure you are doing nothing at this stage other than feeding your DD? If so, then every time you aren't feeding, close your eyes!

Your baby will start to feed more efficiently as she gets better at it and will get more out of each feed and will spend longer sleeping/playing between feeds and will gradually need your boobs less. Right now, you need to enjoy cuddling her. I miss that time already.

Formula top up is not required unless for medical reasons. At 2 weeks if you do it every evening for a rest it will affect your milk supply. And it's no rest if you have to express and then sort out bottles. Frequent feeding is normal newborn behaviour.

Babies like to sleep on a person. Especially new babies. This is normal - they have just spent 9 months inside a person and it is all they know and it is how they feel safe and secure. If they don't feel secure then they are less likely to sleep - they don't know it is 2012 and there are no tigers out to get them.

So, do what you can so she feels snug and secure. Swaddling often helps, as does movement (such as baby swing or pram ride or a drive). Slings are a godsend at this stage especially a stretchy wrap type.

If you need a break then daddy can wear baby in the sling once she has had a feed and hopefully feeling all snug and secure will help her sleep a bit longer while you go back to bed for a couple of hours.