Please help me :(

[Sammie101]

Hi all, I have a nearly 10 week old DD who, despite being absolutely beautiful, is an awful sleeper!

At 6 weeks we started a bedtime routine and by 8 weeks after her night feed we would pop her in her moses basket and she'd be back to sleep. She usually slept 7pm-12am, 12:30am-3:30am, 4:00am until anywhere between half 5 to half 6 when we would then be up for the day.

For the past 3 nights however, she's been waking up at about 10pm (I don't think this is a bad thing because sometimes I haven't gone to bed by then) but then up every 1.5 to 2 hours and it's EXHAUSTING :( I sometimes think she can't possibly be hungry but NOTHING settles her. And now after a feed when we put her down she reverts back to screaming and wants to be held, rocked and shushed to sleep. I literally feel like I'm on the end of my tether, and I'm fed up of crying and dreading night times :(

What I fear makes matters worse is that she is AWFUL at napping in the daytime. I know that sleep breads sleep and I try and put her down when she shows signs of tiredness but she won't fall asleep for ages. She ends up being so so cranky and screams even when we're cuddling and shushing her and offering her dummy. The only way I can get her to nap for a long time is if I take her out for a long walk, then she will sometimes sleep for nearly 4 hours. But I don't always have the time to do that, I need to have a moment to myself in the day to just relax, or do the housework!

I really don't know what to do, can anybody help? x

*breeds, not breads!

And also, if the old school friend who had her baby a week after me could PLEASE stop bragging on Facebook that her baby slept from half 9 until 7 and then the same again the next night, that would be marvellous!

Sweetheart this sounds normal to me.

I have three, the middle one slept the most easily, but my third is now 9mo and his naps in the day have only ever been when we've been driving, or he's been in the pushchair.

He never sleeps when I put him down in the day. I don't know why.

I don't get much done

But co sleeping at night has saved my sanity, and I know it will pass, because they have all been babies and all been quite hard work in one way or another and they do get past it.

It's just what babies do, and you're not doing anything wrong. Go with the path of least resistance in all cases xx

Hi Sammie agree with PP this sounds totally normal.
I was like your annoying Facebook friend and had a DD who slept amazingly well at night - though she napped little and cried lots in the day times to make up for it.
I now have a 15 week old DS and he is totally different.
We had a good run from about 6-10 weeks then it went haywire - he woke every few hours at least and I posted on here for support. But now he seems to be a lot more settled - nothing I have done - just seems to be a phase that's passed.
If you have the time and energy - look up Wonder weeks ( I have the app on my iPhone) - it will explain a little about what is going on in your baby's amazing development - and explains that developmental leaps often cause unsettled babies.
The trouble is these and jabs and growth spurts etc can all set the sleeping off course.
Don't write her off as a bad sleeper - she is still tiny - my DS would only sleep in motion or on me until very recently and is now napping really easily ( touch wood!)
If you want some practical advice that isn't too preachy and bossy - really recommend Elizabeth pantleys no cry sleep solution. It is often recommended on here and although this is my second and I have read all the books it has some great little tips to help you at least feel as if you are nudging your DC in the right direction.
Keep the faith she will get there - and your friends baby is sure to have some blips that you probably won't hear about as well!

Thank you both so much! It's such a relief to know it's normal and that it WILL get better! I just feel so awful when I get so stressed because i know she's tired and she starts to fall asleep and then wriggles and wakes herself up, I've had to just put her down for 5 minutes and go have a cry :-/

Come to think of it, her night sleeping has only changed in the past few days and she had her first jabs on Friday, maybe that just threw her off a little and made her a bit more clingy and fussy. I just feel like theres loads of other mums who are managing better than me. Said facebook friend has just spring cleaned her entire house and marinated chicken for tomorrows chicken tikka! My kitchen floor hasn't been washed in 10 weeks and tomorrows tea will be a microwave tea

Hahah I probably should, she makes me feel like a lazy slob! Maybe I'll just block her updates! I wouldn't normally mind if people updated with stuff like that, it's purely just the fact that my first thought was "well MY baby woke me up every 2 hours and decided 4am was time to start the day, so whoopie for you!"