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Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

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Original poster

1 week old will not sleep. Starting to struggle to cope :-(

37 replies

Ellen996 · 29/01/2014 06:21

I am new to both mums net and forums but have been prompted to post as I am reaching a point where I am struggling to cope with my 1 week old.

She sleeps fine during the day but at night will not settle. She repeatedly ask for food so I breast feed constantly swapping from one side to the other and nothing else will comfort her. She falls asleep on my breast but the second I try to put her down in the Moses basket she wakes and starts screaming again. She has only slept for two hours last night and I don't see how this's can be normal as I thought newborns were supposed to spend most of their time asleep!

My husband and I are both so stressed and I'm do tired I'm worried I'll fall asleep with her when in the chair or bed and will end up dropping her.

Please help if anyone had any advice

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

gloucestergirl · 31/01/2014 06:06

DD would only sleep on me for the first 10 weeks. We co-slept. She'd wake up very 2-3 hours for a feed. In fact she has only just started sleeping through the night now at nearly 2! In my view lack of sleep and managing it is part snd parcel of being a parent. You learn to deal with it and it does get better. The first 6 weeks are very tough then after 3 months it gets a little easier then by 6 months you have gorgeous little cherub. Good luck

wellieboots · 31/01/2014 06:23

I know what you mean gloucestergirl, and agree with you that this is normal newborn stuff, but I'm not sure that telling OP, who hasn't slept all night and is 1 week post partum with suspected pnd, that it's part of parenting and you have to learn to deal with it is particularly helpful. Maybe a bit gentler?

Claryrocks · 31/01/2014 06:44

My images of co-sleeping pre baby were all snuggled under duvet but it's not like that. I put my baby in his grobag on top of duvet next to me. I was under it. He was lower down on bed to me (face level with my boobs ready for feeding and well away from pillows). He was laid completely flat. You know how alert you are with your babies and there's no way I'd have squashed him. The older I got the more confident. I too had been falling asleep with him in chair and sat up in bed feeding. This just saved us all.

I feel your pain with the long traumatic birth. It's such an emotional time. Keep talking to people and don't be afraid to ask for help and support. I think most women would agree that the first 6 weeks of having a baby is the hardest and most emotional thing they have ever experienced. It's all about survival.

TimeToPassGo · 31/01/2014 10:36

Ellen pmed you.

TravellingToad · 31/01/2014 10:54

Swaddle definitely.

DS is 9 days old and has to be swaddled at night to sleep. I also co sleep if he won't settle. Just google the safe position to lie in etc

Nomorepeppapig · 31/01/2014 11:02

Congratulations!

Sorry to say totally normal behaviour for a new born! My DD didn't sleep in her crib until she was about 4/5 weeks old. On me or DH the whole time until then. I learnt to sleep sitting up holding her! It does get better you just have to go with it and know one day you will get a full night sleep again! Probably when the baby is about 2! :)

fluffandnonsense · 01/02/2014 23:50

My DD is 2 weeks 4 days old and she is exactly the same! She happily goes 3 hours between feeds in the day but at night she just simply won't be put down. After a few tearful days I've now started expressing so that my OH can give her a bottle and do a feed for me at night so I can sleep. I'm now averaging around 4 hours sleep with my OHs help and I can just about cope.

Like everyone else I'm just praying it gets easier after around 6 weeks.

Babybedtime · 01/02/2014 23:57

So hard those first few weeks - but totally normal honestly!

It takes up to six weeks for little ones to settle into better sleep patterns. You can gently guide a day and night pattern by doing things quietly at night, keeping things darker and calm and a little louder in the day.

Try and rest when you can. It's incredibly hard, I know.

Hope you're ok - it does get better!

fluffandnonsense · 02/02/2014 08:23

How you doing Ellen?

Original poster

Ellen996 · 10/02/2014 12:11

Thanks to all who replied to this post. Dd will be 3 weeks tomo and although we are still not getting through night by any means I now manage to get about 4 to 5 hours sleep a night. Have tried hot water bottle An putting my top in basket and swaddling.

Dd did not like the swaddling but I think the hot water bottle had helped. Also started bathing her every couple of days and this seems to settle her a lot and help her sleep for about 3 hours at the beginning of the night.

I can now see some light at the end I the tunnel and hope that her sleep pattern will continue to gradually improve. :-)

Thanks again everyone of your support.

OP posts:

fryingpantoface · 11/02/2014 07:47

Hi Ellen!

just so you know, there's a Jan antenatal group. The last person who joined out group has just had her baby, so we can be found here for the time being until this thread is full

it's full of women who know exactly how you feel and we are lovely!

I'm currently a sleep deprived mom to a toddler and a 4 week old so i understand completely how you feel

Madcat22 · 15/02/2014 06:39

Both my babies slept (DC2 still does) on me because they wouldn't sleep anywhere else - day or night. Was terrified of co-sleeping first time around but ended up looking into safe ways of doing it out of necessity and it was ok. Since found out that most mums i know have co-slept but many won't admit it because its a bit of a taboo thing. My husband fed DC1 a bottle before bed and he went down ok after that so I got a few hours.... I think they get great comfort from BF so don't want to leave mummy. In the end DS was diagnosed with reflux which caused a lot of the problems with constant suckling for comfort and to replace puked up milk, and also explained why he struggled to sleep and screamed constantly cos he was in discomfort. Everyone (GPs included) told me it was wind/colic but I knew there was more to it!! Best of luck. I had PND too which makes it all horrific but it really does get better....

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