1am regular awake time in a newborn

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

DS is only nearly two weeks old but seems to have a very awake period after or around a feed at 1am. He wont resettle down to sleep after his milk, just lays awake crying on and off.

We tried a dummy but he just cant quite keep it in his mouth long enough to get him back to sleep.

By the time he starts getting sleepy he is due his next feed which he goes straight to sleep after. He woke at 6.30 this morning for milk and was so tired he has only taken an oz ish before going straight back to sleep - I need this at 1am

Do I need to go with the flow or is there anything I can do?

Should I try and encourage more awake time in the day? In the hope that he sleeps better through the night?

bump

My dd was like this at 2 weeks, it does pass eventually. We didn't really do anything to change it it seemed to happen naturally. I wouldn't try to keep her awake more in the day as newborns need their sleep. I remember things getting easier around the 6 week mark where dd would settle easily after feeds in the night.

At this age there's zero point doing anything to try and affect a baby's sleep patterns, they'll sleep when they need to and feed when they need to! Just go with it, and hold onto the certain knowledge that this will pass!

Hi, as others say, there's not much you can do to change nb sleep patterns, but have you considered he might still be hungry after his milk? Have you tried giving him a bit more? Or offering it, anyway?

I only ask because you use the words "due his next feed" which suggests you might be timing his feeds rather than feeding on demand?

It sounds to me as if he's still a bit hungry after the 1am milk.

He left an oz in the bottle then kept spitting out the teat last night for an hour after his feed,so I assumed he was done.

We dont make him wait for feeds but he typically goes 2.5/3 hours between (and I will lift him after 3 hours to offer if he hasnt cried)

I remember a good few weeks of sitting up for a few hours with DD around the 2 - 4am mark. She's 4mo now and only wakes up for quick feeds now. I can't remember exactly when it changed but it is normal. You can't do much about it, but if you try to get outside for some natural light in the daytime, and keep nights as dark and calm/boring as possible, it might help him figure out day and night and will at least make you feel like you're doing something. Good luck, its knackering!

At 2 weeks old I would feed as much as they wanted at any time of day or night. It's all you can do really IMHO.

My DS has started waking in the night only to feed and then straight back to sleep at around 7 weeks. Before that it was 50/50 whether he's wake for 10 mins or two hours. They have no concept of night or day, so they won't be more 'tired' from waking at night as they will just sleep more in the day, if they are given the opportunity to do so. I found I taught DS when night was by never having the light on in the bedroom ever when he's in there. I feed by the nightlight and he only come up into a dark room. Now he sleeps practically during his night feeds and 'wakes up' properly after the 6.30-7 feed when light is coming in to the room. I also make sure we do get up then and don't lie in the bed, he goes downstairs, changed and dressed and in the swing chair. I chat and sing to him instead of the quiet at night when I don't talk to him. This creates a definite wake up routine (although now he won't settle for a nice lie in with me!) He still needs a lot of day sleep at 11 weeks but he has a set night sleep pattern of only waking to feed. It will pass. But that's what they all meant when they said you'd not sleep with a newborn :) it's tough but just don't be too set on night and day, go with the flow if there's nothing madly important you need to be doing in the day you can nap a bit? (Easier said then done, I know).