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Original poster

Awake with newborn, anyone else? :)

979 replies

Jellybean2017 · 14/08/2017 01:35

My little boy is nine days old. He sleeps pretty well during the day but at night just wants to be held and breastfed. He doesn't settle in his moses basket at night (but he will quite often do so during the day)

Anyone else up doing the same?! I'm not keen on the idea of co-sleeping but would be grateful for any advice. Baby sleeps in a gro-snug and we have a dream sheep but I'm guessing this frequent feeding and love of cuddles in the night is probably just par for the course at this early stage? 😊 I am napping during the day so I'm probably averaging about 6 hrs sleep in a 24 hr period.

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Original poster
Jellybean2017 · 25/08/2017 16:14

My little boy does too - maybe it's a boy thing! Think this is why I struggle to nap with him in the day haha! Hope everyone is feeling awake! We have been for a walk in the sunshine, managed to get baby into the sling which was good. Felt great to get out of the house on our own and I'm hoping the fresh air will have done us both some good 😊

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LadyNymeriaGhost · 25/08/2017 21:23

That sounds positive, Jelly. Sorry to say that DD was just as noisy, so it's a baby thing, not a boy thing!
I dropped off to sleep with DS at 2pm. Next thing I knew it was 4.30 and DH was getting home with DD! I must have completely passed out!

Lallypopstick · 25/08/2017 21:55

I'm anticipating a bad night, he's awake now and I'd love nothing more than to go to bed, which isn't going to happen. I've had no sleep at all today, so I'm going to find wake ups hard either way. See you in the early hours!

NinaMarieP · 25/08/2017 21:59

I've discovered that a light swaddle plus white noise means he'll nap in his basket in the afternoon! Unfortunately I didn't think to nap with him... managed half an hour this evening and now I'm trying to work out if he's starting to cluster feed again or not.

Original poster
Jellybean2017 · 26/08/2017 01:43

We were feeding on and off from 6pm to 11pm with one particularly long session from 9pm until 11pm..? My husband took him away after that until 1am so I have had a couple of hours. Still knackered! And feeding again!!

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LadyNymeriaGhost · 26/08/2017 04:38

Hope you're all getting some sleep. DS has been sleeping, but I've kept waking up. Very frustrating!

Rabbitykins55 · 26/08/2017 04:44

I've not read all the responses yet but buying a sleepyhead made a massive difference for us.

My son wouldn't sleep unless he was being held. Now he's in that he generally only wakes for feeds!

Expensive but worth every penny!

NinaMarieP · 26/08/2017 05:10

We are up again now, but he went down before 12! Just a pity he gets noisier and noisier as his next feed approaches and wakes me up constantly 😂

pepperlookslikebumcheeks · 26/08/2017 06:55

Ooh just joining in here. Been awake for a few hours now with 10 week old DD (currently fallen asleep in front of CBeebies after a feed) though tbh the dog was more interested in the telly!
My irrational fear of spiders has had me awake most of the night after finding a hefter last night and one outside NDN flat door last night Shock.

Hope you all have a lovely day with your babies

Lallypopstick · 26/08/2017 19:35

Hi Pepper hope you get a better night's sleep tonight. Get that dog trained to eat the spiders!

After having a lovely long nap today when my partner held the sleeping baby on him, I think paternity leave should be allowed to last until the baby starts sleeping more than 5 hours at once. I feel so much better from having had that sleep. If I'd put him down, no way he would have slept that long, and I'd have been listening out for him waking / crying etc.

I think my partner plans on getting up to watching the boxing match, so I might have company for a night feed for once!

Original poster
Jellybean2017 · 27/08/2017 00:34

I agree, paternity leave should definitely be longer!

The baby and I had a decent nap from.6-8pm today, wasn't a great time of the day but I will take sleep when I can! We all slept for a couple of hours between 10pm and midnight too. Now feeding and hoping for more sleep afterwards, but at least I have had 4 hours already if I'm not lucky enough for more 😊

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Lallypopstick · 27/08/2017 03:15

Woke up before the baby leaking milk - have got him up for a feed and he's asleep again. My partner remains fast asleep in bed, so much for the boxing.

Jelly definitely thinking having a couple of decent naps in the day makes the nights much easier. Hope you've had some more!

LadyNymeriaGhost · 27/08/2017 05:13

Sounds like it might have been an ok night for everyone! DS is 10wo today, and has slept from 10-5, and tbh he could've gone a bit longer, I just couldn't be bothered to lie there listening to him work himself up to waking for half an hour. He's just had 4oz and is back to sleep, but he's farty so I don't think I'll get much more out of him tonight.

Lallypopstick · 27/08/2017 09:44

10-5 sounds lovely Lady, I'm hoping my little one starts to fall asleep pre midnight, just so I can get some sleep then too!

We seem to have lost the 4 hour chunks, but we had a 3 hour one, then a two then a 90 minute. I'm letting my partner sleep in, and he can return the favour later and let me nap. It really helped yesterday having a couple of hours.

LadyNymeriaGhost · 27/08/2017 11:57

It was, Lally. I'm taking advantage of not being shattered to try to get him to nap somewhere that's not on me today. If he's on my chest he can sleep for up to 3 hours, but as lovely as that is I'm starting to feel a bit claustrophobic. So I'm trying him in his pram with his sleepy wings on and white noise today. So far he did 45 mins at 9, then I put him down at 11.15 and it took him until 11.45 to really drop off, but he's due a bottle around 12ish so no doubt he'll wake up hungry soon!

LadyNymeriaGhost · 28/08/2017 04:28

How's everyone's night going?

Original poster
Jellybean2017 · 28/08/2017 04:41

Not so good. He managed two hours sleep between 1230 and 0230 but other than that awake or feeding. He just keeps getting frustrated as we can't seem to get him latched on properly at night :( have been looking up formula feeding as I'm feeling really disheartened with breastfeeding, don't want to stop but just don't think it's working for us, I'm still spending lots of time crying and feeling frustrated which is not doing anyone any good. Not sure what to do for the best as he's only three weeks old :( how's your night going?

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Lallypopstick · 28/08/2017 05:19

Oh Jelly that sounds tough. Will all the feeding he's doing mean that he'll settle at some point or not? I had some long nights of cluster feeding early on and they're not fun. What are you hoping formula milk will help with? I know people may say you could express, but I've not figured out when I'd actually do this given how often the baby feeds. It's so tricky.

My nights are fairly consistent now, a few hours of feeding (feels like he shouldn't be awake for that long but nothing settles him) a midnight bedtime (not great for me) then wake ups around 3 then 5. After that, I can usually get an hour before another wake up, then another hour before he's awake and alert.

I hope he starts settling pre-midnight soon. And / or going for longer for his first stretch.

pepperlookslikebumcheeks · 28/08/2017 05:29

Morning all. Jelly my DD is ff and tbh from what people have said about bf it's much simpler (no clusters)
If you are worrying could you not mix feed? Don't feel guilty about using formula if you feel it is best for you, a fed baby is a happy baby and a happy baby makes for a happy mum x

Panda81 · 28/08/2017 06:00

Morning,

We've had a bad night. DS just won't be put down and will also fuss at the breast. He usually sleeps 6-9am so giving him a feed now and hoping he will finally settle

We had a run of nights where he would settle so disappointing to go back a step.

Panda81 · 28/08/2017 06:25

And it's so frustrating when he sleeps and feeds so well during the day. He's like a different baby!

Original poster
Jellybean2017 · 28/08/2017 07:57

I'm not sure if he is getting much milk in the night, he gets really fussy and frustrated, doesn't seem to latch on properly, eventually falls to sleep and then I put him in crib and he is doing all the feeding cues again within minutes and the cycle begins again! In the day he seems to latch better although dribbles a fair amount of milk from side of mouth so not sure it's actually a good latch anyway. I'm just getting more and more upset as I feel I'm doing a rubbish job then the lack of sleep is compounding it. Feels like if I use formula at least my husband can help with feeds and I can get some sleep... I don't know. There's no reason why I can't breastfeed, I'm producing enough milk so I feel like I should but I know a fed baby is a happy baby like pepper says!

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NinaMarieP · 28/08/2017 09:57

It's so hard to know if you're doing it right or not. Baby has gained 7oz in a week so I felt fine about feeding on Friday but now he's crying when he passes wind, and has thrown up on me a couple of times tonight including a projectile vomit so I'm back to worrying!

LadyNymeriaGhost · 28/08/2017 13:18

Please try not to worry! You're doing your best for your babies.
As for ff v bf; there was nothing to stop me bfing both times. I produced enough milk and both babies latched fine. But I stopped with both for my mental health; I really struggled with it all being on me, and needed my DH to share the load (I've had pnd with both of mine).
Having done both bf and ff, there are pros and cons to both. Ff doesn't necessarily mean longer stretches of sleep; DD only slept in 45 min bursts for the whole of the first 6 months. But then DS is a fab sleeper. It is good to be able to leave him with DH and have some time to myself though. But then the sterilizing/washing/making is a faff and you have to plan ahead when you go out.
But whatever you decide, don't waste tinge beating yourself up over it. Do whatever makes you happy. It sounds selfish but honestly I think a happy mum is more important for your baby's well-being than how you feed them.
And if you lined up my class of 6 year olds (I'm a teacher), I couldn't tell you at all who was bf or ff.

Panda81 · 28/08/2017 19:13

Does anyone know what's best to do when baby is fussing at both breasts, not latching on but still displaying feeding cues? This is also normally after a good feed anyway so would normally think he's finished but it's like he still wants more!!