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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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NinaMarieP · 19/09/2017 19:49

I'm always saying 'if all else fails just stick a boob in his mouth' 😂

Lallypopstick · 19/09/2017 20:24

Agree Nina it's like magic!

Lallypopstick · 20/09/2017 08:54

I don’t know if it was vaccination related but we had a really good night. Back to two wake ups for a feed and he slept until 8am. Normally wake up is around 6-6.30 so I’m thrilled.

Original poster
Jellybean2017 · 21/09/2017 08:17

I have noticed a vague pattern to our nights, last two we have fed at approx 10.30pm, 1.30am and 4.30am. Each feed taking about an hour as baby has reflux and needs to stay upright for a while after. He was sick through his nose earlier 😔Other than that we have been sleeping. So must have had 4-5 hours last night, can't really complain at that. The only problem is he still will not sleep in his cot so he is in with me 🙈 cute to wake up to but still makes me nervous especially now mainly bottle feeding. I'm having to get up to express a few times a night and am on antibiotics for mastitis so haven't been feeling great. Hope everyone else is getting on OK 😊

OP posts:
NinaMarieP · 21/09/2017 10:00

We've had a pretty rubbish week tbh. Apart from Tuesday he's been unsettled most of the day and up 2-3 times in the night for feeds.

Last night it was 11, 3.30 and 6.30 and he has just not settled since. Even the boob isn't working.

Haven't been on the thread much as I've been lying down to feed him through the nights to try to at least rest but he has been fussy and on and off so I haven't really managed to dose then either.

LadyNymeriaGhost · 21/09/2017 21:18

Ah Nina I'm sorry to hear that.
I've started taking DS up to bed with me at 9 rather than 10. He doesn't seem to mind. I don't feel like I get much of an evening but that extra hour's rest is making all the difference to my sanity.

NinaMarieP · 21/09/2017 21:25

On the plus side the last 2 nights we've managed to get him to sleep in his basket in the evening. I decided we needed to start treating 8pm (or earlier) as night time/bed time rather than napping with one of us time. I'm off to bed now to hopefully get a couple of hours in peace before he's up again.

Mumagain2017 · 22/09/2017 02:33

Hi guys
I'm up but because I'm having to express as my blood pressure is high so I'm on tablets which aren't compatible with breast feeding.

Also we moved our baby into her nursery. In the sleepyhead in her cot.
Not as convenient as in our bed!

Mumagain2017 · 22/09/2017 02:34

I'm gutted the boob magic won't work anymore Sad

Lallypopstick · 22/09/2017 07:39

Oh no Mumagain is this going to be a long term thing? It’s such a shame to have to give up.

Our nights are becoming pretty routine, which is good. Still two wake ups and sometimes an extra one depending on how early he goes down. It’s definitely manageable for me, though I’d like to drop a wake up or go a bit longer until the first one.

Last night was good - I napped while he slept on daddy from 6-8, then fed him and he went straight back to sleep! Put him to bed and I went to bed too. We’d been swimming yesterday so maybe it was that?

AMagdalena · 22/09/2017 08:54

Hi everyone,
I am a mum of a 7 week old girl who likes to keep me awake at night!
She has reflux and often wakes up posseting. It also takes me a long time to settle her after a feed as I have to keep her upright for a while.
She has done a few 4,5hr stretches recently, but her sleeping is still very much up and down...And she started gurgling properly the other day, so now insists on having conversations with me at 2am Hmm
I have tried swaddling (Love to dream swaddle) which has helped in a way that it stops her startle reflex at night, but I am keen to help her sleep a little better as we both need more sleep!
I feel like we need to look into sorting the reflux out...

Mumagain2017 · 22/09/2017 09:08

Hi @lallypopstick
I don't know how lomg term but it's not working expressing every 3 hours to keep my milk in I can't cope with doing it twice a night plus getting up to feed baby Sad
I'm gutted but know she had nearly 6 weeks of goodness
I just need sleep and to be well again now to benefit her best

Mumagain2017 · 22/09/2017 09:09

Ps swimming is defiantly a good one!

Spink · 22/09/2017 09:53

Hello,
I haven't had a chance to read the whole thread but wanted to add something about the snuggle pod type things in case it might be of use to someone ;)
dd is 6 weeks. She was poorly at 3 weeks & admitted to hospital- they made a kind of 'nest' for her by rolling a towel up & shaping it into a narrow 'n' shape. Her head was in the curve of the 'n'. It has a fitted crib sheet over it so baby can't get tangled up in the towel. So, it is a diy version of the cocoony sleep things other people have mentioned. We've fashioned one at home for her & it is great.. and free!

Mumagain2017 · 22/09/2017 10:35

Hi Spink

Hubby bought a Slerpyhead and could have saved himself some money!

NinaMarieP · 23/09/2017 07:32

I've just slept from the back of 11 until 7am!!! LO got a bottle from his dad at 4am but it would have been a fairly good night even if I'd had to do the feed myself.

Mind you I woke up with me and the bed soaked with milk, my breastpads clearly couldn't hold any more! And I had to sit and hand express a bit before I could start feeding. Totally worth it though!

LadyNymeriaGhost · 23/09/2017 07:49

That's fab, Nina! DS has slept through the last 2 nights 9-7. I feel like a new woman! I know enough to know it probably won't last, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.

NinaMarieP · 23/09/2017 11:38

9-7? Wow. Can't wait to get that myself 😁.

Got to doze for a while with him in bed with me from 8.30-10 as well. Still yawning though, think it will take a lot more nights like that before I've caught up on all I've missed.

NinaMarieP · 24/09/2017 17:54

Last night was awful! I went to bed at half ten and before I'd fallen asleep he was up. I slept between half 12 and 3 and he just wouldn't sleep after that!

He wasn't crying or anything just wide awake from 3 until after ten when we were in the car. He then slept pretty much all day... I really hope he sleeps tonight.

verysleepymum · 24/09/2017 20:14

I hope tonight is better Nina! It's so frustrating he dangled a full nights sleep in front of you and then gave you a terrible one.

We have been in a bit of an exhausting pattern of very fussy evenings (think crying and fussing from 8-11) and then down until 2am and then 5am, then up at 7(8 if we are lucky) for the day. The nights would be fine(ish) but the evenings of rocking and shushing and back to back feeding are starting to exhaust me!

Lallypopstick · 24/09/2017 20:53

Very your pattern sounds a lot like mine, though we don’t often have the fussiness.

Nina hopefully his good chunk of sleep tonight will prep him for tonight.

I’m currently sitting up in bed with my little one asleep next to me. He’s learned how to suck his hand and I’ve just watched him go from being awake (he was asleep when he was put down then woke up) to back to sleep again. Would this be counted as self-settling? He hasn’t taken to a dummy when we’ve tried, so I’m hoping that he can hand suck to get to sleep.

yolkybokey · 24/09/2017 21:19

Hi everyone about to start the night shift!

My DS is 5 weeks old and currently asleep on my chest while I consider if it's worth the risk of moving to bed...

I had been trying to get him to sleep in his Moses basket for the first few weeks, but he's become less and less keen on being put down recently and I couldn't deal with the hours spent putting him down only to pick him up a few minutes later. So I gave in and started co sleeping a couple of nights ago and it's been so much easier, I feel much more rested and I think he's happier. If I could master BFing lying down then I'd be sorted!!

Does anyone else have a baby that resists daytime naps? He becomes overtired and gets really cranky, but will only go to sleep if we put him in a sling and jiggle him around Hmm

NinaMarieP · 24/09/2017 23:00

I had a daytime nap resister until pretty much six weeks, Yolky. This week he's been falling asleep within 5-10 minutes if all the fallowing criteria are met:

Curtains drawn and lights down.
White noise on
Dummy in
Could not be cosier with blankets
In my arms with my knees drawn up in the corner of the sofa so he's got my body on all sides.

I haven't dared put him down but he's slept for an hour at least each time!

I went to bed at 7.30 tonight, and he's had a bottle and has managed to fall asleep in his basket himself with his dummy (I bloody hope he's asleep anyway, the lights out now and he's silent...) so I'm going to go back to sleep now and hope he doesn't have a repeat of last night!

I'd count that as self soothing, Lally. I pretty much count it as any time I put mine down not fully asleep and he sucks his dummy but I'm possibly giving him too much credit. As long as he goes to sleep!

verysleepymum · 25/09/2017 01:40

yolky yep - the only things which works for us is a dog walk in sling, coffee shop (think it's the white noise!), car sometimes.

If we are home I end up rocking dd for 20 or so minutes!

We had a marginally less fussy evening! She definitely needed entertaining so maybe that's the problem. She fell asleep feeding on me at 10, I cuddled her while we finished watching a film until 11:30 and then transferred her to Moses basket. She just woke up right on time for first feed.

yolkybokey · 25/09/2017 02:07

Snap verysleepy! DS has been asleep since 10 and woke up for his feed about 20 mins ago. I was worried he wouldn't do this usual stretch because he was v sleepy this eve but it doesn't seem to have made a difference.

Here's hoping I'm not up every hour now like last night...