Newborn night sleeping

[EssentialHummus]

I'd love any views on this as I feel I'm just not getting it.

DD is 3ish days old (born Thursday afternoon). During the day we have:
Wake up at 3 hr intervals if not earlier
Change
Eats hungrily on one side, strong suck, 20-25 minutes at a time
Falls asleep on me or can be put down awake in cot, will look about/make a bit of noise then go to sleep in bedside cot
Repeat

At night I'm not sure what the issue is but we're not cracking it:
Eat hungrily on one side, strong suck, 20-25 minutes at a time
Falls asleep on me but can't be put down either asleep or awake in cot - even if fully asleep when put down we get a sustained legs up (wind? digestion?) movement, and sharp escalating cries. If we wind or settle her on us, she'll maybe sleep for 20-30 min, then wake up, doesn't seem hungry, will only sleep on us and falls asleep the moment she's picked up.

Come 6am it's all fine and I get a "What, me? Not sleeping? Never!" look and the day routine starts.

So -
What's going on?
If digestion, why's it only at night?
What to do?

I've had the suggestion of cosleeping and feeding lying down at night but no idea how to do this. Have bought a Sleepyhead but it's hard to say based on half a night whether it's made any difference.

Congratulations on the birth of your dd.
It sounds like she's not figured out day and night yet, but she's only 3 days old. Look up circadian rhythm.
When our dd was born , she was very similar. We made sure that in the day it was light and noisy and at night, dark and quiet. I can't remember how long it took for her to recognise, but I don't think it was long.
Our 21 week dd now sleeps beautifully in her next to me crib at night, but still only naps on me in the day.
Enjoy your lo. Becoming a mum is the best thing I ever did.

^^ this.

Oops, dropped phone and pressed post by mistake! Sorry OP but I was trying to say ^^this post above is spot on re. Not knowing night and day yet.

Legs up to the tummy usually suggests tummy ache/trapped wind, agree with the PP about not figuring out day or night yet, that will come in a few weeks though :)
My DD wouldnt sleep on her back, could put her down fully asleep and she would ping her eyes open after 5 minutes, then fall asleep once she was picked up. She has reflux though so that's the cause. In your case, bubs is only small and probably loves the comfort of being on you for now.

Thanks all. She's on me now dozing, has eaten well, giving her 10 minutes or so to hopefully let the food go down a bit then will try put her down (and hand her over to her dad so I can sleep!).

Still baffled by only getting "wind" reactions at night but the day/night confusion makes sense and have been going with the strategies given anyway so hopefully she cracks that soon.

When she brings up her legs, do her arms flail too?

When she brings up her legs, do her arms flail too?

I think so.

Currently awake with hiccups.

Sounds perfectly normal behaviour, all my kids were like this. Newborns are awful at night. Just go with it, try and sleep during the day. It will improve.
Also maybe try a snuzpod or babymoov cosydream?

She sounds perfectly normal to me. What saved my sanity in the early days was learning to feed lying down on the bed. Dh in spare room. I would feed to sleep then roll over and sleep the other side of the bed. Obviously put something next to the bed to stop him falling out but in truth they don't move when they're tiny.

Thank you both.

What saved my sanity in the early days was learning to feed lying down on the bed.

Am very keen to do this.

My LO gets his worst wind at night, pretty me every night after his second night feed which usually starts between 3.30 and 5.30. He does get windy at other times but that's by far the worst. Sometimes he sleeps through it - which is great but I'm kept awake because he's so damn noisy.

I'm not sure he knows the difference between day and night yet and he's five weeks today - but there is something about the night time breast milk that seems to send him to sleep! Has your milk come in already? If not that might make a difference when it does.

If I feed him before 11pm he'll need to be rocked/settled to sleep and it's hit or miss. After 11 and he pretty much conks out and we're guaranteed 3-4 hours of sleep.

Totally normal op. When ds was born one of us was awake holding him for 12 days straight. We took 2 hour shifts, it was hell. With dd I co slept and dp went to the spare room. Sleep at any opportunity through the day!

Exactly as above poster. I feed my 12 week old in my side and have done since he was a few days old. He then sleeps next to me. All I have to do for next feed is swap sides! Hardly need to wake up. This is what makes breastfeeding sooo much easier than bottles IMO!

Very normal - look up the 4th trimester. The newborn day's are knackering but it gets easier!

Thank you everyone. Going to take your advice now and try to kip myself.

My now 7 week old DD was the same. Think I posted a v similar thread, they figure out Day and night eventually. Just think week she has started feeding at 10pm and sleeping til 12, eating, then sleeping til 5. It gets a lot easier. Someone suggested tonne taking her out in the sunshine in the afternoon, just for a walk. And they start to understand it's daytime. It worked for us! And if you're willing to, try safely co sleeping. It made the world of difference to her sleeping!

Are you winding her? I know so many people say bf babies don't need that, but in my experience, mine did! Mine settled so much easier once I worked that out after a couple of days.
As for the not sleeping at night/wanting to be attached to you - very normal newborn behaviour, she has just spent 9 months inside you and doesn't yet know that she's a separate entity to you. Also, the hormones that stimulate milk production are higher on a night so it makes sense to newborns to feed when they can in the night.
Enjoy those new baby snuggles!

3 hours awake is far, far far too long.

In these very early newborn days awake time will be very short. Literally just wake, Feed, Wind, feed again, sleep. Awake time might be only 30 minutes.

Basically baby should be mostly feeding and sleeping all the time. If not feeding, then sleeping or going to sleep. If not sleeping then feeding.

user I am, and it seems to be making a difference.

fate I really appreciate your input on this thread, thank you.

She has had a 15 min feed followed by 10 minute wind followed by 2h 25 sleep in Sleepyhead followed by 16 min feed this morning, now winding again and will get her into the Sleepyhead.

Thank you everyone.

Congratulations! I found that teaching dd to feed lying on the bed next to me really helped with getting her to sleep without me holding her. It's easier then to move them across to the cot (we had a snuzpod in the early days and now a full size cot with the side off up against our bed) once they have learnt to sleep on a flat surface. We did end up cosleeping properly for a few months but now at a year old she will sleep in her cot most of the time, she comes in with me if teething as she gets clingy but otherwise has been good in her own bed.

silk if you have a moment can I have a fool's guide to feeding lying down? Would like to try again today but baffled.

Personal question EssentialHummus, but feeding lying gown technique depends on boob size.

I can give you the big boob guide to feeding lying down.

So I would lie baby on bed (no duvets or pillows nearby) and lie on my side encircling baby. Bottom arm up and circling baby's head, knees circling baby's legs, other hand on baby's chest. Baby a head level with boobs, nipples level with mouth.

Now the big boob feeding. "Normal" boob sizes would feed from the bottom boob, as you lie on your side. Big boob, feed from the top boob (that will be hanging much lower than a smaller boob would). It may require you to lean signlightly facing downwards, depending on boob size.

Then to feed from the other boob, leave baby in-situ and roll over into your back. This allows for feeding from the bottom boob. Again, you may need to slightly roll off being flat on your back, depending on boob size. It's just about keeping baby at nipple height then rolling your own body so that nipple lines up with mouth, and staying there.

Super helpful fate, that's the level of detail I need. I'm normally a 34D , now I can't say but don't think I'm significantly larger. Very very keen to try.

She's currently on me again after a 1h 30 sleep, so far feeding for 27 minutes and I think tailing off now.

I'm a 36DD and I've always fed on my side from the bottom boob (without lying on my back)! Will have to give this top boob thing a go as I was wondering if everyone didn't have to roll over and swap sides with baby mid feed.

After four children, my boobs are probably a fair bit saggier than most . If it works though, great. There's no right or wrong way to feed lying down, just find a way that works for you.