Nocturnal newborn

[thingymaboob]

Please help! Have a 2 week old who is an angel during the day but as soon as it's midnight, she perks up and cannot be settled for more than 30 minutes at a time. We have a next to me crib, I warm the hot water bottle up and put it in crib and play white noise. She sleeps a lot during the day and is normally happy to be put down. Is this normal for a newborn? When will there be any improvement / change? I will never co-sleep, even if desperate. I'm not expecting a routine but even a 2 hour nap at night would be a blessing! Tia x

Babies tend to sleep longer at night once they learn to recognise day and night. Usually after 6 to 8 weeks.

Mine doesn't sleep i the moses basket and half had to co sleep safely being aware of the risks. No signs of reflux at all?

Her behaviour seems fairly normal to me.

Oh yes, typical newborn behaviour! At that age, I used to put DS in the pram and rock him - it was the only way I could get any sleep after his marathon cluster feeding that usually ended at about 1/2am. Can you also nap in the day?

Sounds normal to me! We've had some progress on teaching DC (now 7weeks) that night time is for sleeping - after 10pm lights are turned low, TV is off and we are very boring... (limited eye contact/talking, though I still sooth/sing lullabies).

I ended up doing some co sleeping to preserve my sanity! Even if you don't want to, it's worth researching the safety guidelines so that if you change your mind at 3am, you do so safely.

Sorry it does sound like typical newborn behaviour, it will pass after a few weeks. The best advice I was ever given was daytime is daytime, and night time is night time and both should be treated as such. Have lights and the tv on and make noise during the day. Get outside as much as you can as sunlight stimulates the production of melatonin which helps regulate circadian rhythms. Even if baby is sleeping, still make noise as normal, if they wake that's ok. Night time should be dark and peaceful, not too stimulating, gentle voices and bedrooms (if possible - DD and I slept on the sofa for 4 weeks).

Try and get some naps in during the day, I'm not one to say sleep when baby sleeps but take shifts with your OH if you can so you can sleep.

I'm not advocating that you co sleep but am interested in why you are adverse to it? Genuine question, no criticism.

I have a two week old also and since he's been born I've only been able to put him in his moses basket twice

@Prusik I am a paramedic and myself and a number of colleagues have been to some awful co sleeping accidents. Not that many in 10 years but enough for me to be petrified of doing it.

As above, best advice I received was really clearly distinguishing between night and day. Day light and bright and loud, night pitch black and silent except for white noise (all night, loudly). No eye contact or talking.
Also a Sleepyhead worked well for us.
The first 6 weeks were miserable then it got better and better, and now at 15 weeks it’s as good as I could wish for (and about to be ruined by regression/teething)

DS was very nocturnal for the first few weeks. He was barely awake during the day and didn't sleep at night.

I put this down to working a lot of night shifts when I was pregnant, (also for the ambulance service) but I gather it's relatively normal. He did sort things out after the first few weeks, as PP have said, clearly distinguishing between night and day helped.

She will get the hang of it! DS sleeps really well at night now. Good luck!