9 week old- only sleeps 2 hours alone at night

[LGRose]

Hi everyone
First time at posting here. Hoping for a little reassurance / tips on our sleeping issue .

Basically my 9 week old is happy to sleep for fairly good periods, as long as he is sleeping on me or next to me in bed at night (all set up for safe cosleeping so please don't worry about that).

At night, he will initially go down in his bed nest, always for no more than 2 hours. He then wakes and needs to be held to be settled back to sleep. But then when placed back in bed nest he'll wake up almost straight away- his legs shoot in the air, he farts quite a bit and then starts crying. Again he can be comforted back to sleep and will almost certainly then have a lovely sleep with me.

I'm starting to really struggle with this, as I can't work out why he won't go back down and I would like my bed back for a bit more of the night. I'm not worried about day naps right now, I just want to crack the night first.

I'd love to hear from anyone who experienced something similar if anything worked for you or even just to tell me he will grow out of it! Feeling a little lost as a first time Mum over here.

FYI he sleeps in grow bags at night, have tried white noise and we don't want to swaddle.

Thanks in advance

With respect and kindness , I don't think you have a sleeping issue. Babies are biologically primed to sleep with their mummies. They feel safe svf protected and it helps regulate their breathing and body temperature.
My baby is 6 months old and only sleeps with / beside me.

I'm sure there'll be people along soon to advise you on how to get baby out of your bed, but your baby is doing what babies have done for millennia ; sleep soundly when mummy is close

As above poster said... up until not long ago he was with you 24 hours a day... so he’ll need to build up his ability to separate gradually.

Totally normal for that age-your baby has absolutely no sense of being a separate entity from you

It is tough....but don't try to fix it-your baby is tiny and needs to know you're there

Go with it-this too shall pass

I feel your pain OP; PFB is 11 weeks old and it’s a challenge! I know you don’t want to swaddle, but I’ve found that wrapping a large muslin just once to hold his arms down has helped, leaving his legs and body free.

Also, mine wakes up as soon as I put him down, so I often wait 10-15 mins while he falls more deeply asleep, before attempting to move him. I know you’re meant to put them down drowsy but awake- that hasn’t worked once!

Also, you don’t mention whether you’re bf-ing or how exactly you comfort him back to sleep... at nap time, I feed lying on my side often, and he’ll drop off and then I can sneak away. In the last few days he’s taken to intentionally removing his mouth when he’s done and rolling onto his back, and is happy to sleep not touching me, which is exciting (for me!).

You could also try patting his tummy/applying gentle pressure so he knows you’re there and goes back to sleep in his bed nest? Growbags are working well for me too, but you say you use one :)

It's normal, it will get better, you will get your bed back. But it might be a while. I'd focus on how to get yourself the most and most comfortable sleep while still meeting your baby's need to be close to you. So make the arrangements as comfy as possible for you.
My 4yo DS, who I thought would NEVER sleep alone at one point, asked me to get in with him and cuddle him the other night. After 5 minutes he said "I've had enough of you in my bed, go sit on the chair." Ouch! I seriously thought it would never happen. But it does. And the time goes so fast, I swear. (Maybe not the first 12 weeks. Those did seem to last forever. But after that!)

It is definitely normal! My DS is almost 6months and can still wake up every 2 hours some nights.. mostly he'll go 3/4 though but never any longer!
It can be tough if you don't want your baby in with you but just keep at it and your LO will soon settle :)
Mine was the same but I had to just keep trying him in his own bed and he eventually got it.. although I still end up bringing him in with me after he's got me up again through the night! Xx

You have described my son to a tee. Haha, he will grow out of it by about three or four

We coslept as it was THE only way for me to get any rest. This too shall pass 😅

Oh my DS is 10 now and still a poor sleeper. Still, at least he can now put himself to bed...

Thanks for the responses. I do appreciate people saying this is normal. I guess it's a case of waiting it out.

Just joining with the others saying its completely normal.
To help with the farting you could try holding him with his legs bent up a bit while you're rocking him to sleep as that position can make it easier for him to pass it.
With his knees at a 90 degree angle to his tummy like he's on a laid down chair if that makes sense!

We actually worked on the daytime naps first, putting DS down in his cosleeper crib every time he dozed off (on me) on the day. Once he got used to napping in it he was far more prepared to sleep there at night.

Thanks I'll try that, hadn't thought to try to encourage the farts out whilst being him. They always seem to upset him so much when he wakes up!