Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

8wk old baby, I'm so tired I think I'm going to die

107 replies

ChubbyScotsBurd · 16/09/2007 20:12

I posted a while back about my baby not sleeping.

Now he won't sleep all day, sometimes not even if he's carried. I bought a sling with money we can't really afford and he screamed in it. He wakes at 5ish and then aside from naps of maybe 15 minutes tops (in his bouncy chair or being carried) he doesn't sleep at all all day.

By the evening he's so tired he's panting and wide-eyed (looks like he's on speed or something) and then he starts this frantic need to suck, usually my boob. He sucks while screaming, sometimes screaming until he's sick. Once he screamed until he went stiff, then limp - I'm sure he made himself faint. He won't tolerate a dummy, even when introduced when he's settled. I have to go to bed with him when it starts (he'll only go down to sleep at night if he sucks to sleep) but it can take up to 4 hours to get him to sleep properly. I then have to try and move him up the bed so I can sleep myself, but this often wakes him all over again. He doesn't tend to sleep for much over an hour at a time anyway.

He's taking/taken every colic remedy going but this thing is simple tiredness. He must only be getting 6-8 hours in a 24hr period. He gets terrible wind through the day but I'm working on colief which seems to be helping, but it's early days. My big problem is it takes him so long to settle down I'm sure he's waking from hunger quite soon after.

Also, this is getting progressively worse - everything seems to be getting worse. I'm sure I'm losing it, and I'm losing patience with my poor baby who realy isn't to blame, he just doesn't know how to sleep. He USED to know, but he's awful now.

No idea what else to try, I'm not coping at all, not even a bit.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Tipex · 19/09/2007 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChubbyScotsBurd · 19/09/2007 18:53

Well last night was the pits (went down around 11 and slept until just after 2 - wahey! - but then didn't go back to sleep ... at all!)

I'd had enough by noon and took him to bed with me, plonked a boob under his nose and said "right, do what you like, I'm going to sleep". Didn't wake for 2 hours!

The colief's definitely helping his tum, he's as windy as ever but much less grunting/groaning/kicking/spasms of pain. He gets his check tomorrow so hopefully I'll have a more sympathetic GP than the last one we saw, might even get brave enough to ask for a script for the colief . He's obviously bursting with health otherwise, he weighs a sodding ton, just knackered.

We see the osteopath on Friday and I'll report back afterwards, hopefully with good news. Thanks again for the support. Really, really grateful.

OP posts:
mammyjo · 19/09/2007 20:15

Really hope that you see some improvement with the osteopath. It really helped with ds, so I am crossing my fingers for you. Hope you get some sleep tonight xxx

Tipex · 19/09/2007 21:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Piffle · 19/09/2007 21:34

also worth trying tummy sleeping... none of mien would ever sleep on their backs...
turned them over on advice of my mother in law...
and bingo new kids everytime...

Bodkin · 20/09/2007 11:02

Agree with Piffle on tummy sleeping. Both mine will only sleep on their tums, even in the pram. I know it's not recommended, but if there are no other factors (no smokers in the house, plenty of fresh air in room, feet to foot position in cot etc.etc) I feel it must be reasonably safe.

I'm really sorry to hear you are suffering so much, and I know you've had some great advice here already. but just wanted to add that it's important not to underestimate how much daytime sleep some tiny babies need. My 10 week old can barely manage an hour awake in the daytime before getting cranky. The longer she is awake over an hour, the harder she is to settle. I basically get time to feed, change and about 20 minutes of interaction, and then it's back to bed for her! They really don't need much more stimulation than that at this age. It means I'm a bit housebound, as she doesn't sleep very well in the pram unless I'm doing a long journey, but it's not forever, and I get loads of time on here!

Hope things improve for you soon. You're doing a great job, hang in there

bumbly · 20/09/2007 18:55

yes but problem is when baby doesnt sleep during day!!

well that is my prob - and my swing arrived today and it is a waste of money

see my other thread

bad day today for me...hope better for original poster!!

LIZS · 20/09/2007 19:02

Think i've seen another thread from CSB - no better

LIZS · 20/09/2007 19:05

in Sleep - Q about Overtired baby

LIZS · 20/09/2007 19:26

here

trixymalixy · 20/09/2007 20:23

CSB - have you tried cutting dairy from your diet?

My Ds was really windy/refluxy etc and it turns out he had a dairy allergy and is so much more settled now I have cut out dairy.

There was also some posts from ratfly whose baby would just never sleep ever - also due to a dairy allergy.

My top sleep tips are using the baby whisperer shush pat method (shush while patting their back like a heartbeat) and stroking from your baby's forehead down their nose repeatedly.

p.s. whereabouts in Scotland are you? I'm in Glasgow.

ChubbyScotsBurd · 20/09/2007 20:53

I cut out dairy for a good 2-3 weeks to no real obvious effect. However, I wasn't religious about avoiding whey etc. Maybe I need to start over again.

Been a really bad day on top of a bad night, thought I'd got him down for a bit this afternoon but he woke again for a 2 hour screaming session.

Desperate for this cranial osteopathy to work tomorrow, absobloodylutely desperate. Have had a few points today when I just thought about how totally crap everything is just now. The good stuff is fantastic but there's such a huge portion of all this new stuff that's totally and utterly rotten that it outweighs the lovelyness a lot of the time. I think tiredness magnifies everything too. Lord knows how the poor babe feels if I'm this pooped.

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

OP posts:
mammyjo · 20/09/2007 21:03

CSB, crossing my fingers that you have a better night. You sound exactly like I did when my ds was tiny, and I can assure you that it really does get better. It just feels like it never will for you right now.
Really hoping that the osteopath will have a positive effect on your little one, my ds slept better the very first night. Take care

trixymalixy · 20/09/2007 21:06

Were you eating a lot of soya products instead as the proteins are similar so Los that are allergic to dairy are likely to be allergic to soya?

Bodkin · 20/09/2007 21:16

Sorry, didn't mean my last post to sound smug... My DD1 was a nightmare screamer too, so absolutely know some of the feelings you and other posters have had. So I am putting in to practice all the things I learnt from her into DD2, who would be the same otherwise! The other thing I used to do for DD1 was to put her to sleep in the pram in the living room, then if I heard so much as a peep out of her after 15 or so mins, I'd rush over and gently jiggle the pram again until she settled back down - I could usually spin her out for longer like that.

Hope the CO helps - will be interested to hear, as loads of people recommended it for me with DD1, but I was a bit sceptical (and skint)

Megglevache · 20/09/2007 21:24

Message withdrawn

Miaou · 20/09/2007 21:29

Chubby, not read the whole thread but you have my sympathy, from a fellow mner with an 8-weeker! I noticed you said you live in North Scotland in the back of beyond ... if you are in Caithness (where I am) I will gladly try and give you some support ... do let me know!

bumbly · 20/09/2007 21:56

CBS - I also had another S&^%!! day

no better way to describe it

my 8 week old does sleep a bit but ONLY if on my tummy and i feel so bad saying this but I cant hug him all day

was couch bound all day with him sleeping on my tummy

as soon as dare move to put him down - he wakes up and screams and the cycle starts again - food vomiting...going to sleep oh yes only on my belly and so forth

buying things left right and centre to help sooth him during day for an hour or teo ...that is all i need to get myself together - but to no avail!!

getting worse too

funnypeculiar · 20/09/2007 22:02

fwiw, I think the patch betwen about 8-12/15 weeks sucks (sorry)
Good luck CSB & bubly - fingers crossed for a good night for you both (obvious tip, but are you both going to bed EARLY? Me & dh were in bed by 9pm most days when ds was that age ....

bumbly · 20/09/2007 22:05

going now...well figuratively speaking

ChubbyScotsBurd · 21/09/2007 22:06

Brief onehanded message - DS saw CO at 12, was v sceptical but has been sleeping on my shoulder for an hour plus now, unheard of at this time of night and no screaming prior to sleep. [cautious optimism emoticon]

Worth a go bumbly, even if this is the only night like this it's bliss!

OP posts:
ChubbyScotsBurd · 21/09/2007 22:08

Miaou - lovely part of the world! - I'm in Morayshire, so near but yet so far!

OP posts:
Miaou · 21/09/2007 22:21

oh what a shame csb, I would have been there if I could - ds1 was a rubbish sleeper at first though not as bad as your ds, and I remember how tired I got then - so I know you and bumbly must be having a rough time just now. (((((hugs)))) to you both

ChubbyScotsBurd · 21/09/2007 22:29

thankx miaou, am totally and at so much support in many forms from MN people, and has all been v genuinely helpful. Feel more in control now, if only temporary is nice break, even if shoulder now sore from weight of sleeping baby is better than having screaming punching flailing baby on it!

OP posts:
bumbly · 22/09/2007 09:42

CBS - how did it go overnight

i gave up all baby duties and DH took over

feel so bad but need a break as cant cope anymore

hope you had a much better time than me!

hugs

Swipe left for the next trending thread