How to teach a baby to go to sleep? Up all night and SO SO SO SO SO tired!

[Marshmellow]

My ds is 2 weeks old, slept really well for first week now seems incapable of getting self off to sleep day or night. He fed for hours last night, on and off for whole night and was basically using my breast as comfort until nodding off. He'd nod off, i'd put him in cot and then 20 mins later he'd scream! Wouldn't settle without boob! Whenever he is awake he does nothing but scream! even after a feed! I have two other children who already are fed up with the tears and not enjoying their baby brother atall. Even dh told me this morning that i should've listened when he said he didn't want any more children! I'd convinced myself that no3 would be a doddle (thats what i always seem to hear about no3 just "fitting in") but i feel a failure already because he is such hard work. How can i teach him to get to sleep, i can't sit with my breasts out 24/7. Please offer me some advice, i am so tired and want everyone to enjoy him and i want him to be happier.

of different advice on this thread - marshmellow, I hope you find something that works for you

Hi, sorry you are having a rough time. I agree with the others, try a dummy sometimes it can be a blessing when they just want to suck. Also swaddling at that age is a godsend. They still have the moro reflex which can wake them up a lot.

Have you tried a comfort blanket? (you can get good ones at www.comfortblankets.co.uk You could sleep with it for a couple of nights to get your scent on it and it may help to soothe him and send him to sleep again on his own when he wakes.

Good luck xxxx

Marshmellow. Lots of sympathy!

We co-slept with DS4 until he was four months old and, as long as you follow the safety guidelines, I would thoroughly recommend it. I really wish I had done this with my other three.

No real problems getting him to sleep in a cot later, either.

MM, firstly congrats on your LO.

When you put DS into his cot are you absolutely sure he is in deep sleep? Test this using the floppy arm test where there is no resistance. Other things to try include making the cot a more comfortable place e.g. making it smell of you by putting top or breastpads in there, putting something soft under his head (fleece or lambskin if you can borrow one - only use if DS sleeping on his back). Also, try swaddling and maybe raising the end of the cot.

Sorry, only had chance to skim thread so may be repeating others. Also, try a dummy and see what happens.

Good luck

Adding to the others - my DD sucked and sucked just the same so at 3 weeks I bought the dreaded dummy (felt like bad bad mother). She loved it and sucked that instead of me. She doesn't have it all the time - just when she's tired or feeling sucky ... and it helps her drop off. If I try and give it to her when she doesn't want it she shoves it out of her mouth with her tongue!
Also - swaddling - she sleeps through when she's swaddled up as otherwise she tends to smash herself in the head with her flailing arms when she's only half awake - and is then fully awake. Swaddled she just grunts and goes back to sleep (although she did go through a Houdini phase of wriggling and grunting and finally getting her tiny little fist out of the top of the swaddling). She's 9 weeks now and has been sleeping through from 11-ish til 7 or 8 for the last 4 weeks or so.
Hope this helps you - you must be shattered poor thing.

am having exactly same situation with my ds aged 2 weeks + 3 days so lol at 3am whilst dd and dh are snoring away....

with dd I didnt realise how easy I had it - but I also think we forget what ALL newborns are like. hungry, grizzly tummy and always with their eyes closed, whether sleeping or crying. We just need to get back into the swing of it.

having been quite strict with DD (no dummy, putting down to sleep in cot etc) I have decided to go completely free range with DS for the beginning tough bit. Slings, dummies, co-sleeping, breast feeding to sleep....and offering a formula top up if he looks like he needs it + wholly formula nighttimes.

Contraversial I know - and bound to impact on my supply - but with siblings, I took the view that a fuller baby would allow the rest of the family some sanity and sleep. With just my DD, I had a responsibility only to her so constant BF was the right choice - with more, it isnt that simple anymore.

Having said that, DS is now overeating, vomming and screaming, so easier night wakings are no longer...so much for the compromises [blush}

Book I would recommend is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Marc Weissbluth). Basic approach being, if you have a fussy/colicky baby, do whatever it takes to settle them for the first 4 months and dont worry about the long term sleep habits.

Poor, poor you - no advice just sympathy from another mum who's been there! If it's any consolation - my dd2 (no3) 'woke up' at 2 weeks old and was hideous (hunger I think - wanted to fill her boots!) but it only lasted for 2 weeks and then went back to 'normal' at 4 weeks - hang on in there!xx