Hourly wake ups are killing me off!

[Luna20]

So my 10 week old, EBF, wakes hourly during the night, I feed him and he goes straight back to sleep. During the day when he wakes he feeds and has a bit of awake time so I feel like he knows the difference of day from night (hopefully!). Up until about 6 weeks old he would sleep 2 to 3 hours on a night before waking and I could put him down in the day as well, but then he stopped wanting to be put down in the day but happily sleeps for 2 hours when on me or my partner. At the same time he started waking hourly at night (it's just me, my partner is in with our toddler and I EBF) and even when I let him sleep on me at night he still only goes an hour before rooting. I've tried his moses, next to me crib, on co sleeping in bed with me. I've tried having the room warmer, colder etc. Nothing makes a difference. You'd think I'd know this with it being my second but is there anything I can do to help him sleep longer at night or is it developmental and I just have to wait it out? I'd be over the moon with just a 2 hour stretch at this point! It's been a solid month of waking hourly. Last night he genuinely woke at 5 past every single hour of the night and I feel like a zombie today! I have my toddler as well as baby in the day so I can't nap. I feel pretty broken and desperate to be honest.

Oh I should add, my eldest had silent reflux as a baby, he screamed constantly and was on omeprazole, and he would wake every 45 minutes. My husband and I used to take it in shifts and he would sleep upright on us and would then sleep 3 to 4 hour stretches. My 10 week old definitely has a little bit of reflux but nothing like my eldest did. He's quite a happy baby in general apart from struggling a bit with gas. So I don't think reflux is the reason he's waking so often at night but then again I could be wrong. Eeh I really thought I'd know what I was doing second time around but I guess not! 🙈

That sounds really tough - have you tried a love to dream swaddle ? That has really helped my 9 week old sleep for longer.

Sorry you're struggling. It's so hard. I second trying a swaddle? Or white noise? Both helped us in the early days. Babies are tricky customers, once you feel you've cracked it, they change and it's a new phase! My 10mo still wakes up 2 hourly and it's a killer but they do improve in time. That's what I keep telling myself :)

@Netball01
@paristotokyo
Yep we have a love to dream swaddle and use white noise too as both these helped my eldest, I'm at a total loss what to do. My husband keeps telling me to put him down drowsy but awake so he can learn to self settle and tie his sleep cycles together but it's really hard. I have my toddler in the day so baby usually sleeps in the sling. I suppose I should be trying to do it at night time but it feels to painful to try rouse a sleeping baby when I'm so exhausted myself 😫
Knowing everything is a phase and things quickly change has definitely been keeping me going but after a month of never sleeping for longer than an hour in one go I feel like I can't go on much longer!

I think the whole 'put them down drowsy but awake' is a farce 😂 it might work for a few babies but I really do believe that some babies are just naturally inclined to go down easier/sleep better unfortunately due to their temperaments. I think the early days are just survival mode though and to just bunker down, lower expectations on house work or chores, and get through it. Ask for help as much as possible from anyone that can. Does your toddler sleep ok? Can you swap with your partner in the night even for a few hours so you can get a longer stretch? Does baby take a dummy?

In my experience, drowsy but awake quickly becomes awake-awake on contact with a mattress. It probably works with easy babies but for everyone else it's a fool's errand.