3 week old - feeding or crying

[aoifesmama]

Hi

I have a 3 week old who is really not a happy baby at the moment. She is very hungry/sucky and eats often. But when she is not eating or asleep she is crying. She doesn't like sleep - she fights it! Not good at daytime napping, even when being held and will not sleep at night without sucking on my little finger. Have tried a dummy but that doesnt work and she will not go in her moses basket at all.

Does anyone have any ideas? I know she is too little for a strong routine, but would be good to have some sense of day and night, as well as awake and asleep with her as at the moment she is drowsy, but sucking all day.

Thank you!

Does she like being swaddled?

I do swaddle her when I put her down at night, but she hates (really HATES!) having her arms wrapped and hits them against the swaddle blanket. She becomes furious if she can't get them free.

You can swaddle but with the arms out. like this

aoifesmama what kind of birth did you have? If you had an assisted delivery or c-section you might want to look into cranial osteopathy. There is some more info here

My DS was generally a happy baby but he had really happy days and really grumpy days, I was advised to see a CO for this inconsistent behaviour (which I know isn't exactly the same as your DD). I took him to see a CO at 8 weeks (once a week for 4 weeks) and since then he is happy almost all the time and rarely cries for unknown reasons.

It is expensive but maybe worth a try?

Also - as for the moses basket problem, have you tried wrapping the sheet with one of your worn t-shirts so it smells of you? I found a sling really useful for daytime naps when my LO was young - the Kari Me one was what I used and was really good.

Good luck! HTH

Really interesting...I had an emergency c-section (heartbeat stopped and delivered with cord around neck). This has had an ongoing effect as I was in hospital for a week, came out and had to go back in without her, as low platelet levels meant that the wound reopened and bleeding wouldnt stopped. Will def look at cranial osteopathy! Just becoming exhausting to not know how to help her and still not 100% after birth!

It is a really difficult time aiofes - just as you said, dealing with a new baby and recovering from the birth - especially one as difficult as yours - makes things so much harder. I thought it was the hardest thing in the world but as everyone told me (although I didn't believe them!) it does get better and easier.