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6week old wont go back to sleep after night feed - any tips?

2 replies

lu9months · 27/01/2010 20:40

my 6 week old dd has been very unsettled since birth. she has been started on gaviscon which makes her less uncomfortable, but she still wont settle after a feed in the night. she goes down around 7, and often wakes in the evening - I feed her (bf) if she wont settle. then I feed her around 11 and it takes up to an hour and a half to settle her in her moses basket. she wakes once or twice between 12 and 7, and often takes up to 2 hours to settle after a feed. I have tried swaddling, white noise etc. the dummy helps but she cries when it falls out. I am knackered, please help!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
teaandcakeplease · 28/01/2010 13:51

I think I may have suggested things before to you. Your nickname sounds familiar

So if I repeat things I apologise...

It took with my second baby who was very windy to up to 10 weeks to settle easier. Even at feeds at night he'd squirm with wind after and be uncomfortable for ages. Co-sleep if it helps for now, if you don't already? My usual blurb I give out is basically to try not to worry. It's such early days; you cannot spoil a baby at this age. Do whatever it takes to survive

Soothe to sleep on you and roll with it my lovely. They'll settle down again soon enough, there is a growth spurt at week 6 (I think).

You could try some infacol or gripe water at every feed for a while as that can help, if you're not using one or the other already. Make sure you wind them well and maybe wind them half way through every feed as well, if it helps? Make sure you're drinking plenty as well and eating lots, so that your milk supply is plentiful as well, just in case Worth trying all the avenues, just in case.

If you're co-sleeping they do latch on and off all night as well for comfort and also as they smell your milk. Although of course you may not be co-sleeping. But try not to worry either way, you're doing great x

My second child cried for 2 to 3 hours a night until aged 10 weeks and I spoke to my health visitor about it, she agreed it was probably colic and her tips to try were:

Warm bath covering tummy.
Lying him on his tummy with a warm (not hot) hot water bottle under him to soothe tummy.
Cycling his legs whilst he's on his back. Holding feet palm to palm and rocking legs sideways, whilst lying on floor or lap.
Or scooping with right hand down his right side whilst holding feet palm to palm.
Or rocking him face down well supported on legs.

She also said don't eat anything that gives you wind such as brocolli, cabbage, caffeine, cauliflower, garlic or other stimulants. She said if none of the above did work I could try buying Colief drops from a chemist and mixing in with feed by expressing it first, as she said sometimes colic is caused by a lactose intolerance.

I found that out of all of those the cycling the legs was particularly good. I also found that as he had trouble burping, the infacol made him cry harder as it coalesced the bubbles into one big one that still went downwards but hurt more. But giving him gripe water after every feed straight away really soothed his tummy. I had to do it every feed though without fail.

The warm bath in quiet room was also a real help. Every night at the time he started to get agitated I would put in the bath, in a bath cradle and keep putting warm water on his tummy and every now and then top the bath up with warm water, so it wouldn't get too cold for him. Once or twice he was in the bath for 2 hours in the early days as it was really calming for him. Once he started doing big yawns and it was bedtime, I'd take him out into a dark bedroom and change him and BF him quietly and then often he'd go to sleep straight away. He'd wake for feeds at 10.30pm, 2am and 5 am often at this stage. In the day I'd keep him up for only 90 mins only before putting back down for a nap.

Sorry if I have suggested these before to you and none have worked. Your nickname does sound familiar but my "I'm on" list only goes back to the 24th Jan.

Remember things will get better soon lovely, sending you a hug x

lu9months · 28/01/2010 15:18

thanks so much, yes I think your very helpful words of wisdom sound familiar, but still helpful, since my pregnancy brain cant retain anything for long, plus nice to get any feedback which suggests it will improve!!

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