5 week old will only sleep on me day and night, how do I rest?

[Tommymummyft]

Hi this is my first post on here, looking for any tips or advice please.

My 5 week old has decided in the last week or so that he will only sleep on me or in the sling. We started co sleeping at night because he stopped settling in his next to me but now that doesn’t even work.

He is formula fed and at night will fall asleep whilst I hold him upright after feeding but as soon as I lay him down he grunts, strains and thrashes about as if he’s uncomfortable, the only way to soothe him is to have him on my chest.

i have a doctors appointment tomorrow in case silent reflux is the cause. I am just exhausted and don’t know how I can survive on zero sleep if I’m holding him all the time.

I hope I don’t come across as a naive ftm, just desperate for help
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he also will sleep In the pram if I’m out walking but wakes the moment we get back to the house

So sorry you’re going through this and it sounds exhausting! Does sound like it’s possibly reflux, and the doc might recommend changing formula? Have you tried baby tummy massage and bicycle kicks? I found bringing their knees to tummy helped my son massively to pass gas. It’s shocking how much wind they get when they’re that small because they’re not moving about as much.

Also might be worth checking out if the temperature of the room is warm enough for him to sleep in too?

There are an abundance of sleep consultants on social media who are usually quite friendly and helpful if you ask for their advice. x

Have you tried elevating the sleep surface so his head is a little higher? You can tilt some cots or put wedges or towels under the mattress. This can help with wind, teething pain and sickness.

If it is reflux, there's something called a Wedgehog (?) that was developed by someone with a reflux baby. Basically a foam wedge that you can use to prop them up while they sleep to reduce sickness.

Please note most babies have reflux when they are tiny- their stomach is tiny and the flap that closes over the stomach entrance is not fully developed. They will grow out of it / you just have to get through it! Reflux meds can help but can also cause constipation which causes just as much discomfort.

So sorry. It is grim and everyone who says it will get better doesn’t help because you need to sleep in that very moment. For us it was silent reflux. We hold him upright after feeds for 30nmins and he’s on medication now which seems to help. We still can’t put him down to nap in the day but at night he does a couple of 3 hr stretches in his cot.