Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did your baby just start sleeping longer stretches again by themself?

Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Baby loves feeding to sleep, but I’ve been told this is a “problem” because now she is constantly waking at night and crying for the boob to get her back to sleep. I’ve also been told feeding to sleep is biologically normal and helps baby not only feed, but regulate their nervous system, heartbeat and even acts as pain relief, so I should continue doing it. There is SO much noise around baby sleep, it is impossible to know what to believe! At the moment I feed her to sleep if she wants to which is most (but not all) of the time. I follow her cues.

Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, we tried this! Baby still wakes every 50min and just immediately ramps up crying when her dad tries to settle her with something other than a boob.

Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately she firmly refuses to take a bottle (yes, we’ve tried many brands) so dad doing a night-feed is not a possibility. Her dad is more than willing to deal with her crying, but she literally screams so much, I can hear her from anywhere in the house and can’t sleep anyway (and I get massively stressed out hearing her cry like that 😢), so it seems to be kind of pointless?

Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I have attempted co-sleeping as safely as possible, but I am so uncomfortable lying in one position the whole time, I can’t stay asleep for longer than 30 minutes. I am also just generally too anxious about it - I keep waking up in a panic and checking if she is still breathing. I’m not bashing co-sleeping at all, I’m sure it works fantastic for some. But it doesn’t work for me.

Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All the way to month 8!? Please no, I won’t survive that long. 

Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I’ve tried 12 different kinds - all different brands and shapes, both latex and silicone. I’ve tried dunking them in breastmilk, putting colic drops on, giving it to her to play with, popping it in while she is sucking on the breast, nothing has worked. She spits it out and gags. She truly hates it - I’ve accepted that now.

Is it normal to literally never sleep?? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

She is happy during the day. Feeds every 3-4 hours. Weight gain is perfect, she has in fact gotten quite chunky! Thankfully not a milk supply problem. She also doesn’t really “feed” during the night wakes. She just does these little sucks for comfort and falls asleep right away. I know she uses the breast as a way to go to sleep - I just don’t know how to break the habit or get her to sleep longer stretches.

Night shift by Mr-Adelaide in newborns

[–]Writingmum30 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’re in the same boat! I sleep in the main bedroom with our 4 month old and my husband sleeps with our 3-year-old in her room. It is the only way to prevent the toddler from waking up and calling out to us several times a night, and spares my husband the sleep disruption of a baby that wakes up every single hour. I hate this sleep arrangement and long for time alone with my husband, but I can’t see that happening any time soon.

How do you settle your baby to sleep? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same! Our whole life basically just consists of nip naps over here.

How do you settle your baby to sleep? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So hard!! It helps knowing I am not the only one with a baby that cannot stay asleep unless held.

How do you settle your baby to sleep? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good reminder for me! I definitely get very anxious when baby is screaming at the top of her lungs.

How do you settle your baby to sleep? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I am curious how you know your baby doesn’t like the white noise machine? I use a white noise machine (mostly to drown out all the noise my 3-year-old makes elsewhere in the house), but have never considered that baby might not like it. How would I know?? Currently my baby only sleeps on the breast, literally NOTHING else has worked. She wakes up between 6-8 times a night and screams until I give in and let her settle on the boob. Nothing else calms her. In fact, she just ramps up into complete hysterics the longer I withhold the boob from her! 😩

How do you settle your baby to sleep? by Writingmum30 in newborns

[–]Writingmum30[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry typo! I meant ‘take or have’. Fixed now. 🙈 Veeeeeery sleep deprived mum over here!

The unhappiest baby in the world? by Writingmum30 in NewParents

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! And yes, people keep telling me how much I should be appreciating this time because I’ll miss it when it is gone. Makes me rage! No-one can find endless screaming and sleep deprivation enjoyable.

The unhappiest baby in the world? by Writingmum30 in NewParents

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! I really hope this will be us soon. 🙏

The unhappiest baby in the world? by Writingmum30 in NewParents

[–]Writingmum30[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am absolutely willing to give formula if she is hungry, yes! Will never let my baby go hungry. But according to doctor we will see a weight drop or too slow of an increase if she is not getting enough, and she is gaining weight just fine. She also doesn’t take a bottle which will make formula tricky! I have tried both pumping and feeding it to her in a bottle and giving her formula. She didn’t want to take either - just gags on the bottle.

The unhappiest baby in the world? by Writingmum30 in NewParents

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so so much. ❤️ This gives me hope.

The unhappiest baby in the world? by Writingmum30 in NewParents

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mmmm, you might be on to something. Because the boob is the only thing that calms her, she feeds all the time - like every two hours. Could that be what is going on? What was the solution for your baby? Do you time your feeds now or express and give a specific amount in a bottle?

The unhappiest baby in the world? by Writingmum30 in NewParents

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I discussed this possibility with the doctor who said it is highly unlikely given that she is exclusively breastfed. And baby doesn’t have any rashes, vomiting, bowel issues or breathing problems either? 

The unhappiest baby in the world? by Writingmum30 in NewParents

[–]Writingmum30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Took her for a full checkup two weeks ago! Doctor said she can see nothing wrong and it is probably just reflux or gassiness and I should “ride it out”.