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Newborn up ALL night - please help

Hi
My newborn is 5 days old now and so far we've had a couple of rough times of crying but generally things are going ok. I've been breastfeeding which I thought was getting better as my milk has come in but last night I fed up her about 10pm ish which I normally do and this normally seems to go on until about 11pm ish and I'll put her in her moses basket in our bedroom and we will all go to sleep then she'll just normally wake up through the night every couple of hours or so but last night she was literally up ALL NIGHT long. She had a really big feed at 10pm ish then when I tried to put her down she started crying (normally after a feed she is whacked) then basically throughout the night we've gone round and round trying to wind her, changed a couple of pooey nappies (we heard her poo - perhaps she's had upset tummy\?), cuddled her, we've tried a dummy, a swing with music on and it's just gone round and round and round. Mostly she's only slept for 15 mins before crying again although I think she managed a half hour stint at some point. We've also given her some infacol as well. We get her all settled, put her down and then it all starts again. We took her temperature and that was fine.
Please can anyone help???? Do babies occasionally have nights like this or is this what its going to be like?? Luckily me and hubby have been sharing it so if one was getting annoyed the other could help otherwise we would have gone insane.
Please help.
xx

Replies

  • Hi hun,

    Yep they all have the occassional night like this. If you think 5 days ago she was all snug in your tummy and day and night didnt mean much to her....so now this is one of the first things she is learning and its an important lesson (haha else mummy and daddy are exhausted)

    To get my LO to understand night and day we never spoke to him or had eye contact from 7pm-7am.....the lights never came on (maybe a nightlight)....I gave infacol with every feed for the first 4 weeks until his little digestion track was established. Then at 7am we would turn lights on and say good morning etc.......

    However in the first few weeks we let LO fall asleep on us etc......often chest to chest for the 'womb confort'.....

    I never got one but some of the girls in my forum brought a 'slumber bear' so might be an idea.

    LO is very young still and is functioning on nature and not habit.....she will get it soon......they are quick learners.......

    Good luck and keep plodding on......it does get better...

    p.s dont beat yourself up about it....these little monkies dont come with a 'one size fits all booklet' ahhhhhhhh. Try expressing a bottle and maybe you and OH can split the night to get a good sleep.

    BIG CYBER HUGS xxx
  • Arghhh, the sleep deprived nights! I'd like to say I remember them well but the truth is that I was so knackered at the time I can't remember anything :lol: Unfortunately babies just do this sometimes, especially when they are tiny. It could be that she is having a bit of a growth spurt, most babies do at about a week, in which case she might be bad again tonight (or maybe not) but should then settle back down (untill 3 weeks when they have another growth spurt!)
    If you haven't already you could try swaddling her, it makes a big difference for some babies as it keeps them feeling secure. My first wasn't swaddled and was a rubbish sleeper when she was tiny. Second was always swaddled and was a dream baby at night. Could be coincedence but it's maybe worth a try, just make sure you adjust her other bedding so she doesn't get too hot.
    xx
  • Yes this is totally normal and we have all been through it and survived in one piece!!!

    Often newborns are born quite sleeoy and generally go a few hours between feeds...then they kind of 'wake up' at around 5-10 days and the usually sleepy newborn suddenly wants feeding and cuddling all the time.

    I'm a paeds nurse in A&E and have seen on many occassions parents bringing in there week or so old baby because they are crying all the time when a few days ago they were very sleepy so i'm sure it happens to most babies!

    Did she settle if you fed her?

    Swaddling is a great suggestion and i've also had good experiences with this with my own lo (still swaddled at nearly 6 months!) She may resist initially but make sure it's nice and tight with her arms either down by her sides or slightly across her tummy. Give it 15 mins before you decide that she doesn't like it. Babies naturally have a jolt at 10 mins and 20 mins after they fall asleep and this will wake some babies up but if they are swaddled it helps them to get through it.

    Please do not worry yourself that this will go on forever..it wont and the first 3 weeks are the hardest. Make sure you take stuff up to bed with you like snacks and drinks to keep you going throughout the night.

    If she settles when fed try feeding her lying down in bed. Get rid of the duvet and put a dressing gown on, lie down and feed. You can get hubby to stay awake and watch you if you're worried you'll fall asleep. I found this really helped to get through those first few nights. Even if i did fall asleep i would wake up in exactly the same position.

    Sleep during the day when she naps. There is plenty of time for visitors etc next week and everything else can wait.

    Good luck and keep going you will get there in the end...which is not too far away! xxx
  • Our lo was like this for the first 2 weeks, she is now 6 weeks and sleeps for about 4 hour stretches, heaven compared to what it was. The other ladies have given good advice so can't add much, but to say it doesn't last, it is hellish at the time and I completely sympathise having gone through it recently.
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