Is your newborn awake often?

MrsPP84 · Sep 13, 2010 6:49AM

Hi Girls

Sorry to g/c from Sept but with JJ arrivin mid-august, there are more similar aged babies in here to compare to at the moment!

Jackson is 3 weeks old on monday and just sleeps allllllllllllllll the time. I know I shouldn't complain but when he is awake he is rooting, he just doesn't seem to want to be awake and relaxed, doing nothing.

Is this normal? Am I reading too much into it? It would just be lovely for him to have his eyes open without then shaking his wee head from side to side rooting for a nipple. I end up giving him a dummy, esp if he has just had a mammouth feed.

Being a mum is so hard - never know if i'm doing anything right.

xxx

MrsGiggles1983 · Sep 4, 2010 2:16PM

Both of mine have spent most of there first weeks sleeping.
Noah is spending a little bit longer awake each week, he enjoys being on his mat/gym for the time he is awake.

faithie · Sep 4, 2010 3:57PM

Jason was exactly the same but is nearly 5 weeks old and now enjoys being awake a bit more. He loves being chatted too and copies my facial expressions - so funny!

MrsPP84 · Sep 4, 2010 4:37PM

oh good - i was beginning to think i'd ruined him or something!
He's still under his birth weight, even now at 3 weeks due to jaundice and dehydration from 4 days old - so he was always very sleepy because of that.

Its just that when he is awake now, he's rooting and I didn't know if it was normal for a newborn to just sleep, wake to eat, eat, then go back to sleep again!

xxx

MummyLintern2Be · Sep 4, 2010 4:48PM

Jacob is 3 weeks and rarely sleeps however all the time he is awake he is rooting , so much so i have ended up feeding for 2 - 3 hrs at a time with no break - wish i had the sleeping bit lol but i am sure its normal for them to only wake to feed all the time jacob isd awake (about 15 hrs a day lol ) he wants to feed xx

Broodypants · Sep 4, 2010 4:49PM

G/C but just wanted to say it's very normal for an early baby to sleep all the time Mrs PP so don't worry at all! He'll soon start being more alert when he gets bigger. How is the feeding going now hon? xx

MrsB27 · Sep 4, 2010 5:19PM

Hi Hon,
Katherine is the same... she sleeps a lot! she maybe has an hour / 90 mins max each day where she is awake and not feeding but that is broken up over the day!

Minnie76 · Sep 4, 2010 7:46PM

Millie is just like Jacob mummylintern2be, I thought newborns were meant to sleep a lot and she rarely does but when she's awake she is very rarely contented, she always want to feed. My HV said I should let her cry in her crib a bit more as after one hour of feeding, they only stay on for comfort so I should take her off the breast and try to get her to sleep.

Easier said than dome lol!!!

MummyLintern2Be · Sep 5, 2010 10:46AM

minnie128 i was told the same thing and i just cant do it ............ i tried and it was heartbreaking , he got so upset he was was sicking up ....

i am so fed up of it all now i have given him a bottle today but that still does not work ! he has the bottle but wont go to sleep ..... he never really seems happy unless he is attached to my breast ........ so end up feeling down all the time if i am not giving him what he wants and down if i am as it means i am stuck on the sofa and end up sore and tired

are you feeling the same ? i really dont know what to do for the best now

MrsPP84 · Sep 5, 2010 12:54PM

thanks girls....Always good to know you're not alone.

MrsB27 - JJ is not even clocking that amount of time - i'd say 45mins max.

The worst of it is other people and their opinions....we went to the inlaws today quickly and JJ was sleeping (he'd been awake as we put him in the car but obv the car dozed him off). So when we got there we got the usual comments of "Oh he's asleep AGAIN". Then when they asked when he would wake, I said he'd wake to feed then sleep again and their reaction made me feel s*&t,,,,,like it was wrong for him to sleep so much

(

Broodypants....his feeding is perking up - he's breastfed (another thing inlaws seem to thing is wrong, every time i've seen them they've asked about formula cos of his weight loss). He feeds well but often.

The HV is here tmw, will find out if he's put anymore weight on as he's 21days old tme and still below his birth weight bless him.

MummyL - i've come so so so close to packing BFin in and giving him formula...If he just wants comfort have you tried giving him a dummy? Its the only way I can get JJ to relax off the breast for a bit....

xxx

MrsB27 · Sep 5, 2010 3:20PM

mmmm my parents and in laws keep saying things like " we hardly ever see her with her eyes open" or " ooh send us a photo of her with her eyes open we don't know what she really looks like yet" GRRRRRRR

Katie's alertness is very recent, might it be that he needs more sleep because he was quite early? ask your HV!!

Minnie76 · Sep 5, 2010 11:02PM

MummyLintern, I know how you feel hun I find it so hard to let her cry it's heartbreaking! Could your oh put your lo back to bed? They are meant to be able to smell the milk on us which makes it harder to put them down as they realise they are getting "separated" from us. I've expressed milk and hubby has given it to her then after a while he puts her down. Jacob just like Millie needs to learn to fall asleep by himself. It's apparently a skill newborn haven't got. I have let her cry when I thought she might sleep but I picked her up every time she is getting upset. Don't be harsh with yourself it is so difficult when you are tired and feel like you are feeding 24/7! Something else I've tried is to keep my hand on her tummy for a couple of minutes when I put her to sleep as they like feeling close to you. It helps Millie fall asleep and relax (sometimes

it may take time but we will get there hun! xxx

faithie · Sep 6, 2010 4:43PM

Have you tried giving them a dummy? I know some people don't like giving them to thier babies but I have to stop Jason from bf because he was exhausting himself trying to get something from me and then taking his top up bottle because he was tired and not didn't put any weight on. He really missed the comfort of suckling though and when I gave him a dummy to go to bed with his eyes literally rolled back in his head in pleasure and he fell asleep sucking like Maggy Simpson! So sweet!

MummyLintern2Be · Sep 6, 2010 6:09PM

We have finally got him on a dummy yaaay and it's easier . Still won't sleep anywhere other than on me so going to try the hand on tummy tonight see if I can get him in his crib

MrsPP84 · Sep 7, 2010 6:06AM

pleased he's finally taken to a dummy mummyL. Jackson won't settle at night unless he's on me or next to me. I don't want to go down the co-sleeping route but its either that or he gets put in his moses only for him to stir 2mins later and grumble.

xx

MrsB27 · Sep 7, 2010 4:02PM

ha ha ha... Katherine was doing so well with the whole sleeping thing, but now she wants to be on one of us having cuddles and then she sleeps beautifully - agh... so knackering at night!!
she is being awake more often though, which is nice!

MrsPP84 · Sep 8, 2010 12:15AM

Katie's best bud JJ is exactly the same mrsb27! will only sleep on me at the mo and is gettin more alery! already been getting the warnings of how i'm enforcing bad habits! *rolls eyes*

MrsB27 · Sep 8, 2010 2:25PM

well i was brave today and went and got my roots done so she spent 2.5 hours with Granny whilst i was at the hairdresser!
aagghh can't beleive i left her and coped.... i felt sad that she might wake and miss me and be sad... and then i realised that her granny would make up for it with 10 times the cuddles and kisses she would normally get!!
i was right... got home and granny said "ooh i didn't need her basket i just cuddled her all the time... so guess what i have had to spend the afternoon weaning her off cuddles!
sad though cos i eventually got her to sleep in her basket (3 hours of tears and being picked up!) and daddy is home... he has kindly said he would wait for her to wake for a feed and do that and have a cuddle at the same time....
night times are just so hard she willllll not go down!

MummyLintern2Be · Sep 8, 2010 5:21PM

i know the feeling i have to let jacob fall asleep on me in the evening and transfer him to his crib but after his 3 am feed he takes ages to get to sleep and we always fall asleep cuddling ... worry that its not good for him but he always looks so peaceful and content when i wake up - i dont sleep well tho and think i am going to develop a hunchback if i continue lol !! wow MrsB27 - first time you left your LO i think i may try this in the next few weeks ...

MrsPP84 · Sep 9, 2010 5:52AM

I sooooooo need my roots doing. Do you remember us talking about it MrsB on how we were planning our appts around our due dates! well i had an appt booked for this week where i would have been 39wks! d'oh. So now i have rubbish hair and no idea when i'll have chance to get it done. Going to have to express like crazy and leave JJ with daddy - perhaps next weekend! x

Pumpkin-Pie · Sep 11, 2010 2:54PM

G/C to say that all Isobel did to begin with was eat and sleep. Even now, 4 months later, she is a big sleeper and naps at least every 90 minutes. I remember worrying about it to begin with but its completely normal. Hope you're well xx

Is your newborn awake often?

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