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Blue Nights
Oh, lordy, am I tired! Peter has been awake since 4:30 this morning - and his dad and I have been awake as well!
We still don't have anything like a routine but I thought we had managed to work out the difference between day and night, marked by an evening ritual. At about 9 he has his bath, is put in a clean nappy and sleep suit, has a final feed, a story, the other breast if he wants it, and then gets put down. He is usually either asleep or so sleepy that he will drift off soon after he goes in his crib and will then sleep for 3.5 to 4 hours. He feeds again at 2:00/2:30 and then goes down for another 3 hours or so when he wakes me for his morning feed and we start the day. (He will often fuss long enough for me to have a shower before he gets really upset at this point. My husband will often cuddle him if he seems particularly upset, which calms him down long enough for me to get ready to feed him.)
Well, last night he woke at 2, fed, had a nappy change, fed again and went down by 2:30 - the most efficient he has been for several days (normally this feed takes about an hour). I was thrilled but of course it was too good to be true. He was awake again at 4:30, fed for 15 minutes, burped, was put back down - and started crying! And that was it. He spent the next 2 hours fussing or crying or being held by one of us - quiet but completely awake. As soon as we put him down in his crib he started wailing again. He burped, threw up, farted, was changed again - nothing helped. He fed again at 6 and at 6:40, then my husband took him while I had a bath. He fell asleep on my husband and stayed asleep when I took him again at 8 until I got him up at 8:30 in preparation for the hv. He did the most enormous stool - just as I took his nappy off so it went everywhere (sorry, tmi :roll
. Got him cleaned up, fed him, got myself dressed and fed him again! by which time the hv arrived. He fed most of the time she was here then fell asleep - until I put him down to get him dressed, at which point he started wailing again. His dad now has him while I have a bite to eat and five minutes to myself. Thank heavens for the university vacations, which means my husband is home for the rest of the week.
Hopefully, hopefully he will fall asleep properly at some point today so that we can get naps. I am so tired and was in tears, desperate to get him to settle, for so much of last night. This is the second time this has happened in the last five days, as well! The hv's not very helpful comment was that this is part of his six-week growth spurt. Whatever it is, I hope we don't have many more nights like this in the near future as it really is exhausting.![:\](https://forum.madeformums.com/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
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Sorry for the epic. No need to reply. I really just needed to get this off my chest. I am happy to be doing baby-led feeding, but oh, goodness, I could use a routine - and sleeping through the night would be heaven!
We still don't have anything like a routine but I thought we had managed to work out the difference between day and night, marked by an evening ritual. At about 9 he has his bath, is put in a clean nappy and sleep suit, has a final feed, a story, the other breast if he wants it, and then gets put down. He is usually either asleep or so sleepy that he will drift off soon after he goes in his crib and will then sleep for 3.5 to 4 hours. He feeds again at 2:00/2:30 and then goes down for another 3 hours or so when he wakes me for his morning feed and we start the day. (He will often fuss long enough for me to have a shower before he gets really upset at this point. My husband will often cuddle him if he seems particularly upset, which calms him down long enough for me to get ready to feed him.)
Well, last night he woke at 2, fed, had a nappy change, fed again and went down by 2:30 - the most efficient he has been for several days (normally this feed takes about an hour). I was thrilled but of course it was too good to be true. He was awake again at 4:30, fed for 15 minutes, burped, was put back down - and started crying! And that was it. He spent the next 2 hours fussing or crying or being held by one of us - quiet but completely awake. As soon as we put him down in his crib he started wailing again. He burped, threw up, farted, was changed again - nothing helped. He fed again at 6 and at 6:40, then my husband took him while I had a bath. He fell asleep on my husband and stayed asleep when I took him again at 8 until I got him up at 8:30 in preparation for the hv. He did the most enormous stool - just as I took his nappy off so it went everywhere (sorry, tmi :roll
. Got him cleaned up, fed him, got myself dressed and fed him again! by which time the hv arrived. He fed most of the time she was here then fell asleep - until I put him down to get him dressed, at which point he started wailing again. His dad now has him while I have a bite to eat and five minutes to myself. Thank heavens for the university vacations, which means my husband is home for the rest of the week.Hopefully, hopefully he will fall asleep properly at some point today so that we can get naps. I am so tired and was in tears, desperate to get him to settle, for so much of last night. This is the second time this has happened in the last five days, as well! The hv's not very helpful comment was that this is part of his six-week growth spurt. Whatever it is, I hope we don't have many more nights like this in the near future as it really is exhausting.
(Sorry for the epic. No need to reply. I really just needed to get this off my chest. I am happy to be doing baby-led feeding, but oh, goodness, I could use a routine - and sleeping through the night would be heaven!
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Replies
Lxxx
Loz, I'm sure you aren't doing anything wrong. Babies this young just get confused between night and day - and sometimes they don't sleep. They should grow out of it - soon, I hope!
The swaddling blanket used to work wonderfully for Erin but now she hates having her arms restricted and just battles against it..so we dropped that idea.
She also doesnt like laying on her back and will go straight off to sleep on her side..but with all the stuff about cot death i worry terribly but HV says its ok and to be honest when my other daughters were babies (now 11 & 13) we were told to lay on their sides not back for the same reasons now, so wen she wont settle i do pop her on her side with a blanket rolled up to stop her rolling on her front and this then gives me a lil bit of sleep!
But we hit 6 weeks tomo and ive heard that they should start to settle into a routine soon (cant eemember from last time round) so fingers crossed!!
Sorry to go on. I am just so far beyond tired that it isn't funny. Thank goodness my husband will be home soon so I can hand Peter over and hopefully get some rest!
(Mari, we do swaddle him at night which does help. He isn't usually like this. Hopefully it is just the antibiotics I was taking for mastitis. I finished the course yesterday so hopefully we will be back to something more 'normal' soon. I hope so as I really can't take much more of this...)
Just to say you're not alone. At 5am last night i had dragged my duvet and pillow out onto the landing and was in tears trying to sleep out there as our little man is the loudest sleeper in the world-he grunts and moans ALL night long. I was so tired i couldn't see straight. I know it's a different problem but thought i'd share my blue night with you!
xx
Just to say you're not alone. At 5am last night i had dragged my duvet and pillow out onto the landing and was in tears trying to sleep out there as our little man is the loudest sleeper in the world-he grunts and moans ALL night long. I was so tired i couldn't see straight. I know it's a different problem but thought i'd share my blue night with you!
xx
Mari
Pixiebob, I know what you mean about noise. Peter sounds like a little grampus most nights but I think that he has caught my cold. At least, he has been sounding like an adult grampus with a stuffy nose for the last few nights. Sorry to hear that you have been driven to tears. I hope it gets better for you soon.
Mari, wow, you have your hands full! I am in awe. Hope you are getting enough to eat. We really do have to try to look after ourselves as well as our babies. I hope, as you say, that our los start to settle soon and allow us a chance to get our strength back!
Just a suggestion!
Cas