I just had DD2 this weekend, and have not slept at all since her arrival. I thought DD1 was a tough baby, but this one is worse! She wakes up and cries every time I put her down, and it seems like she doesn't sleep longer than 20-40 min stretches. Is that normal newborn behavior? I thought I remembered DD1 sleeping 2-3 hr stretches at least for the first month.
Any tips/advice on how to survive?
apricot / 386 posts
@Pumpkin Pie: are you swaddling and using the 5 Ss? If not, google happiest baby on the block. Also if you are breastfeeding I would make an appointment with a lactation consultant and keep it even if things get better. Hugs to you and I hope it gets better soon! My DD went through some rough phases before we got swaddling down and before my milk came in.
nectarine / 2433 posts
@Pumpkin Pie: I agree with @babybean404: to try a nice and tight swaddle and the five s'.
Also if you are breastfeeding see the lactation consultant to make sure she if transferring enough milk during each feeding. My DD was a very lazy nurser when we first had her so she would only drink a little milk each feed and then not sleep for very long because she would be hungry again. I would never have known this without a weighed feed.
nectarine / 2317 posts
@Pumpkin Pie: yup my DD was like this.. it took a while for my milk to come in so I think she was hungrier. Some babies seem to be extra sleepy from the beginning others... not so much.
coconut / 8472 posts
I agree with @Banana330: . If your milk hasn't come in, she's probably hungry. I had this happen at 3 days old with DS.
nectarine / 2400 posts
Also check for tongue tie...sounds like a few babies I know who were tied
persimmon / 1431 posts
My milk hasn't come in so I've been supplementing with formula since yesterday so I don't think it should be hunger.
We've been swaddling and know the 5s, but as soon as we stop she starts crying.
pear / 1767 posts
My first child was very fussy for the first 8 weeks and rarely slept. He was ultimately diagnosed with acid reflux. My second is 6 weeks and is a much calmer and sleepier newborn. It's probably hard to know at this point if it is just the baby's temperament versus something else going on but definitely look out for signs for reflux, tongue tie, etc.
honeydew / 7230 posts
My daughter was like this. I think it was partly hunger, since I had a rough delivery and it took a long time for my milk to come in (and she's a twin, so she had to share once my milk did come in), but it's also just her personality. She just has a lot of feelings - has from the moment she was born and still does at 2.5. I started using a pacifier in the hospital and it did help a little. On our last day, we started supplementing with formula and that also helped. The nursing staff suggested a really small amount for supplementing. Like 1/2 an oz, but she happily sucked down 1.5 or 2 oz in those early days. Maybe your LO just needs a little more formula to supplement until your milk is in?
persimmon / 1101 posts
I am so sorry! My DD was like this and it was really tough. I remember dreaming of having a newborn who was able to sleep for two hours between feeds. What really helped was having someone over occasionally to do "between feed" holds. So, for example, my MIL stayed over a night and I got to sleep the two hours between every feeding while she stayed up and held the baby. Because it was only a day for her, it was manageable, and a huge break for me!
squash / 13199 posts
@Pumpkin Pie: sounds normal to me. some things that help ith longer stretches if sleep in the newborn phase:
tight swaddling
bottle feeding
using a swing
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
lo was like this, I think. I held her for almost all of her naps for the first few months/she slept on the nursing pillow on my lap while i binge-watched netflix because if I tried to transfer her she would wake. At some point between 1 and 2 months it definitely started being hunger related--I had supply issues and she stopped gaining weight until we started combo-feeding. But even then I still held her for the most part, I think....
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Hang in there!! I remember with DD1 she slept on my chest most nights!
pear / 1881 posts
I would recommend looking into getting a solly wrap or other sort of wrap, if you can. It might help with her wanting to be held while you want to do something. I also hope that it gets better once your milk comes in.
pomegranate / 3127 posts
My youngest was like this. Pretty sure she was not hungry, but she'd freak out if I wasn't holding her. It took a few weeks for her to work out I'm not walking away forever when I make a dash to the bathroom. We co-slept for a while, but it was not a good experience and it does tend to turn into a bad habit... so I highly recommend napping during the day instead if your older DD is not with you. Good luck!!!
It could be something is bothering your LO though... does she seem gassy, or tend to get trapped burps? Any signs of reflux?
persimmon / 1431 posts
Ok, now I wonder if it's night/day confusion because she slept a couple hours stretches sitting the day today.
Out, maybe this crazy is all normal.
nectarine / 2433 posts
@Pumpkin Pie: how long were the long stretches during the day?? What time of day?
persimmon / 1431 posts
@mrswin: it started after the 8am feeding and she slept in stretches of 2-4 hours during the day. I feel like I only fed her a couple times during v the day, but last night it literally felt like I was freshing best every 1-1.5 hours.
nectarine / 2433 posts
@Pumpkin Pie: Yeah you might have some day/night confusion.
This site has some good info about baby sleep in general
https://www.preciouslittlesleep.com/newborn-baby-sleep-survival-guide/#
Any chance your milk came in today???
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