MY BABY NEVER SLEEPS HELP!?

Question

My baby is 2 months and 1 week old. Since she was born she has always been very hard to put to sleep. It used to be, she would only sleep when she was being held. After about 1 month she started having some good nights where she would sleep for about 4-6 hours then wake up to eat and go back to sleep for another 2-4 hours. We were excited and thought that she was beginning to start on a "normal" schedule. This past week it seems like something changed overnight. She will not sleep at all. She dozes off while I am nursing her, and I carefully put her in her bassinet and she stays asleep as I set her in. I watch her for a few minutes and she stays asleep fine but then about 20-30 minutes later she wakes up crying and is wide awake again. We have found that she will sleep for 1-2 hours at a time in her swing and sometimes that won't even work. The only sure way to keep her calm is to nurse her constantly which makes it impossible for me to get any sleep (plus I am trying to go back to work). I know she's getting enough milk cause she's gaining weight and having regular poopy diapers, etc.

Is this colic? She doesn't cry inconsolably (which is what I thought colic was).

Any advice??

Answer 1

I've got a 10 week old.  He won't sleep well unless being held.  We sleep with him at night.  He is swaddled.  He resists the swaddling a bit, but we just make sure its tight, and then I immediately nurse him laying down (it took him a while to learn to nurse lying down. Prior to that he would fall asleep nursing while I sat up and then 8 out of 10 times he would wake-up when I tried to lay him down).  Nursing lying down is the best thing that happened to me since iced coffee.  Seriously.   During the day I am driven crazy by the fact that he won't sleep unless I am right there with him.  I tried a swing, but that only buys me about 20 minutes (not worth the amount of space the swing takes-up in my apartment).  Feel good that the swing sometimes buys you an hour!  I use a bouncy chair with a vibrate function AND a heating pad.  The heating pad seems to fool him into thinking I am still with him, and I get sometime 45 minutes of baby free time maybe 3 or 4 times a day.  If I am doing light housework (basically anything that doesn't require bending over a lot) I wear him in a sling or the bjorn and he sleeps happily in there.  Are you sleeping with the baby at night?  That gives us 7 hour stretches of uninterrupted sleep.  As for the pacifier:  Ours won't really take it either.  Try switching the type you are trying to use (that works for many babies), and, instead of trying to hold it in her mouth, try gently pulling on it while she is sucking.  For some reason this motivates them to concentrate on holding in more.  Good Luck - I share your hopes for a day when I can lay the little guy down for a real 'nap' and get some of my own work done.

Answer 2

I had massive problems with getting my 3 month old son to sleep.  He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again!  Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!

It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting Paul into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!

Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.

Good luck!

If you want to take a look, the audio program is at http://www.babysleepsolution.com

Answer 3

I bet you're exhausted!  Have you spoken with a doctor about it?  Is she otherwise happy/healthy?

Some babies need motion to sleep (ie the swing).  Maybe she doesn't like sleeping on a flat surface.  Our son was a terrible sleeper! (although, I think your little girl has him beat!).  He had reflux, and did NOT want to sleep flat on his back.  Like your little girl, he hated being swaddled and refused to take his pacifier.  He only wanted to sleep with me holding him on my shoulder, sitting in bed, flat up against the wall.  Here's something that really helped his sleeping a lot.  And provided your little one is just dealing with normal baby sleep issues, it might be worth a try for you to get some rest also:

We got him an amby bed, and it was wonderful!  He slept in it until he was a year old (so you really get your money's worth).  It's a cozy, safe (SIDS proof), hammock.  The hammock hangs from a spring on a stand (and you can adjust the incline to sleep the baby at an angle if needed), it cradles the baby, and moves when they move.  It's also portable.  You can go to www.ambybaby.com, read about it and watch the video.  It was our life-saver for sure.  I

I hope you're able to get some rest soon!!!

Answer 4

Since you are nursing, she is probably going through her growth spurt.  She will want to nurse constantly.  It's ok in a couple of weeks she will have increased your milk supply and settle back down.  I know it is frustrating but don't give up.

Answer 5

Have you tried swaddling her? It really helps the ones that like to be held...look on youtube under SWADDLE for really good instructions...it is safe and most nurses and midwives reccomend it too....

Answer 6

colic is the build up of wind, are you making sure she has regular burps after every feed?  I add a little gripe water to every bottle to help her bring wind up. If you are breast feeding it can be given on its own off a spoon.

I found with my baby sometimes to let her cry in her crib and it wears her out a bit. It sounds cruel but its best to let them try and fall asleep on their own, this will make it easier when she gets older.

Answer 7

I have a four month old and had the same problem. Although I didnt nurse, I would reccomend maybe try very VERY thin baby cereal. She might be eating enough, but it just isnt thick enough to make her comfortable. you could try with a spoon, but it is messy. mix it to the consistency of runny oatmeal. I was told by my doctor to put a spoonful in his 6oz bottles. It helped him sleep through the night for the first time at almost 3 months.

Otherwise try rocking her with soft music playing in the background and leave it playing after you lay her down.

Another thing that could work is a heart beat bear. you can buy them at babie's r us or store along that lines. it sounds like the mothers heart beat. it soothes semi colicy babies.

If it doesnt get better, contact your doctor. All baby's are different. She might have colic.

Just relax and good luck. I hope it get better.  

Answer 8

Hi,

I think the most important thing to start with is to get your baby into a good sleep routine.  I had massive problems with getting my 4 month old son to sleep.  He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again!  Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!

It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting James into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!

Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.

Good luck!