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6 week old baby, when does it get easier?
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Anonymous
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I know I will get flamed for this...but have you considered putting your child to sleep on their tummy? My son turned into a tummy sleeper as soon as he could roll over. My daughter became a tummy sleeper at 1 week. Basically anytime I put her to sleep on her back she woke up immediately. I know there are risks of SIDS, but it was a risk I was willing to take. Her sleep improved immensely.
I started out just doing it at naps, then when I was comfortable with that, did it for nighttime as well. |
Anonymous
| Just want to chime in on OP's concern of "dooming" her DS to sleep issues if he sleeps on them now. I laid down and nursed my DD for her naps until she was 9 mo and now, at 20 months, she naps 2 hours on her own, in her crib and 10-11 hours at night. I no longer BF and she has no trouble going to sleep. She is a great sleeper, even with my "indulgent" (thanks MIL!) ways her first year. Hang in there, OP! |
Anonymous
me too and i have twins!!!!!! it's f'ing hard! 
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Anonymous
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It's very hard at this stage, so try to get some rest. I know it sounds ridiculous to say that, but I was not good at napping, ever--whenever baby was sleeping I'd try to catch up on things, and then I got really sick around week 5 and that was a wake up call so after that I let the dishes sit unwashed, house stay untidied, phone unanswered, etc.
I would also ask the ped about reflux. DS had "silent' reflux--eg no spitting up, good weight gain etc, but there were a couple hints; he was more comfortable upright than laying down, he would nurse normally, then suddenly pull away and return to the breast frantically; he had lots of congestion (sounded chesty); fitful sleep. He was better once he started meds. Anyway, hang in there. It's really hard, but it does get easier (they feed less frequently, and they're faster, they start to sleep longer stretches, etc). |
Anonymous
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We turned a corner at 12 weeks, right as I was going to back to work (and thinking I would never be able to function). 6 months was another phase of massive improvement in terms of baby's sleeping, eating, disposition, etc.
Fast forward 8 years and I have to wake my two children some mornings to get them out of bed for school. On Saturdays, the older one fixes cereal for herself and sibling and they watch cartoons for a while, giving us the chance to sleep in. And, as a bonus, they're still sweet and love us. We'll enjoy it while it lasts....the tween years are lurking! Point being, it does get better and you will make it! Hang in there!!!! You have many good times to come. |
Anonymous
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Another plug for the Happiest Baby on the Block. But definitely get the DVD - you don't have time to read the book right now! But you can easily watch the DVD while breastfeeding, holding your baby.
Around 2-3 months things get a lot easier. |
Anonymous
| if you dont feel comfortable putting baby on its tummy to sleep, try its side. |
Anonymous
| I agree that the 3 MONTH mark was when things got easier. He slept thru the night and it was pure heaven. Hang in there and know we've all been there with you and tears have been shed, arguments have been had with spouses, and we've had moments of despair. But with that have been some beautiful moments and as your baby gets older, more interactive, more independent, you'll have more of the beautiful moments. Just hang in... |
Anonymous
| I feel your pain! I had a colicky baby too. He screamed and screamed. 6 weeks from his due date sure enough, it peaked, then gradually got better. Then around 10 weeks I noticed he hadn't cried all day. Strange. It will get better, much better! Swaddling did wonders, we had him in the halo sack with swaddle until he could flip and it got him sleeping well during the night. He did nap well in our pack in play in the bassinet that vibrates that we had set up in our family room or a swing, but like many, sometimes I just let him nap on me! Then just lots of bouncing, walking, and singing oddly enough. Good luck OP! |
Anonymous
| I am right there with you, OP. Think of me too when you are up in the middle of the night. It does get easier. This is #2 for me and with my first, these first few months are all a big blur. |
Anonymous
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Oh, no, OP, I feel your pain. As if having a colicky baby isn't bad enough, it's truly miserable to have older relatives who act like there's something wrong with you and your baby. I was lucky enough to have a mom who would reassure me and give me tips-- she held my baby in the colic hold (tummy, it's miraculous!) for hours and sang to her-- but unfortunately I live with my in laws and every time my baby was crying, they would just come and keep repeating that we should take her to the hospital. They also told me there must be something wrong with her because she wouldn't go to sleep on her own.
I'll tell you, all the crying and having to hold to sleep is a lot more manageable when you know it's normal, will pass, and isn't due to anything you're doing wrong. I did find wearing her and napping in the glider-- I was shocked I could sleep sitting up-- made things a little easier...good luck! Your baby will never remember the crying, but all the loving you're doing now will pay off with the first smiles in a few months! |
Anonymous
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I didn't read through the thread so someone else might have said this. But I thought it got easier once my daughter started acknowledging me and smiling on purpose. (around 8 weeks for us.) Before that, I felt like she was kind of an ungrateful little thing who took and took and took without giving anything back. I still loved her, but it was a little discouraging at times, giving with no positive feedback. It got more rewarding at about 8 weeks because by then, she actually seemed to like me. At 3 months, she moved out of my room and started sleeping through the night. That helped too. And at 4-8 months was that sweet spot where she was cute and fun and cuddly and I could still take her places and she'd sleep in the carrier. After that, it got harder again! (Also: toddlers can be more tiring, I think, but they are worlds more interesting - I sometimes can't believe how much I love my toddler, and I don't really remember feeling such a swell of love when she was an infant.)
If there are sleep issues, I know some babies don't like to sleep lying flat. A wedge or book under the bassinet or crib mattress will let them sleep at an incline, which helped us a lot. |
Anonymous
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definitely ask about reflux once mine went on meds for that and i cut dairy everything changed.
don't worry about ruining anything at this age - can sleep on you, wear baby whatever works |
Anonymous
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6 weeks is the WORST time, the worst. No one tells you that. Yes, it's tough at the beginning but now is much harder because the baby has "woken up" and you are tired, and the adrenaline has worn off.
It WILL get better, it really will. I have 15 week old twins and they both had silent reflux and both were miserable and not sleeping, particularly my son who needed to be rocked and held constantly. A couple things--if you can, pick up the book "Colic Solved" by Bryan Vartabedian. I know you probably don't have time to read much right now but it does give you some good tips and information and maybe you can just flip through it. The fact is, most times, colic IS reflux so you might want to talk to your Dr. My kids were put on medication and it helped immensely. And I would definitely try having the baby sleep at an angle in a bouncy chair or swing or whatever. You will not have a problem getting them to sleep in a crib later. Both of mine are now flat on their backs in the crib and they went in there cold turkey. It was fine. But really, hang in there. I remember at the 6 week mark, I thought I would lose my mind and I had a lot of support. You are not doing anything wrong but maybe trying some of these things will help. Everyone said, oh, 3 months, things will be so much better and I remember thinking, that's just not possible. Well, it is possible and things ARE much better. At around 8-10 weeks, you start to turn a corner and then by 12 weeks or so, things aren't perfect but SO much better. This is a combo of you probably being more confident and the baby having grown up and their systems developing more. Just try to take it day by day and before you know it, you will be there too. |
Anonymous
I second the FP Rock Play Sleeper. It is a great product. My DD is only 2 weeks old and so far, she is fussy only for about 2-3 hours/day. It isn't so bad, but I think a lot of that has to do with expectations. I'm on baby #3. My first had bad acid reflux and was just a difficult baby (and now, a difficult 4 year old). I felt a lot like you OP and found that 2 months old was an improvement and then by 4 months old, things were a LOT better. My second was a dream baby and now this one is kind of in between. I think what makes it hard the first time around is that you just never know what is going on. You don't know if they are getting enough food (they are as long as they are gaining weight), if they should be on a routine (don't need to worry about this until 3-4 months I think), if the sleepless nights will ever end (they do...and you will look back and wonder where the time went). Hang in there. It DOES get better and try to enjoy this time. Believe it or not, the sleeplessness is a little easier to handle than the terrible 2s/3s (IMO)! So enjoy the baby phase. I know it gets old to hear this, but it REALLY does go by fast. Just expect not to get any sleep for a while and know that you will survive it. |