2 Week Old Was Sleeping Good Now He's Not

If you haven't tried swaddling, you must learn how. I would not have made it through those early months without it. I fought it a little b/c it seemed "mean", but my daughter slept longer when she was bundled up.

I hate to say it, but what you are describing sounds pretty normal for a newborn. Trust me, it gets better. I have a 4 month old who has FINALLY slept through the night the last two nights (11pm-6am) and I feel like a new woman. Be patient, sleep when you can, and it will come!!!

I also *HIGHLY* recommend an infant swing. I have 2 babies, 1 almost 2 & one almost 3 mo. Both LOVE the swing! We use it more than a crib/bassinet when they're young! They love the motion. I usually turn it on when I put them down and then turn it off a little while later. In a couple months we'll do the whole cry it out thing, but until then, the swing is magical! Best baby invention ever (now if only they plugged in so that I didn't have to constantly charge 2 sets of batteries, but it's worth it!)!

Do you think he could have some 'colic'? Its meant to start around that time I think. Make sure you are properly burping him after each breast /bottle feed. It may seem obvious to some, but I never realised quite how difficult it was for my son to get the burps out - it took someone sitting there and pattying him / rubbing his back gently for ages to show me that he really did need to burp after each and every feed. At first I just thought after one or two attempts that he didn't need to, so would give it a rest, then wondered why he was so upset and unable to sleep for long. LOL. Its such a learning process.

For breast feeding - If the burping thing isn't it, try looking at your diet for potential allergens. Cutting back on the main culprits may help, but better to do it under someone's guidance - even your pediatrician may be able to offer some advice on that. Wheat and milk were the ones for us - especially milk. My son (3 yrs now) still can't tolerate much milk, so it was no wonder that he couldn't tolerate it even when it came through my system. Things did improve a bit when I cut them both out.

Milk is mainly a collection of white blood cells. So, its like they are drinking everything that's in your blood stream. And, everything that you eat or drink goes straight in there. If he's on the bottle, that could be another problem - could be having more trouble digesting it, or have an intolerance.

Good luck, rest as much as you can during the day when the baby rests. If you are relaxed and rested, the baby is more likely to be the same - take it from someone who resisted that for way too long and eventually paid the price. Its not worth trying to keep up with things and still do everything you used to do without sleep. Enjoy that baby, the amazing baby days go by far too quickly.

Hugs,
Ax

Mine was more comfortable sleeping in the car seat than anywhere else. But remember he's a newborn they change their sleeping patterns often. It sounds like you may have gotten a little spoiled during the first few weeks. Babies are still transitioning to a new world at this age and he's trying to adjust to being outside of the womb. He could be hungry and need the extra feedings to keep up with his growing body. Follow his lead and things will become a pattern he just may need some tme.

Babies often have this as they're transitioning to life outside the womb. Sometimes drugs they receive during labor can make them sleepier than normal for a while after they're born, so he may be now starting to get alert. Even without drugs, babies usually sleep a lot during those first few days and weeks, and gradually start having longer wake times.

Someone below suggested having the baby sleep in a car seat, but I would *strongly* urge you not to do that -- a recent study has shown that that increases the risk of infant death.

Prayer and earplugs! j/k about the earplugs. I feel your pain b/c I don’t think my daughter slept more than two hours at a time for the first two years of her life! When she was little it didn’t matter if it was the heat of summer, she loved to be swaddled as tight as possible. I also got one of those wedges to go around her which seemed to give us a little longer in-between waking. I think it made her feel as if someone’s arms were still around her holding her. Try a pacifier and play some white noise or low music so he can’t hear what’s going on outside of his room. Don’t wake him to change him. I’m a firm believer in that old saying “never wake a sleeping baby” especially when you’re sleep deprived. Unless of course it’s in the middle of the day and you are trying to prevent them from napping. If he is still a little groggy and seems like he will fall back asleep quickly, just wait to change him until the next time he wakes. I noticed with my daughter that the majority of the time if I changed her it seemed to wake her up more in the middle of the night and it took us longer to go back to sleep. Get a nightlight so you don’t have to turn the lights on in the bedroom and put a bottle warmer in the bedroom so you are ready to feed. You want to try to keep it as calm and quiet as possible. The longer they fuss or cry or the more you do the more alert they will become and it will just make it harder to get them back to a sound sleep. These are just a few little things that gave us a little bit longer to sleep. I hope some of these little tricks work for you. Good luck! Oh and even if it’s in the evening or the middle of the day…but whenever possible, take a nap when he naps, the housework and errands will still be there when you wake up, your sanity is more important right now :)

this is normal, but he also may not be getting enough to eat try upping his formula/breast milk

Not much to share other than this is "normal" for them. They can get off schedule from time to time and he will get back on. At this age if he's hungry in the middle of the night, feed him... give him what he needs. I would just keep it dark and quiet... while you get him back down. Hang in there - and welcome to the world of sleep deprivation : )

Are you breast feeding? If you are, watch what you are eating, especially anything with caffeine or high sugar content. Something similar happened with my first daughter. She was sleeping great and then suddenly she would only sleep about 30 -45 minutes before she would be wide awake. Around the same time, someone had given me these absolute delicious chocolate cookies. I was snacking on these left and right. When I realized that they were loaded with sugar and caffeine, I stopped eating them. Regular sleep pattern returned. The swaddling trick works great. There is something about them being nice and snug in a blanket that really helps them to sleep. We also did the car seat trick. Wrap in a blanket and place them in a car seat sitting on the floor or in their baby bed.

Good Luck - I know you need some sleep.

I would suggest the Snuggle Me Cushion. Its really good, as I have on in my daycare for little ones. The run for about 63.00, let me know if you want more information on them. :)

A.,
Make sure that you are feeding him 8 times in 24 hrs 6 in the day time so that he is getting all the calories he needs, then he will sleep longer at night. That is feeding him about every 2 1/2 -3 hrs.
So if he goes to bed when you do, say like 11pm, and you do every three hrs, the first feeding would be @ 3am or when he wakes you up. then you can either let him wake up again or get him up and feed him three hours later like at 6am, then 9am, 12pm, 3am, 6pm, 9am, and then 11pm, go to bed and wait till he wakes you up. If it is before 2 1/2 hrs try to pacify him until its been at least that, then start over the next day with. In the DAY TIME, If it has been 2 1/2 -3 hrs, wake him up and feed him. But AT NIGHT, let him wake you up, and make sure you feed him right before you go to bed, That way you will get to sleep during his longest stretch. You can adjust the 2 1/2 -3 hrs to when ever he wakes up in the morning. Just try to get those eight feedings in. Every time after you feed him in the day keep him awake for a few mins like 10 or 15 and then lay him down for a nap when his eyes wont look at you anymore or he starts to get fussy. He might whine or cry a little but he will fall asleep shortly. he should be getting 16-20 hours of sleep in 24 hrs. I know it seams counter productive, but the more regular sleep he gets in the day the more he will sleep at night. he should sleep 1-2 hrs in between each feeding in the day. These are my tricks and usually by three months they are sleeping 8-10 hrs at night and taking four naps a day. if you need more info, or have questions just send me a message.
Good luck
E.

my lil one loved the swing when she wouldnt sleep. it played soft music and rocked her back to sleep. and if she didnt go back to sleep she was quite and watched the toys on the swing. or a bouncy seat. hope it helps. good luck. if he is quite just let him lay in his bed and you sleep he will be ok.