5 Week Old with Sleep Issues

At 5 weeks, it's normal for the tail to be wagging the dog. He's too little to expect much in the way of routine and/or pattern. There will be a lot of holding, rocking and walking to sleep for a while yet. Try to sleep when the baby sleeps if you can. That's the best advice I ever got. Use a monitor so you hear him when he wakes up.

My thought is simplistic, yet I believe in it. He probably misses you all night long. Get a co-sleeper, or put him in your bed if you're sure you won't roll over on him. With my babies it just seemed easier to nurse them back to sleep while in bed, rather than getting up, which really is more disruptive to your much needed sleep, because you wake up more. He was with you 24/7 in the womb, and he still needs your energy, your smell and especially your love - not saying you don't love it, but if he feels it all night long, so much the better for you all.

Don't worry, this is very typical. The first few months are extremely draining as you muddle through your sleep-deprived days. Your days will get easier though. It's part of rite of motherhood. : )

As your son grows and develops, his sleep patterns will continue to change. The older he gets, the longer he will sleep at night. But keep in mind, if your son is breastfeeding, it is totally normal for him to wake up more frequently than a formula fed baby for feedings.

Your best bet during the "newborn days" is to sleep every time the baby sleeps. It may sound crazy, but it's the best way to make sure you're getting your much needed sleep as well as able to stay alert and coherent while baby is awake. Don't worry about the laundry or dishes. Use paper plates and frozen meals during this time. If possible, ask friends, family, etc. for help with the housework. Right now your main priority is to take care of yourself so you can take care of your newborn.

Enjoy your baby! Believe me, this time will fly by. Before you know it, your baby will be sleeping through the night and cruising around the house. Have fun and congratulations on your new baby!

At this age baby's sleeping patterns are a big off. Just be patient. I'm sure things will get easier. One thing we used which helped was a swing (one especially to fit infants).
Good luck and congratulations!

i think most babies have trouble falling asleep...right now at this age its called the 4th trimester..babies like to be on you almost all the time..i had to wear my son the 1st 3 months after he was born to get him to nap..and i would have to nurse him on a firm pillow or the bassinet mattress..then carry him on the pillow/mattress when he'd fall asleep and carefully place him into the bassinet..he'd sleep 1/2 the night in the bassinet and then wake and want to sleep with me..
i also put all these comforters behind me and built a "wall" and i would sleep upright and lay my son across my belly and have him sleep there and he would wake and nurse and go back to sleep...
i thought up every trick i could to get him to sleep and get some myself..i think the 1st 3.5 months were the toughest..
do u have that book "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child?" i highly recommend it if u don't have it already..

good luck..totally normal ..baby needs to learn how to fall asleep..they struggle at it.

xo

There probably won't be a less parent-led sleeping pattern until he's at minimum 4 months old. My best advice is to find a "parent-led" practice that you can live with (holding, wearing, rocking, swaddling, feeding, etc) and enjoy that as much as you can while it lasts. Good luck.

At 6 weeks old a sleep routine is absurd! They are still adjusting to life outside the womb let alone understanding the concept of sleep time, eating, etc... 3 hours of consecutive sleep is pretty darn good for 6 weeks! There is nothing wrong with swaddling and rocking your baby to sleep at this age. Do not let others tell you differently. Now, if your son is a year and still needs this then its a completely different story.
We are under the impression that babies should be on a schedule from the beginning but give it time. Once, he adjusts to life adjust the womb, a natural schedule for him will emerge.

Enjoy the moments of rocking him to sleep and cuddling. Before you know it you will want to rock with him and he will resist because he is a "big boy".

Good luck!

Hi R.,
I have a wonderful on-line book that I could forward to you (or anyone else who might need it) It will help you figure out what to do with your child when it comes to sleeping. It's called "Sleep Sense Program". Shoot me an email at ____@____.com and I'll get it to you.
Good luck!
M.

I recommend the baby whisperer's EASY routine. It helped us get our dd to nap/sleep regularly, although she didnt do any long stretches of sleeping (ei, through the night) until right before she was 3 months old and I had to go back to work. We also swaddled, which made a huge difference, her naps went from 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours! if you can check her book out at the library, the part about the routine is easy to read and easy to implement.

My 1st baby had a dairy allergy so we had a rough start. My 2nd is now 10 weeks & is just settling in. I would read your baby, not your books. You sound like you are doing a great job. My 2nd I now put her down awake & she falls asleep just fine. My 1st did I nursed asleep until 1 year, then after that we had to rock her to sleep. We never "sleep training". Then 3 months before her 2nd birthday she had a toddler bed & the transition went just fine without any sleep training & that was with 2 years of nursing & rocking to sleep. Every baby is different. You seem to be in tune with your baby. Unless you teach him to self sooth in some way, I would swaddle & rock him.
I was told to nurse every 3 hours. Both of my children ate every 1.5 -2 hours. You are doing the right thing. You are able to read your son & he is healthy. Don't stress about the parent led sleep pattern. Go with what works for your child & it will work out.

This is just my opinion. I wish you the best! I have 2 shelves of advice books. None seemed to support what worked for us for my 1st baby.

Its unconventional, but I used to put my new born in a swing. It put her to sleep so I could get some too. Its a habit you then have to be vigilant to break before they get too addicted to the swing, but if your desperate as I was, it served a short term purpose. Also, hang in there, most babies make some improvement at the 6 week mark, your almost there. Ohh that first 6 weeks is hard.

Your'e doing good This is your job right now, keep it up, it will change soon enough. They grow and change so fast the time is fleeting.

It's too early to have him in a routine yet. I'd wake him after 3 hours of napping to feed him during the day and try to keep him up a littlle longer during the day - he might have a little bit of day/night reversal. But he's so young that at this point you just want to make sure he is eating, sleeping, peeing and pooping.

Buy a copy of Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. This is an investment that you will never regret. I use this book as a reference for all of my sleep questions with my kids. I can't recommend it enough! Good luck, and remember that after about 6-7 weeks, things start getting better!

Are you starting a nap routine 60-90 minutes after he gets up? It sounds like your little guy is over-tired. At 6 weeks, you need to start taking charge over making sure you are helping him to nap when he needs to, because if you miss the "window," then they are overtired.

In many ways, he is too young to put himself to sleep. Most babies cannot self-sooth until they are 4 months old. It is always good to put them down awake but drowsy, but you cannot expect them to be able to put themselves to sleep without some assistance until 4-5 months, when they are developmentally able.

Yes, it's a giant time sucking void. Yes, your arms start to hurt, etc. but enjoy, soon he will be running around and want nothing to do with you!