Questions about sleeping

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-29-2003
Questions about sleeping
4
Sun, 04-04-2004 - 6:45pm
Hi Everyone!

I have a 7 week old son and I have some sleeping questions. I have absolutely no child-rearing experience, so any advice is great. I have read every book I can get my hands on, but I think that real life advice seems to help a little more sometimes.

My son will take a little nap in the morning (2 hours or less) and then a longer nap in the afternoon (usually from 2-5). He then starts to get tired again around 8, so I feed him (breastfeeding exclusively) and he'll go to sleep after that. I have to use a nipple shield, so it takes him about an hour to eat. He will sleep from around 9 until midnight and then he wakes up (he sometimes sleeps a little longer, but not much). Once he's eaten and fallen asleep, I put him back in his amby bed and he will only sleep for a short time. I'll rock him back to sleep and the same thing will happen. If I hold him, he'll continue sleeping. I'm afraid that if I keep holding him to sleep at night that he'll decide this is the way it should always be. He sleeps fine during his other naps, but the early morning hours seem to be his awake time.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I should try to get him to sleep better at night? I try to keep him busy during the day, but when he's really tired, he falls asleep. What are normal nap times during the day for a baby this small?

He once slept from 9 until 3 in the morning about a week ago and it was fantastic! I don't mind 3 in the morning when I've had 6 hours of sleep in a row! I tried to do exactly the same thing the next day and it didn't work.

Anyway, if I just have to be patient and wait until he's bigger, I understand. I just want any advice you guys might want to share. Thanks so much!

Sarah & Garrett (2/13/04, 10 days early due to preeclampsia)

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-30-2003
Sun, 04-04-2004 - 10:44pm
It usually takes until about 3 months or so before they get anything resembling a "schedule". There are a few different things you can try to influance your baby's sleepy states. Just so you know, there is NOTHING wrong with holding your baby to sleep. Beleive me, even if he LOVES it now, I garentee you that he will not be 20 yrs old, and need you to hold him to sleep. Even if it develops into a "habit", you can always switch things around when he's older, and understands more. For example, I would hold my babies all I wanted while they fell asleep, then around 12-18 mos, I would lie them down and pat their back to sleep, or snuggle up on the bed with them. Then I would change it a litte more each time. Now, my youngest is 2, and I tell her to go lie down on her bed and "go night-night", and she will. I have done it this way for all three of my babies, and it turned out great for us. I am really big on reassuring my babies (with all the love and comfort they can stand) that I'm there all they want me while they are tiny. A baby who feels secure, will grow up more confidant in all of his abilities and surroundings. By holding your baby when he needs you, you are literally fulfilling one of his biological NEEDS, it is JUST as important as food for him to eat.

Some of my favorite books you might want to check out, are Nighttime Parenting, The Baby Book, and anything else written by Dr. Sears. He is a WONDERFUL pediatrician who promotes the importances of fufilling baby's emotional needs along with physical needs. He is very qualified in his field.

Ok, for the tips (which Nighttime parenting goes over with much variety): Give your baby a bath at the same time right before bedtime. For SOME babies, they get stimulated by taking a bath, so then try giving him a bath in the AM instead. Most babies get pretty tuckered out after a bath though. Just stay consistant with the routine (and time). Then, if you can rock your baby and nurse him to sleep in a quiet, dimly lit room with very little stimulation. For some reason, my "colicy" baby loved watching a single candle flicker in a dark room. I guess it was just enough activity to distract her from crying, but not too much to keep her awake. Also, there is really something to be said about swaddling a baby TIGHTLY. You make sure all limbs are tucked in and the blanket wrapped around tightly, that way flinching limbs (startle reflex)don't startle your baby awake. My all time favorite "trick" to get my baby back to sleep at night though, was to keep a tiny nightlight on so you don't have to turn any lights on, and I would take my baby to bed with me after he/she woke up. This keeps the activity level low, and I still "felt" like I was sleeping because I was not active. Most of the time, my baby would fall right asleep with me in bed.

GL!

Angie

ps I would be careful about trying to "keep" your baby awake at certain times of the day. Sometimes if you push it too long, it just makes things worse. The baby might get SO frusterated, and so tired, he CAN'T sleep when the time comes. If you try pushing sleep times just a little at a time, you might have better luck. Your best bet, would be to try to get his first nap in as early as you can, so will pan out the rest of his naps better.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-17-2003
Sun, 04-04-2004 - 11:02pm
I didn't have my daughter on a sleeping schedule at this age and it didn't affect her napping and sleeping schedule that she has now. She will 2 yrs old in 8 days. Depending on how the day went she would sometimes sleep longer hours sometimes not. Sometimes she would lay down right away and othertimes I would rock her half the night or all night. I kinda just went with the flow and let her lead me on what she needed. Now at almost 2 she sleeps thru the night, goes to bed with no complaints, and naps 2 hours each day with no problems. I don't think I would worry too much about a schedule. I don't think you could rock a baby too much. Good luck and Congrats!!

Trish :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2003
Mon, 04-05-2004 - 3:31am
I have a dd who is just 10 months now.

In the begining, we were up every 2 hours to feed her. I had preeclampsia as well, but was within normal birth weight. She didn't breast feed... she refused from the time she came out. We went weeks trying with the nurse at our house, and then the nipple sheilds, and finally I pumped for 8.5 months. She slept pretty well. I can't beleive how hard it is to remember her schedule!!!! It seems like yesturday, but I can't fully remember!!!!

She slept pretty well at night, and in the day, she LOVED her swing, she would watch me fold laundry, or look at the baby video (she loved our wedding video and her birth video and Baby Einstein), and eventualy nap. When she was in a deep sleep, I would turn off the swing. Sometimes it would wake her up, and others not. She 1st slept in her crib around 5 months I think. We had a play pen set up next to my side of the bed. Now she is in a steady schedule. She goes to bed at 9:30pm, wakes up around 8:30am, changes diaper, feeds in mom'bed, and snoozes with mom until around 10:30 ish am.

Hang in there.

It will even out.

Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-29-2003
Mon, 04-05-2004 - 10:53am
Thanks for all the great advice.... it sounds like I'm doing ok!!