Newborn sleep patterns ... confused

[migirl]

Ok, Jack is 5 weeks old today and doing great ... eating and, uh, emptying well except he just won't SLEEP!

I have no idea what I'm doing, I have no experience with babies and the only guide I have is a couple of books that I've bought. So ... for those of you who have been through this before: can I expect a newborn baby this young to be able to follow some sort of sleep schedule? Or is this just too young to be able to expect any sort of regular sleep pattern? I guess I - very naively - assumed that a baby would sleep when he's tired. Nope, uh uh. I can tell that he's tired because he yawns a lot and seems pretty cranky, but I have the hardest time getting him to sleep! He takes a couple of naps during the daytime and sleeps for 1- or 2-hour stretches at night but definitely doesn't sleep for the 12-16 hours that they say newborns need to sleep. And it sometimes takes forever to get him back to sleep once he wakes up (holding him and walking around the house seems to do the trick every time, but is very frustrating and tiring at 2:00 in the morning!! :z)

A friend of mind recommended the Weissbluth method (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) and I'm going to pick up the book from my local library today but have reservations about applying some of the cry-it-out methods on a baby so young. Has anyone had any experience with this book?

I know that he'll grow out of this eventually, but I need to sleep and would think that better sleep would be beneficial for him too.

Any ideas??

[JaneDoe]

Unfortunately, you newborn's current sleep "pattern" sounds normal to me. In my experience, which is only one newborn so far, my dd didn't start sleeping in several hour streches until at least 6 weeks. Her sleeping really improved at two months, like 9 hour streches at night. In particular, I remember taking her to the ped. for her 2-month check-up and shots. She came home that night and slept 9 hours. For some reason, that really seemed to be the turning point. I have no idea why.

It's exhausting, but it will improve. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.

[Cumberland]

We kept DD tightly swaddled for months...she wouldnt go to sleep without it. That was the key for us.

I think it is too early for cry it out. I agree that in a few weeks you should start seeing a difference and he will start sleeping for longer stretches. And...sorry....some kids sleep less than others. My kids have always been on the lower edge of those ranges.

I'm sure you have oodles of time for more reading, but I have heard good things about the No Cry sleep book. I haven't read it but have read blurbs about it and it sounds intriguing. I think Dagny (Chris) found Happiest Baby on the Block quite helpful.

Hang in there! It really is just a little to early yet and I bet he starts to "get it" soon. One thought...as soon as he starts yawning or showing that he is tired, go into a sleep routine mode. In my experience, if babies get overtired or over-stimulated when tired, they have a harder time getting to sleep and then sleeping well. Just my $0.02.

At 5 weeks it's really unlikely to get a big chunk of time -- especially if he is breastfed (it goes through them faster). I am not a proponent of the "cry it out' on a baby so young, although others have had success at it. It's a personal choice.

I assume you've tried swaddling, mine weren't big fans, but my niece LOVES it. Music, white noise - those help sometimes, too. Be sure you're not picking him up at first peep - he may be a light / fussy sleeper and just re-adjusting. If he gets to a full cry, you're pretty much stuck. Any luck with the vibrating chair or swing? I know the books say not to let them sleep in it, but the authors aren't in your house at 2AM. My youngest slept in his carseat for much of the 1st 6 months of his life. He liked the positioning, and I liked getting a bit of sleep.

My oldest slept through the night at 2 months, my youngest slept through the night last night (at 3 yrs) and it was one of a handful of times. When I complained to my pediatrician that Quinn wasn't sleeping well at 4 months, she said that I was spoiled by Jacob, and BF babies often don't sleep that much for nearly a year. Bigger chunks than you're getting, for sure, but not through the night.

Good luck (and sweet dreams - hopefully).

I think Dagny (Chris) found Happiest Baby on the Block quite helpful. .

Several people I know have liked this book a lot.

I think that's a normal sleep pattern for a newborn. From my experience and the experience of friends with children, it seemed like the 7 or 8 week point was when our babies started to sleep in longer stretches at night. Does he seem to at least know the difference between night & day?

The CIO method may work in getting him to sleep through the night...one of my close friends used it and her breastfed baby started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks...but I'm not convinced that the CIO method is in the best interest of the child rather than in the best interest of the parent. It has worked well for some families, though, so it really is a personal decision.

I read The No Cry Sleep Solution and that really helped with our nighttime sleep patterns. I won't go into great detail about the suggestions offered in the book in case you already read it, but here are a few things that we did that helped Andrew learn how to sleep through the night:


- I tracked his naps to make sure he was getting adequate sleep during the day....I think babies younger than 3 months need around 6-7 hours of sleep during the day (and about 8 1/2-10 hours of sleep at night).

- We set up a bedtime routine.

- I put him down in his crib when he was just entering la-la-land, but before he was actually asleep.

- We didn't have him on a schedule, but we did have a little routine so that he learned what he could expect next...wake up, eat, play, sleep, wake up, eat, play, sleep....


One thing I was doing that contributed to him waking up often was that I would immediately pick him up every time he let out a little cry. Some babies cry in their sleep, so whenever he started to cry, I would pat & shush him for a little while to see if he went back to sleep.

Another thing to consider, does he seem to be going through a growth spurt? DS went through one right at about 5 weeks and needed to eat every hour or two at night.

[SueC]

I hated the no cry sleep solution!
I don't think you can expect much in the way of predictability for awhile, unfortunately. I personally don't use cry it out until they are 6 or 7 months old. I think 5 weeks is way too young to not respond. My method is frowned upon by some, but my babies went back to sleep after feedings when they were close to me (AKA in my bed). If he has his days and nights mixed up you might have to spend a few days trying to keep him up a little more during the day to get him sleeping good at night. Hang in there, he'll work it out eventually. It's hard to keep at it when you aren't getting any sleep.

I remember both boys being squalling nursing cling-ons right around 6 weeks. I couldn't even make myself a sandwich because the noise was so loud when I put them down. Just put on the Bjorn and wore them all day.

[SueC]

That's pretty much how my first year went, also. Maya wanted to be held all the time so I stuck her in the Snugli and went about my business.

[Amiens]

Jack is completely normal. Reed is doing the same thing. I carry Reed around in a sling or the Baby Bjorn around the time he starts to get tired, and then I put him down. Reed is pretty predictable- eat, awake/play, sleep (ranges from a 20 min catnap to an hour during the day). A couple of days ago, I think Reed went through a growth spurt, where he was wanting to eat every 1.5 hours, and waking up on the dot every 2 hours. Yesterday and last night was better- he did 2 four hour stretches.

Things that have helped me with getting Reed to sleep- Baby Bjorn or sling, swaddling him up really tightly, and making sure the room is not cold, but nice and toasty; and nursing.

Emma is my abnormal child and did 6-8 hour stretches at 6 weeks. Brigham on the other hand- didn't do that until he was 9 months old: apparently this is quite normal; I remember when Brigham was 6 mos he finally went to waking up 2 at night instead of 4 or 5. Needless to say, I have no expectation of sleep.

I am getting not much sleep right along with you.

Hi Jane,

I think five weeks is way too young to CIO, but I'm not a big fan of that technique at any age (no disrespect to those who use it). It seems like babies like movement and to be held all the time....cause it's like the womb. I'm sure a schedule will eventually fall into place. My good friend has a seven week old and she holds her a lot - and the baby sleeps on her a lot! She spends a lot of time on the couch with the baby sleeping on her. The successful transfer to the crib/bassinet is key but hard to accomplish. A lot of people seems to like the swing. Does he sleep when you stroll him around? I used to open the shades in the morning and then close them at night to get the baby used to the whole day/night thing. We had a lot of success with the Happiest Baby on the Block...someone lent us the video. The jist of it is the 5 S's...let's see if I can remember them. Swaddle - there is a great velco Swaddle-Me blanket you can buy that works wonders. Shhhh - basically white noise. Suck - using a pacifier (which we didn't do but I know it really works for some people). I can't remember the others! It's hard to deal with an awake baby in the middle of the night. Sleep when he sleeps!

The other thing is to start a night-time routine - bath, change into PJs, rock, read, nurse in special chair, etc. You might only get a short stretch like from 9pm-2am but it's a start. I used to go to bed with the baby at 9pm. DH thought I was crazy but I needed my rest! My baby just turned one last week and now she sleeps 12 hours straight every night - so there is hope!

Good luck.
Jill

[mommax3]

Jane,

He sounds normal to me. The search for the elusive schedule will probably continue for a while, unfortunately. I agree that the 6-8 week mark should bring longer stretches of snoozing, though, and it seemed like once my babies were 10 pounds, the sleep thing started getting better. Putting them in a vibrating bouncy seat worked, too, especially for my middle child.

I only tried the cry it out method once, when my oldest was about nine months old, and I was crying by the time I opened his door, only to find that he had somehow thrown himself over the edge of his crib (the sides were all the way up and the mattress had been lowered!) and was sobbing as he crawled across the room to the door. That was it for me with that method. I know it works for people, but I couldn't bring myself to follow through with it after that first experience.

Hang in there. It WILL get better.

Sally

[Flynn]

Great thoughts so far...

I am a huge fan of CIO -- but not at 5 weeks. I think the minimum is 8 weeks but that is VERY rare. I would consult your doc on this so you aren't cutting out feedings that your baby needs where others don't.

CIO before naptime on the other hand (not at night) -- assuming you KNOW your baby is fed, dry and tired, is fine by me....but a with a baby so young, I wouldn't be able to make it much past 15 minutes. Have you tried this with a timer yet?

I think a "hopeful" thought for a "regular" sleep pattern at 5 weeks is a morning nap, mid afternoon nap, and a short evening nap -- plus being up twice a night. This is SO PAINFUL -- groan -- but it's "normal." It DOES get better.


I'm surprised that your baby doesn't fall asleep when he's tired after a feeding? That's a nasty pattern to break but it might help you understand where his "regular" naps should be. Does he sleep in the car? Stroller?

Hang in there. Do you supplement with a bottle at night? That might be a way for you to get some rest...either formula or breast milk....DH can do this once in a while for you???