I need some help to start getting my seven week old Spirited Baby to fall asleep on her own and be able to stay asleep for longer.
We dealt with many breastfeeding issues all along, so I was not paying enough attention to sleep issues. Those have finally resolved (see my other posts) and now I would like to work on the sleep issues.
Here is what I am dealing with:
She has been very alert from early on. It is very difficult to get her to wind down because she wants to keep playing and look around, even when she is clearly tired. When she wakes mid-nap her eyes open wide and she seems to get distracted by all of the interesting things to look at.
When she shows signs of tiredness we rock her to sleep. Soon after we put her down (asleep) for a nap, she wakes up. If she is lucky to stay asleep for an entire 40 minute sleep cycle then she wakes up and can't get into another cycle. She can fall asleep and stay asleep in the stroller, even after it has stopped moving.
It is very difficult to get her to bed at night. For weeks her "bedtime" was between 11pm and 1am! This has gotten a bit better now that we have her feeding issues resolved but it is still a struggle. After her evening feed it is almost impossible to put her down. She will sleep in our arms though. Then after her feed at 10 or 11, he is tired enough that I can get her into her swaddle and put her to bed (asleep). She will then sleep for 2-4 hours, which is her longest stretch. She will wake up at around 2am to eat and then I can put her back to bed (asleep) and she will usually wake up within two hours. She may do this one more time before getting up for the day.
She has a bit of reflux so I was advised by our Dr to keep her upright for twenty minutes after each feed. I think that this has contributed to our sleep issues because she gets used to falling asleep in my arms at night.
I am now feeding her every 3+ hours during the day. She eats and plays and then I try for a nap. She will rarely nap all the way to the next feed.
She has a strong startle response but gets VERY upset when I try to swaddle her during the day. I can get her into at night when she is asleep. She loves to suck on her hands. She refuses the pacifier. She is a very healthy weight (11 pounds 14 ounces at 7weeks and was 6 pounds 15 ounces at birth).
I want to start training her to fall asleep on her own. Do I start with bedtime, "naps" or both? ANY help will be appreciated.
I have not gotten more than a two hour stretch in seven weeks!