Ginapopcorn:
Wow... you could be describing our 3.5 mo DS at that age. His record awake time was 9 hours, with maybe three 10-min naps.
For us, things seemed to drastically improve right at the 6 week mark. Now, he cries rarely, and usually for good reason (like when I clipped more than a fingernail, yesterday).
You don't mention how long you've been using BW methods. We got the book when our LO was 2-3 wks, and we chose to implement it
gradually. Because he was screaming and not napping, we left
independent napping for last. We started with aiming for EASY - the order of things, but not the by-the-clock
schedule. As long as he was awake sometime between 6:30-8am, we just fed him and counted that as awake time for the day. We'd feed him
about every 3 hours, but if he was awake and fussy earlier, he ate earlier. If he was short on sleep and it was "time to eat", we'd give him 10-15 min... and he usually woke up when he was hungry. We'd play with him for a bit, or let him play on his own, then put him to sleep however we could. Once he started napping consistently, THEN we started working on falling asleep independently. We first wanted him to learn that "after you eat and play, you fall asleep for a while".
If your ped says everything seems normal, here are a few things to try:
:
position him on his left side for sleep - if gas is part of the problem, the left side seems to help
:
try bicycling his legs a few times a day, maybe as part of winddown
:
if you aren't swaddling, definitely try it! If you can get hold of a copy of "Happiest Baby On the Block", it has a good description of how to swaddle securely
:
try variations on pat/shh - our DS hated that, but I discovered (during a mutual meltdown) that he likes having his head stroked (like petting a cat) and "shhh, it's okay, close your eyes, relax, go to sleep" repeated (sorta sing-song) at one notch above his current volume, getting quieter as he gets quieter. Find what works.
:
if you aren't using a pacifier, you might want to start
: if his cord has fallen off,
try taking a warm bath with him (you will need help with this, so someone can hand him into the tub and take him when he's done) The warm water around his belly might help.
: a helpline nurse suggested using a diaper as a baby heating pad for his lower abdomen, by running some warm water into it (check the temp as you would bathwater) Or try a warm washcloth (we had a bowl of warm water, and switched cloths as they cooled)
: definitely try to give him a couple minutes
tummy-time, when possible - sometimes it helps push the gas out
I know it seems bad right now. We've definitely been there... and have the broken pacifier that we threw at the wall to prove it!
But there IS a bright side. Your LO seems to have a good sense of day from night. For us, that carried over even when he started napping well. And he sleeps well at night, which has also carried over for us... in fact, paying attention to when he conked out during those first weeks helped us set his bedtime. By pulling his legs up all the time, he'll have strong legs and abs. Basically, it WILL GET BETTER. Follow your instincts and try not to stress about making every detail exactly right. This is about calming and connecting with your baby, and getting to know what works for HIM. Good luck!