Help I need some sleep!!!!

[siy]

Hi I have a 13 week old boy who is a happy and contended little boy.  He has been on easy for the last week but is habits of waking in the night havent changed at all and I am desperate for some sleep.

He feed at 7, 10, 1, 3,4, 7 and has a dream feed at 11pm.  He wakes and has done for teh last 7 weeks or so at 2am and 5am.  I havent fed him at 2am for at least 6 weeks but he still wakes.  He has a feed at 5am as I have trouble going back to sleep after the 2am waking as I know he is going to wake again.  by 5am I just want to sleep so i give in and feed him, he the dozes back to sleep and I wake him at 7am for a feed.  He only takes 2oz at this dees as he is still full from his last feed.

Spent most of today crying as I havent been able to go back and sleep after the 3am the last 2 nights and I am shattered.  It doesnt feel as though the lack of sleep is ever going to get better!!!! Also worried that I could be suffering from postnatal deperession?

Any helpful tips would be gratefullly appreciated, am I losing my mind?  Didnt realsie that having a baby was going to be so hard.  I dont think ive got ppd as there are days when I dont feel like this and I do think it's all linked to tiredness.

Havent tried the wake to sleep method yet but will do tonight, any other suggestions on getting him to sleep for longer at night?

[Jane D]

Hi,

I'm sorry you are feeling so down right now, it is very hard with a new baby.  My ds didn't sleep well for a long time and only started sleeping through the night (not every night still) from about 10 months or so.

What is his daytime routine like?  Maybe if you give a bit more information we can give a bit more helpful advise.

Alot of babies feed through the night until around 6 months old.  If you are sure he is not waking for hunger and its a habit already then maybe you can wean him off the night feeds and the wakings will slowly become less.

How much does he eat at each of his daytime feeds and his nightime feeds?

If your worried at all about pnd then go see your doctor asap or speak to someone you feel comfortable with about it.  Don't brush it under the carpet.

Sleep will I assure you get better but for some I will admit it can take some time but you will get there, its not forever although I know that right now it feels like a horrific life sentance.

Try and get to bed early, and take naps when you can, do you have a husband or partner to help you out at night?

[Diego's Mama]

A friend had this trouble with her baby.  I betcha your baby's not feeding well during the day because he's eating so much at night.  He's got things swapped as eventually you want to be heading towards most of the foods happening during the daytime.

I would gradually cut down the number of ounces (if bottle feeding) or number of minutes (if breastfeeding) at each feed, and then work like the ens the next day to add them to daytime feeds, even if it means wiggling in extra daytime feeds where he normally doesn't take them.

If I've totally missed on this guess, then my next guess is that baby's using you as a pacifier and needs the breast to fall asleep. Each time he wakes he's looking for pacification.  Babies have an intense need to suck for a long time, perhaps try a pacifier?  Any signs that he'll be using his thumb or fingers to suck on any time soon?

Do you swaddle?
Do you have any reason to think reflux could be an issue?  Is your baby crying a lot during these wakings where only nursing will calm him?

I'll check back.