is it only overtired?

[yaya]

yesteday I spent from 2pm to 11.30pm getting DD to sleep she has a lot of trouble falling asleep and we are really at a loss as to how to combat the OT. My question is because I suspect DD has reflux (going to ped 2morrow) so am wondering if all those hrs of trying to get her to sleep are due to being overtired or if thats not very realitic. sorry not well phrased, what i mean is when overtired can it really take that long for them to pass out???
i cannot figure DD out at all, she seems to be tired after 1 hr of A time but rarely have i got her to sleep eaily at this time nark, usually it takes hrs so she is then overtired or needing a feed or to be changed etc.

what kind of 'type' never falls asleep on breast, in car, in stroller or with shh/pat!??!
please help

[Maeve]

DS1 with no reflux (but spirited) was difficult to settle initially,and sometimes, as a newborn, before we had him on a routine, would be awake all day .
But the not falling asleep on boob, car stroller sounds ominously like DS2, with reflux. He cried in the stroller and had to be picked up, he cried in the car, until I stopped the car (who knows why?) and the breast just made him cry and spit up.
So, I'm not sure which, if either, your DD is, but DS1 was far easier to sort, so I hope it's not reflux. 

[Layla]

Michelle - the A time at 4 weeks is very small. 1hr is about right! Jasmine could sometimes only do 40mins & was already screaming bloody murder cause she was overtired. Honestly, with time she will be able to stretch her A times & won't be falling asleep at the breast/pram, etc all the time. I still think the sling is the best way to soothe them at this teeny weeny age. They lack soothing skills at this age so there is no harm to helping her out! 2-11.30 is a very long. How were you trying to settle her? If Jasmine wasn't asleep in 20mins of shh/pat, I used to pick her up, on the Babybjorn & go for a walk so that she would at least get some rest!

 

[yaya]

maeve, i really do suspect refulx to be the culprit, she was fine till about a week ago now things get worse and worse, going to pead today, cross ur fingers for us!
layla, thanx for ur input! i figured as much. She DOESNT fall asleep out and about! and that day we tried everything including baby bjorn, i think it was reflux tbh so hopefully will get answers today!

[Layla]

Hope you get some answers too. Also consider colic - which tends to peak around 6 weeks. We had a terrible time trying to settle Jasmine & she cried bloody murder from 5pm until midnight.... nothing much could settle her.

Hang in there 

[Kaylee's Mom]

How long does colic peak for from 6 weeks on??? we ar at 7.5 weeks and the afternoons and nights are brutal in getting the LO down! What should the A time be for a 7.5 week old?

[Layla]

Try & not keep your lo up more than 1hr. Jasmine had a very small A time - she could only stay awake till 40mins sometimes & would go quickly into overtired state if kept up like 5mins over. Extreme fussiness which will peak around 6 weeks and will start getting better from then onwards. Mine (dd2) started around 5pm and would scream uncontrollably until midnight every single night until she was about 8 weeks (with a few "quiet" moments in between). She would kick her legs up to her stomach and scream like she was in real pain. Dd1 had some fussiness around 6 weeks but not this bad. I do think my case is extreme. It was terrible... nothing I would do would calm her down. Come 5pm, I was getting ready for the evening. My mum and dh were there as well and we were taking terms in rocking, shushing, pacing up and down the hall. I tried BF, bath, you name it. Eventually I just had to ride it out. It was a nightmare .

[Kaylee's Mom]

WOW that is our WORLD to a tee!!!!!! Our LO is up from most of the late afternoon until anywhere in the night sometimes 12 as well and screams like we are stabbing her..so 8 weeks it'll maybe get better huh! I can't keep her up for only 40 minutes sometimes it takes 20 minutes to 1/2 hr to feed her and then Active time and changing her before the feed and during if she has an explosion.  What do I do? suffer with the Overtired baby??? or nevermind the Active time and consider the feed and change the active time? it takes around 15 minutes to 1/2 hr to get her back to sleep after the feeds and A time..

[Layla]

Back then I felt like all I was doing was feeding, diaper change & then windonw for a nap. We almost had no time to play (she would get stimulated real easy) so it was a couple of smilles during nappy change & then back on the babybjorn & walk around for a nap. I used the BB alot until she settled down. I couldn't dedicate time to shh/pat cause I had a 15mo running around, so I didn't really start sleep training until she was close to 4 months.

I think its ok to ride this period out with some help (car rides, rocking, sling, etc...). I know this is not very BW like but thats what worked for me. Isabella was a lot calmer than Jasmine & for the 1st 9 weeks she was also either rocked to sleep or was carried around on the BB. At 9 weeks, I had enough & started shh/pat. Took us about 2 weeks before she got the hang of it & by 3 months I could put her in the cot & leave!

So to answer your question, yes the feed & change is definitely a part of A times!!!

Hang in there, it will pass

[Maeve]

How did you get on Michelle?
In a month or so, I will be like you, watching for signs of reflux again.

[yaya]

thanx maeve! she's now on gaviscon and at least the vomitting is better, she's really only happy for 10min after A and E but i think she tires easily so now I'm working on getting her into bed on time!  My pead has a theory that babies who grow soo quickly (she 's put on 1.3 kg in less than 1 month! and 4cm!) are uncomfortable as it's such a growth spurt and need a lot of sleep, i think this is emily's case tbh

[Maeve]

I'm glad Emily is better.
And that's interesting about the weight, I remember my DS put on an obscene 1 lb 1 oz in a week as a small baby, and I thought I must be overfeeding him, what with the spitting up and all. But it was reflux...

[cpfmom]

Hi!! Sounds like you are having a tough time.  My youngest was similiar except he was not diagnosised with reflux.  What I found that worked best was the fisher price craddle swing.  It swings in 2 directions..front to back and side to side.  It also has ocean sounds, lullabies etc.  This truly saved me.  It didn't always work but close to 90% of the time.  It is not inexpensive but every friend I have that has used one swears by it.  You might also consider the Amby, see Dr. Sears website.  A close friend of mine recommends that for babies with severe reflux.  She is a pediatric nurse with specialized training.  My son got considerably better with time.  Sending you lots of hugs.  Tracy's suggestions for swaddling helped sometimes as well.
Holding good thoughts for you,
Coop's Mommy         

[traineeparent]

Hi there

My DD didn't have reflux or colic but I've seen this book "The Happiest Baby On The Block", by Dr. Harvey Karp, and it looks really helpful.  (Perhaps more for colic than reflux, not sure)  He has 5 "S"s, like the Baby Whisperer "S"s (shushing, swaddling)  plus more - e.g. swinging.   Do what you have to and you can always wean it when she's a bit older.