Author Topic: 7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night  (Read 2242 times)

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Offline welsbyc

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7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night
« on: August 04, 2005, 14:16:14 pm »
I have a 7-week old who slept like a dream both day and night until a week and a half ago.  He still sleeps beautifully at night (bed at 10pm...he sends himself to sleep, wakes for feed 5-6am, then sleeps until 10am) so I don't understand why daytime napping has suddenly gone out the window.  When I put him down for a nap he'll usually put himself to sleep but will wake every 10 mins and scream.  Sometimes shhh-ing will put him back to sleep for another 10 mins but sometimes he winds himself up so much there is no way he'll go back to sleep. 

He gets about an hour or so of sleep a day - but it's in 10 minute slots!  I know he's tired but still doesn't sleep.

I don't swaddle him as he doesn't need it at night.  I did try doing it again during the day a few times but he screamed and screamed... maybe because he loves his hands near his face.

Any advice would be gratefully received!!

 :?

Offline Isom'smom

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7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2005, 02:35:18 am »
Wow, you have a great night time sleeper.  Can you post the rest of his schedule? It just helps in getting an idea of awake time and when naptime generally is and we'll go from there.  Just go bullet form.

I.E.

E(at) @800
A(ctivity)
S(leep) @10.00

etc, throughout the day.  Definitely lose the swaddle, my LO hated it too, seems offended by swaddles and pacies.


Crystal

Offline welsbyc

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7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2005, 10:49:24 am »
Hi,

He is a great nightime sleeper completely by accident!  At 2 weeks old he decided to only wake once at night and the time he wakes up has slowly moved later and later.  I know I'm lucky!  I just hope it continues!

I've only recently started on EASY because before that he slept brilliantly during the day too so having a specific routine wasn't necessary (or didn't even occur to me because he was so good).  This is it currently:

E 10am (20 mins on each breast)
A 25 mins
S err.... whatever he chooses!  I usually try to get him into a permanent sleep for about an hour but he usually only gets 10 mins, wakes up, falls asleep again 10 mins later etc etc.  I shhhh and sometimes pat.  If I'm lucky he might do a solid sleep for between 30 mins and an hour once a day.
E 1pm (20 mins on each breast)
A 25 mins
S as above
E 4pm (20 mins on each breast)
A 25 mins
S as above
E 7pm (20 mins on each breast)
A varies - sometimes 25 mins then S.  Sometimes he stays awake the whole time and has a massage and bath. Depends on his cues.
S sometimes
E 10pm (20 mins on each breast)
E around 5am
E 10am (20 mins on each breast)

I don't do a cluster feed or dreamfeed because his nighttime sleep has always been great as it is.

I have started to wonder why it's so bad to put him to sleep straight after his feed (as the book says it is!).  Does it really matter if he associates eating with sleeping?  I think he sleeps so well at night because I put him to bed after eating and he happily sends himself to sleep usually within 20 mins.  I'm wondering if I should try reversing A and S during the day....????

Catriona.

 :roll:

Offline Isom'smom

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7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2005, 14:45:30 pm »
It's not bad to feed your baby before they sleep.  It's a bad habit to let them fall asleep while they eat....they won't hardly ever sleep longer than 30 minutes if  you do, and then they expect to be fed again to lengthen their nap.   

I would say that the reason he's freaking out at naptime is cause he's overtired.  He's only seven weeks old and still will sleep most of the day away.  He's spending forty minutes eating, then there's the diaper change, some quick face time, and he's probably worn out.  His naps are worse as the day progresses and almost non-existent in the evening. The more tired he is, the worse his sleep gets. I'd suggest only ten to fifteen minutes of Activity if even that.  He's just growing and soon you'll miss those multiple naps.

Let me now how it goes.

Crystal

Offline Mom2X&F&V

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7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2005, 15:16:59 pm »
Are you sure he is having enough food? My girl slept 10 min naps until I feed her more...

Offline branwen

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7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2005, 15:25:40 pm »
Hi there!  I too had a great sleeper early on and had to wake for feeds the first two weeks of her precious life because she was so sleepy :D .  She only ever had one night feed (2am) and that was dropped early on at 7 weeks.  I also think that you need to put back to sleep earlier.  My dd would also eat for 40 min and by that time she was exhausted or asleep at the breast.  If awake ten min at most of sitting in the bouncer.  Then I would do a diaper change.  This whole thing plus getting set up for nursing would be about 1 hr 10 min and that is about all she could do at that time, if that!  You could also try adding a tiny wind down so little one knows its time for a nap- like just dimming the lights or swaddle? :D
Branwen
Mama to Eirwen 1/22/05


Offline welsbyc

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7 week old rarely naps but sleeps great at night
« Reply #6 on: August 06, 2005, 16:42:12 pm »
Thanks for your replies.  In the past day we think he might have a urinary tract infection which might explain the sudden change in his daytime mood.  He went to the doctor yesterday and is on antibiotics now.  There may also be an additional issue with a tongue tie which may mean he hasn't been getting enough milk from me (short tongue means he's not very efficient at feeding) and as he's recently gone through a growth spurt maybe he is more 'aware' of not getting quite enough.  I'm now expressing my milk most of the time (to be sure of how much he gets and also to increase supply) and then feeding this to him from the bottle.  I started the express feeding today along with antibiotics and he's sleeping slightly more but is definitely a lot happier and crying a lot less.  Hopefully the doctor's will find what's wrong with his urine sample and expressing milk should help a lot towards ensuring he gets enough.

I will of course be staying with EASY despite the two issues above  contributing to his sudden grouchiness and being unable to sleep.....

Poor thing! 

Catriona.

Offline lins

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Daytime naps
« Reply #7 on: August 07, 2005, 14:33:09 pm »
Hello,

My little boy just hates sleeping though the day and unless I take him out in his pram he screams and fights it.  I know he's really tired cause I look out for him yawning and I try to put him down but despite lots of shhhing he just cries and cries.

he's six and a half weeks old - I've been hoping he would get better but he's not really - it just means that he is so tired by the evening he can't feed properly and usually ends up screaming for a good couple of hours.

Has anyone got any suggestions?  His is breast fed on a rough 3 hour schedule - usually about 30 mins feeding - an hour or so activity and then nap (ha!).

lins xxx