new mom and uncomfortable baby

[huntingtonmama]

my 3 week old baby is very uncomfortable during the night hours and doesn't get longer than 10 minute stretch of sleep. it only happens during the night between 1am and 5 am and it doesn't matter if it is after or before a breast feeding. she is making a noise that sounds like she is trying to clear her throat non-stop and is stretching her body around. either she just fed or was fed an hour, half hour ago, it doesn't matter she is just super uncomfortable. she sounds like there is a lot of mucus build up. then of course during the day, she is exhausted from lack of sleep and sleeps a lot. my pediatrician believes it's just gas and i have tried to mylocon and saline drops in the nose to clear it up and i suck out the snot. i am at a loss and we are both sleep deprived. what do you think it might be, i have heard something about her changes in stool can have this affect but not sure what that means or would be or how to solve. PLEASE HELP US SLEEP .....Stephanie

[marinak1977]

I'm not an expert by all means - but it could be something to do with a reflux. Have you tried lifting her up, having her sleep on a wedge maybe?
Just my 2 cents...

ETA: my DS was really uncomfortable when he was trying to poop for the first month or so - because apparently he had to learn how to do it. So... could this correlate with her pooping hours?

[sapphire_chan]

Sleep when the baby sleeps. Seriously. A good nap during the day will do wonders for your ability to cope with night time bothers.

For snuffy little nose:
Warm steamy shower. If she'll tolerate it, pour some warm water on her face. If, like most babies , she'd hate that, wipe her nose with a soft cloth soaked in a ton of water.

Also, massage the corner of her nose gently, it's a acupressure point for clearing the sinuses, works surprisingly well.

Finally, after you have everything loosened up and cleared out as much as possible, gentle suctioning with a bulb syringe.

That's the order of things that I found worked best, sucking out the snot didn't really help until it was loose and already starting to come out.


As for gas, have you tried bicycling her little legs? It ends up using her legs to massage her tummy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsXGEoDf_pQ is the "I love you" tummy massage to help everything move along.


And part of it could just be that she doesn't "get" night and day yet. Continue to keep things as dark as possible at night and get her a bit of sun and keep things generally bright during the day, and it'll help adjust her rhythm. But meanwhile, sleep when the baby sleeps.

Did I mention that you should take at least one nap with your baby during the day yet?

[mamacassafrass]

Just wanted to say I love ya. Its good to see you on here, there's tons of sweet mamas on here with a plethora of knowledge. You're doing great!

[littlegreenlady]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Sleep when the baby sleeps. Seriously. A good nap during the day will do wonders for your ability to cope with night time bothers.:

What worked for us sometimes was holding him while reclining instead of lying in bed with a bunch of pillows to support my body and arms. Not an ideal way to sleep but at the time any sleep was fantastic. For some reason he slept well like this for longer periods of time. He also had instant access to the breast which I'm guessing helped comfort him.

[huntingtonmama]

thanks yeah she sleeps on a wedge and on her side. she is a month today so hopefully she will get her poops together. it is just wierd because she has great poops during the day its just at night that she can't. is that what your little one had issues with too?

[huntingtonmama]

thanks to all the ladies helping with the poop issue. she is a month today and i hope we are on the road to sleeping through the night a little more. right now she is still grunting from the wee hours at night due to her "night only" constipation but we are getting used to it. hopefully things will change soon. i love her dearly and she is such a blessing. thanks so much for your advice, it's good to know i am not alone

[Gimme Pineapple]

My guy did this when he was brand new as well. During the night after nursing, he would have very raspy breath that lasted through the night. I took him to his ped thinking he couldn't breathe and had new mom jitters and was basically freaking out. He told me that it was just milk in his throat. Since milk is thick and they haven't learned how to clear their throats and they are lying down it doesn't drain- it is a common problem. He told me that my son would grow out of it. I, of course, did not believe him and continued to fret.

Turns out he was right though. Your babe may just have milky throat.