Newborn not sleeping during the day

5734 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by sea island mama, Sep 28, 2003

Organique Gal

Discussion Starter · Sep 27, 2003

Micah will be three weeks old on monday, and yesterday he was awake from 7 AM till 1:30 PM. Slept one hour. Was awake again from 2:30 PM till 6 PM. The problem with this is that he wanted to be held ALL day, and whenever I put him down he'd start fussing and then eventually crying. As long as I was holding him, he was fine. Seems like today is going to be a repeat of yesterday! 7 AM, and he was WIDE awake... now it's 9, and he's still awake and fussing if I put him down... Not happy being in the sling either. Wants mom's FULL undivided attention! The one GOOD thing about this new development is that he slept pretty good all night, nursing every 4 hours, and going right back to sleep. My question is, has anyone else's newborn gone through a very alert awake time this long during the day (or night even)? How long does this last? I thought newborns slept all day until they were about 6 weeks old? Your thoughts on this would be appreciated... It's really exhausting holding a fussy baby all day and not even being able to take time to take a shower or eat a meal!!!

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Mona

· #2 · Sep 27, 2003

My DD was similar. I wound up using a sling to get her to relax and sleep. It took a few days of consistant use for her to get teh hang of it. Are you positioning her correctly? There are some web sites out there that will "instruct" you onhow to "load" your babe.
I honestly can't think of another solution other then slinging it.
Maybe try a different sling?
Sorry i can't be of more help....

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Organique Gal

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 27, 2003

I've been using the sling pretty much everyday, and he normally loves it. Then yesterday he started this really awake and alert time, and doesn't like not being able to look around. Lurches and complains, arching his back till I take him out, then he's happy again. I'm confused!

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Mona

· #4 · Sep 27, 2003

MAybe you can position him so that he can see out. DD liked to see out too. She always wanted to know what was going on! Oh wait, she still does!!!

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lilirose

· #5 · Sep 27, 2003

I would suggest trying the sling in the tummy-to-tummy position instead of the cradle position. Then he can see out (by turning his head to one side) but still can fall asleep in the sling if he is tired. I only ever used this position with my dd when she was newborn- it was truly a lifesaver, as she would not tolerate the cradle hold at all. Look here for instructions if you don't know how to do this with the sling:

http://www.thewigleys.net/tummy_to_tummy.html

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sea island mama

· #6 · Sep 28, 2003

Quote:

he was awake from 7 AM till 1:30 PM. Slept one hour. Was awake again from 2:30 PM till 6 PM. The problem with this is that he wanted to be held ALL day, and whenever I put him down he'd start fussing and then eventually crying.

Hi April,
I do sypathize - dd was exactly the same

. It's not quite clear here whether you were able to put him down while he slept

: If so, you've got it made! You can do a lot in an hour, even if it's only a couple of times a day. I suspect you had to hold him, though. In that case, just relax & don't worry about anything else. If you don't get a shower till dh gets home, then that's when you shower. Do try to get dressed, though. You'll feel so much better. Just put ds down on the bed where he can see you while you do it.
As for the sling, I know he seems a little young for it, but if he wants to see out, the Kangaroo carry is the way to go:
http://www.thewigleys.net/kangaroo_carry.html
This is the only way I have been able to carry ds. He will fall asleep in this position if he's tired. Then I just drape a cloth over my hand & put it around him to support his head & catch the drool

Quote:

How long does this last? I thought newborns slept all day until they were about 6 weeks old?

Mine didn't

. Neither of them slept more than about 14 hours a day even as newborns. Dd never napped for more than 45 minutes at a stretch until she was 18 months old

. I don't even bother timing ds - I know he'll sleep as much as he needs to & I don't worry about it. At least he's sleeping at night - that's the important thing!
I know it's easier said than done, but just try to relax & enjoy being with him. He really will grow up before you know it

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