Help - 10 week old who won't sleep

Rugger13

Hi, our ten week old baby who is being Breast fed is quiet demanding...between constant feeding and refusing to sleep during the day. She wakes every 3
Hours at night. During the day it's very hard to get her to wind down and go for a nap...when we put her down (or when she temporary falls asleep after being fed)..once she is laid on the cot she instantaneously opens her eyes and starts to cry. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. We are also trying to get her onto the bottle (tommy tippy, advent and medela bottles)...but no luck

Jerrica

I have a nine week old and has been very similar, although I've been treated to night feeds every 90 mins/ 2 hours. Unfortunately many babies are just like that, and sleeping through the night is the exception to the rule. Have you or your partner considered wearing the baby in a sling during the day to help her sleep? It's often the only place my little girl will settle during the day.

To go back to the frequency of the feeds, has the baby been checked for tongue tie? If she has a tie it can stop her from getting a really good latch and she may feed more frequently as a result.

We give one bottle of expressed milk every couple of days, usually just to give me a rest, but only my husband can give it, she won't take it from me as she would much rather the boob if I'm around. That might be a factor for you guys?

Rugger13

Jerrica wrote: »

I have a nine week old and has been very similar, although I've been treated to night feeds every 90 mins/ 2 hours. Unfortunately many babies are just like that, and sleeping through the night is the exception to the rule. Have you or your partner considered wearing the baby in a sling during the day to help her sleep? It's often the only place my little girl will settle during the day.

To go back to the frequency of the feeds, has the baby been checked for tongue tie? If she has a tie it can stop her from getting a really good latch and she may feed more frequently as a result.

We give one bottle of expressed milk every couple of days, usually just to give me a rest, but only my husband can give it, she won't take it from me as she would much rather the boob if I'm around. That might be a factor for you guys?

Thanks for your reply. Yes I just got a sling yesterday so hopefully that out tomorrow.

Yes my husband tries to bottle feed her in another room...but no joy. The very dirt time we tried her she took 2onz no problem...but nothing since! She sometimes just holds the teat in her mouth and won't suck...but the majority of times she will just being crying straight away. We've tried warming the teat up with warm water, and also covering it with expressed milk

Lustrum

I had lots of frustration trying to get our girls to take a bottle from me. We gave her different teats to play with (just on their own) to let her get used to them and see what one she liked. We're using nuk teats and there's no problem now.

She had no interest whatsoever in taking a bottle from me when she was in my arms, so one evening I just put her lying down on the changing table as she's always nice and calm there. Then I popped the bottle in and off she went drinking. Once she was sucking away I could pick her up and have her in !my arms the same way my wife would. I did this maybe three times, and ever since she's been great taking bottles - we normally give her one every 2-3 days just to make sure she doesn't forget about them!

Maybe if there is a playmat or somewhere they are happy try give it to them while they're lying on that and see how that goes. Good luck!

December2012

It's still usual for a 10 week old to sleep longer than three hours.

Do you breastfeed in a lying down position? It's a great way for both of you to get some sleep.

Rugger13

yes I would feed her laying down..but mostly at night. During the day I feed her while im sitting.

She would sometimes fall asleep..but once I try to put her in her cot she wakes up.

xalot

Hi Rugger13, our little fella was like that for 5 months! Everyone kept telling me that breastfed babies wake more often and just go with the flow, it was so infuriating. He would wake every two hours on the clock. Eventually at 5 months (after reading every book I could find) I put him on the EASY baby whisperer programme, I stuck to it religiously and it took about 5 days and he started sleeping through the night.

At ten weeks they are too little to sleep train but you can watch out for bad habits forming, for me it was falling asleep at the breast. Try not let this happen at all, I found the "pantely pull off" method brilliant for breaking this habit (just google it for step by step).

The nap thing is another problem altogether, we never really mastered it. Our guy will still only take a nap in the buggy, but he's happy and it's handy enough so find whatever works for you.

As for introducing bottles after trying LOADS the Avent Natural worked for me but I know others who have had success with MAM. Apparently you're supposed to find a teat that resembles your nipple. As a side note, dont listen to anyone who tells you that if you switch them to formula they'll sleep through the night, if it's a sleep problem then pumping them with formula might get an extra hour but that's about it.

I know it's very frustrating and you must be exhausted but you will get there! Just focus on one issue at a time.

dori_dormer

Have you tried warming the cot with a hot water bottle before lying her down? It could be the temp difference between your warm body and the cold sheets?

My fella is/ was a terrible sleeper when little. I think your doing well to get 3 hours straight at night. My guy would wake every hour - 90 min.

At that age it was sling or rocker or buggy for naps ( or my arms) and co sleeping / on chest at night usually.

Also what has since worked for us is the exact same routine for going to sleep and doing it the second he starts rubbing his eyes / yawning or even before. What we found works for him currently is held in arms, bit of rocking, bum tapping, sing nursery rhymes or shushing and white noise once he drifts off. Then wait ten minutes til he's in a deep sleep, then transfer to cot.

It'll probably change again in 2 weeks when he goes through his next leap. He also sleeps so much easier at night when he's napped lots during the day.

Try different techniques for a few days each and see if any stick!

Rugger13

Thanks so much Xalot...recently got the baby whisperer so fingers crossed :-)

xalot

dori_dormer wrote: »

Have you tried warming the cot with a hot water bottle before lying her down? It could be the temp difference between your warm body and the cold sheets?

This reminds me of one of the stranger things I did that actually worked, cut the leg off an old pair of trousers, quarter it and fill with rice, then sow the trouser leg up. Heat the 'pack' in the microwave for a few minutes, then wrap it in whatever top you have been wearing that day and place in the cot before putting her down to sleep, the idea is the bed will be warm and smell of you and should be comforting.

I know it sounds mad but it did help a little.

Rugger13

Thanks dori_dormer

dori_dormer

You could also try the 'no cry sleep solution' it has lots of gentle techniques for getting baby to sleep.

I'm very envious of everyone who says they do reading, feed then baby in cot, lights out and they leave while the baby is still awake! I don't think my baby has ever gone asleep without help.

Also agree that switching to formula doesn't help. At 8 weeks we had to switch to formula, then hungry baby formula, and it did nothing to his (lack of ) sleep.

Good luck!