Jerking movements keeping baby awake.

grilledcheeezin

Please help.  The movements are small twitch like movements in the hands or feet or neck followed by a body jerk.  This only happens during sleep. Everything I have ready says myoclonic twitches don’t affect sleep.  My baby is 2 months and jerks when he is in light sleep. He doesn’t seem to reach deep sleep at night just repeating the trying to fall asleep and then waking himself back up when the twitch/jerking movements happen. It’s horrible to watch him try to get back to sleep and not be able to. I try to hold him to get him past the light sleep into deep sleep but I am so tired at that point it’s not safe... pediatrician said nothing to worry about but I don’t think she realizes if he slept for one hour at night the whole time he was trying to fall asleep and jerking awake. His naps are only 20 minutes because I hold him until he is in deep sleep and then I put him in his bassinet and like clockwork he is back awake in 20 minutes. 

knottieca01b2f31ad0a930

You have to swaddle newborns to keep them from having those twitches. They have an under development nervous system  and the twitching does keep them from falling into deep sleep..I suggest the dreamland weight blanket it will work wonders not just for your newborn but you will finally be able to get some sleep in as well.

Your baby might not like being swaddled at first but I suggest feeding them to soothe then swaddle then feed again and then put to bed 

knottie1551da91de7cf965

My son does the same thing and he is 2 months going on 3 in a few days. If sleeping on his back, put a light pillow or blanket on top of him (chest-stomach range), or lay him on his side and fold a receiving blanket and nestle it around him and between his legs! Helps a lot. I know this is not recommended but I put him on his stomach sometimes and he tends to sleep the longest that way. I just periodically check to make sure his head is still to the side. I hope it helps! 

condescender

My baby is 2 months as well. Some nights, even swaddled can be hard for my baby to fall asleep and get good sleep. I have the Halo, and it's a life saver for our Lil Houdini who can't sleep with his arms free but manages to always break out of containment. I would look up safe co-sleeping practice, while co-sleeping is always a risk, you can set up an environment where if you fall asleep with the baby, the risk is minimal. 

peanutcashew21

If you haven't tried one yet, a white noise machine. Helps with baseline noise. Some of the house noises, not noticable to us, could be waking him.

shaztan

We use the Dreamland swaddle and have had some success with our 2 month old Houdini who likes to sleep only on us!! 

It is an expensive purchase but worth the investment with the sleep gained and it is a safe option, so the peace of mind for me is key.