Sleep

I*Love*Lucy

My daughter was born almost a week ago and I'm freaking out a little....last night she did not sleep a wink! She cried all night long and I thought I was going to have a panic attack.  A little background on my delivery...I was set to be induced on the 23rd but since I was already 3cm dilated the hospital waited until the morning of the 24th to start the pitocin.  Everything was going great until about 3pm where my epidural ran out and I was feeling every single contraction (which at this point were coming super close together).  I was given more meds to reduce the pain and at 5:30 (after pushing for more than 2 hours) was told by my OB that the baby's head was not fitting through my pelvis...so of course came the c-section (which was the worst feeling I have ever felt).  So on top of the c-section, a nasty cold I've recently acquired and a baby that wont sleep not even a wink at night..i dont know how I'm going to do this.  Please tell me it gets better...Also I dont mean to whine but I'm so scared right now. (this is my first baby).  Thank you!

Lily16

It does get better, I promise!!! Your baby just probably has her days and nights mixed up, and that's completely normal. You HAVE to sleep when she sleeps, even if it's for 1 hour here and 30 mins there in the middle of the day. Very soon she will be sleeping 3 to 4 hours stretches at a time between feedings, and while that doesn't sound like much I promise you'll feel much better than you do now. If your husband can, let him take over for an hour or two between feedings at night so you can get a little rest. 

I know it seems like you'll never be able to get through it, but it's really for just a short time. Try renting the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. It's really a lifesaver in the beginning when all they do is cry. Good luck!!! 

I*Love*Lucy

Right now she sleeps a lot during the day.  I actually have to wake her to feed her.  The first night back home (sunday) she actually slept alot at night and we had to wake her to feed her.  But last night was just horrible.  Thank you for responding and giving me some reassurance.  Luckily I have the best husband who's been with me all week long helping me but I'm getting a little worried about next week when he has to go back to work.

Lily16

The day/night confusion will pass quickly. I'm not kidding when I say sleep when she sleeps. Forget housekeeping and laundry and all the stuff we try to get done during the day and just sleep. She probably had gas or something last night. I also had a c-section and recovery wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Don't feel bad about worrying about him going back to work, I almost had panic attacks about it also... But it all works itself out. You'll see. It'll get easier as you and her get the hang of your new life together. :-)

britishbride05

i'm sorry y9ou're going through this.  getting a good sleep pattern is one of the most stressful things i've been through as a mom.

what our pedi told us to help get the days/nights back on track is make sure during the day you leave lights on, make sure the the room she' sin is well lit.  Also, keep a tv on, don't tip toe around her when she's sleeping, talk normally, go about your day.  At night, put the lights low and put on a white noise machine.  It may take some time, but hopefully it'll work!

good luck and hang in there.  it gets easier, i promise... until teething ;-)  lol  I'm sorry, it really does get easier, I swear!!

KT&BG

It DOES get better! 

But to survive the first few weeks, I completely agree with previous posts - Happiest Baby on the Block was a lifesaver (swaddle, shush, holding baby on the side, .  Different babies also will calm down better for different techniques - some love being rocked or held, my son preferred being in an infant seat on vibrate.  I think we found some of our best techniques out of desperation because when what we were trying wasn't working, we just kept trying new things.

There's also some info available online if you need it tonight - Happiest Baby on the Block

How to calm a baby in 15 seconds

 

claudia01

It does get better. The girls here are great as well w/ advice. I can't remember specifics right now (pregnancy brain), but I also went to new mommy classes at Mercy Hospital w/ lactation  services. You do not have to be breastfeeding to go to the classes. The class is hosted by a wonderful lactation consultant. It's a bunch of new mothers with their babies and she had a ton of useful advice. I think it's like $5 a class.

wrenr

Don't worry, it gets better. Make sure she's exposed to lots of light in the morning, maybe take her for an early stroll when it's not too hot. Swaddle her really tightly at night, you wouldn't believe it but it does help. Try taking shifts rather than staying up together at night. DH stays downstairs with her until 1 am and gives a bottle. I go to sleep at 9 pm and switch at 1 so he can sleep well before work. Then I sleep some more when she does for the rest of the night. Just remember this will be over soon and keep going as best you can.