Exhausted!

Tippy05 · June 2012

DS2 is just over 3 weeks old. He is a champion sleeper during the day and often have to wake him up to feed him. At night, however, he's wide awake. Sometimes he's crying and sometimes he's just awake. DH is back to work, so he takes the "first shift" until midnight after I try to go to bed early and I get the "second shift" after midnight so DH can get some sleep before getting up at 6:00 with DS1.

We've tried all the normal tricks like keeping things light and loud during the day and dark and quiet at night, but I think he's still trying to figure out the difference between night and day. I'm completely exhausted and hope he figures it out soon. I'm running on fumes!

MelissaMiso · June 2012

My little one's witching hour starts at 11pm. After tending to all her needs (usually multiple times) we let her cry herself to exhaustion.

DrRx · June 2012

MelissaMiso:
My little one's witching hour starts at 11pm. After tending to all her needs (usually multiple times) we let her cry herself to exhaustion.

Sad This makes me sad. A 3 week-old baby should not be left to CIO. They aren't capable of self-soothing.

Tippy05 · June 2012

DrRx:

MelissaMiso:
My little one's witching hour starts at 11pm. After tending to all her needs (usually multiple times) we let her cry herself to exhaustion.

This makes me sad. A 3 week-old baby should not be left to CIO. They aren't capable of self-soothing.

Wow... that makes me sad too. 3 weeks is just too young to even think about CIO. If he's crying, he needs something, even if it's just to be held.

DrRx · June 2012

Tippy05:
DS2 is just over 3 weeks old. He is a champion sleeper during the day and often have to wake him up to feed him. At night, however, he's wide awake. Sometimes he's crying and sometimes he's just awake. DH is back to work, so he takes the "first shift" until midnight after I try to go to bed early and I get the "second shift" after midnight so DH can get some sleep before getting up at 6:00 with DS1.

We've tried all the normal tricks like keeping things light and loud during the day and dark and quiet at night, but I think he's still trying to figure out the difference between night and day. I'm completely exhausted and hope he figures it out soon. I'm running on fumes!

Eventually your baby will get it, and it will be sooner rather than later. They won't always have this reverse schedule. Try to nap during the day while he is napping so that at night you won't feel so terrible. I've always looked on the positive side of things, and think of this as a special bonding time with your baby, where there are no distractions like TV shows or cell phones or FB updates. It's just a special time that you and your baby have, and it won't last long. Have you tried putting your baby in the car seat and either pushing the stroller around the house or going for a quick drive to get him to sleep?

GL!

FyreFlyeRush · June 2012

Tippy05:
DrRx:

MelissaMiso:
My little one's witching hour starts at 11pm. After tending to all her needs (usually multiple times) we let her cry herself to exhaustion.

This makes me sad. A 3 week-old baby should not be left to CIO. They aren't capable of self-soothing.

Wow... that makes me sad too. 3 weeks is just too young to even think about CIO. If he's crying, he needs something, even if it's just to be held.

To each their own, I guess. IMO, all CIO teaches a baby is that you wot be there for them. There's a reason it goes against all your maternal instincts. All babies have an hour of the grouch. DS's is about 10-12 at night. It takes a combo of nursing, napping, rocking, nursing, rocking, cuddling, nursing..lather rinse repeat and a swaddle, and he's out for the count.

Im trying to get DS used to sleeping in his crib and PNP, otherwise, he'd be in my arms and bed all the time.

Butterbrot · June 2012

Do have a sling? Sometimes if I can't get my babe to sleep in the middle of the night, I put him in and walk around. And watch Golden Girls on DVD. Mine also is happiest sleeping on his belly on my chest; then I can snooze, too. And then there's my mantra: this, too, shall pass.

Oh! And we sometimes use a CD my husband burned for our first child: it's a household appliance hit parade. We have a hair dryer and a vacuum on an endless loop. We gave a copy to friends of ours, too, and it has really helped them.

Butterbrot · June 2012

MelissaMiso:
My little one's witching hour starts at 11pm. After tending to all her needs (usually multiple times) we let her cry herself to exhaustion.

Nice.

Sad

stemms8810 · June 2012

I know he is still really young but maybe try a bedtime routine? You could start with a warm bath, feeding, then cuddling/rocking. Try to do the same thing each evening and he might get the hint. He may get it straightened out on his own soon. I am feeding my LO every 2-3 hours around the clock so I can't tell if he's got his days/nights right or not...Lol. Each time he eats he pretty much falls asleep. I am going to try the bedtime routine thing myself soon.

Mrs.SMiller · June 2012

I'm a HUGE fan of the bedtime routine. We still do it with DD who is now 4 and has always been a good night sleeper since we started it and we began with DS night one and is a great sleeper. He's still getting up a couple times a night to eat granted, but goes to bed great even after feedings.

BelleIsa · June 2012

Tippy05:
DrRx:

MelissaMiso:
My little one's witching hour starts at 11pm. After tending to all her needs (usually multiple times) we let her cry herself to exhaustion.

This makes me sad. A 3 week-old baby should not be left to CIO. They aren't capable of self-soothing.

Wow... that makes me sad too. 3 weeks is just too young to even think about CIO. If he's crying, he needs something, even if it's just to be held.

I have to agree with this - and I used the CIO out method with my DD1 (when she was over a year old). A 3 week old can't self-soothe...

All babies have a 'witching hour'. For DD2, it's between 8 - 10 pm. She's just fussy and gassy and hard to settle. DH and I just take turns holding her and eventually she falls asleep and settles. I could not imagine letting her CIO at this age...

pithikaki · June 2012

We got a cosleeper, the kind that goes in between us on the bed, a few nights ago. Baby is one week today. It's been a life saver - she really hated sleeping anywhere she couldn't see/smell us, I guess. She would be dead asleep and 10 minutes after we put her in the Arms Reach Bassinet, RNP, PNP, any of her swings - she would be screaming bloody murder! This doesn't happen during the day but I think that's because she can hear us, and at night, it's quiet, and she gets lonely.

With our LO atleast, love goes a long way! Maybe look into the cosleeping, if its an option for you? DH takes diaper duty most of the time and I pump every day enough for him to give her a bottle, so I can doze/sleep a little early in the evening. It's a lot easier with her right there because I find most of the time, all she needs is a little coo, pat or rub, and she's right back off to la-la land.

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