Worst night yet

Melissa72777 · March 2014

DS is almost 2 weeks old and up until last night was sleeping 2-3 hours at a time. We are formula feeding and have noticed him being very gassy and having frequent hiccups. We decided to give the sensitive tummy formula to him last night to see if that would help with the gas and hiccups. Last night DS was extremely fussy and would only sleep for maybe 45 minutes at a time and even then it was not a restful sleep. He would then wake up and cry even though we knew he had been fed and changed less than an hour before. We tried to let him cry for a bit to see if he would cry himself back to sleep but that didn't work. We fed him probably every hour and a half and he took 2 oz. every time. We also were checking/changing diapers at that pace. Finally around 6:00 this morning, after he was fed he fell into a comfortable sleep and has now been asleep for over 2 hours. Has anybody else experienced something similar? I'm wondering if has something to do with the change of formula. It's the same brand just for sensitive tummies. I would think that it being the sensitive formula it would have helped.

Codypup · March 2014

I think your 2 week old is acting exactly like a 2 week old.

Babies often have night and day mixed up for awhile.

Also, try not to become to dependent on their schedules, as they seem to change daily!

I'd probably keep an eye on any gas symptoms, but honestly...I think your baby is just being a baby. Mine had nights like that as well, and has slowly but surely begun sleeping for longer stretches during the night.

And one more thing...I don't know how long you let him cry it out, but it's not advisable to let babies that young CIO. He's crying because he needs something, whether it be food, a diaper, or just to be held. Letting him cry (for real) isn't healthy or fair to his little self.

Good luck and hang in there!

haven0610 · March 2014

It will get better I promise!! It takes babies a few weeks to get their days and nights figured out! Hang in there

Melissa72777 · March 2014

"And one more thing...I don't know how long you let him cry it out, but it's not advisable to let babies that young CIO. He's crying because he needs something, whether it be food, a diaper, or just to be held. Letting him cry (for real) isn't healthy or fair to his little self."

I should have been more specific about this. We only let him cry for 5-10 mins to see if it is just fussiness or something else. Last night really threw us for a loop cause he really has not had a night like this since he's been born. Thanks for all the advice though. Good to know this is the norm! :-)

Codypup · March 2014

I agree that 5-10 minutes of actual crying is way too long for a 2 week old. Remember that your LO might just want comfort -- this is a brand new scary world for him, and YOU are the only thing familiar to him. So he may just literally need your physical touch in order to be calm/sleep.

I know it sucks to be awake all night, but I promise it does get better. Some things that may help: A tight swaddle, which mimics being held, and also prevents him from flailing and waking himself up; a heating pad on the place where LO sleeps (remove the pad before putting him down) to mimic body warmth; and white noise (we use a fan facing the wall, you could also get a Sleep Sheep or white noise machine).

And this will all get easier as he learns to distinguish day from night!! Hang in there and ask for help if you need it.

I'm a FTM also and this has alllll been trial and error for me. Some nights are good, some are bad, but it's definitely gotten easier.

lollipoppoop · March 2014

5-10 min is a ridiculous amount of time for you to let a 2 week old baby cry. Sounds like your 2 week old is acting like pretty much all two week olds act.

Babies have weak stomachs at that age. My pedi said that it was not necessary to slowly change the formula but it does take a few weeks to notice any kind of real change.

cagoldi · March 2014

Sing2phins said:
5-10 minutes of crying is still a lot for a tiny baby. Fussing is different, but actual crying? That's too long.

I agree that it sounds like normal babyhood. He might also be hitting the 3-week growth spurt a little early, which might explain why he ate so much.

This. Your LO is having a GS. There is no way a 2 week-old us just going to cry a little then decide to go back to sleep. He is crying because he needs to be fed, changed, comforted, etc. so he will only get more upset if you ignore him. You need to respond quickly to your baby's cries.

workitmom84 · March 2014

Just echoing what everyone else has said, but I had a similar experience right around two weeks. Lots of hiccups and gas, and my baby cried so hard and curled her little legs up that I was concerned. Our pediatrician is awesome so I went in to see her after a couple tough nights. She said that the honeymoon is over (the first two weeks are usually pretty tame, just sleep sleep sleep) but nothing is wrong. It did get better, and the baby has gotten much better at burping/passing gas without so much distress. Good luck!

rexgirl06 · March 2014

Sounds a little similar. We discovered at about 2 1/2-3 weeks that our son had acid reflux...especially at night he would only sleep if I was holding him more upright than his bassinet. (If they have this you can tell because it will look/sound like they want to spit up but then they will just swallow. My little guy will often make faces like it tastes gross or hurts too) Not saying this is what you've got, but part of their comfort is eating because the acid in their throat hurts, so eating eases the uncomfortableness. We tried gas drops at first and they seemed to help for a day or two. Then we got acid reflux meds and it helped. He sleeps much better at night now. Hopefully you can figure it out. They sure are tricky!

Tracymunoz8 · April 2014

Sounds pretty normal for a 2 week old baby. Although I have no experience with formula fed little one, like others have mentioned they do get night and day mixed up.

From my own reading and personal experience, a 2 week or even 2 month old baby probably will not cry themselves to sleep. A baby that young is still capable of having separation issues and cries out of fear of not being around their mother or their familiar surroundings- the womb! That's just what I've read. My little guy did cry a lot at this age and never cried himself to sleep. I wasn't an over anxious parent who picked him up at his first whimper but I never let him cry it out. But every baby is different. I'm sure there are LO's out there that have cried themselves to sleep at such a young age.

He could be fussy from his new formula and uncomfortable, have you tried gas drops?! Are you burping after each feeding?

Good luck!

HZ2012 · April 2014

*lurking*

Ditto what everyone else said about the crying- not until 6 months is it recommended to let a baby CIO. At 2 weeks your LO needs something, even if it's just comfort.

My now 10 1/2 month old had horrible gas when he was a newborn. It got better when we realized we had to burp him CONSTANTLY. Do not lay that child down until you get a good burp or 2. Swaddling helped a lot too.

As far as eating a lot and eating often, at 2 weeks he very well may be hitting the growth spurt early. They also don't have a set schedule yet. And when they're hungry, they're hungry and you don't have much warning. As your LO gets a bit older you will have a bit more of a schedule and when to expect that he will get hungry.

Regarding night and day - what your LO is doing is normal. At 2 weeks old they sleep a lot - I think it's 16-20 hours/day, right? He will get the hang of it, as will you. It's a trying time for all, especially with lack of sleep for you. Just try to sleep when he sleeps for now. I promise it gets better.
Not the norm, but my guy started STTN at 6 weeks - so it's possible.

ashleyv013 · April 2014

I'm not sure which formula you're using but my LO still gets REALLY fussy and gassy on any powder formula, sensitive or not. I would try the pre-made formula; it's more expensive but a calmer baby is priceless. Also like PP said, I'd try a swaddle, it really helps us on the nights she's being crazy!

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