Newborn cat napping

[kumber]

Ladies, I'm getting really concerned about my 6 week old munchkin. He's probably only getting about 10 hours sleep in 24 and is visibly exhausted but he's refusing to sleep. We've tried making things boring for him, feeding to sleep, cuddling to sleep, rocking to sleep. He is refusing to be put down unless he's in a deep sleep, otherwise he wakes up immediately. He's now taken to cat napping for a half hour at a time before waking himself up.

He's been like this now for nearly 3 weeks since his cold arrived (it still hasn't shifted) so I don't know if it's related to that? We're using snuffle babe and saline spray, he is boobed so should have a ton of antibodies from me and he's just not shifting it. A relative as suggested a dander allergy but I don't know what that would involve?

What could it be??

 

[Orion]

My little one never got much sleep either. He'd nap 30 mins maximum during the day, and wake every 2-3 hours for a feed at night. Now he's almost 5 months and we get an hour at a time during the day, and 3-4 hours at a time at night.

Some babies just don't sleep that much

But if they're tired and cranky, then I'd just say keep trying things until they work. Carrying in a sling might help them get more sleep in the day. As for the cold, I'd speak to your HV or GP about it, just because your baby is so young and it's gone on so long.

 

[kumber]

He goes in the sling for all of about an hour and then he gets uncomfortable or fed up. I might be lucky and get two naps out if it but I'll usually get a morning one and that's it.

I've spoken to hv once, GP 3 times and been to the out of hours at the hospital at 3am with this utterly vile cold and according to them I'm doing everything I can. My GP wants me to bring him back in a week and a half to check his progress and monitor his weight as he didn't gain as much as he should have.

I'm so worried, he was such an easy baby for 3 weeks and now he's grumpy, moany and constantly has huge bags under his eyes. I just want my happy little fella back

 

[Orion]

Sorry to hear your HV/GP couldn't help more. I hope the cold shifts soon.

 

[kumber]

Thank you, so do I!

 

[Laurajcole]

Maybe a mixture of his cold, and are you exclusively BF? Do you ever express and bottle feed?

 

[CARNAT22]

Bee has been like this from about 4-5 weeks and she is 8 months now. It's very rare for her to have longer than half an hour (twice a day usually) - although maybe once a week she'll randomly have a long sleep, there is no rhyme or reason. She sleeps 10-11 hours a night but wakes for at least one feed still. Usually it's more than one feed.

I didn't realise how lucky I was with James. The one thing he has always been is a good sleeper. Even now if he naps in the day it's for a good 2 hours.

Sorry no words of wisdom but Bee is happy and healthy and meeting all her milestones - she rarely seems tired? It's a pain trying to get anything done though as she is always awake.

Sadly some babies just don't sleep as much? Although it does sound as though it's illness related for your boy. Hopefully once he recovers he'll go back to sleeping properly.

X

 

[kumber]

Laura, I exclusively bf. He has had the occasional bottle of formula (I don't give expressed due to an ongoing milk problem, long story) and he seems to find it easier with the formula as it's easier to get out of a bottle than boob. That's what I don't understand, he is getting a TON of antibodies from me so should have been able to fight it off by now.

Carnat, I think it's illness related - his brother is an awful sleep fighter, always has been but I've eventually been able to get him down. This is quite different, he desperately tries to keep his eyes open but he's so obviously tired it's almost painful to watch. I probably do have another sleep fighter on my hands but I'm struggling to get him down, as soon as I do he's waking up to cough or sneeze, or he's just uncomfortable in general. So I think he will fight sleep but the cold is making it difficult for him to fall asleep even when he wants to iykwim?

 

[littlemonkey]

If he's generally grumpy and wheezy and snuffling, it could be an allergy. Has he had any other problems like reflux or eczema?

My eldest had terrible reflux. There was no getting him to sleep in the day and if he did it was never longer than half an hour. He hated being laid flat and only ever napped being held or in the car seat on the pram or in the car. As soon as we got medication for his reflux and it settled down, his napping improved dramatically.

 

[Rooster30]

He's probably a bit off because he is poorly. That said my daughter went through a weird phase at that age. Luckily it didn't affect nighttime but naps were impossible - she just wouldn't do it. It did pass though and now she naps well (I say well, but she only naps for about 45mins, but she self settles so I'm happy!).

Fingers crossed he'll go back to being a good sleeper once the cold has worn off

 

[kumber]

He's been snuffly and snotty for the last 3 weeks but not weezy I would say. He doesn't have red or itchy eyes either. He's been exposed to our cats from day 1 but I don't know if it could take 3 weeks for an allergy to appear (he's 6 weeks now and has had this for 3 weeks)? No other problems other than a small rash on his face, neck and chest that comes and goes so I think is heat rash - it's just lumpy as opposed to red and irritated/sore. I've never really had much experience of pet allergies though so I'm not ruling out I just think it seems unlikely? But it could be, I don't have enough experience of them to know.

My OH says DS1 went through this at the same age is well but I don't remember it, I blanked out a lot of the newborn days! So it could a development thing too, I honestly don't know.

It's so frustrating cus he just will not go down. I pop him on his playmat and he'll do 5 or 10 minutes and then he wants to be glued to me or hubby again but will only suffer the sling so long cus he can't be nosey and awake in it. I'm getting nothing done and my eldest is looking for attention when I have a baby stuck on me!

Really, really hoping he goes back to being a better sleeper soon, I'm so grateful he still sleeps ok at night!

 

[mrs_b_x]

Get a calpol vapour plug in! Whenever my little boy has got teeth cutting he gets a horribly stuffy nose. We'll get one bad night and know it's that so we put the plug-in in and then he sleeps like a dream again. Not saying it will be a cure like that but it might be worth a try! And will certainly be handy for later when lo is bigger and teething/has a cold xx

 

[kumber]

I didn't even know there was a Calpol plug in! I will have a hunt tomorrow, thank you.

 

[Laurajcole]

At round about 6 weeks do they not have a cluster feeding spurt? I might be wrong so he's maybe just wrestless because he's hungry? Added in with the cold poor Wee soul xx

 

[kumber]

Oooohh do they?? I know there's a leap at 4 weeks but didn't know there was a growth spurt at 6! If that's the case it makes SO much sense, he's been feeding like every 2 hours in the day!

 

[Laurajcole]

Oooohh do they?? I know there's a leap at 4 weeks but didn't know there was a growth spurt at 6! If that's the case it makes SO much sense, he's been feeding like every 2 hours in the day!

6 weeks sticks in my head because I have 3 friends/sister who all BF and were literally stuck to the couch at the 6 weeks mark because of cluster feeding - I had to go and give my sister a hand because he was literally on the boob 20 hours a day LOL xx

 

[kumber]

I think you're right, he has started to sleep much better now! Fx he's coming out of it now, it was exhausting and so stressful!