Should I be Worried??

[bethanyann]

Hi girls,

I've not posted for ages as I've been so busy, but been reading - massive congrats to all the new mum's!!

Just wanted a few opinions really...

Eva just won't let me put her down to sleep during the day! If she is in a playful mood, she is more than happy to be left on her play mat for up to 20 minutes, and she lays there playing so happily, but if she is tired she will ONLY sleep on somebody, which makes it a nightmare during the day as I'm here alone and it means I can't get any lunch or anything!!

At night she is amazing, we take her up at 9 for bath, feed, bed. She finishes everything at about 10, falls asleep on me, I put her in her basket at 10.30 and she'll wake about 3am. Back to sleep on me at 4am, put her in her basket at 4.30am and she'll sleep through til 7am, when I'll bring her into bed with me for a feed and cuddles.

I don't mind hugging her to sleep at night, as she sleeps sooooooo well afterwards and will let me put her down once she is asing her. Every time she grleep, where as during the day, I can leave her sleeping for over an hour or just ten minutes, but as soon as I put her down she wakes up screaming???

A couple of days ago, I tried putting her down after a feed, giving her a dummy and leave her there. Every time she grumbled I would go to her, give her back her dummy and stroke her face a minute, then go off again. She was okay for 40 minutes or so, just needed resettling every few minutes. But after 40 minutes she just started screaming and screaming and got herself in such a state that it took me over an hour to settle her once I picked her up. I did this two days in a row, and both nights she was soooo unsettled, only sleeping maybe an hour at a time. So yesterday I went back to letting her sleep on me during the day, and we had a perfect nights sleep.

So part of me thinks - sod it, I'd rather she slept at night...as she gets older she will probably start falling asleep during play time or whatever, but I don't want to make a rod for my own back with her only sleeping on me. The other part of me thinks, she is only 4 weeks old, is it so wrong that she wants to be held?? Urgh I'm sooo confused. Any advice would be fabulous! Thanks girls - so sorry for long post!! xxxx

 

[megsmeadow]

Hiya!
Have you tried swaddling? Sounds like she likes the security and contact. I also wondered, when she is sleeping on you do you cradle her on her back or is she on her side or tummy? This is kind of how we twigged we had a tummy sleeper when he would fall asleep at the drop of a hat when we lay him chest to chest. I know it makes people very anxious but try putting her on her side with a rolled up blanket behind her, or on her tummy and see what happens.
Good luck!

 

[Lacey's Mummy]

Charley was exactly the same until afew weeks ago when I brought a swing. It's been my life saver! Since getting that, he naps in it straight away and will quite happily lie on his play mat or sit in his bouncer so I can get on with things.

 

[isobel84]

perhaps a moby would help?
Noa also prefer to sleep on his tummy, but only nighttime have i got that problem. daytime he naps in the pram when we walk n then just stay alseep in there for abot 4 hours.

 

[tinkerbell86]

i found H was a nightmare when we put him down but i think he was after the warmth (he hates to be swaddled!!) Have you tried sitting on a blanket so it gets your smell and temperature and lay her on that as it works with H!! Also i found his bouncer was too upright so my mum bought him the newborn to toddler rocker and he sleeps in that quite happily and i keep his moses basket just for bed and he sleeps so much better!!!

 

[megsmeadow]

Isn't it funny all the different things we've tried and what works for different babies. It's amazing how we seem to stumble across something that works!!

 

[xxbeckyxx]

Lizzie is like this only the wrong way round - she will only sleep on me at night time which means I've started holding her and sleeping while sitting up - not great for me! In the daytime if she wants to sleep on me or if she won't settle i carry her on me in her baby carrier - she soon falls asleep although she has puked down my cleavage a couple of times which isn't so lovely lol
Definitely try swaddling like megsmeadow says - I was putting Lizzie in those 'grobag' things to sleep in because they are easy, but I think she sleeps much better when she's wrapped up nice and snug.
Hope you find something that works for you x

 

[bethanyann]

Thanks so much girls. We do swaddle her at night, which may be why she stays asleep when we put her down at night? I wasnt sure if I should swaddle during the day as we want to seperate day and night distinctly - what do you think, should I swaddle during the day too? That's really interesting about tummy sleeping actually - she will only ever fall asleep laying face down on one of our chests. Should I try tummy sleeping? She has a mentally strong neck, so I know she could pick her head up and move it if she had to...she absolutely loves tummy time too. Hmmmm!! A sling / baby carrier is a good idea too. Does anyone have any reccomendations? I'd need something I could put on myself while DH is at work!! xxx

 

[megsmeadow]

I would try tummy sleeping, Ross was very strong too but we also have an angelcare monitor so we really don't worry about him. We always used to settle him on one of us, then lay him into his cot (day or night) and within seconds he had startled himself awake. Popped him onto his tummy and hey presto, a happy sleeping baby. Of course the guidelines do say 'back to sleep' but in America they currently say side to sleep and Brazil they say tummy all the way!

 

[megsmeadow]

Or try swaddling for specific day time naps if that works better. You can always make sure she knows it's just a nap by keeping the room lighter etc and a different routine before a nap rather than night time.

 

[xxbeckyxx]

Re: the sling thing - I know it's probably not as comfy for baby as a fabric sling but I have this one and it's really easy to put on myself and then pop Lizzie in. And I can undo everything to slide her out into her moses basket if she's asleep.

http://www.boots.com/en/Infantino-Flip-3-position-Front-Backpack-Baby-Carrier_1132435/

 

[MrsR]

I'd recommend the moby wrap everytime. It looks hard to get on alone but after some practice it's second nature x

 

[Minchin]

great suggestion on here and nothing I can add just agree with. We swaddled for day naps too until about month and a half when he busted out and then had to move to tummy sleeping as he struggled to go to sleep. He loves it on his tummy and felt reassured by the angelcare monitor too. Also used the moby wrap loads as he'd often just want to be held to sleep. After practise it's really easy to put on on your own. Good luck x

 

[bethanyann]

Thanks so much girls. I've started laying Eva on her side with rolled up blankets either side of her and she has slept and napped sooooooo much better. I also rub the base of her basket before i put her in, so it's warm and smells of me. She has even been self settling if she wakes up in the night - amazing!! I'm going to try and get a moby soon to though as I love having her close to me during the day. Also, Lacey's Mummy - what swing do you use?? Thanks again so much everyone - you're life savers!!!!

 

[ShadowWolf]

A bit late in on this one but thought I chuck in my experience.

Lilly went through a period where she would sleep like an angel during the day but during the night she was a deamon and would only sleep on me, I spent several nights with her on my chest untill morning, if I put her in her basket she would cry so much.... untill it occoured to me that some babies like to cry themselves to sleep.... once we realised that, we would swaddle her up, put her in her basket and let her cry herself to sleep. It would sometimes take up to 30 minutes but after a while you learn to distinguish her 'going to sleep' cry and her 'there's something wrong' cry. We've now found a musical toy which sends her right off with only 5-10 minutes of crying which is nice.

It is heartbreaking to hear her cry but it was the only thing that worked, lol.

xx