8 weeks old sleeping short stretches
I’m so envious of parents who ask if they should wake their babies up for feed. I’m having the direct opposite issue of baby not sleeping long stretches especially at night. My baby is 8 weeks old and I see often that they could be sleeping longer stretches at least 3 hours now but I rarely get that. Baby is always waking up within 1-2 hours if I’m lucky I get 2 plus hours. I’m so exhausted I don’t know what can I do. I EBF and don’t seem to have issue with supply cause baby is contented after feeds. It feels like he’s a very light sleeper, he doesn’t like to lie on his back to sleep. He only sleeps better when he’s contact napping and lying on his chest. Night times are really hard for both my husband and I. If we could put him down on his back we might be able to sleep better but LO just doesn’t take it well.
Hi mama 🤍 I hear how difficult this period of time is, you're not alone! I thought of a couple things you might be able to try (we're all just troubleshooting together here 😭😭😭) if you'd like! My baby is also 8 weeks old and drinks a combination of formula and breast milk. He feeds 90ml each feed, but he sleeps between 1.5-2 hours max when he drinks breast milk and up to 3.5 hours when he drinks formula! It is normal that breastfed babies wake up more often as breast milk is more digestible and lower in calories. I have seen some parents breastfeed in the day and feed formula at night so their babies sleep longer stretches - you might want to consider this if you are open to mix feeding :") alternatively, it might be valuable to consult your paediatrician on how you might be able to work through this as a EBF mom! My baby also loves being hugged to sleep, it's developmentally normal (though very exhausting for us at times). Some things I've done on my end were to (1) shift bedtime routine earlier - I shower him at 5-6pm then dim the lights in the room already! It usually takes us a few rounds of holding him then putting down in cot for him to be able to go into deeper sleep, but because we start our routine early, he usually sleeps by around 9pm , which isn't too bad for the adults! From there, we make sure to continue keeping the room dark and non-stimulating all the way till morning, so his night feeds have been in very drowsy states - which makes it easy for us to put him back into the cot. (2) I have recently found that white noise helps my baby a lot! I put him down in the cot drowsy enough, offer a pacifier and put on white noise, he wakes up a few times and will whine (if he cries I pick him back up) but is able to self-soothe back to sleep. I gradually lower the volume every few minutes and remove it around 10-15 minutes in. If you don't already have a white noise machine / not invested in it yet (I haven't gotten one too), just go to YouTube and search for "white noise for babies"! Press on mama, you're doing an awesome job and this will pass! To your little one, you're his entire world and you're already exactly what he needs 🫶🏻
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I remember going through this period too! I EBF too and there were many nights I just hugged my baby to sleep on me the whole night. What worked for me was laid-back position, or side lying position, to allow me a bit of shut-eye when my baby nurses. You’re not alone in this and it’s very normal to be super exhausted during the newborn phase. It does get better, and soon you will look back and think wow how did you even get through this period, but you did! 💪🏻💪🏻🩷🩷
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Yes she did! As she grew bigger, her stomach is able to hold more milk, and she was able to drink enough to fall deep into sleep. Once she was in deep sleep, we were able to put her down to sleep on her back. Your baby is still very little, and they still need the contact naps to feel secure. He spent nine months in your tummy feeling your warmth and hearing your heartbeat, it’s really normal to not want to be put down. Jiayou!! It does get better, give him time to adjust to this new world.
Hey love! Youre doing great as a mom! Maybe your LO might be going through growth spurts/leap phase? There was a period of time when mine doesnt want to be put down too! And demand for milk as and when! The exhaustion is valid but take it positively mummy that your baby feels safe as they contact nap with you for warmth just like in the womb! It wil only get better! Hangon mummy! Cherish this moment, jiayou!
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Heyy. Thank you for the encouragement. When did it start getting better? 😭 I can’t wait already. He might be going through growth spurts or leap phase but my LO has never been ok with laying down on his back from the start. I don’t mind contact nap but there’s this fear for SIDS especially when we’re tired at night. Trying to hang on!! When will it start to get better 🥹
I remembee my baby back then barely even slept during newborn days. Always awake or crying alotttt. I also cannot relate when they say need to wake baby up for feed or baby sleep and wake up for milk every 2-3hrs. But yes itll get better!
😭😭😭 the struggles. When did it get better for you?
I wouldnt recommen but frankly, my babies sleep better on their tummies
try to put the sunshinebaby balms
