Jump to content

Caring for a Newborn


Sarita12385

Recommended Posts

Sarita12385

Hello all.

 

My husband and I just had our first child, a boy, 3 weeks ago and are so thankful and greatufl he was born healthy. Does any parent out there have any advice on getting a newborn to sleep? Lately, our little one will eat a tiny bit, sleep for 30 mins, wake up wanting more food, back to sleep for 30 mins, etc, until he's finally finished a bottle. Before, he would drink the entire bottle in one sitting and sleep for about 4 hours before waking up. This 30-min "nap" thing has unfortunately caused me to get no sleep, night or day, for several days now, and in turn has caused me to get sick due to lack of sleep during both night and day.

 

I usually sleep when he sleeps, which helps keep my energy level high enough that I can at least function, but now...after days of literally no sleep, it's really taking a toll on my body and mind.

 

Any advice on how to possibly get him to drink the entire bottle rather than falling asleep every time? Many thanks :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I found when feeding my kids that the best way to ensure they finished their entire bottle was to allow them to drink for a short while and while they were still alert i would stop and switch arms (inorder to move them around a bit) and then repeat. If you start a feeding a bit prior to typical feeding time it also helps with alertness. Bright lights and noise while feeding also helps them to stay awake and then lay them down in a dark room while still awake helps them to learn to fall asleep on their own. Hope this helps a bit!!

 

Good luck and CONGRATS!!!! You have a future steeler fan on your hands i hope!!

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Sarita12385

Steeler and Penguin fan for SURE. I'm just waiting til he's big enough to buy a Steeler outfit, haha. Thanks for your reply. Your the first Pittsbugher, other than myself, that I've seen on this forum.

Link to post
Share on other sites

yep, he is not eating enough to last his tummy for the 4 hour stretch.

Moving him around just a little when he starts to fall asleep during the bottle should wake him enough to complete a bit more or all of his meal.

 

I didnt learn this until later. In retrospect, I'm pretty sure my daughter didnt sleep at all for, oh, two years.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My daughter would also tend to drowse off during feeding when she was a newborn. We'd keep the room bright, I'd talk to her and touch her, etc. Sometimes we'd get a cool washcloth to wipe her forehead - not icy cold - I'm not mean - but just enough to provide a different and interesting sensory input that would hold her attention and bring her up a little in alertness. They're so cute when they fall asleep in your arms, but you do have to get them fed all the way if you want them to last a while...

Link to post
Share on other sites
missdependant

The first three months are restless, didn't you know? :)

 

Maybe he is just crying to cry. Babies don't always cry because they need to eat. He might not be finishing his bottle, but that doesn't mean he's still hungry when he wakes up. Give him a pacifier. Wrap him up tight. Turn on the washer or dryer or something that makes a constant sound and see if it puts him to sleep for a while. Personally, I'd let him self-soothe for about a half hour, eventually an hour, then eventually an hour and a half, etc., etc if none of that works, in hopes of getting him on a schedule. But then again, I see nothing wrong with self-soothing as long as the baby doesn't need a diaper change or something else isn't the matter, and as long as you're not abusing it and using it as an excuse to neglect the baby. He will be mad, and he will cry. These are things my mom used to do, and my brother started sleeping through the entire night in just a few months. She bought one of those vibrating bouncers, and used to turn the tv onto the fuzzy sound.. used to knock him out. Your baby is still getting used to life outside the womb, and crying is what babies do at the beginning. Try thinking of ways to somewhat mock a womb. Obviously you can't make it exact, but he probably misses his home. :(

 

In the meantime, do you have a friend or relative or boyfriend/husband who would be able to help you get at least a few hour break for some sleep? Don't forget to take care of yourself, too. :-)

 

PS. Grats on the baby.. and the Penguins winning. :D

Link to post
Share on other sites

you would be amazed what swaddling will do-- you know, wrapping them up in a caccoon. It ensues a sense of security, akin to the womb. My 1st was AMAZING. he slept perfect, and rarely cried. My 4 month old, however, has insomnia -.-.....

I find myself up 5-6 times a night STILL....every once and awhile I get a break, but rarely....

 

Have you tried keeping the baby awake as much as possible during the day?

Depending on the time of birth, some infants get odd sleep schedules.

Honestly though, expect to not have a normal night of sleep for the next year.

Getting up 4-5 times a night is to be expected.

 

Try Swaddling, Singing, skin to skin contact...

Link to post
Share on other sites
you would be amazed what swaddling will do-- you know, wrapping them up in a caccoon. It ensues a sense of security, akin to the womb.

Oh man - I forgot about this. We used to call it "making a burrito."

 

Ahhh.. the good ol' days. I'm sure that much "newborn amnesia" has occurred, as I have some good memories of those days. (Seriously, though, I do remember the desperate, helpless parts, too. But those memories have faded over time...)

Link to post
Share on other sites
blind_otter

There are swaddlers you can buy now where you just slip the babe into a little pocket, wrap the sleeves up and attach the velcro and voila! Baby burrito.

 

My son did not tolerate swaddling after about 3 weeks, though. Once he could kick his legs and move his arms he did NOT want to be confined.

 

This is what I say - your newborn is getting used to a harsh life. In the womb, he we kept at a constant temperature, not subject to gravity, and his waste was quietly sucked away and nutrients were quietly delivered to him without him every having to do a thing. Now, he has to interact in order to get anything and that is HARD for the newborn to get used to. The first 2 weeks they are still in a postpartum daze.

 

I just held, held, held my son. I wore him in a moby. My S/O and I would trade him off - my S/O took off a month of work when our son was born last year and it was SO WONDERFUL to have that help with the transition.

 

As for drowsing off, I breastfeed so I have absolutely no idea if this works with a bottle, since the feeding interaction is very very different from breast feeding, but I would sometimes nurse one side then change his diaper to wake him up, then feed on the other side. Who knows if this would work with a bottle but I thought I'd offer the suggestion.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author
Sarita12385

Thank you all for your replies. The swaddling didn't do much, but by putting those little mittens on his hands - I think that may have done the trick. He has good nights and fussy nights, but coffee has become my very best friend :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I used a white noise machine in my son's room, after I accidentally discovered that my hair dryer made him go to sleep instantly one night (I was crying while I was drying my hair, because he had cried for about 2 hours straight, so I finally laid him in the middle of the bedroom floor on a blanket, took a shower and washed my hair. I cut the hair dryer on (both of us still crying, mind you), and his eyes shut like someone had given him a shot of brandy).

 

When he fell asleep while I was nursing, if shifting him around didn't wake him, my mom used to advise me to thump the bottoms of his feet. I freaked out, but I think what she meant was take his little socks off and tickle or lightly tap the soles of his feet - rather than bruise the little guy!

Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...