Baby question...

[SarahF]

My DH and I had our first baby girl on February 6th. She was born at 7am, after 12.5 hours of labor.

I know there are lots of great mommys on this forum, so I have a question..

I am breastfeeding every 3-4 hours during the day and every 2 hrs at night. At night, she has a very hard time falling back to sleep and screams her head off after the first two feedings. She wakes up to be fed, I feed on the one breast till she falls asleep, burp and change her, than feed on the next. I get her to sleep and as soon as I put her down, or even lay her down with me, she screams. I've given up on trying to get her to sleep in her cradle, she just cries as soon as I put her down. She seems to sleep deeper if she is on my chest or beside me.

Question 1: How can I switch her daytime/nighttime schedules? Sleeping longer at night than during the day?
Question 2: What am I doing wrong that makes her scream at night? Last night she had a nice shower with my DH and I, even started to fall asleep. She still screamed her head off after the first feeding at 10:30 and after the second at 2:30. We don't agree with the 'let them cry it out' technique.

Thanks,
SarahF

 

[Katy]

How precious!

Congratulations!!!

I had 3 kids and breast fed them all. I never could let them cry it out at that young age either, so they pretty much got the breast on demand too. She's still very young and getting used to being here. Sometimes it just takes them awhile to get used to everything and get their days and night straightened out. Hang in there......she'll get it all worked out sooner or later.

One thing to add...watch what you're eating. What you eat goes through to them...like spicey foods, broccolli, beans, etc. I couldn't drink any milk with my second child because he was allergic to milk. If the crying isn't an issue during the day, that probably isn't the issue here.

 

[arlee453]

Babies generally prefer being held by their mommies (or daddies, or anyone who makes them feel secure and loved and not alone). There are lots of 'methods' out there, but I did what my instincts told me to do - take the infant to bed with me and cuddle and hold them and we both got a lot more sleep. I also was able to extend my breastfeeding this way. Two of my babies were out of the bed by 3 months of age, the last two a bit longer, mainly because I was less worried about what was 'right' in the eyes of our USA culture (getting baby to sleep alone) and more concerned with what worked for me and my baby.

I know I sleep a whole lot better when my hubby is home then when I'm all alone in that big bed...

Anyway, there is a great book out there on soothing babies. Check out 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' Also, Dr Sears has a good book on high needs babies.

As far as feedings, I'd recommend you feed more often during the day. Every 3-4 hours is pretty far apart for a baby that age. Don't wait until you hear crying - by that time most babies have been giving feeding cues for up to 45 min or more. I'd offer the breast about every 2-3 hours at the most between feedings, even if the baby isn't acting overly hungry. Then hopefully you can get her to space out the nighttime feedings a bit. A baby that age should be nursing every 2-3 hours on average, with 10-12 feedings per day.

I am a breastfeeding and childbirth educator in addition to a mom of 4...

 

[sara]

First, she is beautiful!
There may be some better advice coming, but since she was just born I don't think you are doing anything wrong. I nursed Travis on demand, and never used a pacifier. He always seemed to need to eat and be cuddled more at night than during the day as well. The older they get the better it will get. Being that she is a newborn it is normal for her to eat every 2-3 hours. Good luck with her, she is precious!

 

[texaschickmama]

First off, congratulations on that BEAUTIFUL baby girl. I'll see if I can help you at all. First, I want to make sure that you are feeding her on both sides at EVERY feeding. DO NOT alternate every other feeding. Please make sure she eats both sides each time. Next, are you eating plenty and drinking plenty to ensure that she is getting enough milk? Next, are you swaddling her when you put her down in her bed/bassinette? Little ones LOVE that. As far as getting her to be awake more during the day and sleep at night, if I knew the answer to that one, I would have had a LOT more sleep and made a lot of money.

Just relax about her being up, don't tense up, she can sense that. I hope anything I have said can help you. Remember, this is a precious time and also a very hard and stressful time. Don't feel like you are the only one that is going through this or will ever go through this. I would get her used to her own bed/bassinette as soon as possible. Of course, every baby would love to sleep on mama's chest-smelling you and the "food source", BUT mama HAS to get some rest too, to be able to be a good mama. On my third child I was absolutely set that she was going to sleep in her own bed by herself. She did wonderfully. My middle son still has to have someone sleep with him until he falls asleep and he is in kindergarten!!!!! I hope I helped. Good luck.

 

[Pelican49]

What a beautiful little girl. A newborn eating every 2 or 3 hours isn't unusual for up to a couple months. If she's really screaming after eating you might check with your pediatrician. She could have colic, or even have an allergy to your milk.

The one thing all Mom's need to know, "Sometimes a baby just has to cry".

 

[Wildsky]

Awww how sweet!!!!!

Folks never really take my advise, but here goes.

Both my children were seen by chiropractors within weeks of being born.
My son was born by C-section and had hip issues, one leg longer than the other, he had to get adjusted a good few times before that was ok.

My daughter was born at home, it was a difficult birth and she was facing the wrong way. She developed colic at a few weeks old and would SCREAM all night!!!
I took her to the chiro at around 2 weeks old, she had an adjustment and that was the first night we didn't have screaming! the next night it started again, so we took her back to the chiro and that was the last time she needed that adjustment, she never screamed through the night again.

I breastfed till my daughter was 3, and she spent her first year nights in our bed, second year we would put her to bed in her own bed, next to ours. by third year she was in her own room to go to sleep - but would cruise over to our room at around 2am or so....

She is 4 now and yeah still some nights I wake up with her climbing into bed with us. (I think its really nice and warm and cozy right between mom and dad - who can argue with that)

Your little girl's day and night will figure themselves out, she is really young and just knows when she's hungry! Once she can sit up and learn to play with things, she'll know when its dark, we don't do that, but when its light I get to play and mommy tickles me and things like that - it will all come together..... I'd say the first 3 months or so, you can forget about getting a full night sleep!
In a few months, nursing at night becomes easier, I had my kids right next to me, I would only get up if I needed to change a diaper (some nights I could NUDGE dh up to do that) - other than that I can sleep right through a meal

My daughter soon learnt how to FIND it on her own as well

and I'm pretty sure I slept RIGHT through a few of those meals....

 

[texaschickmama]

I just wanted to add that everytime I see a newborn baby like that, so sweet, it makes me want to have another one.

BUT I am 35 and had a terrible pregnancy last time with having to take shots twice a day of blood thinners and it was way to much emotionally. I hope you have family there to give you a much needed "break" for a few hours every so often. AWWWW, hug that little girlie for me, she is just precious.

 

[Wooden_Pony]

Oh she is adorable! Beautiful picture of her congrats!!

Here are two different infant beds we use for our's.

I was always scared or hurting our kid's when they were little because I was a heavy sleeper when they were little so we picked up one of these....
This was nice they feel like they are right with you but are protected from getting roll onto. I liked this one to because I breastfed mine as well I was able to just roll them onto the bed with out having to get up.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog...E_SESSION_ID=3cd56788ac1204157010b8b931cc98e5

I used this one with my 2nd child, she was a horriable baby screamed all the time. In fact she screamed so much she actually gave herself a hernia as an infant. She would never sleep she was always.... Well I said she was angery. Thank goodness we were living at my Parent's saving up money for a house when she was a newborn. It took all of us living up there to survive her. I really am not joking about her. A friend gave me one of these to try out on her. This was a life saver she needed movement to sleep.

http://www.ambybaby.com/

 

[Katy]

Wildsky...please don't take offense at this, but I'd never take a baby that young to a chiropractor....I'd never ever go to one myself even. I realize there are a lot of people who swear by them, but I'm not a big fan.