Refusing to sleep after 7.00am feed

[alanasmum]

My DD is almost 6 weeks old and the past week has been refusing to go to sleep after her 7.00am feed and stays up until her next feed at about 10.00/11.00am. I've tried everything: patting her back, picking her up, rocking her bassinette, letting her cry for a minute, dummy. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Maybe she just wants some awake time? I'm going crazy though - I don't get to have a shower or breakfast until 11.00am these days which make the morning very hard to cope with and impossible to make morning appointments with doctors etc. I think I'll have to put her in her rocker and take her into the bathroom with me, it's the only thing I can think of. Any suggestions for getting her off to sleep at this time? :banghead:

[babylover111]

Im sorry to say that i think shes waking up at 7am ready for the day!
If shes happy in her rocker then i dont see any problem with bringing her in the bathroom with you!

[aardvark]

I found with all three of my babies that at six weeks, it's like flipping a switch. They go from sleep, eat, excrete and little more, to wanting to spend longer periods awake.

It's then a matter of finding what works best for you and that particular baby. All three of mine have been different.

[drewid]

By all means, take her in the rocker into the bathroom with you.

I found that to be the only way to get a shower most mornings in the early days.

Even if she is upset for those 2 minutes, you feel SO much better after a shower, and much more capable of getting on with things for the rest of the day.

Just put her where she can see you and all should be good.

It does sound like she just wants to be awake. Don't fight it - it means she will sleep later and probably sleep better for having been awake for those few hours.

[*~alegna~*]

hi alanamum....

Don't worry chick. What you described is my 8wk old son exactly. He plays & laughs then feeds again & thrn goes down for nap. Wakes, feeds for afternoon. Has lttle cat nap. Wakes, Bath feed then bedtime til 10pm approx.

its ok not to go by the book everytime, what ever works for your little girl.:yes:

Cheers Ang x

[alanasmum]

Oh gosh, feeling extermely guilty for trying to make her sleep when she wants to be awake. I'll take her into the bathroom with me and see how we go. Maybe it will entertain her! :fingerscrossed:

[michelle21]

My 6wk old wakes up for a feed at 6am every morning, he is then VERY awake so I put him on the floor on his play mat with his hands and feet free to kick and play etc. He is Happy there untill about 7:30am when he has tired him self out again with all that exercise!! He is then sleepy/cranky again, but I find he is easy to pat off to sleep then.
He will be asleep by 8am and will sleep to next feed :)
I either have my shower etc just after 8am or while he is happy on the mat early in the morning, he doesnt miss me at all, doesnt even notice im away for 5mins.
Maybe you could try letting you bub wear herself out again after the 7am feed? But if she doesnt go back to sleep and doesnt get cranky or cry I dont see it as a prob...enjoy her while shes awake :)
Hope that helps

[elissas]

Hehe, welcome to mummyhood!! :D

Are you a "must shower in the morning" person, or can you shower at night?

I love a shower before bed - I wash away the day and relax, and wake feeling ready to tackle whatever the next day brings. I also have my clothes ready, and leave them in the lounge room, so that I can get dressed and have brekky there while DS is playing in his playgym. I don't like to wake DH pottering around that early, as he's an insomniac and mornings are when he gets his best sleep.

DS decided that 5am was a good wake up time last week - after waking every 1-2 hours through the night most nights :banghead: At least he's back to 2-3 hr wakings and his normal 6:30-7am wake up time now. He'll usually play till about 10-11am, have a nap, then wake an hour later ready for another few hours playtime. He'll then nap another hour early-mid arvo and is ready to go again.

[Pixie]

Well she'll sleep when she's tired major growth spurt around 6 weeks she will settle again, like the others suggested take the rocker into the bathroom, she'll like the sound of the water and of she grumbles well to bad you need to make yourself normal for at least 5 minutes!

[Percy]

My DS never had that morning sleep either.

I always took him into the bathroom in his bouncer and he loved it!

[KaM]

babies sleeping during the day . . .whats that . .:laughing:

[elissas]

babies sleeping during the day . . .whats that . .:laughing:

:laughing: You got chuckles here!! I know how that feels. DS has only just started taking naps regularly, and he's lucky to get a total of 2-3hrs nap time during the day.

[alanasmum]

Thanks all for your advice. I'm definitely a morning-shower type of girl. I don't feel human without one. I ended up popping her in the rocker in the bathroom and she sat there happily while I had a 10 minute shower - what a luxury! She was pretty grisly afterwards though but I've just fed her again and she's sound asleep. Need a nap myself now! :sleeping:

Will try this routine in the mornings from now on rather than trying to send her back off to sleep ;)

[Megs85Kai06]

My two and a half month old son is a beautiful night sleeper. For example, last night he went down at about 9pm and woke once to be fed at 3.30, then he went straight back to sleep until 7am. Problem is now he's awake for the day, and when I say day I mean the whole day. He doesn't sleep during the day annymore, maybe two ten minute sleeps if I'm lucky. I've tried every settling technique imaginable but to no avail. I even took him to one of those sleep clinics and they just said they basically couldn't help me and good luck... I wouldn't mind if he was happy to be awake, but after about 2 hours he's screaming at me like i'm poking him with a stick or something. It's just a constant battle all day every day and I never get time to do anything. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? :confused: :banghead:

[Seekrit]

I've been told putting the bubs in the bathroom while you're showering gives them a good steam bath for the snot-nose issues as well :) So don't worry about doing it (seems like you're not worried anyway!!)
:hugs:
Things I have to look forward too...?

[~Emmylou~]

I found six weeks was a bit like "flipping a switch" as well.
Suddenly they don't want to sleep so much anymore.
I used to put Em in her bouncer and put her in front of the open bathroom door so I could shower...I could usually get a 15 minute shower this way, she liked her bouncer.

Their sleeping patterns change alot from here on, perhaps do some floor time after that 7am feed, or go for a walk and see if that's enough to wear her out.

[alanasmum]

As I said in my original post, I was having trouble getting my DD off to sleep after her 7.00am feed but I have also had many days where she spends all day awake, screaming, like your son. I'm convinced we have a problem with her formula and I'm going to speak to her paediatrician today about it... that is if I can make it to the appointment at 12.00. I've tried a few different wind drops but I think they are making things worse.

Have you tried an afternoon bath or a walk or maybe even a car ride to get him off to sleep? Sometimes I find a change of environment does them good too - if you can possibly get out to visit your parents or a friend. I feel your frustrations. I've had a rough couple of weeks with my little girl not sleeping much and it's impossible to get anything done around the house - you feel like you spend every waking second with the baby and don't get a break. Have you spoken to your doctor about possible reasons he is staying awake?


My two and a half month old son is a beautiful night sleeper. For example, last night he went down at about 9pm and woke once to be fed at 3.30, then he went straight back to sleep until 7am. Problem is now he's awake for the day, and when I say day I mean the whole day. He doesn't sleep during the day annymore, maybe two ten minute sleeps if I'm lucky. I've tried every settling technique imaginable but to no avail. I even took him to one of those sleep clinics and they just said they basically couldn't help me and good luck... I wouldn't mind if he was happy to be awake, but after about 2 hours he's screaming at me like i'm poking him with a stick or something. It's just a constant battle all day every day and I never get time to do anything. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? :confused: :banghead:

[elissas]

I highly recommend any book by Pinky McKay - "Parenting By Heart", "100 Ways to Calm the Crying"...

and "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley.

They are quick easy reads and full of good tips. Their websites also have great advice.

www.pinky-mychild.com
www.pantley.com/elizabeth/

[Megs85Kai06]

Spoke to my paed again today and apparently 15% of babies sleep thru the night and then catnap during the day... good fun... i've tried walks, the sling, the swing, everything... he's a stubborn lil boy. he's rolling already tummy to back AND back to tummy, and the paed thinks once he's crawling he'll tend to quit his 15 minute daily power naps and start having two 1 hour blocks of sleep which will be nice. in the meantime i'll just pull out a few more hairs...