Baby developing bad sleeping habit

[Mum2SweetCs]

Hi All,

My baby Caitlyn is 2weeks old and she is developing a bad sleeping habit.

At first we thought she was a great sleeper. During the first week and a half she slept easily and woke up every 4 hrs for a feed. Fantastic!

However, in the last couple of days she wakes up at 3pm and 4am and does not want to go to sleep until 2hrs later!

Any idea why she has developed this habit and how do i fix it?

Thanks in advanced!

[~Raven~]

I don't think there is much at all you can do really. Babies tend to want to feed and wake to their own needs so it's best to work around them for the first few months.
I think you were very lucky to have a bub that slept like that and only wanted to feed 4 hourly for the first two weeks! Perhaps now she needs to feed more often to make up for it I know I was hard pressed to make mine last 3 hours! 2 hourly feeding was the norm here.
They also have a bit of a growth spurt too at about 3 weeks so you could be coming into that period.

Another thing to consider is if she had a touch of jaunice after birth it can make them sleepy, but once it wears off then it's like they are a different child. Two of mine had mild jaundice and I really knew about it later on!

[Lulu]

Its NOT a bad sleeping habit - she is totally normal!!!

Really, all my kids were great until they "woke up" from being born and started being normal, crying babies! She is way too young to develop bad habits and tbh I think "bad sleeping habits" make a lot of sleep "experts" lotsa money.

She just wants to be close you and snuggle - mummies are good for that!

You are doing fine.

[BekZ]

Your baby seems very normal. A lot of people experience a couple of weeks of sleep bliss with their newborns and then all of a sudden bub starts to wake more or sleep less or sleep all day and stay up all night (like mine did!!!)

Don't worry about bad sleep habits at this point your bub is still getting used to being outside, and they don't really know the difference between night and day either.

Personally I don't try and do sleep routines until my bubs are a bit older like 4 months. I do however start a flexible sleep association routine, for example swaddling, music, shutting curtains etc.

BTW: Just when you think you've got them into a good routine, etc they'll change!!!

[Mum2SweetCs]

Hi All,

Thanks for the reply guys. Yes she did have Jaundice! maybe that explained why she slept so well in the first 2 weeks.

[~Raven~]

Didn't the midwives tell you that jaundice makes them sleepy? Grrr to them. I'd be complaining about that!

[Tobily]

I agree, that's not a habit it's normal for a newborn.
They do mostly just sleep for the first week or two and then they gradually begin to stay awake for longer periods.
The one thing about babies is that nothing stays the same. As soon as you're used to something they hit another developmental stage and it all changes
Your bub is way too little to have sleep habits or for you to be worrying about habits forming just yet.