driving me crazy please help

[mummy of 3 boys]

my 5wk old bub is becoming a real terror by wanting to be held/cuddled all the time to sleep, what can i do to stop this???

if i let him scream he really gets worked up he goes bright red in the face, chokes and carries on...this is getting very frustrating

we havent held him alot so i dont understand how he has turned out like this
ppl say its because hes so little he wants to be close but its getting mighty hard to get anything done

[LaDolceVita]

As frustrating as it can be, it's pretty normal for a bub his age babe... Have you tried popping him in a carrier or sling? Something like a Hug a Bub, Close Carrier? That was ideal for my little man at that age who just wanted to be with his Mummy, I carted him around everywhere and he blissfully snoozed on and off while I got everything done, he was just happy to be with Mum.. It does get easier, I promise. For now, try to enjoy it as much as you can, they grow up far too fast and soon these newborn snuggles will be a distant memory when he starts telling you "No!" and pushing your face away when you go in for a kiss... xx

[HotI]

we havent held him alot so i dont understand how he has turned out like this
ppl say its because hes so little he wants to be close but its getting mighty hard to get anything done

At this time he needs you to hold him alot. He has spent 9 months curled up inside with you there constantly, and now he is trying to work out this big new world and he needs the comfort of his Mum to help him understand it all. Can you put off washing etc for now, they can wait. If you have visitors ask them to fold the washing or hang it out. Do you have a baby carrier you can wear Kaidyn in?

[peanutter]

big hugs, sister!

sometimes, bubs do just need snuggles ... are you able to time things so that when he really wants to be held, you can have a nap together, so that you're getting some R&R too? everything is so much easier to deal with, with a little extra sleep ...

one thing DS *love* was his glider (a rocker might have the same effect - I'm not sure) but he would go in it, and I'd stroke his hand or face or look at him for maybe a minute, before his eyes would close, and within 2 minutes, he'd be fast asleep ... it was just as much the movement as it was the closeness that he needed!! swaddling can also help, if they need that "cocooned" feeling ... you can't swaddle with the glider, because there's a 5-point harness, but you can still tuck them in nice and tight with a muslin or cotton thing ... sometimes, I'd put the top I was wearing and/or my breastpads in with them, so they had some mummy smell it helped, if he was a bit unsettled

but sometimes, they just need you!

GL

[HotI]

After reading another post, i thought i would check for Wonder Weeks and found this

Mental leap 1
Wonder Week 5:
The World of Changing Sensations

For much of the last 4 or 5 weeks, you have watched your infant grow rapidly. You have become acquainted with each other, and you have learned all of his little ways. His world at this time is hard for adults to imagine. It's in soft focus and its qualities are undefined—in some ways it has not been so different from his life in your womb.

Now, before the mists that envelop this infant world part and allow him to start making sense of all the impressions that he has been busy absorbing in the last few weeks, he will need to go through his first major developmental leap. At about 5 weeks, and sometimes as early as 4, your baby will begin to take the first leap forward in his development.

New sensations bombard your baby inside and out, and he is usually bewildered by them. Some of these new things have to do with the development of his internal organs and his metabolism. Others are a result of his increased alertness—his senses are more sensitive than they were immediately after birth. So it is not so much the sensations themselves that are changing, but rather the baby's perceptions of them.

Not sure if you have heard of the Wonder Weeks, but they are periods of development where babies often have difficulties sleeping or get more clingy or need more reassuring.

[MummaSue]

It's hard but he needs you to hold him lots just now. Kate has nailed it.

[onthefly]

It's the fourth trimester - he's still getting used to life on the outside. It's ok to hold and cuddle babies as much as they want - it doesn't make them want more cuddles, it meets their need for comfort is all. Some babies need more than others, that's all.

Do you have a sling or something to make it easier for you to give him what he needs while also doing other things?