6 week old will not sleep!!!

[MeredithD]

Our little man, Logan has just turned 6 weeks. Sleeping has not been great since birth but getting worse this past week.
Firstly, he actually just won't go to sleep and i mean literally!! He might be awake for 5-6 hrs at a stretch during the day. He becomes obviously tired and cranky but nothing will get him to sleep other than the Hug-a Bub sling. breast feeding often won't even work. My problem with the sling is a) I can't have him "on" me 24hrs a day and atm in Melbourne it is just too hot!
Secondly, if I do manage to get him to sleep, he either wakes within 5-10 mins or exactly at the 45min mark (yes I know, an exact sleep cycle!)
We are using an Amby hammock (only marginal success) and at night we are co-sleeping. He does sleep relatively well in the bed with us and is the only reason why I haven't gone insane!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
I have read Pinky's books!

[beckles]

just wondering if you would consider co-sleeping with him during the day too, as in lie down with him to get him to sleep and see if you can get him into the habit of sleeping during the day too. i find if my baby had a 45 min nap i quickly offer boob again to get them back to sleep. i still do this with oscar.
beckles

[Kakky]

What about putting him in the pram?
Even if you don't actually go anywhere, push him around the back yard or house. My son likes that.

Um . . . as already said try sleeping or laying in bed with him.

How is he sleeping during the night?

[mummy2Kaitlyn]

Kaitlyn was exactly the same ..and still often wakes around the 45min sleep cycle if she has a nap in the morning and the afternoon rather then one big one.

We did alot of driving in the car , walking in the pram and cuddles while watching "bold and the beautiful" hehe. I found she would nap well with these three things so for the first 4months or so this is what I did ALOT OF!. He will get into a better routine with time so I say just find a few things you both love( I loved walking and driving..oh and bold and the beautiful!) and let him sleep that way.

We also found wrapping was a life saver although as it is hot this can be hard.

Co-sleeping during the day like Beckles suggested may be nice as you will get a nap as well :-)

[visitor1]

Yep Chelsea is the same. Though she hasnt been a good sleeper from birth. We did however go through a phase where she would finally nod off about 11pm and not wake til 4-5am.....but as i said... a phase. Now she will sleep for 30mins-1hr, wake, scream the house down and want to be held. Nod off again and the cycle starts all over. I have tried co-sleeping during the day, but does not work. She lays there smiling and talking to me.....of a night though i give in and she ends up in bed with DH and i, and she sleeps fine. Think night time she is ok in ur bed cos DH is also with her??

[Pandora]

as you probably read in pinkys book(s), around the six week mark there is a major growth spurt, and babies in general seem to get a lot more unsettled at this time.

Firstly, he actually just won't go to sleep and i mean literally!! He might be awake for 5-6 hrs at a stretch during the day.

I guess it doesn't help you to hear that this can be quite normal. I can vividly remember the day Milo was awake for 13 hours @ 6 or 7 weeks old.

Good luck, I hope you find something that helps you.

[johT]

mine always woke at the 40 min mark. if i gave them some more b oo b when they stirred (bubs on a mattress on the floor) they would continue the sleep usually and i could sneak away

[christy]

*hugs* Meredith... we are in the same EXACT position with sleep atm. Jovie will not stay asleep longer than 15 minutes or one sleep cycle... and if she wakes it can take up to an hour to get her back to sleep. The HAB is the only way I can get her to sleep longer, but that is the only way... everything else including co-sleeping for a nap during the day doesn't keep her asleep

So... no advice, just commiserations. Hopefully our little ones will learn to sleep longer.

[MeredithD]

thanks everyone.
It does help to at least know i am not alone !Things are much the same at5 present. Feel like i am spending my entire day bouncing the hammock, walking the streets with the pram or lying with him. Nothing has really helped! Takes so long to get him to sleep then lasting only 15- 40 mins. No real success resettling.By the time he might dose off again he wakes needing a feed......aghhhhhh!
I live in hope that it WILL`pass and i might get something else done in the day

[Olivia]

Hi Meredith,

I am in the same position, but I have some advice. My son is now 8 weeks old, and up til the last week or so would only day sleep in the sling. Recently I have been able to get him out and settle him in our bed ( we co-sleep ), I lay there for awhile until he sleeps and every couple of days he will sleep for 2/3 hours in our bed during the day.

I was really, really over wearing him in the sling and then I just stopped resenting the fact that he was on me the WHOLE time ( he's on me now ) and just went with it. I felt so much better, I stopped thinking about it and it got a whole lot better.

Some people on this forum suggested ways I could be more comfortable, ie, sitting straight up, using a fit ball etc which helped. Plus I get my husband to wear him whenever I can. I think he is a happy little boy because of the sling, and it won't be forever.

So, in my humble opinion

a) give in to the sling...it will pass.

b) feed all the time.

c) take him out of the sling after 20 mins or so and try to resettle in your bed, if he won't ...put him back in the sling.

Hope that helps.

[Olivia]

plus with the heat, just wear a singlet and put the baby just in a nappy and be near a fan.

[MeredithD]

Thanks Olivia - have sort of come to the same conclusion about just going with the sling whenever possible. Have tried lying with him during the day - will only stay asleep if I stay with him!
On a positive note, we are getting stretches of 4hrs sleep at night (co-sleeping) and last night did manage 2hrs in the hammock on his own but I think this was a fluke!

[Olivia]

thats funny Meredith cos I always think it's a fluke whenever he sleeps outside the sling....but it can't be ...I reckon that all the time you have spent with him in the sling is paying off cos now he feels secure ....my theory anyway.
Without jinxing myself ...after 6 weeks the sleeps at night ( co sleeping ) have gone longer and longer. If I could only master wrapping him, then I think I could definantley get a big sleep, ( when wrapped at night and stays wrapped, he can sleep 8 hours ).

Today is a real test of sling resolve ....36 degrees and smoky outside...inside all day.

Good luck.

[blackbird]

I was just about to post about this exact issue. DS is 7 weeks and we've been struggling with sleep for about a week and a half. He won't sleep for more than 5-10 mins a time during the day and is obviously tired and grumpy. Yesterday was just murder as DH didn't get home until nearly midnight. He then put him in the HAB so I could get some sleep (co-sleeping doesn't seem to settle him) so I'm not feeling as frazzled today. Got him to sleep and came on here but he's awake again now and grizzling.

I've got Pinky's books too and we're doing a massage course with her starting next week so I guess we'll keep struggling along. I feel much better knowing that it's happened to others at the same point and that I'm not just a hopeless mum despite trying so hard to do all the right things.

Better go and give some more cuddles...

[MeredithD]

Hi Blacbird - I know well your suffering! Wish i could tell you that my boy just " got over it" or that i have fund the magic answer but we are still struggling big time with sleep.
Where do you live? Feel free to PM me if you want to chat or get together. Its hard when everyone else seems to have such placid babies!

[Percy]

Hi people, we're having the same issues with our five week old. Just wanted to know if indeed it did pass and if your babies are now sleeping better? (please tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel!!)

Francesca has had two sleeps today - one at 8.30am for an hour (when I went for a walk - she woke up as soon as we walke dup the driveway (grr!!) and then another at midday for an hour as well - so today was a good day!! She has just fallen asleep again and its 7pm here so was kinda awake (she dropped off here and there) for six hours. We've done everything - she now no longer falls asleep on the boobie - we managed to get her to sleep wiht the HAB but hubby was wearing it - she seems to smell my milk and it forever looking for the boobie even though when you offer it to you she doesn't want it! So I can't seem to use it to get her to sleep.

So please tell me your babies are much better now!!

[visitor2]

Hi Percy,

Eleanor still sleeps on and off during the day and some nights after a bottle feed it can take up to 3 hours to get her back to sleep. Last night she slept from 9pm till 6am but it did take from 3pm till 9pm to get her to have a proper sleep.

I hope you see some changes soon and they do finally figure out when to and not to sleep.
The one thing i thought of when Eleanor went through a funny stage of not sleeping is she had a growth spurt also they have what you call wonder weeks and sunny weeks.

[blackbird]

Hi Percy

Angus is now sleeping well at night, usually for somewhere between 6 and 8 hours. During the day he usually has only 45 mins at a time but will sometimes have 1.5 hrs. He is pretty easy to get to sleep now unless he still has some wind.

It certainly does get heaps better in my experience - they learn a bit and you learn to pick when they're tired before they get overtired and you both learn what works. I agree with Michelle - I have since discovered The Wonder Weeks and it really is amazing with their changes in habits.

I used to get very tense when it was time to put him to sleep but now (mostly) it's pretty easy and I don't dread bed times. Sometimes it takes a couple of minutes, sometimes 20 mins if I was slow picking up that it was time but yes, it does get easier.