why isn't Adalyn sleeping longer throughout the night? *UPDATE* on Original post

I know she is still very little, almost 5 weeks, but I've heard just about everybody around me say that they're baby who is around Adalyn's age sleeps at least a 4 hour stretch before feeding and then goes back to sleep for another 4 hours and so on. Adalyn wakes up every hour and a half to two hours and when she is sleeping it's not very peaceful, she'll cry for a minute or two here and there and then sometimes I have to get up and rock her or put her pacifier in her mouth. She is also usually wide awake after her 4:00 AM feeding. I have been so patient with this just thinking it will go away tonight, or the next night......it's not going away or getting better and I NEED sleep. I make sure to keep her up a good amount throughout the day but she also naps here and there for 45 minutes to an hour and a half at a time.

What can I do?

UPDATE:

Adalyn is doing so much better, she has been sleeping one 5 hour stretch from about 9:30 until 2:30 going back to bed at 3, waking up at 5:00 and I put her passy in her mouth, she goes back to sleep until about 6:30 and I feed her again and she sleeps anywhere from 8:30 to 9:00.  I think it has everything to do with me not giving her my breast milk anymore. I have just been giving her formula the past 2.5 days/nights. I wasn't on a good diet while pumping and I think it was upsetting her stomach. She is also much more content now. She doesn't cry everytime I put her down!

Sorry you're struggling, but it's TOTALLY normal for her to be sleeping like that.  I'd say that 4 hour stretches of sleep at 5 weeks old is the exception.  None of mine slept that long at that age.  Yes the lack of sleep sucks, but you just deal with it (says the person who still wakes up at night with her baby about half the time at 10.5 months).

sorry you are going through that but I think you just need to be patient... I know easier said than done but babies are all so different so is hard to give an "exact " receipe of what it works

I think during the day try to feed her often at this age

if you are using breast milk try not to drink too much caffeine or chocolate as that is passed into breast milk and can agitate her and make her not sleep

also same goes for cellulite creams who have caffeine in them

take her out for walks in the stroller they usually sleep better this way at this stage

at night established a routine with feeding, bath and then bed time.

make sure she is warm... ( I know many books and doctors are all scared of overheating the child and SID and all of that but the baby also needs "heat ". They need to be wrapped or dressed warmly to sleep better at this age. I am not talking big blankets but I noticed a lot of parents have the tendency to really get the babies naked more or less ..) I was told they need one more layer than us at this age and think about you sleeping with a big comforter...

 good luck

Well I feel like we have a decent routine down. She bathes around 8:00 and I keep her awake until about 9:30 and then I feed her and lay her down for bed. She is always warm. I put her in a long sleeve body suit thing that buttons up and then I swaddle her and I lay a blanket on top of her in her bassinet.

I feel like she should be so tired at night and sleeping longer stretches and not so restless and whiny.

LuvMyMunchkins:

Well I feel like we have a decent routine down. She bathes around 8:00 and I keep her awake until about 9:30 and then I feed her and lay her down for bed. She is always warm. I put her in a long sleeve body suit thing that buttons up and then I swaddle her and I lay a blanket on top of her in her bassinet.

I feel like she should be so tired at night and sleeping longer stretches and not so restless and whiny.

It sounds like she is over tired!  If she is not getting enough sleep in the day she will be restless at night.  Have you read the book ''The Baby Whisperer'?  I highly recommend it!  My baby is a brilliant sleeper and I owe it all to this book. At that age my son was having 'awake time' during the day of only 30 mins or so before napping. 

Lillylolly:

It sounds like she is over tired!  If she is not getting enough sleep in the day she will be restless at night.  Have you read the book ''The Baby Whisperer'?  I highly recommend it!  My baby is a brilliant sleeper and I owe it all to this book. At that age my son was having 'awake time' during the day of only 30 mins or so before napping. 

I have read a little bit of the Baby Whisperer and Baby Wise, Adalyn seems to get good sleep throughout the day, She eats, stays awake for 45 minutes to an hour and then usually naps after for 45 minutes to an hour, that's pretty much our routine. And that's what the Baby wise book goes by. Eat, awake time, nap time. So I don't know where I'm going wrong.

LuvMyMunchkins:

So I don't know where I'm going wrong.

I don't think you're doing anything wrong.  Newborns just aren't supposed to be great sleepers.

LuvMyMunchkins:

Adalyn wakes up every hour and a half to two hours and when she is sleeping it's not very peaceful, she'll cry for a minute or two here and there and then sometimes I have to get up and rock her or put her pacifier in her mouth.

I had the same problem with my oldest, I would feed him every hour and a half, day and night. After 8 months of that, the health visitor told me to give him formula during the day and carry on breast feeding in the night and that worked well. Breastfeed babies don't sleep for 4 hours at this age. I would also raccomend the Baby Whisperer book, it's got lots of positive ideas.

Good luck and I hope things will settle soon.

Luci 

I'm doing my breast milk in a bottle during the day and formula at night....

It might be worth consider to try the other way round to see if it makes a difference as she will go down fuller with formula.

Luci

D_J_M_:

LuvMyMunchkins:

So I don't know where I'm going wrong.

 

I don't think you're doing anything wrong.  Newborns just aren't supposed to be great sleepers.

ITA. You're not doing anything wrong! :) I rarely hear of newborns sleeping 4 hrs., I think it's totally normal to be awake every 1.5 -2 hrs. even if having a growth spurt. Avery's having one now, all she wants to do is eat eat eat. It's awful not sleeping but it passes. I try to nap when she naps during the day to make up for it.

All our babies were up every 2-3 hrs. day and night to eat. I don't try to schedule them or keep them awake- they eat when they're hungry and sleep when they're tired, and by 3 mo. it works itself out. I should add too our 3 formula babies weren't any better sleepers, and our 1st couple babies I even tried cereal in the bottle...I came to the conclusion years ago that newborns just aren't good sleepers. lol

Have you looked into the Nutramigen formula for her? If she's fussy while sleeping or real wiggly while sleeping the formula may be to blame... it worked wonders on our colic baby.  Do you sleep w/her in bed? That helps too if you're desperate (I know I am.. lol)

mimosa75:

It might be worth consider to try the other way round to see if it makes a difference as she will go down fuller with formula.

Luci

She does go down with formula

Partyof6:

D_J_M_:

LuvMyMunchkins:

So I don't know where I'm going wrong.

 

I don't think you're doing anything wrong.  Newborns just aren't supposed to be great sleepers.

 

ITA. You're not doing anything wrong! :) I rarely hear of newborns sleeping 4 hrs., I think it's totally normal to be awake every 1.5 -2 hrs. even if having a growth spurt. Avery's having one now, all she wants to do is eat eat eat. It's awful not sleeping but it passes. I try to nap when she naps during the day to make up for it.

All our babies were up every 2-3 hrs. day and night to eat. I don't try to schedule them or keep them awake- they eat when they're hungry and sleep when they're tired, and by 3 mo. it works itself out. I should add too our 3 formula babies weren't any better sleepers, and our 1st couple babies I even tried cereal in the bottle...I came to the conclusion years ago that newborns just aren't good sleepers. lol

Have you looked into the Nutramigen formula for her? If she's fussy while sleeping or real wiggly while sleeping the formula may be to blame... it worked wonders on our colic baby.  Do you sleep w/her in bed? That helps too if you're desperate (I know I am.. lol)

I have put her in bed with me but it's been almost a week since the last time. i'm trying to not let her get used to that and then have her always wanting that and not sleeping any other way.

Mine never slept that long early on either.  My BF guy especially.  He was up every 2 hrs at night.  The only babies I hear that sleep like that are formula babies that are forced to take more...KWIM

My ped always told me to take their current weight at divide it by 2.  That's how many hrs they should be sleeping in a row at night.  It's always been true for me.  Her stomach is so small right now too.  Sleep is just as important as eating.  I know everyone says to keep them up during the day but I never did that either.  Then they get over tired and fussy and don't know what they want.