2 Week Old Waking Every Hour!

Welcome to mommy-hood! My son is almost 8 months old and still doesn't sleep through the night. Also, my son didn't take the pacifier. He kept spitting it out. To this day he doesn't like them. So it's not a cure all. If your daughter is waking every hour and wanting to nurse she is either hungry or seeking your comfort. It is possible that she is need to eat every hour especially if you are breastfeeding. It's a natural food for the body and the baby can break it down. Formula is synthetic and it takes the body a lot longer to work it through the system. Take heart my dear... it will get better. But the sleep cycle is going to go in circles...
Have daddy get up with her occasionally. Oh! For me it helped to have my son sleep on top of my chest. He liked the warmth and would sleep like that for at times 3 hours. Just make sure you're on a surface that you won't roll off of.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi J.,

First of all congratulations on your new baby! Those first weeks are so sweet but so tough. It is next to impossible to overfeed a breastfed baby. If she wants to nurse, let her. Lots of babies will want to nurse even if they're full, they will just "comfort nurse" and not take much milk if they're not hungry. My 15 month old still nurses to sleep (not trying to scare you :)

I have a few tips to get her to sleep longer and go back to sleep more quickly. The first is the Miracle Blanket swaddler, it really is amazing! The first night we used it our son went from sleeping 2-3 hours, to 4-5 hours (although he was 3 months old). When she wakes at night, don't turn on the light, don't play with her, and don't talk to her. She needs to learn that night time is for sleeping only. And during the day, don't darken her room or keep the house too quiet during her naps. This will help her sort out her nights & days. Good luck, I promise it will get easier soon!

Hey J.,

My three week old did the same thing. He slept really well the first week or so, then was having trouble. I ended up taking him to the chiropractor a few days ago and it made an instant change. See, many babies have spine trauma from the birthing experience (mine was a c-section with forceps) and because of that he needed a very slight adjustment. The chiro adjusted him and literally he went instantly to sleep. Now he's sleeping 5 hours at a time sometimes and much much less cranky. Please give it a try, the $50-100 will be well worth your sanity.

cheers,
T.

I had to respond the the suggestion that your milk may be inadequate - it's highly highly unlikely. Even in situations where the mother is malnourished, the body will still give nutrients to making milk, it is the mother who will go without first before the baby ever would. Odds are excellent that your milk is perfect, just give her as much as she asks for because...

Yes, she is hungry! Trust her signals! She is not confused about what she wants, and doesn't have the ability to ask you any other way. Growth spurts last several days and the baby may eat constantly in that time. It's ok.

On the sleep side of things, it's normal for a baby to wake often especially during a growth spurt. Heck, even I wake up hungry in the night! I can't imagine having a one ounce stomach and not waking to eat! Here's a page with a few articles about infant sleep needs. It helped me a lot when my second baby was waking often.

http://www.naturalchild.org/articles/sleeping.html

is her swaddle tight enough or is she busting out of it? My son would wake up as soon as any part of him popped out of the swaddle. And then he had to be swaddled very tight to go back to sleep.

I know it's been hot, but you can put her to bed with just a diaper and a cotton swaddle. The Kiddopotamus "Swaddle Me" (Babies R Us) blanket was awesome! It is so easy and you can get it very tight. It was the only thing my son didn't pop out of (until he was 6 months old).

Also, it's possible any time she "wakes" and doesn't feel someone near she gets upset and can't get back to sleep. So another option is using a Baby Amby -- it's a cradle/bed that moves and sways, so if she moves, it rocks her back to sleep, using her own motion. I almost tried it. Drsears.com is a big believer in these! You can find them used on craigslist.org.

Good Luck.

Hi J.,
Lots of people responded to you with what I want to say. This is normal for a kid to wake up this often. All kids are different and a lot depends on her weight, but mainly her physical and emotional needs. Some babies need more comforting then the others. My twins were born 5.9 and 5.5 pounds and they were feeding every hour for the first 1.5 month. We were exhausted, but just took shifts in feeding them (I pumped milk at first b/c they could not eat well form my breast). They REFUSED pacifies and NEVER sucked their thumb. So there is no one way of doing it. Later on I started co-sleeping with my boys (one at a time) and breastfeeding went very smoothly. They started to wake up about 2 to 3 times a night at 3 months. You need to find help, and to find ways to take naps with your daughter, the sleeplessness may last for a year or more. BUT it becomes easier. What worked best for me (for resting) was to sleep with my boys, and give them breast at night, after sucking for a short time they would turn away and go to sleep. Everyone got good rest! Also, sleeping on my or my hubby's chest was a saver during the tough nights. Babies need comfort, touch, warmth and LOTS of feedings. There is no danger of overfeeding them. She will turn away when she is done! Good Luck and remember it will pass and will get better!

Hi J.,
Each child is different! Forming a sleeping rhythm will come a bit later, but for now your child needs you for some reason - it doesn't matter in a sense why - just be there. Sleep is important for you, but a child's needs must always come first. My second child didn't sleep through the night for until she was 4 1/2 years old. I was seriously sleep deprived for a long time but now that she is 30 years old, I am happy to have given her the attention she need as a young child as she grew up into an adult with a lot of confidence. Although it seems endless, all things really do pass and so will this problem. By the way, does she nap during the day? If so, try to catch a catnap yourself at those times. It could help a lot.
In terms of "overfeeding" - I do not think that is possible with such a young child - they only take what they need, especially if you are breast-feeding. Besides, a child gets a lot more than milk with nursing - they get the security of your heartbeat and body warmth and there's no price-tag on those items!!!
Best thoughts. Be brave. Parenting is a spiritual journey as well as a physical one.
J. Birns - Waldorf Educator and mother of two

Your baby is very new and it really does take some time to get settled into her new world. Remember ALL new moms are sleep deprived and that somehow we all live through it!
With that said, I would definitely try more aggressive burping, generally the culprit. Even when you do get a burp out, try a little more just to make sure there isn't trapped gas. Also many studies have shown that pacifiers actually dramatically reduce SIDS rates in babies under 6 months old, so I would highly recommend them. Breaking the habit at around 6-8months isn't very difficult and does no damage to their teeth.
Good luck and try not to stress, your baby can sense your frustration and it will only hinder your milk flow:)
V.

USE THE PACIFIER!!!! If you don't she'll find her thumb. Babies need to suck. Once she has her thumb, you can't take it away and good luck breaking that habit. She'll sleep better and so will you. I know your trying to do what's "right" but that's not realistic. Babies suck. GOOD LUCK.

Hi J.,
Our pediatrician warned us at our first post-partum appointment that babies are born nocturnal. Basically, when they are in the womb, they are lulled to sleep most of the time by your walking. Then, you eat dinner and often lie down to sleep not too long after. What happens is that the baby gets a rush of blood sugar while you are relatively still, and baby's wide awake inside the womb -- at night! Charming, no? Anyway, our doc said that we would need to train our son to know the difference between night and day. When we went into our son's room at night to feed or change him, we were supposed to keep the light off (though we cheated with a small flashlight for diaper changes, which were not as frequent as in the day). We were also not supposed to act like we were any fun -- no talking, no cooing, no big smiles -- pretty much all business. The main determinant in how long your baby is capable of sleeping at night is your baby's weight. I believe the magic number is 13 lbs, but my memory is a bit rusty. Mind you, not all babies will give you a nice five to six hour span (the definition of sleeping through the night, though not in my book!) at that weight. Other factors, such as gas, reflux (though our son slept pretty darn well w/ bad reflux -- we had to have him sleep in his infant seat on the floor), not training the baby that nighttime is nighttime (i.e., not fun time), and I'm sure things of which I am not aware can contribute, too. The staying awake may just be her young age and not knowing yet that it is nighttime. Just be sure not to do anything that would provide stimulation -- lights, talking, kisses, big smiles. Just feed her, hold her upright for as long as you do in the day for her tummy to settle, put her down without any fuss. I hope this helps.

For the first few weeks of life they just sleep and eat. Your kids is just starting to "wake up." Also your should be aware your child has growth spurts at 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 mth and 6 mths of age. If you are breastfeeding they started eating very frequently to que your body into increasing production. The every hour thing shouldn't last more than a few days. If it lasts more than 5-7 days and you are breastfeeding you should check if you need to help increase your supply (lots of water, oatmeal and fenugreek). As for getting more sleep. This stage is horrible for mom's sleep. If you have a partner have then take every other feed to leet you nap thru one. If you kid is nursing well at this age you can intoduce a bottle. The other option that worked for me was side lying in bed to get some rest while my daughter nursed. I couldn't sleep like some moms but it saved me getting up for a couple feedings.
Let all the house stuff go as much as you can for a couple days. This is an exhausting phase. Vacuuming and cleaning can wait a week. Have your partner or support system covers some meals even if it means a few take-out meals. Trust me a couple good naps or even on stretch of 4-5 hours makes you feel like a new person. I'm amazed how little sleep I need these days to feel human again. Hang in there. This stage will pass!

Hi, I have a 2 week old baby boy and he did the same thing, eating constantly I was worried about over eating also. I was reading in a book called Your baby's first year by the american academy of pediatrics, it said that babies go through a growth spirt at 2 weeks old when they want to nurse constantly, its temporary usually lasting 4 to 5 days. The book also said they will go through another growth spirt at 6 weeks and 3 months. Hope that helps you a little.

I don't think you need to worry about over feeding this young. Sometimes it can be a matter of something you eat causing her a little bit of discomfort that can wake her. It can also be a LOTS of things, and by now perhaps she's already settled down. Do you have someone to help out? If so, pump some milk, and have it ready for taking turns when you are sleeping. That way you don't have to do every feeding and every awake turn. Taking care of yourself IS a part of taking care of her. Ask people to help out.

My daughter woke up every 1-2 hours for the first few months and she was formula fed. It just depends on the baby. What I was told (when I thought I would be able to breastfeed) is to make sure they are done nursing before you put them to bed. They often fall asleep while nursing and stop sucking, you think they are done when they are not. Tickle her toes, gently rub her cheek, my daughter had to get completely undressed to a diaper because she would get too snugly and would just fall asleep. My friend slept with her baby on her chest for the first couple months, I did a few nights and she did sleep better those nights. They are so use to hearing your heartbeat and being warm that it's soothing to them. I use to let her nap in her swing in the early morning (after the 4 or 5 am waking) just so I could get some extra sleep.
Try to nap when she does throughout the day and try not to worry about making meals, cleaning, etc...you'll have plenty of time to do all those things in a few months =o) Ask people to help you out when they come by to see the baby.
Congratulations! and enjoy, it goes SO FAST!

It is obvious that she is hungry! That is the only reason that babies at this age wake up so frequently.

So, supplement with formula. I am all for breast feeding for as long as it works BUT she is hungry. Still breast feed but add formula to fill her little tummy. All will be better.

God bless.

I felt the same way about a pacifier. My son was using me as a pacifier and I was also major sleep deprived. We started to give him a pacifier and it really helped. By the time he was 2 months old he was over the pacifier. He started sleeping much better within a couple of weeks.

Binky works great for me.. Your sleep is more important than the week it will take later to ween her off and at that time you will have much more sleep... My baby is 11 months old and always has a binky.. thats the only thing that calms him down sometimes.. and my now 4 yr old had one till he was a year and a half and hes fine.. no overbite or teeth problems.. they grow out of it. Plus what ever you can do the first month to get some sleep, do it!!! It's ok to feed her alot at first, that's all babies do is eat and sleep and poop... I slept with my baby at first because my scent kept him alseep for longer.. Both my boys suffer from colic and I was also and still am sometimes sleep deprived... Feed her right before you put her down as much as she can take in and that might help if she has a full belly...
well take care.
Annaliesa

I have a 9 week old so don't have time to read what other said but what works for her is swaddling: watch the happiest baby on the block if you haven't already. The best video I have ever watched regarding babies & comforting them. You will need this as your baby goes thru the next few weeks & you don't understand why he starts crying more often. Muslin wraps are awesome for swaddling & make sure it's tight, I have to rewrap her when she wakes to feed. She just began over the last week sleeping from 2-3 hours to 31/2 to last night 5 hours her first stretch! I can't be happier. We use a sound machine from the mommy melodies bear or the sleep sheep (we got both for gifts) next to her head when she sleeps at night. This has worked to keep her asleep from the first day home. We took the machines out of the stuffed animals & alternate on which one we use all night. She sleeps in a snuggle nest in our bed on my side so I just push the button when I noticed the music has stopped & it replays for another run. I would say between those 2 things & a bath routine every night she has learned to sleep longer. The bath really relaxes & sedates her before her 1st feed when she goes down for the night. good luck. I have been going thru the sleep deprivation too & all I can say is that it gets better. AND if anyone offers to help watch him so you can sleep, take them up on it! :) by the way, we gave into the pacifer at around 4 weeks when she was crying more often & we learned that babies sometimes just need to suck for comfort. now I also put the pacifier in her mouth at night when she wakes up sometimes & she sucks right back to sleep. Good luck!

Have you tried propping her up at night. My son had reflux adn the doctor told us to prop his crib mattress up at a 30 degree angle.

Hi J.!

My little girl is 4 months and the approach we used with her was to keep her awake after she ate, and then have her sleep until the woke up and ate again. This worked great for us. This is the method suggested in the book Babywise, which can be very useful, but I understand that there are many people opposed to its ideas, which go beyond just the eat-wake-sleep pattern. Since you're probably too sleep-deprived to sit down and read a book, keeping the little one awake after you feed her can be a start:)

If she eats when you try to feed her, you probably don't need to worry about overfeeding her at this point since she's so young.

We also wanted to avoid the pacifier, so sometimes we would let her suck on a pinkie finger until she fell asleep, and then gingerly remove it and lay her down to sleep.

I hope that you find an approach that works for you to help her sleep more so that you can sleep!

S.

Are you breast-feeding or bottle-feeding? If you are breast feeding, it is possible that your milk does not have the nutrients that your baby needs. I never had that problem, but my mom did with me. She breast-fed both my older brother and sister with no problem, but when I came along, her milk was not nutritious enough for me, so I was always hungry. If you are breast-feeding, see if your doctor can test your milk to see iof that is the problem.

you can't overfeed while breastfeeding - the baby knows how to suck without taking milk so don't worry about that. (this isn't true, however, with a bottle where overfeeding is a valid concern).

If she is breastfeeding then there really is no such thing as overfeeding. (Now if she was over a year then you could offer her water instead during the night, but that is entirely different). Sometimes they do need to feed every hour or two in the first few months (my sister-in-law is a lact. consult. & informed me of this). My advice is sleep when she does. That is the best you can do right now. Waking her more in the day will probably help even if she isn't taking long naps.

Hi J.,

Congrats on your new baby girl! I have a baby boy that just turned one =) I have read all of your replies, and I was so surprised to see that no one had yet recommended the video "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp (a pediatrician). Please, please get this video, and a swaddle blanket (the ones with velcro, they sell them at Babies R' Us). I think it should be part of the package from the hospital before any parent leaves to take their baby home =) It was given to me by a friend of mine who had twins, and now it is my gift at every baby shower I attend =) They probably have it at a local store, but at this point it might be best to order on line as it's sort of hard to leave the house at this point =)

Here is a link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0972179526/ref=dp_...

My description wont do the video any justice, but I will give it a go....

This video talks about how the first 3 months after your baby is born is like the 4th trimester. For me, this helped me to understand how to comfort my baby during this time without the GUILT of feeling like you are spoiling your baby. It talks about the 5 calming reflexes, and explains why they work! Babies have an automatic calming reflex..this comes from being in the womb. Lets see if I can remember them:

1. Swaddle
2. Sucking
3. Side/stomach (lay on their side)
4. Shushing(like the sound they hear in the womb)
5. Swing (babies love the swing)

The video explains how to use the techniques, and why they work...and let me tell you...they really work!

I do also agree that there will be times when your baby will need to eat more often due to a growth spurt, they call it cluster feeding...just as you say, every hour. This also helps your body to increase your milk supply.

(I am not sure if you are breast feeding, or formula feeding..so some info may not apply).

Lastly, if all else fails, and the waking every hour continues for more than a few days, then you may not be producing enough milk, and may need to introduce formula as a supplement. This is a tough one, because we never really know how much our babies are actually eating when breastfeeding.

Well, I hope you find some of this helpful. And dont worry, it will get better! =) This time goes so fast, so enjoy your little one.

B.

I felt worried about the pacifier, but some kids have a strong sucking need and yours may be one. don't worry- they need to self-soothe. It really helps my daughter calm down and sleep.
Good Luck!

Interestingly enough, studies have found that pacifers decrease SIDS and "they" are telling us to give infants pacifiers to sleep now. I'd give it a try. Pacifiers are easier to take away later than thumbs, and they are sanity savers. Good luck.

J.,
The best way to get her settled into a nice comfy routine is to switch the order around.

Feeding time, then wake time, then naptime. She should wake up hungry and ready to eat. She is teensy right now but when she is a little older she will be much more happy after eating so switching the order makes perfect sense. If she falls asleep while eating (as many sleepy new bebes do) try to keep her up. Stroke her cheek, tickle her feet, change her diaper if you have to. Just work on getting in a good feeding. She should eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours as I'm sure you already know. Feeding her too often can cause digestion problems, gas, and tummy aches. You wont overfeed her if you feed her every hour but you may under nourish her because she wont be getting the hindmilk which is rich in fat and calories. She will only get the foremilk which is less nutrient dense. You can tell the difference because the foremilk is watery looking and thin and the hindmilk is more milky and thick.

During the day do not let your baby go more than 3 hours between meals either. Wake her to eat. It may seem counterproductive but it will help stabilize her eating and sleeping patterns. Read Baby Wise (Ezzo and Buchnam). It's a life saver!

Congrats on your sweet baby girl!

Congratulations on your new baby girl! I remember the two week mark and the insanity of no sleep. I used the sleep training book called "Baby Wise" and loved it. I also used the "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" for additional help. We learned the power of training a baby to eat well and how much it helps their sleep patters. I loved having a reference to how much a baby is capable of sleeping at eat age. I highly recommend you use it as a reference, obviously not law, as each baby will vary on how to train them. We did use a pacifier as my baby was definitely a "sucker." I think when she as that tiny I let her have it more often, but as she got into a rhythm and schedule, we only used it for sleeping.
Good luck. Training makes a huge different. I am not sleep deprived and don't think all mothers should be :) (my girl has been sleeping 12 hours since 8 months!)

J.,
Hi Sweetie,
It sounds to me like you just need a lil more help......Don't be afraid to ask,especially if this is your first child. Can your mom/mom-in law/or a friend come over & let you get a little rest?
Sometimes,just a lil cat nap during the day makes all the differnce. Everyone always says "Sleep,when the baby sleeps". Easier said than done I found. Even if you dont get any actual sleep,just laying down to rest is helpful, just don't go to the baby as soon as she cries,let the helper do it.(that's the hardest part)....
I don't think it unusual for the baby to be waking so much at this age. She will get in to a pattern soon. It is real important to set a schedule for her now,regular feedings,bath time,sleep time's etc....it will make it easier later. Good luck, you did come to the right place for advice....Lisa

Go and buy the miracle blanket. It's a swaddling blanket that cannot come undone and its awesome. Used it for my twins when I thought I would lose my mind from sleep deprivation. Keeps them snug for 3-5 hours so they do not startle themselves awake. I also invested in a swing that went both front/back and side to side. Side to side motion put them right to sleep. Good Luck!

Hello J.,
Out side of hunger, It's a puzzler as to why your 2wk old isn't sleeping better. If you're breast feeding, could it be watery breast milk? What does your doctor say?
Good Luck!
Syl