Sleepless 4 Week Old

She sounds perfectly normal for a 4 week old. When my daughter was 2 months old someone recommended the Fisher Price Newborn Rock n' Play Sleeper which she slept wonderfully in (she outgrew it at 6 months.) The sleeper cradles them and is angled. I can't say enough good things about the sleeper.

At that time she was up 1-2 times a night which I could handle. Now, however, she is 7 months old and is waking up 3-4 times a night for which I don't know how to change so I don't really have any tips for you.

Good luck.

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Have you tried a swing to help her sleep. Just don't get dependent on it. I made that mistake. And nursing all the time is what babies do. There isn't going to be a lot of sleep during this time. It does pass though and before you know it she will be sleeping 4-5 hour stretches. She's still figuring it out. Give it some time. And make your husband take her for a couple of hours while you take a nap. If she is doing well nursing, you could probably start to pump a little and try a bottle. As long as she's nursing well. I think we started an occasional bottle at about 4 weeks. Also swaddling and then putting her in the swing worked well for my son. He is almost one now and I can hardly even remember what all the sleepless nights felt like. But it goes so quickly. And if you haven't read it, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It is the best book I've ever read and it opened my eyes to how children sleep. Good luck. You are doing everything right.

this is so normal! :) baby's tummy is so tiny; about the size of her fist. it fills quick and it empties quick. think about it this way; shes going to DOUBLE her height and TRIPLE her weight in a year. this is the ONLY time that a human grows this fast! (hopefully anyway!) so its a lot of nursing! :)

she might be slightly effected by the antibiotic, but you will be off them soon; and the only way to truly get rid of your mastitus is to nurse nurse nurse nurse as often as humanly possible.

i URGE you strongly to contact a leader or group for la leche league : www.llli.org - this support and advice will be PRICELESS for you. DONT give up, just keep doing what you are doing, and follow YOUR HEART, not your doctor, not your parents, not your friends. follow YOUR heart. :) :)

babies will do this too, when they have a growth spurt! someone else on here is also having a 3 week old who is doing a similar thing too with lots of crying. so it could be a growth spurt. but i really encourage you to go to a la leche league meeting or at least contact the leader; and have her come over, maybe bring some information for you! :)

I know this is not the recommended way, but it's the only thing that worked for us. Put her on her stomach, even if you only do it at nap times when you can watch her. They don't startle all the time like they do on their backs.

As a mother of 5 children, ages 9, triplets that are 7 and a 4 1/2 MONTH old, and a licensed childcare provider, I STRONGLY suggest NOT putting your baby on her stomach to sleep. This is a HUGE SIDS risk and the lack of sleep is not worth it. The highest risk is between the ages of 2-4 months, and can happen up to the age of 2 years. Always, ALWAYS put her to sleep on her back. When she is old enough to roll from back to tummy and then back again, then she can "choose" her own sleeping position.
As far as the sleeping goes, all of my children have been swaddled to sleep. I also do this with the infants I care/have cared for in my childcare. They all sleep much better (don't twitch and startle) and for longer periods of time. I recommend the HALO brand or SUMMERTIME brand (both can be bought at Babies R Us.)
I also nursed all of my children (even my triplets, pumped and fed), and breast fed babies DO need more feedings, more often than formula fed babies. Once I switched them to formula (at 3 mo.) they slept through the night (8-10 hrs) and were at the weight to where they no longer required the night time feedings.
Good luck with all of this, I know it can be frustrating and tiresome with the night time feedings. I remember feeling like a walking zombie...things will get better. :)

Mastistis usually doesn't need antibitoics, the baby nursing will get rid of it without her getting sick.

Now that you are on an ABX, you might consider taking a probitoic, as I like PB8. Don't take it at the exact same time as the ABX, but hours away from it, so you and your daughter don't end up with a crazy yeast infection that you both keep passing back and forth.

My babies slept through the night, but I took calcium and it relaxes, naturally their nervous system...and ours! Do you drink coffee or any other stimulants? Here's a cheap calmag supplement that is teh best oen I have ever found. I get it from my doctor, but found it online.

http://www.worldlifesupplements.com/prod_an75030.html

Also, babies SHOULD be eating every 2 hours. Breastmilk starts being digested within 90 seconds of hitting the stomach and it's easily digestable. Formula can sit there for a LONG time. Also, when a baby is born, their stomach is only the size of a marble. By day 3, it's the size of a shooter marble. By day 10 it's the size of a ping ping ball, so they need to be fed regularly - and eating every 2 hours keep their blood sugars stable.

Please be sure the doctor knows you are breastfeeding and feels the antibiotic is safe for your baby. Also, check with a lactation consultant about breastfeeding issues. You can get a special kind of crib that attaches to your bed, so all you have to do to feed or comfort her is to reach over. You don't have to get out of bed, and that can help alot.

My daughter LOVED to be swaddled, but also loved to push and wiggle too. When she pushed and wiggled she would work herself out of the swaddle, then scream until we re-swaddled. Mine LO didn't not want to be swaddled, she just wanted what she had in the womb, a tight space she could push against. She got comfort from that. We started using the miracle blanket and she loved it. She cold push and squirm but still feel swaddled. Highly recommended.

I'm afraid I don't have a really great suggestion for you, except to tell you that it will pass in time. Most of the suggestions so far are definitely worth trying but I agree that you should never put her to sleep on her stomach - it really isn't worth the risk. I have been where you are. My son, who's now 12, didn't sleep for more that 4 hours at a stretch until he was almost a year old. And 4 hours would be a long sleep. It was so exhausting. And he didn't just want to be held - he would cry and cry. I don't know if it was colic or what. There was nothing medically wrong with him - he was just an unhappy little guy. He didn't really like the swing, definitely didn't like the bouncy chair, didn't want to be swaddled and so we walked, rocked, held and cried with him sometimes. And then one day he just changed. It really was like a light going on. At 11 months he became happier, he slept longer and it was all a thing of the past. So I still don't know why he started out so difficult to settle and hopefully your little girl won't take as long but I just wanted you to know that it will pass. You will sleep again, your daughter will sleep and before you know it she'll be 12! Good luck!

I went a year nursing every 1 1/2 - 2 hours. That was a bit long, but at 4 weeks fairly normal. My son did sleep for a 3 hour stretch from 7-10 pm when put to sleep in his swing. The no sleep thing is tough - it does get better.

Dark chocolate is great! 1-2oz every day before noon is the folk remedy for a fussy baby in the evening. It does help you maintain your seratonin (sp?) levels though which is good for the lack of sleep.

Hi K., My little girl loves lavender. I massage her back and feet every night at bedtime. She sleeps like a baby (sorry). Diffusing the essential oil works great as well. Your mastitis is an infection. For infections use tangerine or citrus fresh with lavender, exodus II oils may work for you. Simple and fun! Antibotics: Cinnamon and oregano essential oils rival penicillin and ampicillin any day, plus the infection and bodies do not reject oils or have less power over repeated use. I only use young living oils in our home. Many other's don't seem to cut it.

Are you drinking caffeine?

My kids loved sleeping in their car seat. When I was desperate I would get them all ready for bed, put them in their car seat and go for a drive. When they fell to sleep I would take them home and put the car seat next to the couch and I would sleep.

If I were closer, I would just come hold that baby and let you sleep. I just love rocken in a good glider with a little one. I can smell that sweet baby smell just thinking about it. I know how hard it is when you just can't get enough rest.

How are you nursing? The tail end milk has more fat and keeps them satisfied longer. Have you tried nursing on one side for the entire feeding and then on the other for the next? That way your assured that she gets the milk with more fat. Breast fed babies do eat more often. Mine wanted to eat every two hours, but at night sometimes they would take pitty on my and let me sleep for 3 at a time. Are you still on you prenatal vitamin? That really helped me after the pregnancy. To this day I have to have a vitamin or I end up exhausted.

Keep us posted!