# help, newborn sleeps all day, cries all night, I want to cosleep



## meowee (Jul 8, 2004)

This is a vent, also looking for advice from anyone who can relate.

I have to cosleep because all of our other bedrooms are filled up :LOL and there is nowhere for me to put a crib even if I wanted to, which I don't really want to. I've coslept with all my babies at least 6 months and one as long as 3 years.

However, due to crazy work schedule, DH does not sleep with me, so it is just me in the bed. It is queen sized bed on a frame and box spring (about 3 1/2 feet off the ground or so).

Anyway, my newborn (1 week) sleeps soundly all day, nursing every 1 1/2- 2 hours, and then exactly at midnight she wakes up and basically wants to nurse non stop until 6 am.

Normally I would ask DH to hold the baby a little bit at this point or at least put her next to him and not me, but he's not there. I'm getting seriously sleep deprived and don't know what to do. Baby is very fussy and high needs at night too, it's not just a matter of her wanting to nurse. She fusses, cries, rejects the breast then goes back on, back and forth, thrashing around, etc.

help!!!! any ideas at all?








thank you!


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## elsasmomma (Sep 8, 2004)

Oh, I feel for you. My only suggestion at such an early stage is to open all the blinds and turn on the lights in the house during the daytime--hopefully to encourage a differentiation between night and day sleeping. Then, perhaps, the babe will start to acknowledge a difference and rely on heavier sleep at night. It seemed to work for us, but I know babes are so different. Good luck, and many hugs to you.
Chris


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## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

First ... mazal tov.









Second, at 1 week sleeping all day is sort of par for the course. You can do the opening windows, turning on lights, etc., but I can't imagine that it'll speed up any developmental "oh it's day I must awaken" type of thing. Sorry if that wasn't helpful, but it's just my opinion.

Third, with my last baby she did the same thing, and it turned out I had to hold the breast or else she just would not stay latched on and would fuss. It stayed this way for a few months, actually. So the way we managed (as I'm an ardent family bed fanatic and there was no other choice IMO) was I used either a very-short-haired stuffed animal or something similarly shaped under the breast to prop it in a position she could deal with, or we just worked until we could find a position where I was horizontal and she would nurse and let me sleep. Am totally not into total sleep deprivation either ... but a position (or two or three) had to be found. And you know that saying necessity is the mother of invention? Well, be inventive, mother.









Though to be honest, at 1 week old, sleep deprivation is part of the package, no matter how talented the mama is at night nursing and the family bed and the whole deal ... it's just the nature of the little beastie.


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