Sleep length at 6 weeks

E

evergold

New member
Hello! My baby is 6 weeks old and is usually taking 1-1,5 h naps during the day and about the same length sleep stretches during the night. If I’m lucky I get a 2h one ( there has been one time when he slept for 3h :,) ). Hes waking up almost instantly if I put him down horizontally from gas or stuffy nose, so most of his sleep is contact naps, including nights. And around 4AM he has started to have a 4h long period with gas and “the big morning poop” where he’s kinda sleeping and crying/farting before getting it out. Fair to say I’m miserable. Doc says it’s ok but he still is very vocal about anything coming out the bottom end (not the doc).

I’m just looking for solidarity from others who don’t have unicorn sleepers (all I hear is about 4-6 h stretches :,) ) This sub makes me feel more understood tho since I see there are others really struggling too.
 
@evergold Ooooh yes I know that 4am stretch very well. I also have/had a baby that turned into a grunting, wiggling little beast that farted like a grown man until she finally woke up for the day. It’s gotten better in the last week or so (she’ll be 9 weeks tomorrow). Still some grunting and writhing around but not quite as loud or for as long. Solidarity!!!
 
@evergold We are 9 weeks and had 2h naps all over the day and night until around 6 weeks, where she started to give one 4h nap at the start of the night, rest 2 hs. This progressed to now having 3 hour naps and last night we got a first 5h window! It was amazing. What I want to tell you... not sure at what pace your little one will do it, but those sleep windows will get longer! Even this one 4h window was all I needed to feel human again. It will come to you, too!
 
@evergold Mine is almost 11 weeks and rarely sleeps more than two or three hours at a time. He’s also recently started resisting naps, so there’s not much sleep going on for anyone at any time of the day in my house!
 
@evergold My LO is 6 weeks almost 7 weeks and will only sleep if me or my husband is holding him. He will only last about 30 minutes in his bassinet before being woken up by gas or reflux. I burp him super well and hold him upright for 30 minutes prior to setting him down. Day or night he will wake up after 30 minutes. I’m exhausted and constantly anxious at night since the only way anyone will sleep is if he hold him. In survival mode over here hoping it gets better soon
 
@evergold If you're EBF maybe see if your diet affects him? Mine sleeps quite well if I eat clean but any type of garlic, spicy, beans, snickers ice cream (don't know why?!), caffeine, not enough fibre, or stuff like this and she's gassy and miserable all day and doesn't sleep at all.

I was worried about my milk supply at some point so I pumped and noticed that my ducts on one breast were looser than the ones of the other, so if yours are thin, he might only get a certain amount of milk before he gets tired, then wakes up as he's hungry again.

Another thing with mine is that she absolutely hates bottles and on the rare occasion we gave her one, she would be miserable as well, I think because she swallowed air too along with the milk.

So now we just EBF and I try to watch my diet as much as possible.

But also, some babies just feed a lot and the 4th trimester is a lot harder for some people than others and it sounds like you are in the thick of it. You are not alone and your baby is healthy. See if anyone can watch baby while you take a longer nap (gassy baby will cry whether it's you, your partner or someone else. They just need comfort). There will be a light at the end of the tunnel and you will see it soon!!
 
@jamzies Thank you for you reply! I’m watching my diet :,) my milk flow is rather rapid (spending a lot of time on those burps ah). It’s rather skim tho, idk if that could be it or baby just prefers having smaller meals before being full.
With gas drops he doesn’t seem gassier than others just that hes screaming with every fart D: and it sounds more scared than painful scream? I feel so bad for him but not like I can fart in his place :,)

Edit: I edited my post a bit before I saw your reply, sorry if something is out if context now
 
@evergold I’m in the exact same boat as you with my 6 week old, he used to give me 4 hour stretches at night but the last week he’s barely going two hours at night before waking to eat. And all daytime naps have to be contact or carrier naps so no napping for me and I am exhausted. I’m hoping it’s a growth spurt/leap/regression and it will soon go back to those 4 hour chunks. Has your baby always had short stretches at night or is this new for you too?
 
@sanguinecross 6 weeks was rough for my son too. I think it’s because they are “waking up more” and as a result start to realize they are uncomfortable and unfamiliar with what’s going on around them and they are just miserable because of it lol. Around 9 weeks was when he started to seem okay with doing life awake, and now at 11 weeks I dare say he even enjoys himself sometimes.
 
@evergold I know leaps aren’t science but from my desperate googling they say sleep improves after leap two. My boy was 2 weeks late so we’re just starting leap 2 and like I said I’m desperate enough to want to believe the better sleep is really coming when this is over. Lol I’d believe almost anything that resembled a light at the end of this tunnel
 
@evergold My LO was a nightmare at 6 weeks, until about halfway through week 7

He would start waking from the early hours (usually 4am, sometimes as early as 1am or 2am!) - fidgeting and gassy, and not go off again for more than an hour. It was so hard

By week 8 things improved massively! He was sleeping 12 hours with just one wake for a quick feed - i couldn't believe it!

Babies' digestive systems are basically rubbish at 6 weeks, but after that they massively improve. This helps with sleep - especially the post-midnight sleep

I also started doing a strict routine at 6/7 weeks and that has been amazing ever since in making sure he's ready for his long sleep at nighttime

Best of luck
 
@evergold It does get rough when they go through a fast growth spot and makes for very difficult sleeping patterns. It is normal though. Just a phase as their brain growth is rapidly firing those little neurons and making sense of the new world around them. What a difference it is from being inside the womb. Try humming, white noise like a fan humming and a shhhh wishhhhhh noise while gently rocking.
 
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