My Newborn Is Awake a Lot!

You'd be suprised at how quickly they begin to stay awake. I've got 3 girls, 2 were sleepers and 1 seemed like she was awake from the day she was born until she was 2! For gas my pediatrician recommend and alternative. It is called Gripe Water and you can get it and Indian food stores. It is just a capful into the baby's bottle. It smells like pickles and worked great with my oldest.

Every child has his own needs and his own schedule. Some sleep less than others. If he seems to be fussy, perhaps he would like to be around people or have something interesting that he can watch. You say he seems to be alert and looking around. I used to take my kids around in their carrier from room to room so they could watch me while I was working. When they were ready to sleep, I put them to bed.

One of my children had relief from stomach pain when I gave him a bath. My daughter wanted to lie on her stomach across my lap and be rocked from side to side when she had gas.

Hi Jamie, I have a 2 and 3 year old...but it seems just like yesterday that they were infants... my advice to you would be to get a hold of a book called "Baby Wise" maybe you already have it...but I was so thankful for it when my oldest was 7 weeks old. It helped me to know when and how long baby should be sleeping. Basically a great scheduling info book. Let me know if it helps. At least give it a try. Oh... I am not a reader...AT ALL but I read that book in a half day...I really needed help and answers.

A.

Jamie,

The fact that your little guy was up from 7P - 12:45A makes me think your son has his days and nights mixed up. Both of my boys did when they were born. To help change this cycle, I would only let him nap during the day out in the living room area or in his crib with the shade up and door open. I'd vacuum in the other room let the TV on and go about my day while he slept. At night, it was just the opposite. If he was awake, I'd turn off the TV, dim the lights in the house and just have quiet time for him. He ended up being able to sleep through the night at about 10 weeks (and he's breastfed).

With regard to gas...are you using formula? If so, be careful not to shake it when you mix it. It will cause air bubbles. If you are bottle feeding expressed BM, same thing. If you are nursing, then watch what you eat as some foods cause gas.

Good luck and congrats on the new baby!

Jamie are you breastfeeding? If so, then try drinking organic milk. This may eliminate some gas. Both my babies were really gassy. Our ped said that gas is good. You know their bowels are working. I did switch over to organic milk & I did see a little bit of a change. I never used the drops or pulled the feet towards the chest. You can also try to lay him on his belly (while awake) on your lap or hold him on a boppy (if you use on) while it is on you. Gently rub his back. This triggered a lot of gas for my boys to be released & they also fell asleep on the boppy! All babies are different for being awake. My boys were premies, so I'm not sure about how awake babies really are. Mine slept a lot for the month & a half home. Good luck.

my daughter had a lot of gas. she responded very well to homeopathic combination remedy for gas. i would give her a 1/2 tablet of this in her mouth (ok if they spit it out) every 1/2 hour until she was better, then stopped the remedy.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R4OY92?smid=AKAXMAH88DBJX&am...

you can also give the baby colic tablets (homeopathic) -- since gas/colic are all the same kinds of symptoms. these are some good ones:
http://www.hylands.com/products/colic.php

email me offlist if you have more qeuestions about homeopathy -- i study it so i can use it at home for small ailments like this, and colds, flu, first aid, headaches, etc. it's awesome! no side effects and natural. can't hurt, and it might really help like it did for my daughter!
the above remedies are available at fruitful yield natural food stores, whole foods markets, and sometimes at jewel, dominicks in the natural foods section, even cvs or walgreens.

Your baby isn't awake too much... my son did the same thing. He is just very alert, and that is a good thing. As far as help relieving gas... go to the store and buy Chamomile tea... make him some WARM tea... NOT HOT, and give that to him. It helps. Doctors say you aren't supposed to give babies anything other than breast milk or formula that young, but it doesn't hurt them. You know they can be kind of anal about things like that but it helped my son, and i still do it to this very day.

Catnip tea is good to give your baby for gas. You can find it at most health food stores. About two ounces at a time or as much as he wants to drink.

My sister-in-laws pediatrician suggested a product called "gripes water"...she got it at a healthfood store. She said it works really well. She also suggested that my sister-in-law take pro-biotics as well...She nurses and she also has to watch she eats to help out with the gas and colic.

Certianly, the 1st time frame you mentioned is normal! My guy, who is 5 toda, was awake a lot at night.

The gas... along with the movement of the feet, I was told by my midwives to put a towl in the dryer, after it has been warmed up, warp it snuggly around your little guys tummy. It worked! I recommend you get the towl HOT, it will cool quickly, certainly by the time you are able to wrap it around his tummy!

Good luck,
C.

My son was the same away, except for he really hated to sleep! At one point he was only sleeping for 4-5 hours in a 24 hour period. I was so upset and exhausted and then one day, he just stopped and now sleeps thru the night! He only takes like 10-20 min. cat naps but that's okay. I also wanted to respone regarding the tea. It is fine to give it to him per my Ped Dr. just NO MORE than 3 oz at one time because it can harm their kidneys. So you can make a very strong tea. I personally won't give more than 2 oz at one time - JFI. The water is what does damage to the kidneys - that's my my peds dr. said.

babies need about 12-14 hours of sleep a day. gas is very normal. think about how painful it is for you- and then babies have to poop laying down. it can be quite uncomfortable but its part of the growing process- their stomaches are growing and changing- but to help relieve gas you can pedal your babies feet or ues a lubricated themometer and insert that into the rectum. that can get things moving.. Congrats!

J.,

I don't have any advice for the crying. I didn't sleep at all when I was born. My mom had to live with my aunt for my first year so that they could take care of me in shifts.

For the gas, I used to rub my son's belly in circles, but doing letters. My favorite was, I LOVE YOU. I always used capital letters to get more area.

Hope this helps

Lay him on his stomach on his bed or playpen with a colorful toy at arms reach. He'll move his arms and legs and exercise himself. A swing usually works also. If he becomes more frustrated, make sure the toy is close enough for him to reach. They can amuse themselves for quite a while. Laying on his tummy will help relieve the gas also (during playtime).

My son went through this too. He was diagnosed with acid reflux. Usually when they pull their legs up like that it indicates intestinal discomfort. Your pediatrician can prescribe medication, but I did use the over the counter drops every now and then (you only use a drop here and there) and it does help alot. I understand why you dont want to use them. If he is on formula, switching to soy usually takes care of the problem. At this age their little systems are immature, and by their first birthday all babies usually grow out of it on their own.

babies that age should get about 16 hours of sleep in a day. But all babies are different. I have a 6 month old and when she was that little she was up for most of the night. it'll pass. as for gas, try looking up the things that you eat that can give him gas (if your breastfeeding). I found that if I didn't eat some foods that made my daughter gassy then she wouldn't be gassy. You can also try laying her face down across your lap. That also worked for me. good luck.

What you should try is to put the baby down to sleep every two hours, even if he doesn't seem tired. It TRULY works! Get a copy of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. It will make your life so much easier in terms of sleeping. I only wish someone had told me about this book when my oldest was "brand new"!!! Good luck!

my baby (8 weeks) went thru this recently. She seemed to kind of throw herself out of sorts, and I was like 'SLEEP!!' :) because I had become so accustomed to her sleeping so much since coming home. I think I just needed to changed my expectations. The times that he's awake does sound a bit like he may have his days and nights mixed up.

If I may, I recommend the book "What to expect the first year" - I have 4 kids and I have used it as my 'bible' for all of them! There are so many good tips, and practical information in lay terms so you and I can understand it :)

Maybe he's awake because he is so gassy... if that's fixed he may sleep better and at the appropriate times. Also, keep in mind, there may be something bothering him that's keeping him up. maybe he has acid reflux (my son did) and that shows up anywhere between 2 and 6 weeks old. does he hiccup a lot? pull away from bottle when eating to cry? My son cried a LOT and it was clearly pain cries. my new daughter only cries when she's poopy, hungry or trying to fall asleep.
Another good resource that you can use right now. www.babycenter.com

the drops and making his legs do a bicycle motion has always helped my kids when the problem was truly just gas. Simethicone drops have always worked well, but the problem is that you have to give it to them every time they have a situation that causes gas (like drinking a bottle). Make sure you're burping very well too... my new baby takes 20 minutes sometimes to give me a burp - if you feel his tummy and it's rock hard, keep working on a burp (I always put there tummy against my boob for slight pressure, and pat lightly on the tummy side of their back (their left). If that doesn't cut it, walking down the stairs with baby up on your shoulder seems to do the trick - i can't tell you why...

Good luck and congratulations on the birth of your first baby. Your life will never be the same - and I mean that in a good way!

If you want to know more about the acid reflux behaviors, feel free to send me a private message. {{hugs}}

Hi Jamie!

My kids were always like that as babies. They slept a lot too, but they'd be awake until late at night, and when they were awake, they were alert and just taking everything in. I don't think you have to be concerned at all. I think newborns are supposed to sleep around 15 hours per day, but every baby is different - it may be less or more.

As far as the gas issue goes, have you tried the collick hold? It's where you hold them with their chest across your inner forearm, their tummy supported by your hand, their face near your elbow. I've heard that works for a lot of babies - occasionally I used it with mine, and they seemed to like it. Good luck with everything!

Hi! I know you can get WIDELY varying opinions on sleep patterns, but I read just 1 book on the subject, and it worked like a dream! My kids all slept 8 hrs thru the night by 7 weeks, and now the youngest takes a 2 hr nap, and sleeps 12 hours at night. The other two sleep about 10-11 hours at night (they're 4 and 3) and take a 2 hour nap daily. It is awesome to have them all on the same sleep schedule, and they're just on a flexible routine, not a strict schedule. Anyway, the name of the book is On Becoming Babywise, and I just bought it for my sister-in-law at Meijer last night. Best $12 I ever spent! I would agree that she's up a bit more often than she should be. My kids took 2 2-hour naps and 1 45-1hour evening nap and slept about 8 hours thru the night at that age. Making their longest waking time about 2 hours. Hope this helps!

Hi, My son was awake a lot also in fact he would never nap and if he did it wasn't for long and sleeping through the night wasn't always easy. He was finally diagnosed with ADHD just last year at the age of 9 by his 4th grade teacher who recommended having him tested. For years from 3 on I asked his doctor but they don't like diagnosing it so young because it could be something that they grow out of. Now I look back and wonder how I made it.

Regarding the sleeping...my daughter was EXACTLY like that. She never slept as much as the books said she was supposed to, and it was always a struggle to get her to go to sleep. Also, she was so alert, always taking in the world when she was awake. She's now almost two and is a great sleeper and a independent spirited toddler. So, don't worry - as long as you are giving him opportunities to sleep, then he'll sleep as much as he needs to. Have you tried swaddling? We used the "miracle blanket" from the time she was about your baby's age, and it was so wonderful. She also took naps and slept at night in a bouncy seat for a long time before we transitioned to the crib. Whatever works, works! I know it is frustrating, but it will pass. At 6 weeks old he is probably still confusing day and night.

Try tummy massaging to relieve the gas. Start at the right hip, moving in a clockwise motion, the same flow of the digestion system. If you are nursing, avoid dairy products, the molecules are too big for their systems to digest. Other culprits is nuts/peanuts and wheat (I know a tough one, start with the easiest) Switch to rice milk if you have to have dairy. If formula feeding try a different formula like Nutragimen which the molecules are broken down into very fine powder. My baby was very alert too and the tummy massage and lying on the tummy worked well for her. Good luck

Are you breastfeeding? If so make sure you are avoiding spicy food, cauliflower, broccoli, peanuts. Anything that causes gas pain in you can cause it in them.

Are you breastfeeding? If so, you may want to keep an eye on what you're eating. My daughter was fussy as an infant when I ate certain foods. Make sure to avoid things with caffeine, as that will cause a baby to be awake and have gas. Dairy is also another thing that you might want to keep an eye on. There may be some foods that your baby reacts to, so try cutting out certain things for a few days, and see if the situation improves. But cut them out one at a time, so you know which food might be causing the reaction.
Hope that helps and good luck!

Hi Jamie- boy do I have good news for you! My daughter was very similar to what you're describing, and someone told me, "Oh- she is just a very intelligent child." I smiled and thought "yea- whatever- I need my sleep!!!" But you know what? That daughter is now 16, and she really is smart! She was reading fluently by age 5 or 6, and has continued to amaze and amuse her dad and me. We had her tested a few years ago, and she really does have a high IQ. She has never ever needed as much sleep as the books and doctors say she should. When she was younger I tried and tried to make her sleep patterns better, but eventually I realized she just didn't need that much sleep. She quit napping all together before she was a year, and although it made her toddler years rather intense for me, she really is a delight now. So relax and enjoy your little one as much as possible- and take advantage of all those awake and alert hours by starting to read to him now! He'll begin to pick up grammar and syntax patterns, no matter what you read, so read things that are interesting to you. By the way- she was really gassy too- I don't have any great advice on that, other than that it eventually went away. Blessings on you as you enjoy your precious little son. - N.

My daughter and my twins were like that, too. When I was a first time mom, I thought it was pretty freaky. I had been around plenty of sleepy babies and I figured they'd be more like my cats - laying around sleeping in various places by day, while waking me up and acting crazy all night long. Then I'd look at this sweet little 6 week old person who was more alert during the day than I was, and I'd think - What? Am I supposed to play with you? Sing? Get out toys? Isn't it too soon? What do you want me to do? I guess the good news is that she was eating well and sleeping pretty good stretches at night - actually VERY good stretches. So I'd just keep her in the bouncy seat and tell her what I was doing and try to give her things to look at and listen to. Or I'd go to Target or Jewel or run whatever errands I had and people would comment on my alert little baby and how odd even they thought it was that she wasn't sleeping! I found it to be quite unfair when my friends' babies were sleeping all day long, and mine wasn't, but they're all different, you know? I'm sure you've still got one of the good ones :) As for gas, the only things I did besides Mylicon drops (which I thought to be most effective) was to rub their lower bellies in a circular motion and keep them a bit upright, especially during and after feedings. Good luck entertaining your alert little baby :)

Dear New Mother,

That gas thing can really be difficult! Try burping or carrying him facing down, with your forearm and hand supporting his body and head from beneath. That pressure on his stomach might help. He'll be looking at your shoes, but the position is sometimes comfortable. Lastly, my daughter loooooved the swing when she got gassy. With very young babies, make sure to support their fragile neck and incline back quite a bit. Good luck. Remember, you will get sleep back eventually, and you'll never take it for granted again!

R. C.

Jamie,

First -- Congratulations!!! Being a new mother is the most challenging and exciting experience. It's also the only thing I've done that's made me feel like a complete idiot at times. :) All babies are sooooo different. My first child slept all the time. He did everything by the book. EVERYTHING. My second child did everything the exact opposite. DS slept, ate, and pooped by the book. DD was contrary on purpose ... still is. :) If your baby is simply alert and not fussy, I would let him be. Mention it to your pediatrician to simply alleviate your fears, but I don't think it's cause for alarm.

As for gas ... we used Mylicon drops (actually the generic version). Try burping more often ... gas is just trapped air bubbles ... if you burp more often it will come out from the top end as opposed to the bottom end. :) However the legs into the chest trick worked really well for us.

Good luck and enjoy this time ... you never have your first and only baby back again. It's scary and overwhelming, but such a special time. :)

Jess

I know what this is like. I have a 3 and 5 year old and the youngest one didn't sleep through the night for almost a year. I have a few suggestions, if you can use them. Put a sprinkle of cereal in the babies milk before he goes to sleep. Try to use Johnson & Johnson Chamomile Bedtime soap before going to bed. Wrap your child as if he were still in the womb and see if that works. Also, classical music for babies works wonders. I hope this helps!

My son went through the same thing at six weeks. It's at this point that babies become more aware of their surroundings and feel that they may miss something. If I remember correctly, they adjust back in a week or two. So... you're baby is perfectly normal1

If you haven't already, buy "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child"... it's the bible of baby sleep.

My son was very alert as a newborn. Still is. He had a hard time falling asleep if there was anything going on. I'd suggest a dark room, in a rocking chair, with hardly any stimulation. That worked the best for my son. Although, he was never a good napper, it got him to sleep through the night.
For the gas, Dr. Brown's bottles worked great.
Hope this helps!

At six wks your baby should be sleeping more, at least every 2-3 hrs. Sometimes we need to stimulate them to go to sleep. First make sure he is burped good and has a clean diaper. Then swaddle your baby snug in a receiving blanket. Lower or turn more of your lights off and play some soft music or sing softly to your baby. Works every time. If your baby retains alot of gas make sure you burp baby really good, some take longer than others. You can put him over your shoulder or sit him upright holding his tummy with one hand and tapping his back with the other. You can also try laying the baby on his tummy in your lap and patting his back. Good Luck!

Jamie,

Completely normal! My daughter was exactly like that! When she'd drink her formula for her feedings it would seem like it was more of an energy booster than anything and she'd be even more alert after feeding wide eyed and all. Try putting him down for a nap every two ours like suggested previously and try the swing. It seemed to work for my daughter during the day....Nights were most difficult. Yep some babies are just like that. Nothing wrong with him.

As far as gas is concerned. If you are nursing watch your diet some foods can cause gas. If you are using formula maybe you need to look at switching it.

I see lots of recommendations for Weissbluth's book, I would also recommend Happiest Baby on The Block for your son's age. I used a combo of the both of them. Happiest Baby at this age seemed to work best for us. This is the age that baby's go through a "phase" and can get colicky, mix up nights, etc. read the books----better yet watch the Happiest Baby on the Block video. 30 min and it will change your life. Also are you swaddling your baby when he sleeps? Highly recommend it. And be sure to put the ARMS IN! We thought our daughter didn't like it....hit the 6 weeks...and realized arms in did the trick. good luck and enjoy!

I would eliminate all dairy from your diet and see if that helps...I am assuming you are breast feeding? My first born was like that, but I didn't know about dairy at that time (20 years ago). Then my 3rd did the same thing, but I did know to remove the dairy and it worked like a charm. There are a lot of substitutes for dairy these days - just visit your health food store or the organic/health food section of your local supermarket. Also, be sure to be taking a high quality calcium/magnesium supplement. IF you aren't breast feeding, trying using a soy based formula if you are using a dairy one now.

Hi Jaime..get yourself some olive oil..take a table spoon of it heat it over the burner for a few seconds ..just so thats it's warm .Then massage it on his belly n it releases the gas.I did it for my kids!It helps.But u do it when he has gas!

the football hold works wonders for a gassy baby! here's a link...
http://video.about.com/babyparenting/The-Football-Hold-fo...

Hello Jamie,
As far a your baby being awake to much, my son slept through the night at very early age but he did not do much napping during the day. He loved being up and around my husband and I. I carried him around in a snuggly all the time. He loved touching my face and my long hair. I used it around the house, when I was working outside, when I went to the store, etc. I loved being close to my baby. He was always a very active baby from day one.
As far as the colic I ended up having to give up breast feeding when he was 4 months because our family doctor said it may be me giving the colic to him. I watched what I eat. (No soda, no chocolate, no broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage, etc.) But he said it was because of my nerves. I would get nervous that I was not doing everything that I should be doing and that nervousness passed on to our son. I tried a chiropractic adjustment for him too but I ended up quitting breast feeding at 4 months, used formula for 2 months and then went to regular milk and he was just fine after that.
By the way he is now 17 years old, 6' 2" tall and in perfect health. So no damage done me quiting at 4 months.
Best of Luck
P.S. He still sleeps 8-10 hours a night if he can squeeze it in.

that's good. he's just alert. newborns don't sleep allll the time. our baby was alert too and she's now almost 6 months old-barely naps but sleeps all night. mix the formula ahead of time so that the bubbles have time to burst if bottlefeeding. we have no gas problems that way. good luck. take care. A. ;-)

My newborn was awake a lot at first too (she's 3mo now), but as time went on, she got better at sleeping. We found that swaddling her, with her arms in the swaddle blanket, helped calm her down so she'd go to sleep. If she was able to flail her arms around, then she'd stay up and fuss. Also, we found that she didn't want to "miss out" on the action. So to get her to sleep, we had to make sure when we put her in her room, the shades are down so it's dark and it's quiet, so there is no stimulating activity. For example, we actually found that playing the lullaby mobile over her crib was stimulating her and thus didn't help her fall asleep.

As far as gas, the drops didn't do anything for her either. Our pediatrician had me keep a log of my diet for a week, and one by one I tried eliminating things from my diet, which helped a little but not a lot. (I was surprised that cucumbers was one of the offenders, though!) We also do the belly massage to relieve gas. She likes to be bare-butt, so I just put a waterproof pad over her play mat, and put a blanket over her so she doesn't get cold, and do the kicks and massages with her to help it work out. But overall, there's not a whole lot of options once the gas is already there. So it's best to try to do everything you can to prevent it. ie- Burping every 2-3 oz or so helps. Our ped also told us to keeping the baby upright for at least 30 min (although with ours, we found that keeping her upright for 60min was better). The big thing is if you're breastfeeding, what you eat. Eventually, the baby's digestive system will mature more and won't be as sensitive. But those first few months, just manage it the best you can. I b/f exclusively for 11wks, and then after debating everything, chose to switch her to formula. It was the right choice for us, she's on Elecare now (hypoallergenic formula) and is doing great with it. She has much less gas than when I was feeding her. Of course b/f is the best option, and I know that, but this is what works for us. She fusses less and is a happier baby, and she's sleeping more, which makes for a happier (and a little less sleep-deprived) mommy & daddy!
ps- we found healthy sleep habits, healthy child to be a very helpful book as well.