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Baby Not Sleeping Properly In Night. What Cure Should Be Taken?
Question: This is regarding my 1.5 months old baby girl. She is completely on breastfeed. Most of the times during the night, she usually sleeps continiously for only about 15-20 mins and wakes up with crying accompanied by fussing, stretching and grunting.I don't swaddle her and she shares the bed with us. Am i missing something in her care or should I be worried?
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
Sleep patterns vary a lot in infants and frequent night awakenings are common .
However 15-20 minutes is a very short duration and the fact that the baby is fussy , grunting etc is suggestive of the fact that her sleep might be disturbed or fragmented due to some or the other cause.
It could be gaseous distension or colic , or overstimulation as by found , light , touch etc or inadequate feeding .
The best way to confirm is to get her evaluated by her pediatrician who can rule out any significant cause .
In many cases it's just a phase which a newborn undergoes and by the time the baby is 3 month old she will settle into a predictable sleep wake cycle .
You may try the following tips though,for some relief
1.Ensure that the baby is breastfed adequately especially emptying one breast before changing sides which ensures that the thicker hind milk is taken by the baby and her hunger is satisfied.
2. Ensure frequent and adequate burping to relieve any abdominal distension .
Sometimes digestive or anticolic drops ( colic aid etc) may be advised by your doctor if he suspects colic .
3. Sharing the bed with your baby is fine as long as it doesn't create any disturbance in terms of sound or movement to your baby which might stimulate her and cause her to wake up earlier .
Many infants prefer a quiet dark warm place for sleep and swaddling does comfort them however it is not mandatory and every infant behaves differently .
Some children are disturbed even if they pass urine while some may sleep peacefully even after a bowel motion.
Temperature changes may also effect their sleep so try to maintain it .
Please do not stress yourself as your hormones can affect her sleep , so do not blame yourself and do get adequate sleep whenever possible throughout the day .
If your baby is feeding well (15-20 minutes atleast), passing urine stools normally and having appropriate weight gain then you need not worry at all as this might soon resolve on its own as she develops a sleep routine .
If any other problems exist then you should get her evaluated thoroughly by her pediatrician .
Hope I have answered your query.
Kindly accept my answer if you have no further queries .
Wishing your baby good health.
Regards
Thanks for posting your query.
Sleep patterns vary a lot in infants and frequent night awakenings are common .
However 15-20 minutes is a very short duration and the fact that the baby is fussy , grunting etc is suggestive of the fact that her sleep might be disturbed or fragmented due to some or the other cause.
It could be gaseous distension or colic , or overstimulation as by found , light , touch etc or inadequate feeding .
The best way to confirm is to get her evaluated by her pediatrician who can rule out any significant cause .
In many cases it's just a phase which a newborn undergoes and by the time the baby is 3 month old she will settle into a predictable sleep wake cycle .
You may try the following tips though,for some relief
1.Ensure that the baby is breastfed adequately especially emptying one breast before changing sides which ensures that the thicker hind milk is taken by the baby and her hunger is satisfied.
2. Ensure frequent and adequate burping to relieve any abdominal distension .
Sometimes digestive or anticolic drops ( colic aid etc) may be advised by your doctor if he suspects colic .
3. Sharing the bed with your baby is fine as long as it doesn't create any disturbance in terms of sound or movement to your baby which might stimulate her and cause her to wake up earlier .
Many infants prefer a quiet dark warm place for sleep and swaddling does comfort them however it is not mandatory and every infant behaves differently .
Some children are disturbed even if they pass urine while some may sleep peacefully even after a bowel motion.
Temperature changes may also effect their sleep so try to maintain it .
Please do not stress yourself as your hormones can affect her sleep , so do not blame yourself and do get adequate sleep whenever possible throughout the day .
If your baby is feeding well (15-20 minutes atleast), passing urine stools normally and having appropriate weight gain then you need not worry at all as this might soon resolve on its own as she develops a sleep routine .
If any other problems exist then you should get her evaluated thoroughly by her pediatrician .
Hope I have answered your query.
Kindly accept my answer if you have no further queries .
Wishing your baby good health.
Regards
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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