Help with fussy/crying babies at bedtime!

Our girls were born almost 4 weeks early and they have just started becoming more alert after the third week. They pretty much sleep all day long between feedings, every once in a while one of my gals will fuss a little during the day so I usually put her in the carrier so I can have her near me while I pick up around the house, and she falls asleep with the help of her paci.

At night it's a totally different story, the crying has gotten terrible and I just don't know what to do about it. I nurse them both and they fall asleep, then I've been trying to put them in their crib around 8-9pm but it's like as soon as I set them down one of the gals (not always the same one each time) starts crying her head off. So I try to put the paci in her mouth and that works, she sucks on it, but I think she must start to fall asleep-paci falls out and she screams. The crying does not stop unless the girls are being held.

We've rocked them, swaddled them, nursed again, tried paci's, rubbed bellies, but once we stop doing that and leave them in their cribs they cry! DH wants to let them cry it out at this point, but I think that they are too young. Weissbluth said that they cannot be overspoiled at this point, but I don't know what to do short of bringing them in bed with us so we can get some sleep! I really do not want to resort to it.

I just don't know what to do, they are sleeping almost all day long, this fussiness/crying starts up around 8Pm and will last until midnight. I have to start work in another couple weeks and I just don't know how we will survive this! HELP!!!!!!!!

 

Sounds like they might have their days and nights confused. During the day, make the house regularly noisy and bright. Open the blinds and keep it light and don't hesitate to make normal noise.

I didn't really implement hshhc till 4 mos., but we had one refluxer who I thought might have been colicky at some point. Seemed so miserable and it was hard to deal with at times. (I had to actually remember that just now, it's all fading a bit!)

Till they are a few months older, just get them to sleep no matter how you have to do it. We let DS sleep in the swing till 3.5 mos!! Good luck! :hug99:

 

i jusdt wanted to say that i am going thru this too. its driving me crazy... then i cant sleep during the day because of my DD. i get maybe 3-4 hours of sleep at nite...

 

You are at a really tough stage. I think you should do whatever works at this point...bringing them to bed, putting them in a swing, whatever works to get some sleep! You can worry about breaking habits later, when everyone is more rested! :hug99:

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ Sep 10 2007, 12:10 PM) [snapback]401030[/snapback]
You are at a really tough stage. I think you should do whatever works at this point...bringing them to bed, putting them in a swing, whatever works to get some sleep! You can worry about breaking habits later, when everyone is more rested! :hug99:


Ditto what she said. They are still so young that they will not be forming any bad habits. Let them sleep whereever they will. At that point mine were sleeping in swings, boppy pillows, car seat carriers, etc. Right now you are just in survival period.

 

My guys slept in swings, the stroller, on my/my husband's chest, and my arms most of the time for the first 7 weeks. It didn't spoil them.

 

QUOTE(NatalieK @ Sep 10 2007, 05:04 PM) [snapback]401187[/snapback]
Ditto what she said. They are still so young that they will not be forming any bad habits. Let them sleep whereever they will. At that point mine were sleeping in swings, boppy pillows, car seat carriers, etc. Right now you are just in survival period.


Double ditto! Our girls were sleeping in swings and bouncy seats at that point! Anything to get through the first few months!

 

Triple ditto, our girls slept in swings til about 4.5 months; i COMPLETELY agree that it is WAY too early to CIO - that will give them the bad habit that their needs are not being met. it seems impossible from where you are, so exhausted, but it WILL get better. And ditto on making sure that you start re-setting their clocks, but remember if they are 3 weeks old now, and they were four weeks early, they haven't even hit their due date.

Have your read The Happiest Baby on the Block? OR seen the dvd - i HIGHLY recommend it. Your babies are in waht's considered the 'fourth trimester'; they're just gettiing used to being out here instead of inside mommy's nice dark bellly, so they need all the help they can get.

also have you tried any of the noise cd's -there are some that have a maternal heartbeat: i used to run that all night for my girls.

Good luck, you will eventually get more rest!