I have been MIA lately because being a mother is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was blessed with a high need baby who likes to nurse all day, doesn't nap at all, and won't go back to sleep after the 3 am feeding. Needless to say, I barely have time to brush my teeth.
This poor child is obviously tired, you can see the redness around the eyes and he yawns and is cranky, but he simply will not nap. The only way I can get him to nap, and it's only an hour, is by wearing him in a wrap carrier. I downloaded this book today on naps, The No C.ry N.ap So.lution, and started reading it, but got overwhelmed and just started crying. He started showing sleepiness at 1 in the afternoon, and from that point until 5:30, I was trying to get him to doze off. I tried swaddling and wearing and nursing, and nothing worked. I did get him to sleep briefly by nursing him, but then when I put him down in the swing and walked away to finally use the bathroom, he woke up crying.
I feel like a total failure as a mother. I worry about him not sleeping. How can his little brain develop if he is wide awake all day and then only sleeps probably 9 hours at night. That's insane. Supposedly, a newborn sleeps 16 hours in a 24 hour period. What can I do?
And to top it all off, I'm having to fight off the very annoying suggestions by my mother and occasionally my husband to "just let him cry." I've read enough to know not to do that. So, while I'm wearing myself out trying to find the magic solution to please my baby, and being so exhausted that I would in fact love to just put him down and walk away but I know that is not good for him, I have to fight off bad advice and suggestions that I am "spoiling" him.
So, did anyone else have such a high need baby, and how did you get him/her to nap?
