She’s finally asleep

I have a question.
This is my first week on my own with Fay and just want to know how the hell do you get anything done??????
She sleeps in fairly good chunks of 3-5 hours most of the time, except over night and from about 9 - 1 during the day. During this time she won't settle in her cot or other sleep areas, and needs to be constantly picked up, even if I just hold her while I unload the dishwasher, she settles until I try and put her back in the cot. Cot is in our room and i am trying the T-shirt trick to get my scent in the bed as suggested on another thread. I managed to get her to sleep in the cot at 2 and then have had to squeeze in all the days stuff until she wakes up again at 5ish for her next feed. I am having issues with BF so during that time I also need to express, ideally every 4 hours to keep my milk flow up, so when anyone asks me did I get a sleep in today I feel like crying cos NO I DIDN"T
I guess it's welcome to the world of motherhood, but how do I get a routine going? No one seems to have told Fay she needs a routine.
I have a sling, but have been advised not to use it yet as she was prem and has less control over her head and airway.
Am I being too soft, but she is just too little to leave and cry it out.
I am not after answers really as I guess the two of us will work this out but needed to use this as a vent
thank you for listening

claire and Sleepy Fay

oh claire....
that sounds like charli was at fay's age! we just rode it out and she got the hang of it in the end. i think they tend to go through phases like this at that age. well my 2 did anyway.

all i can say is hang in there...it does get better i promise!

Well take anything I say with a grain of salt as my two are currently in their cots competing to see who can lose their voice first BUT...

I started leaving them to get on with it on day 7 when they refused to settle at all. They (actually Mercedes) screamed for all of about 3 minutes and gave up and went to sleep. So I would say no, Fay isn't too little. The issue tho is whether you are comfortable with controlled crying coz a lot of people aren't.

As for routine, I tried to get mine into the same routine I had with Maya and it was a miserable failure. So I spent 3 days letting them feed when they liked and sleep when they liked (within reason, and not feeding more often than 3 hourly) and amazingly enough every day they followed the same pattern: up, feed, play, short sleep, up, feed, play, long sleep, up, feed, play, HUGE sleep, up feed, play, short sleep, up, feed, bath, play, short sleep, up, feed, bed for the night and then a quick night feed. So I've stuck with that and it seems to work.

although Rhyley sleeps really well during the night and morning. he doesn't from 11am onwards till bed time at 10.30pm and because i sleep in when he does i don't get anything done either, so i know the fustration as he'll fall asleep in my arms or bouncer but not long after putting in his bassinetee (or leaving in bouncer)- about 5-10 mins- he'll be awake again and as the same as you he only settles when i pick him up and cuddle him. i haven't left to cry recently though as i have done in the past and he gets worse then i do pick him up he has a great big burp even if hes been winded before, he also jolts himself awake. thing is he can and does go to sleep by himself as after the early morning feed bout 6.30am i put him to bed awake and he goes to sleep no probs for another 3 hours. he's asleep in my arms now and i bet when i put him in his bouncer he'll wake up - in fact i will put him in there to make sure he wakes up.
so i can offer no solution advise but i hope it helps to know u r not alone nor not doing a good job it just takes a while.


Edited by AnnC

seems our babies are around the same age so posibily a stage. Rhyley not happy today as had his jabs and crying while hes asleep - on me as hes so unsettled.I have given him pamol so hes settled a bit more now.

Great news. How long did she sleep before?

Thanks Teresa, neil gets reallys tressed when i do it as he thinks it leads to co sleeping which was a big issue witht he SIDs session he attended when we were in Neonates. We are so paranoid about what we learnt there that we are a bit scared to relax and try and see what works. I must admit it is nice when she settles like that, although i dose i never really sleep so no risk of squashing her really.
she slept for about an hour before her next feed was due anyway, she is definaitely a beckett as you culd set a clock to her apetite

Hey Claire, this is a website that you may find helpful also, you can ask them questions and advice also. I used to love the time I got to spend with the girls sleeping on me, but as you say not much got done at those times but things were still there when I had time to do them babies grow up far to fast.
www.thesleepstore.co.nz