Irregular nightimes

[susanneb1984]

Hiya girls,
I need your advice about GJ!
Thea was always in her own room, and always went to bed awake so she got used to getting herself to sleep.
GJ won't do this....she screams until she is sick if I try to put her down. Because our house is only small (we are in the process of moving, but it takes time) I am sleeping downstairs with her. She's in her moses basket and I'm on the sofa.
She seems to eat for the sake of eating, and quite often is sick because she won't stop eating! But if she's saying she's hungry then I feed her! I don't do timed feeds, I had a bad experience with that when I had Thea.
GJ is now 6 weeks old and taking a 7oz bottle 6 times a day. She also takes 2 4oz bottles of water during the day. She won't have a dummy, but seems to be settled by sucking, so she usually ends up going to sleep sucking on my finger. I can't do that forever though....
Some nights (more often than not, 3 in a row) she will sleep midnight til 6am, but then she somehow goes back to waking every 2-3 hours for a feed, and it's playing havok with my sleeping pattern. She's awake from about 7pm until midnight, and won't sleep at all during that time, and is napping only 2-3 hours during the day. She will sit in her vibrating chair for maybe 15 mins a day but after that she wants to be held and cuddled, the thing is so does Thea. Thea's not having a sleep during the day, so I can't even catch up then.

Any ideas on what to do?
I can't leave her crying because it upsets Thea, then I end up with two children crying! lol Help!

[cheshire]

Hi Susanne

You've probably read on here before that I have been having problems with Baby 2 and sleep routines. Baby 1 went to sleep regular as clockwork at a sociable hour in the evening when she was one whereas Baby 2 has hardly ever gone down before 10pm and I'm afraid to say we nurse him to sleep (we left B1 to get to sleep herself and she did) because if we just leave him he goes completely nuts (perhaps I can't cope with this so well with PNI?) - so we hardly ever have an evening - aaaghhhh, so I kind of know what you mean. B2 does wake early and is only allowed a very short nap in the day. He is a VERY big baby though and I wonder if this might be a factor? I think I'm realising that maybe all babies are different hey? I know GJ is much younger than B2 - but it is hard isn't it when there is no let up. ..
So, as you can see, not cracked this myself yet so I'll join you in asking for tips from anyone please?

Hopefulx

[susanneb1984]

I had never thought about the size been a factor! But Thea was 6 weeks early and only 5lb 8, whereas GJ was 2 days late and 7lb 14!
Thea hated to be held, and even now doesn't like cuddles all the time, I put this down to her been in neonatal, they couldn't hold her all the time, whereas GJ loves to be held......hmmmm!