Just hang in there, it will get better for sure. Lack of sleep will get the best of us down! Set small goals, things you can look forward to and give you some respite. Driving the car until the baby falls asleep, and read a book! Anything that gives you a break works. And don't listen to anyone who tells you you have nothing to worry about.
The first two months are the worst. Especially if you've never been through it before, you're dealing with adjusting to being a parent, being responsible for someone, having to give up a lot of the freedom you used to have, and on top of that your sleep is messed up and you're doing something you don't feel like you have the proper training for. Sometimes if you've tried everything you can, you might need to let them cry some, especially at night. We kept putting ours back to bed at night and he didn't like it at first, but by two months he was sleep trained and would only wake up for feedings. Otherwise... Take turns/ get breaks often They do like moving vehicles. Driving helps; if your infant carrier detaches from the base you can just unsnap it after the baby falls asleep and you go back home, then sit it in a corner with the sleeping baby in it while you get some quiet time. Stroller walks - also one of the few ways to exercise with a baby if you don't have anyone else to watch them. Hold them when you can; they like that. Those bouncer seats are good - my baby took most of his naps during the day in it. He never liked to lie flat. We also had a Boppy Newborn Lounger ("baby cushion") that he would sleep in. The constant crying/irritability phase really only lasted the first couple of months. It does get better. Also, around 6 weeks they start smiling and interacting more. That helps when you've been wondering, "Does this baby even like me?" I think some of it is stomach issues - probably unavoidable, trying various formulas didn't help - and just getting used to being out in the strange new world.
my son Christopher turns 2 months tomorrow and absolutely hates "tummy time" we are tired of even trying. he is doing fine as far as controlling his head and neck goes. why do they recommend this? is it to introduce the crawling position? god, he is absolutely amazing.
I'm not 100% sure of all the reasons, but I think it mainly started when pediatricians started recommending that babies sleep on backs to reduce the risk of SIDS (before that, they recommended the exact opposite). Due to this, a lot of babies nowadays end up having flat heads and "tummy time" is one of way of giving the back of their heads a break while keeping an eye on them. My daughter hates it too, but has gotten better about it.
Really? I think it's a pretty popular term now. As mentioned, it has gained popularity because babies are now supposed to sleep on their backs, so they don't spend as much time on their tummys developing their muscles, and they can end up with a flat head. Ours hated it at first too. We would just do small increments of a few minutes at first. It was a pretty short phase, as it doesn't take too long before they can start pushing themselves up.
SIDS scares the absolute crap out of me. Anytime when we'd wake up before on daughter and my wife went in to check on her, I'd brace myself. We're about to start trying for #2, but I'm so not looking forward to that time from when we find out she's pregnant to its first birthday.
it definitely gets easier. I walked around in a daze for months, because of the lack of sleep. Just hang in there and try to enjoy the moment, because believe it or not you'll look back at this time yrs from now and it will bring a smile to your face.
