My son is 2 weeks old and we can't put him down without him losing it. The second his back touches the bassinet he screams. We're doing contact naps pretty much all day and night. Is this normal? I love holding him but I also need to sleep and my wife is exhausted. When does this get better?
Yeah that's super normal at 2 weeks. He wants to be close to you and hear your heartbeat. It gets better though. Around 6-8 weeks he'll start being okay with the bassinet for longer stretches.
Welcome to newborn life. My daughter was the same way. The fourth trimester is real. Try swaddling him really tight and using white noise. Also the safe sleep space needs to be warm since he's used to being against you.
This phase is exhausting but it goes fast. My advice is to take shifts with your partner so you can both get some actual sleep. Set a timer and swap every couple hours.
I remember those nights thinking I'd never sleep again. The good news is it does change. Around 8-12 weeks you'll start seeing some improvement if you're consistent with your approach. Exhaustion is real right now though.
We had the same thing and honestly we just accepted the contact naps for a while. Some people will tell you that's wrong but trust your gut. My daughter eventually went into the bassinet and it was fine. You're not breaking anything.
You're not doing anything wrong if that's what he needs right now. Newborns are supposed to be held. The people who tell you otherwise are thinking of older babies. Grab a good book or show and just accept that you're parked for a while.
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This is so normal for a 2 week old. It sucks but their nervous system just wants to be close to you. White noise, swaddling, and the safe sleep space helped us transition away from contact naps around 4 weeks. Hang in there.