My 6 week old will literally only sleep if I'm holding him. The second I put him down in the bassinet he wakes up screaming. My wife keeps saying this is normal but I'm exhausted and my arms are killing me. Is this actually normal or are we doing something wrong? She seems to think we need to let him cry it out but he's so tiny I hate hearing him cry.
The fourth trimester is real. Swaddling helped my son a ton. Also white noise machine changed everything for us. Took the pressure off me having to be the sleep solution for every single nap.
Man, I'm right there with you. My 3 month old is the same way. I've basically accepted that I'm a human mattress for the next few months. The good news is it does get better, but yeah those first weeks are rough. Have you tried warming up the bassinet with a heating pad before you lay him down? Sometimes the temperature change wakes them up.
The holding phase is real but also kind of magical if you think about it. Enjoy it because honestly it goes so fast. In a couple months he'll be rolling around and you'll miss those quiet holding sessions at 3am.
This is totally normal at 6 weeks. Their nervous system is still developing and they feel safest against your chest. I know it's exhausting but you're actually doing great by holding him. Around 3-4 months you'll start to see longer stretches where he'll sleep independently.
Man this is totally normal at 6 weeks. My daughter was the same way. The good news is it does pass, usually around 3-4 months. In the meantime just hold him as much as you can. I know people say you'll spoil them but that's not how it works at that age. He just needs to feel safe.
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Sounds like he's got what they call the fourth trimester thing going on. Have you tried swaddling him really tight before you put him down? Or white noise? My son responded to both of those like crazy when he was that little.