So, how did you sleep if you couldn't put them down?
We tried everything, swaddling, white noise, bobby's, RNPs, heating pads, etc. We had about 60% success most nights. Otherwise she slept on top of me (her back against my chest) while I slept. I'm sure its against every bed sharing guideline but in my sleep deprived haze it seemed like a good solution.
DS is 8 weeks old. He just outgrew all his swaddles (idiot proof Velcro ones... amazing). I (heart) them so much; they made everything involving sleep so much better! He did sleep on H and me quite a bit... and still does. For naps he sleeps in a swing which he's almost outgrown. We do what works because when DS sleeps we all sleep.
So, how did you sleep if you couldn't put them down?
We got the summer infant co-sleeper thing. We put it in between us. It has breathable sides and a metal frame, so I wasn't worried about rolling onto him. We'd take turns sleeping with our hand in the co-sleeper so one of us was touching him. It was the only way we got sleep for the first few weeks.
My 6 day old DS is sleeping in this thing so well. I'm not sure what it's called - my SIL gave it to us. We tried the flat bassinet the first 2 nights and he kept waking up so we put this inside the bassinet and last night we had to wake him twice to eat. We have been tightly swaddling him at night too so his arms can't fly.
I really appreciate the feedback! We picked up a rock and play.
Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure you watch the "Happiest Baby on the Block" youtube. It will help you get her calmed and able to put down. It was a lifesaver.
The best swaddling product we found was the Miracle Blanket. It's super easy to use once you get the hang of it, and they never broke out of it. We used it for all 3 of them.
Also sometimes nothing works and it doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong. Newborns are learning what they like too, so it could be you have to try things often before they realize if they like it or not.
The early days are so hard. Just do whatever you can to survive. I would sit in the glider in DD's room to nurse and prop her up with a Boppy. Sometimes I'd drift off and my arms would give. It always terrified me. But I knew DD was held in the Boppy on my lap so she wasn't going to fall.
I also pumped early on- 3 weeks - and left a bottle of bm for my H to feed DD. I would nurse her and go immediately to sleep at like 8 or 9pm. H would hold DD, feed her the bottle when she woke, and hold her until she needed to eat again. Then, he'd go to sleep and I'd take over. This usually guaranteed me a 3-4 hr stretch to start the night and it was the only way I survived. I would pump after the first am feeding to get the milk for the nighttime bottle.
We used Velcro swaddles and also some that just zip up. It made it so easy to change her diaper in the middle of the night because I could never get her swaddled right with a regular blanket.