2 Month Old Having Trouble Sleeping

Have you tried swaddling him? Helps to control the startle reflex. My children slept much better when wrapped.

That sleeping pattern sounds quite normal at her age, actually.

To me this sounds like it could be normal. My son at two months never slept more than 30 minutes during the day and never more than 2-3 hours at night because he needed to eat. He had reflux but had some major signs. He would arch his back after eating, scream when he would spit up which was often and a lot, he couldn't lie flat due to the acid coming into his esophogous. I don't think the way he sleeps has anything to do with his reflux. My daughter also had reflux but she was a much different baby and slept for hours at a time. What are your expectations for your child at this age?

Her sleeping pattern sound appropriate for a two months old.
If you have any concerns regarding reflux you really should talk to your ped about it, no one here can diagnose it over the internet...

There is a "silent reflux" also. My child has this. They don't excessively spit up so you don't immediately think of reflux, but you will see them cough a lot, sneeze a lot, hiccup a lot after each feeding. You will also notice them acting like they're going to spit-up or burping but then swallowing hard and making a sour face like they just swallowed something nasty (because they did!). That's why it's "silent" reflux because it doesn't projectile like common reflux. We are doing medication and it's expensive but has helped. I would use it as a last resort if you don't notice the other symptoms though. The patterns you're describing are totally normal in my world of 2 kiddos also. They both were like this!

At 2 months old, an infant still has their "startle reflex." Which means, that they do not have control over their limbs. Therefore, their arms/legs/body will move around or flail, and they do not have at-will control over it, like an adult would.
This wakes them.

Infants, wake.
And they also need to be fed on demand. Not on a schedule.
They need to be fed 24/7 day and night, when they need it.

Or they are just moving around as they sleep, like an adult does, but it wakes them. They don't have the ability, to consciously adjust their position, like an older child would.

Also, an infant has growth-spurts every 3 weeks, then at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and every 3 months. At these junctures, they get hungrier and need feedings more frequently.

Infants also do what is called "cluster feeding." Which is normal, and they may need feedings even every single hour. They are growing a ton and get hungrier.

Babies, sleep and wake. And they are still developing. Their organs too.

Infants, typically will get tired and need to nap, after about 2 hours of awake time. They easily get tired, and/or over stimulated.

Know her cues... for feedings and naps.

When fussy... it means the infant is tired or hungry.

Your baby is very young. They do this. Sleep and wake, sleep and wake.

yes this is totally normal. the first three months were hell for me because i did not realize that babies never ever sleep. the expression sleeping like a baby is so weird to me because babies do not sleep. after the first three months with both children they started sleeping for four or five hours...mostly four at a time then after about six months it was five to six hours and after a year it was all night long!!! you should look up or purchase the book what to expect in the first year. it has lots of sleeping , feeding, playing, development tips and guides that can be quickly refrenced by age/month of your child.

what helped me a ton was having a good sleep environment. black out shades, just enough light to walk around with out bumping into things,white noise, good temp in the room. i found that my daughter slept better in long sleeves, and long pant pj's even when she was old enough to have a blanket. our son did not seem to care what he wore.

This sleeping pattern sounds completely normal for a 2 month old. Contrary to what parenting/baby books say, many babies wake frequently during the night and day at this age and even throughout the first 2 years of life. Up until 6 months of age they still have small stomachs and require frequent feedings regardless whether they are breast or bottle feeding. Reflux is usually diagnosed when a child has prolonged periods of crying/fussing or large volumes of spit-up after feedings. Almost all babies have some degree of reflux simply because their bodies are still maturing. I don't recommend treatment with medication for mild reflux because the medications have side effects. Positioning your child's head in a slightly elevated position while she sleeps might help mild reflux. My pediatrician recommended a thick telephone book or textbook under the head of the crib or bassinette to accomplish this. Congrats on your little one and enjoy these early months as they do pass quickly! Nurse Midwife Mom of 3

When my son was about that age, I stopped nursing him to sleep during the day and would start a eat, play, sleep routine. Select a time in the morning to wake up. If she's not awake, wake her, within half an hour. Feed her, then play. For my son we would usually play for about 45 minutes. When she gets fussy, help her go to sleep (I rocked my son). My son would sleep for anywhere from 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. When he would wake up, we would start over eating and playing. At bed time, I would nurse to sleep. Once I started this he started gradually sleeping more at night. It's because they are more active during the day and are getting more calories. My son was eating every 2 to 21/2 hours, so he didn't need to wake up in the middle of the night to get his calories.

I have a 3 month old son with reflux. He started medication for it when he was 1 month old.

The signs we saw that made us think it was reflux were:
1) He spit up a lot
2) He would cry IMMEDIATELY after every feeding
3) When crying after the feeding he would arch his back and kick his legs straight out
4) He got the hiccups more than a dozen times a day
5) He would fall asleep being held, but would wake up within minutes of being laid down on a flat surface, then when he woke up he would be very fussy and usually either spit up or start with the arching and crying again.

Do you have any of these signs besides just poor sleeping? Babies at this age often just dont sleep more than 3 hours.... some do but you may just have the bad luck of a bad sleeper... my first was like that and it was exhausting!
If you have other signs of reflux and think that might be the issue, see your doctor ASAP, they can help. The medication took about a week to be fully effective and then he was like a totally different baby! He was much calmer and started sleeping much better. Other than medication (which is not always needed depending on the severity of the case) they recommend that you incline baby's crib about 30% (we used some old text books under the head of the mattress). Lying down flat causes the acid to come up.... the 30% incline takes advantage of gravity and helps keep stuff down (when you are holding baby he is naturally held at an incline so it explains at least 1 reason they sleep better in your arms!). Also, you can try smaller but more frequent feedings because a very full tummy is more likely to cause reflux. And burp baby really well - both during and after feedings as the extra air makes the tummy more full and they are more likely to have reflux.
Good luck!

My 15 month old was a poor sleeper as a newborn. Swaddling tightly helped some. I bought the "SwaddleMe" brand, which stayed together with velcro. I read the book, "Healthy Sleep, Happy Baby", and "Happiest Baby on the Block" which helped me normalize my baby's schedule, but it took several months before he became a "good" sleeper. It wasn't until he got solid food and could go longer between feeds that he slept better at night and during the day took longer naps.

Does she spit up after she eats? If she does than yes she probably has it. If she does not then it is doubtful. Most reflux babies spit up.