My Baby''s An Insomniac. Please Make Me More Coffee.

[Tacori E-ring]

I don't have any real advice b/c my 4 month DD has NEVER been a good sleeper. Swaddling does help for us though we do not do it that often now that she is older. White noise also calms her. She likes the vacuum sound and we downloaded it at babysleepsounds.com. Do you use white noise? I also have a sucker but thankfully she will use a paci. She still eats every 3-4 hours. Not sure where she puts it b/c she is a little, itty thing. I don't think she has even reached 12 lbs yet.

I hope Bliss starts sleeping better b/c I know how horrible fatigue can get. Can your DH take her for a few hours so you can nap? Naps really help me survive.

Belle, I didn't know you were a LC! Boy, I would have bothered you a lot sooner. BF has been a tough road for me!!!

 

[Demelza]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:14:01 AM
Author: belle
(btw..i am a certified lacation consultant. i''m not trying to diagnose or treat any problems here, just trying to get some information so i can pass on some relative suggestions that you may find helpful!

)

I didn''t realize you were in an LC. That''s so awesome!! The two LCs who helped me when my daughter was a newborn saved my sanity. I might have given up breastfeeding were it not for their support and expertise.

 

[belle]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:25:19 AM
Author: canadiangrrl
Thanks, Belle, it''s appreciated, believe me.

She slept in a travel crib in our room. Occasionally, she slept in her crib in her own room, but never at night, only during the daytime. So she went from the travel crib in our room, to the crib in her own room. See what I mean? I''m half-tempted to see if she''ll sleep through the night back in our room. But that would be taking a step back, since we want her in her own room.

When she''s awake in the night, she''s fully awake. She drifts off, usually if I put her in her sling and let her nurse, but she awakens very easily, and will begin crying unless she''s allowed to suckle.

I know she''s eating less because she''s suckling with less focus, and not draining me as much as she normally would. It''s not especially drastic, but given that I''ve been nursing her now for five months, I''m able to notice. She will eat dedicatedly sometimes, but other times, she just kind of meanders at the breast, and I know she''s not suckling out of hunger.

I appreciate your responses. Going back to bed for awhile, she''s sleeping.

i hope you got some good sleep today cg. you have to get those winks when you can.

being fully awake during 12-3am is not good!
you already know that she is capable of sleeping through the night (as she should be) and is not waking for feedings. unless you want to be up every night at this time, you are going to have to help her get through this.

no doubt teething is a difficult time for babies but let''s face it, they are able to take naps at other times of the day without waking up, so they are definitely capable of sleeping for an extended period at night. you mentioned eariler that you think that babies are ''just being'' and that bliss is not calcuating ways to get her needs met. while that is true (for NOW!

) it is also true that her body is getting in a rhythm of waking during that time and she is also getting used to your being there. why would she want to go to sleep? it''s cool having mom there just for her. if you want to sleep at night, you need to help her learn that night time is quiet quiet sleepy baby time and that it is the DAYtime that is cuddle, snuggle, laugh and giggle play wakey wakey time.
i know it might seem like moving her back into your room is a step backwards but....if you could move the crib in there (can you do that?) it might be a good transition to the feel of her own bed while allowing you to (conveniently, close by) help her find ways to self soothe back to sleep.
if you can''t move the crib into your room, i would definitely stick to putting her down in her own room. but....if you do want to have her sleep through the night again, you have to make sure that you are helping her acheive that and not encouraging her to keep the 12-3 routine!

otherwise, you may as well keep her in your room where you can at least be in your own bed.

keep in mind, the milk supply is supply and demand and her sucking is going to become increasingly efficient. so, even though it may seem like she is eating less, she is likely nursing more efficiently. of course, you want to make sure she has a good wet diaper at least every changing. don''t be too alarmed if all of her feedings aren''t ''chow down'' times. with demand feeding, the meals are much smaller and with her increased efficiency, she will be able to get the actual feeding part done much quicker. there will be a whole lot of ''meandering'' in the meantime!

 

[belle]

Date: 3/10/2008 8:37:56 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I don''t have any real advice b/c my 4 month DD has NEVER been a good sleeper. Swaddling does help for us though we do not do it that often now that she is older. White noise also calms her. She likes the vacuum sound and we downloaded it at babysleepsounds.com. Do you use white noise? I also have a sucker but thankfully she will use a paci. She still eats every 3-4 hours. Not sure where she puts it b/c she is a little, itty thing. I don''t think she has even reached 12 lbs yet.

I hope Bliss starts sleeping better b/c I know how horrible fatigue can get. Can your DH take her for a few hours so you can nap? Naps really help me survive.

Belle, I didn''t know you were a LC! Boy, I would have bothered you a lot sooner. BF has been a tough road for me!!!

oh tacori, i wish you would have. how is it going now? you poor thing. it shouldn''t be that hard. you probably have it all figured out by now but if i can help in anyway, just let me know.

 

[belle]

Date: 3/10/2008 9:17:22 PM
Author: Demelza

Date: 3/10/2008 11:14:01 AM
Author: belle
(btw..i am a certified lacation consultant. i''m not trying to diagnose or treat any problems here, just trying to get some information so i can pass on some relative suggestions that you may find helpful!

)

I didn''t realize you were in an LC. That''s so awesome!! The two LCs who helped me when my daughter was a newborn saved my sanity. I might have given up breastfeeding were it not for their support and expertise.

hey you! i have misssssssed you! how is everything? good i hope.
i''m glad you had good lc''s. seriously, that is why i got certified. i saw sooooo many moms struggling with it and i wanted to be able to help. this should be a happy time (if not tiring!) and it is sad to see these moms in tears feeling like they have failed in their first test as a parent. i absolutely love it and am glad that i can help in some way. the tricks don''t work all the time but the sucess rate is much better when there is a good resource immediately after birth as well as support after the family goes home.
i''m really glad to hear that you were able to stick with it!

take care!

 

[Demelza]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:01:21 PM
Author: belle

Date: 3/10/2008 11:25:19 AM

Author: canadiangrrl

Thanks, Belle, it''s appreciated, believe me.


She slept in a travel crib in our room. Occasionally, she slept in her crib in her own room, but never at night, only during the daytime. So she went from the travel crib in our room, to the crib in her own room. See what I mean? I''m half-tempted to see if she''ll sleep through the night back in our room. But that would be taking a step back, since we want her in her own room.


When she''s awake in the night, she''s fully awake. She drifts off, usually if I put her in her sling and let her nurse, but she awakens very easily, and will begin crying unless she''s allowed to suckle.


I know she''s eating less because she''s suckling with less focus, and not draining me as much as she normally would. It''s not especially drastic, but given that I''ve been nursing her now for five months, I''m able to notice. She will eat dedicatedly sometimes, but other times, she just kind of meanders at the breast, and I know she''s not suckling out of hunger.


I appreciate your responses. Going back to bed for awhile, she''s sleeping.

i hope you got some good sleep today cg. you have to get those winks when you can.

being fully awake during 12-3am is not good!

you already know that she is capable of sleeping through the night (as she should be) and is not waking for feedings. unless you want to be up every night at this time, you are going to have to help her get through this.



no doubt teething is a difficult time for babies but let''s face it, they are able to take naps at other times of the day without waking up, so they are definitely capable of sleeping for an extended period at night. you mentioned eariler that you think that babies are ''just being'' and that bliss is not calcuating ways to get her needs met. while that is true (for NOW!

) it is also true that her body is getting in a rhythm of waking during that time and she is also getting used to your being there. why would she want to go to sleep? it''s cool having mom there just for her. if you want to sleep at night, you need to help her learn that night time is quiet quiet sleepy baby time and that it is the DAYtime that is cuddle, snuggle, laugh and giggle play wakey wakey time.

i know it might seem like moving her back into your room is a step backwards but....if you could move the crib in there (can you do that?) it might be a good transition to the feel of her own bed while allowing you to (conveniently, close by) help her find ways to self soothe back to sleep.

if you can''t move the crib into your room, i would definitely stick to putting her down in her own room. but....if you do want to have her sleep through the night again, you have to make sure that you are helping her acheive that and not encouraging her to keep the 12-3 routine!

otherwise, you may as well keep her in your room where you can at least be in your own bed.

keep in mind, the milk supply is supply and demand and her sucking is going to become increasingly efficient. so, even though it may seem like she is eating less, she is likely nursing more efficiently. of course, you want to make sure she has a good wet diaper at least every changing. don''t be too alarmed if all of her feedings aren''t ''chow down'' times. with demand feeding, the meals are much smaller and with her increased efficiency, she will be able to get the actual feeding part done much quicker. there will be a whole lot of ''meandering'' in the meantime!

Belle -- if you don''t mind, can I ask you a quick question? My daughter is 16 months and doesn''t sleep through the night. Some nights she''s up as many as 6 times (at least!!). I recently nightweaned her so she''s no longer waking up looking for the boob, but I just don''t understand why she still wakes up so often. Any ideas for helping her to learn to go back to sleep on her own without letting her cry it out? I''ve found that this seems to be the only advice left for us and I just don''t feel comfortable having her cry herself back to sleep. She''s VERY feisty and would cry for hours, I''m quite sure.

Hope this isn''t a threadjack, but wanted some clarification on what you meant by "helping her find ways to soothe herself back to sleep". Thanks!!!

 

[Demelza]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:13:06 PM
Author: belle

Date: 3/10/2008 9:17:22 PM

Author: Demelza

Date: 3/10/2008 11:14:01 AM

Author: belle

(btw..i am a certified lacation consultant. i''m not trying to diagnose or treat any problems here, just trying to get some information so i can pass on some relative suggestions that you may find helpful!

)

I didn''t realize you were in an LC. That''s so awesome!! The two LCs who helped me when my daughter was a newborn saved my sanity. I might have given up breastfeeding were it not for their support and expertise.

hey you! i have misssssssed you! how is everything? good i hope.

i''m glad you had good lc''s. seriously, that is why i got certified. i saw sooooo many moms struggling with it and i wanted to be able to help. this should be a happy time (if not tiring!) and it is sad to see these moms in tears feeling like they have failed in their first test as a parent. i absolutely love it and am glad that i can help in some way. the tricks don''t work all the time but the sucess rate is much better when there is a good resource immediately after birth as well as support after the family goes home.

i''m really glad to hear that you were able to stick with it!


take care!

I''m doing well...tired, but well. How are you?

I have to tell you that I have so much respect for labor and delivery nurses as well as LCs. The LD nurses at my delivery were so amazing. Made me want to become one myself. I''ve actually been thinking of becoming an LC because I thing they''re just so incredibly important and highly undervalued.

I am so glad I was able to stick with the breastfeeding too. It''s one of my biggest accomplishments!

Okay, threadjack over. Sorry!

 

[LitigatorChick]

Demelza, my little man has never been a great sleeper, but has been sleeping through the night (for the most part) since about 10 months or so. I am not into cry it out either. There are tonnes of ideas out there. I have previously recommended Dr. Sears "The Baby Book" or Elizabeth Pantley "The No Cry Sleep Solution".

My guy, if left alone, would cry for hours. I don''t feel right about that. At his most difficult sleep period of about 9 months, we would snuggle and comfort him for 15 minutes, and then put him in his crib. If he cried, we would give him a couple minutes. If it was just yelling and not a "get in here" cry, I might leave him only 5 minutes. After that period, I would snuggle again for 15 minutes and repeat. At the beginning, it took up to 4 or 5 attempts to get him to sleep, and often it meant I just rocked him to sleep the last 15 minutes. But eventually, he would start to just lay or talk to himself in his crib. And then one magical night, he fell asleep on his own. But lots of nights, he gets rocked to sleep in the 15 minutes of snuggles, because he falls asleep in that time. And I don''t care, because he generally sleeps all night.

Hope my own experience can help you!!!

 

[Demelza]

Thanks, LC. I have read Dr. Sears and the Pantley book, but, honestly, I just haven''t found them especially helpful for our daughter''s rather determined temperament. I finished the Pantley book and thought, "Wow, what a great book....wait, what am I supposed to do?" We had been co-sleeping and nursing all night, but I nightweaned her about 6 weeks ago. That''s been a huge change for us and a very good thing, but she still wakes up often and I don''t understand why. The last few nights, we''ve brought her into bed with us when she wakes up at around 11. She will then sleep till about 5 or 5:30 when I will nurse her and then we''ll both sleep for another couple of hours. That actually doesn''t seem so bad. It doesn''t matter to me where she sleeps as long as we''re all sleeping well, so if co-sleeping will help her sleep longer, then that''s fine with me. Hopefully this trend will continue. Do you agree that sleeping through the night is just a developmental thing and that she''ll do it eventually no matter what we do?

 

[LitigatorChick]

Demelza, I think it is totally developmental. I tried EVERYTHING with Miller (except cry it out for hours). He just was ready. So I say if co-sleeping is working, and gets you about 6 hours straight, plus a few more after 5, go for it!!!!

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Date: 3/10/2008 8:30:07 PM
Author: mrssalvo
you''ve gotten some good suggestions as for as sleeping. I did just want to chime in that Hyland makes a teething tablet that works wonders. they sell it at drugstores and walmart/target so you might try that.

Sorry if someone covered it but they are called yep you guessed it "teething tablets" and you can practically stuff her mouth full.

I noticed that they worked when Olivia was younger but now the Ibuprofen and Oragel do the trick

(we just went through a brutal 8 teeth eruption with 2 weeks).

Olivia never sleeps either.

She maybe gets 8-10 hrs in a 24 hr period and I''m old (3 and tired and crabby and sore and developed de Quervain''s tendonitis

in my left wrist from carrying the little chunck. I have to get surgery in a month.

But watch out, bright, alert babies make for bright, alert children. I just go w/ the flow. She does what she does and if I can sleep at times

then yeah for me!

We only intervene when its absolutely necessary and sometimes that means she''s cried a bit.

SO after a year of this I guess I''m kinda used to the bags and perpetual exhaustion. And we''re thinking about another one - what''s wrong with me?

One day I hope to wake in the morning without any interruptions and wonder if the kid''s still alive. I''ll rush into her room and lo and behold she''ll still be asleep.

Ahh, its nice to dream about diamonds and sleep

 

[canadiangrrl]

Update - she''s now sleeping through the night again. As of Sunday (well, a minor ripple last night, but only twenty minutes.) All crossables crossed, please and thank you...

 

[Allisonfaye]

I don''t have time to read all of the posts. I will tell you what worked for me. Teething is a whole separate issue. It will pass. My daughter went through a few cycles of crying all night with that. During the teething, all bets are off. I would comfort her as much as she needs.

Ok. I hate to leave you hanging but I am going to be late. I will come back later and tell you what worked for us. Sorry, I had half of it typed but lost the post.

 

[Allisonfaye]

I didn''t do this with my first. I had the luxury of nursing/ then rocking her to sleep until DD# 2 was born. Then it was impossible. So when DD#2 was about 6 months old (and DD#1 was 2.5 years old) , I let them both CIO....at the same time....at opposite ends of the hall. I would call my husband in tears. If you do any form of CIO, start at naptime. At bedtime, you don''t have the strength to let them cry. Lay them down awake. Go into reassure them but don''t pick them up. Close the door and cover your ears.

In regards to my earlier post, BOTH my girls really started sleeping through the night when they were able to sleep with their comfort object. With DD#1 it was 9 months and with DD#2, about 7 or 8. I didn''t do it sooner because I was so paranoid the object would suffocate them. I picked objects that were not very blanketlike...if that makes sense. Something where if it landed on their nose, it wouldn''t cover their whole face.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Now I''m sick and hubby has been on night patrol for the last 4 days - OYE!

She got up 4X''s last night but before that woke once the entire night.

This is psycho!

I am getting close to let her cry - ease her into 5 min spaces of crying until we can let her go 1/2 hr.

I''m going nuts and she''ll be 1 on 4/4/08!!!!

 

[LitigatorChick]

I usually find that if Miller is having problems with sleeping, there is generally a reason - teething, sickness, growth pains, etc. I know it sometimes feels like one problem after another. And just when I figure Dr. Sears is a quack and we should CIO, I see 3 teeth pop through and think, oh that was what was bothering you. It helps me get through the night waking. Parenting is a 24 hour a day job, and this is part of the deal.