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lia
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 1:59 pm Post subject: sleep pattern |
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Me again..I seem to have a lot of questions and no one else does...?
When can I expect Alexis to sleep through the night, or at least for longer stretches (My MIL seems to think she should be sleeping throught the night already, is this true?)? She wakes pretty religiously every 4 hours (sometimes, but rarely, 5) and wants to eat. She is also now wanting to be awake at 6am, which is too early for me and starting to wear me out (especially cuz I'm uip 2-3 times in the night for feeding and/or soother retrieval). How can I convicne her to stay awake longer in the evening to hopefully allow her to sleep longer in the am?
Any thoughts?
Thanks...
Lia.
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kma
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:03 am Post subject: |
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Hi Lia,
Believe it or not, having her stay up longer in the evening won't necessarily mean she'll sleep through the night & wake up later in the morning ... in fact, it may actually cause her to get overtired, which may result in more frequent night wakings & earlier morning wake-ups!!
My son started to sleep through the night (on a pretty regular basis) when he was about 5-6 months old ... he would still wake 1-2 times to eat, but right around the 6 month mark, he stopped waking at night & would sleep from 5-6pm until around 630am or so .... and he took 2 naps during the day. I found that when he dropped his 3rd nap, he had to get to bed super early (we had a few days, where I was getting him ready for bed at 430pm!!!) in order to catch up on his sleep. I found that once we did that, his night sleep improved & soon his naps followed.
I can't say enough about the early bedtime .... and I know it's seems as though it is against what we think .... but it really does work & it really can help improve & reveal your little one's true sleep patterns.
Also, I remember starting a sleep journal to keep track of wake/sleep times ... it helped me to see patterns emerging, because once she does settle into a pattern, things like growth spurts, new-found skills (rolling over, pulling up, crawling, walking), etc ... can all disrupt the sleep pattern & an ongoing journal can help .....
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lia
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:17 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the reassurance Kris,
It's mostly others' "opinions" who make me want to change her bedtime, though it would be nice to see daddy for more that 30 minutes every day!
Alexis only wakes to eat at night, not to remain awake, and last night it wasn't til 4am! In a way I would be sad to see the night wakings go, but for my sanity...maybe I'd be ok with it.
Why is sleep such an issue, I wonder? Now Alexis won't nap for anyone bt me...oh man.
Lia.
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Sarah
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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Keep your chin up Lia, and keep asking questions! That's what we are here for!!!
My second son is just starting to sleep through the night at almost 7 months old. He could have done it sooner I think (he was doing it on and off a couple of weeks ago), but I made the mistake of doing the automatic get up and nurse.
Two nights ago, I decided to leave him when he woke and after about 10 minutes of fussing and another 10 minutes of crying, he went to sleep. Be aware that the crying sounded aweful, but because I have been through this before, I knew that if I gave him enough time, he would settle. Also, he, like his brother, will often go to sleep and within about 10 minutes, he'll wake and cry again briefly, then go to sleep again until it's time to get up for the day. It's just part of the falling asleep thing, I guess! Last night Cole woke at the same time again but this time only fussed for about 10 minutes, then went to sleep.
They catch on quickly if you stay very consistent in your routine with them.
You can try getting Alexis to sleep longer by not going to her the minute she makes noise. Offer her the chance to go back to sleep alone. Make a plan for how long you are comfortable leaving her for and stick to it and you can gradually increase that time.
When you do go to her, try offering her the pacifier, or a sippy cup with water (if she is taking one) without taking her out of the crib. It is likely that she will be very upset that you are not picking her up to nurse, so you can ask your DH to tend to her at night, but he needs to be OK with the plan and have a clear idea of what is expected of him. That way, it doesn't backfire on you!
If she is very upset, you or DH can leave the room and give her a chance to calm on her own (I would suggest at least 10 minutes) and then repeat the process, all the while, not removing her from the crib.
You can pick a certain number of hours from the last feed before bed, that you would like to have her sleep before the next feeding. Last night she wasn't up until 4am? That was approx. 8 hours from last feeding??? If so, that could be your goal for every night.
I hope this all makes sense to you. I didn't take this approach with Cole because when we did it when he was younger (DH did the night waking) any interaction with him just made him more upset and when we left him to sort it out, it was really hard to listen to his cries but it only lasted 20 minutes. Now my rationalizing is "I can spend the next 20 minutes feeding him and getting no where closer to a full nights sleep, or I can listen to him cry and in a couple more nights he will be well on his way to sleeping through without waking at all".
Hope this helps a little bit. The key is to have a plan, and to STICK TO IT!!! She will soon come to realize what the new routine is.
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lia
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Sarah.
I know I need to stick to my plan, and my problem is, the plan wavers depending on my level of fatigue 
Last night was an exception to the usual - though I know she can go 6-8 hours, she rarely does. I will try to get her to continue to go for longer periods - as 4 hours seems too short for her at this time. Iguess too, it is disturbing to my poor DH to let her cry for any length of time, since he has to get up at 530 for work...
I have definitely been lettng her cry for short periods in the day for her naps, as sometimes she has a screaming fit and is inconsolable anyway. I just go in and give her her soother every 5 minutes or so, and she does go to sleep eventually.
I'll keep trying to give her her soother in the night - I'll try tonight, depending on how long she goes between wakings.
Thanks Sarah. I really appreciate the feedback. This is one of those difficult transitional tmies, I guess.
Lia
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Sarah
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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Ok, Here are a couple of tips.
1) Print the plan out on paper and keep it near your bed. That way if you aren't sure what to do, you can refer to it.
2) If DH can't help during the night, but you would like to let her cry a bit to see if she will settle on her own, then get him a set of foam ear plugs. They really work!
3) If she has settled on her own at nap times after a bit of crying, then certainly it is likely that she could do it at night. Naps are, afterall harder to deal with than nightime. That is great news!
4) If she has gone 6 - 8 hours at night, then that shows that she can, but has learned to rely on you to help her go back to sleep by nursing. I would start by expecting 6 hours before a feeding and go from there. You can continue to push that feeding farther from the last feeding before bed, or she may just do it on her own.
You are doing great! Keep it up, and don't forget that an early bedtime is every parent's best friend. Don't look at the clock, just put her to bed when she is tired.
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kma
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:58 am Post subject: |
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Great tips, Sarah .... and I have another one for you, Lia .... Do you use a monitor?? If so, turn it off - you will still hear her if she needs you - you can even leave your bedroom door cracked a bit ... but if she is really upset for more than your "acceptable" time frame ... you won't sleep through it. This was tough for me .... but once I turned off the monitor, I found that I didn't respond to every little cry that Sam let out. It's a tough habit to break, but one that is well worth it .... Just an idea!
As for advice or opinions from others ... it's hard to ignore, but like Sarah said, forget the clock ... just respond to your baby's tired cues & the rest will fall into place ....
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lia
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:56 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Kris and Sarah,
Those are great words of advice, and I will use them. The monitor is going off. Funny, it's on low - just enough so I can see the red lights when she talks/cries! And again she went 6 hours last night, so I'll stick to my guns. When I did feed her, she wasn't even all that hungry! You're right, she just wants to rely on nursing to get back to drowsy.
I will stop clock-watching, but my only concern is that once she starts needing less sleep at night, she will just start waking earlier and earlier, and getting up at 4am is not going to be ok :S
K, my chin's up!
Lia.
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lia
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| Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 4:04 pm Post subject: sleeping, yay! |
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Hi-
Well, Alexis is now 7 1/2 months old and she has been sleeping 11-13 hours straight a night for 2 weeks now. It is unreal! Of course, it comes with it's new set of questions...
Her naps have been pretty consistent in the past month and a half or so, one at 10 and one at 3, then bed at 7-730 (was 5-530, but this switched up when the naps moved back). Now, she seems to have a shorter nap in the am and need another one in the early afternoon and then another at 3-330...totally out of whack! Any thoughts?
Also, on a side note, with this sleeping through the night and not feeding for 12 hours, I am producing WAY less milk AND my right breast is producing none anymore! I'm kind of worried...has anyone dealt with this before? I am finding it a little difficult to manage the feeding solids and the breastfeeding...amounts and times.
Anyway, any tips or ideas?
Lia.
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kma
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:00 am Post subject: |
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I know she's still young & most likely still needs 2 naps, but I do remember Sam switching up his napping at around 7-9 months. Perhaps Alexis is starting on her way towards one nap - have you tried putting her down just a bit later for her morning nap to see if she'll sleep longer?? Maybe if she sleeps like a 2-2.5 hr nap at say 11am or so, she may not need that pm nap, but will most likely need that 5-530pm bedtime again.
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Sarah
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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Yup, it could be that she needs a little more time before that first nap, just watch her carefully to make sure you don't miss the window and get her overtired. As far as the milk, try putting her on the right breast first to encourage production. My son is a little bit older but what I do is nurse after wakings. So he nurses when he wakes in the morning and after each nap, then sometimes before bed (usually only when he is teething). I always offer nursing before solids when he is hungry, then solids after the nursing is done. Hope that helps and by the way - congratulations on your hard work paying off!!!
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lia
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:31 am Post subject: |
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I forgot the part where she only sleeps for maybe 30 minutes in the am. That may play into the need to push that nap off a bit. Hmm, interesting.
Thanks for that advice. And the feeding thing - ya, I'll try to feed on waking and see if I can't spark up production, and I do always nurse before solids - learned that lesson pretty quick!
Well, I'll keep pluggin away, and hope this miracle of sleep continues 
Lia.
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lia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject: waking again! |
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Hi!
So...I need advice - Aleixs is now 8.5 months old, was sleeping great through the night for over a month (with the odd exception) and lately, has been waking 1-2 times crying, and will NOT go back to sleep unless I nurse her, and trust me, I've tried. I've even just held her for awhile without rocking or saying anything - she is calm and fine and as soon as I lay her down - cries. Could it be developmental? I feel like she's playing me, but she could be teething and fussy therefore wanting mummy. FYI , she has no teeth yet.
Anyway, we are going to see the pediatrician to see about her weight and nursing (is she getting enough?), as she doesn't take a bottle and I need to look at weaning. That's going to be tough!
Hmmm, this is tough, as I thought we were doing so well!!
Lia.
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kma
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:50 am Post subject: |
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Teething could certainly be the culprit - she may be uncomfortable & can't settle down on her own - have you given her anything for the teething?? I found that Tylenol helped, but Motrin was better (I was told by my DH's uncle, who is a pediatric dentist, that Motrin helped with teething pain better than Tylenol, as it reduced the swelling & the pain) - however, I had been advised by my pediatrician not to give Motrin until after 6months of age .... I also found that teething tablets did work fairly well, but didn't have a lasting effect, so I rarely used them at nightime.
Remember, the pain of teething starts WAY before you can see or even feel those little teeth ...... but your pediatrician will look in her mouth & can usually tell if there is something going on .... GOOD LUCK!!!
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lia
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| Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:35 pm Post subject: teeth! |
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Hi!
Just to update...Alexis WAS teething that whole time (much of February she was waking 2-3 times a night again), and popped two teeth at once on Feb. 26th. That very night and thereafter, she has been sleeping 11-13 hours straight. Woohoo. I am so glad that the weird sleep was related to teething, and not some setback in her sleep routine.
Lia.
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