Graduated Elderberries

[HazleNutt]

It's time to move to Post-Natal clubs.

On the down side I'm scared to move or even flinch as she might wake up. Hmm Still, surely it's good to get her used to sleeping on her own rather than on me, even if I also love her cuddly deep sleep naps on me?!

3,5 hours per day? That sounds very little. Whenever V has slept well during the day, he has also slept better at night.

It does, doesn't it?

Doing her midday nap on her own isn't going well! She got about 15 mins before spitting out her dummy repeatedly, and despite yawning and looking tired, she's fighting sleep each time the dummy pops out! I'm gently putting it back on but not sure this is going to plan.

Hazle We're not doing anything different to normal and she hasn't tried any new foods. I don't think it's stomach issues as I wouldn't say she seems in any discomfort, she's just heartbroken when she wakes. Yes it could still be teeth (I'm hoping so) but a quick Google suggests it might also be a manifestation of separation anxiety (I don't think this as she was still waking up upset when sleeping right next to me), or night terrors and nightmares are apparently quite common at this age and would certainly explain the distress. Or it could even be the onset of a very early 9 month sleep regression which apparently usually presents itself anywhere between 8-10 months and going by her due date she is 7.5 months now.

Alex she is still going to sleep ok for her naps and at bedtime but looking at her on the monitor she is very restless and occasionally screams out even though she is still asleep, which is very unusual for her.

I don't think you should pay too much attention to how much daytime sleep GF reckons S should get. They are all so different I just don't see how she can advocate a one size fits all rule of how much sleep they need? Have a look at this evidence-based sleep chart. And this from ISIS. E has always fitted in with awake times recommended by these people though.

M has always needed more sleep during the day than GF recommends. I guess you get to know your own baby and what they need? At 10-11 weeks, when we went on hol, M was v settled in his routine. He had a hour each morning, two at lunch, one in the afternoon, and then slept 7-7 with a dream feed at 10pm and he woke for a feed at around 4.30am. It was lovely. Then sleep regression hit a few weeks after, gah.

M always needed constant entertainment too. Hate to say it but it doesn't get any easier!

Oh and cavort, poor poor you. I remember at the height of his 4 month sleep regression we had a few nights of M waking every 45 mins. It was absolute bloody hell. Hope you manage to get some sleep during the day today...

It might get easier - V is of course happy to be entertained, but also plays happily by himself. Sometimes I worry - in a PFB way - that he should want more attention from us, but my mum says I was the same and I turned out more or less ok.

hazle I've been letting DD sleep 3 to 3.5 hours on the day (not a GF style routine, just capping the number of hours) and till teething started she was sleeping through the night (ten to half six approx).

In the day of course, not on!
Though I'd hesitate to say a one size fits all. It worked for DD but babies are all their own people aren't they?

H actually slept 5 and a half hours in a row last night, can't remember the last time he did that! He managed to sleep through my OH snoring loud enough to wake the dead but not loud enough to wake his son it would seem and his dad throwing up the stupid amount of booze he drunk when we were round friends last night at 2am. I however didnt't so still had broken sleep!

H usually has around 45 minute naps at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm, the evening naps can be unpredictable. Yesterday he had all these naps but inbetween he had 5 people to entertain him, that is obviously not the norm, if that is what he needs to sleep well then I think unfortunately I am screwed! I guess watching me do chores is less exciting/tiring

I paid £20 for a mothercare spin travel system with a broken brake basically to try H in a different car seat, to see if he is more comfy and therefore doesnt cry so much. Huge success, he is sat happily in the car seat plus we've managed to unstick and remove the brake so I now have a second travel system. The spin is the predecessor to the orb and is basically identical.

Off topic- just realised all our BFPs have become our PFBs!!

when your baby is sleeping soundly and you have a chance for some peacful sleep why oh why does the OH have to start fu*king snoring?!? I love him dearly but right now I could smother the bastard.

mother also, not being able to silently creep on creaky floorboards is IMO a punishable offence

Last night S fell asleep and DH was cuddling me and saying nice things - he was whispering but all I could think was "shhh don't make a sound!" Not sure how we're ever going to actually dtd if I'm that terrified of waking her so she won't settle again!

The routine didn't go to plan so I tried not to be disappointed and feel like a total failure We did bath, cuddle, into her sleepyhead in the front room at half seven. She actually slept in it for half an hour then wide awake. We took her up to bed at 9pm after a feed, and she was asleep by 10 but woke at half ten, think she had wind but fed her again. Then she just woke at 3am, again seems to be windy as doing high pitched cry - am giving her the boob but did try to get the wind up. If she goes back down until morning, I'll be happy but guess that depends on the wind.

I'll just do the same thing every night (bath, PJs at 7, into sleepyhead in front room) and hopefully over time she'll settle into it - although still wondering if I'm crazy for trying to move the sleep forward so it's out of sync with ours?!

alex, for her age that doesnt sound too bad. Just go with your gut re routine, you can always play with the times till you find what works. The woman taking my postnatal group suggested starting at 9 or 10 so that their best sleep coincides with yours, but do what works for you.

I am in shock, my broken child who would only sleep 2 or 3 hours before waking, slept 5 and a half hours solid yesterday night and 7 hours last night! I know it won't last but I'm loving this new sleeping infant I have. Is it part of being a mum to always second guess everything? We didn't bath him the last 2 nights and I wonder if that has anything to do with it, maybe a bath wakes him up too much? I dont think it does but it does make me wonder.

oh and zombies I totally agree re the creaky floorboards my OH has not got a light footed, stealthy bone in his body. He flushed our ensuite toilet twice with the door wide open, light streaming in onto H this morning before leaving for work and I told him if he woke H again I would happily throttle him! He is honestly the loudest human being I know.

my DH is a heavy footed stomper too and can't seem to do anything in low volume, he's just loud by nature!

She's slept through from 3.30am and is still asleep at 7 (I've woken after a bad dream!) I'm actually more than happy with that as a night, so really this earlier bedtime and routine stuff is all about laying groundwork for good nights later, now that she's 9 weeks, as it worked well for janey and other friends starting it now. I might just do the same things at the same time but really try not to stress when it doesn't work. My NCT friends all seem to be struggling to develop routine and move bedtime forward and have the same dilemma of not wanting to miss sleeping during their best sleep so reassuring it isn't just me!

Hope you had a better night cav

With H I've discovered its what we do not the time we do it that is important alex. H knows its bedtime by what we do rather than what time it is if that makes sense so as long as we follow the same low lighting, change, sleeping bag, feed, bed routine it could be 10pm or 1am and he still goes down ok. historically we are lucky if he stays down for more than 3 or 4 hours but thats just my nocturnal child

Here cav, have a or for a sugar hit to go with you Hope E slept better!

That sounds sensible Alex, try it, and if it doesn't work don't despair! As mother says I think half of it is just what you do so they at least know it's time to sleep even if they don't

I think we are teething here again. M woke up at 2 and 5 for a feed last night, which is a bad night for us now, and there was a little bit of bloody saliva on his sheet, I think from him scratching his gums Also, when I was giving him his bottle before bed he kept stopping feeding to chew on the muslin Hope they come through soon!

Not a great night here, for the first half of the night V was up every hour. He seemed to be troubled by his stuffed nose - once I had cleaned it, he slept fine. It's so cute how he wakes up babbling, quite happy to chat to himself.
Can I just mention that the people who write the instructions on those saline drops have obviously never seen a baby. "Gently support baby's head.." Ha. I'd like to see them gently supporting a baby who most certainly does not want to have things shoved up his nose.

He doesnt have a cold though, I think the air is just too dry. Will get a humidifier, hope that helps.

hazel my OH won't give H the nasal spray after spraying him in the eye last time he tried, he would most definitely agree with you

hazle I found these baby oil things on amazon- may be worth a try. Ie room oil for inhaling. Just a few drops on the radiator.
As far as 9pm and 10pm bedtime goes I find that has worked best for is. We started off with 11 actually and worked our way back to her nodding off around 9:30. There is the odd day where she still wants to be up till half ten of course.
As far as a night time bath goes, I stopped that early on because I'm lazy like that having read something about how a bath can sometimes have the opposite effect. I'll have to restart it with nursery starting though, not looking forward to that. I don't know if it's true in DD's case but certainly the night I gave her an oil massage was the night she just WOULD NOT go to sleep!

Gently support, ha! More like"stealth bomb baby with nasal drops and pray they stop crying soon"

L had a good evening. Went down at 7 and woke up at 8:30 then 11:30 for a quick cuddle. But then stayed awake for an hour and back in the cot till 4:30- the longest we had so far! At that point she started whinging and dh brought her into bed so as we could get some sleep.
Cav I did think about night terrors as well as she wakes up totally distressed which is heart breaking!
Alex I would not worry too much about how much sleep she gets. I would never wake her up if she had more than 3.5 hours!!!! I think your bed time routine is a good start. See how you get on from here.
Re solids L still does not want them. I've been reading the Annabel Karmel book and it says that is very common in bf babies to go backwards and get upset when food is offered rather than boob. So I've tried giving her food while on my lap and we both got covered in it and then boob straight after. She did have a few licks so maybe that's progress. This morning I've given her egg/carrot/cheese and she ate about a about a spoonful!!!! This is so frustrating!