I'm SO excited!!

[ninja]

My DD (15 weeks) just went to sleep by herself - normally I have been feeding her to sleep after trying all kinds of different things. Tonight she fed off both breasts and was still awake so rather than just waiting there to be a human dummy I thought I would go away and come back when I heard her crying - only she never did! (well a whinge but that had stopped before I got to her) - actually I'd checked a couple of times and she was awake but looking closer to sleep each time.

I've had so many problems getting her to sleep - can you all promise me

1. all my sleep problems are over (ha ha)

2. I haven't been wasting time in the past and she wouldn't have done this before

I joined all those of you who I read about so enviously.

Sorry to be so OTT but I am excited and DH is out (again - dog track this time) and I thought some of you would understand - especially I was thinking of posting about inept I was where sleep was concerned) mind you I still have to contend with multiple night feeds - If she goes 6 hours tonight I'll buy you all a drink as well

ninja - that is great! And I KNOW why you are so excited - it's just amazing when your little baby does this for the first time isn't it!!?

I think you know that this doesn't mean it will always be the same again I remember someone once saying that milestones like this are "two steps forward, then one back" over a period of time.
However the important thing is that you now KNOW that your DD CAN do this, and you should have confidence to keep giving her opportunities to do it again in the future.

Really happy for you..

1. ROTFL Aahhhh, I like a good joke
2. She might have done it before, she might not. I think that she's simply worked out at last how to go to sleep by herself.

I hope she's still asleep!!

It's 2 hours later and she is still asleep, and yes even in this sleep deprived state I know that there'll be the same or another problem on the horizon but as you say Mo2 it has given me confidence - I felt like I had been going one step forward and two back recently

She also rolled over for the first time today - maybe the effort wore her out

Marvellous!

It's true. now you know she can go to sleep by herself, you'll be more inclined to give her the opportunity to do so. It's a wonderful skill for them to learn!

Hey well done! That's great news. You might remember me from the 'rocking to sleep' discussion the other day. Well, I've had good news too, ds has fallen alseep twice now just 'on' me without me walking him round and round the flat. I know it's not yet on his own, but it's still an improvement. Also, when we put him down the other day, he woke up, but settled himself back to sleep - again a first.

Mine's 13 wks and I'm having to cope with multiple night feeds too. How often do you feed in the night? At the moment ds leaves his shortest gaps at night, usually 2hrs, but often 1.5hrs and last night's record, a 1hr gap.

I'd be delighted if he started leaving 3hr gaps - 4,5 or 6 hrs is beyond my wildest dreams!

thats great Ninja! I know how exciting that is. I remember feeling.."wow, did that really happen!" Hope it continues well

Of course I remember you Gooby - I was thinking about you when I posted yesterday!

The last couple of weeks have often been 5 or 6 times during the night - I'm sure a lot of that has been the weather, I'm too sweaty to be close to during the day. I have to say last night was twice - once at 2.30 and once at 6.30 (that's between 7.00pm and 8.30am) - amazing! I've been trying to persuade her to feed more ofetn during the day recently even if she's not asking and particularly in the evening. Also when she stirs I try and stick a finger in her mouth and hold her hand and sometimes that wil get her back to sleep. I do sympathise and you must be really tired. Have you read the no cry sleep solution? Another book I know but it has some good ideas.

Hey well done you (no, well done her!) for the two night feeds. Hope it continues! I haven't read the no cry sleep solution but will do now.

I'd been wondering about trying offering more daytime feeds. I was worried that it would just make him think food comes more regularly and discourage him from leaving any good intervals between feeds at all. I've tried it a couple of times and it didn't make much difference at night, but I think I could try it in a more committed way, for a longer period and see what happens. The other day I tried 'cluster feeding' in the evening, and he did leave a 4 hour gap after that - but then he followed it up with lots of 1 hour gaps!!

Do you ever feed lying down? I did last night, but then I was so sleepy doing it that I wasn't aware of how many feeds we'd had and when. I loved not having to sit up for feeds, feel much less tired today, but am worried that because every time he stirred I stuck a boob in his mouth that I'm compounding the problem by encouraging him to feed even more.

It's not toooo bad though, I go to bed early enough to get lots of sleep in between feeds and some days ds wakes late too (this morning not til 10!).

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for continued long night time gaps and falling asleep by herself!

Gooby, I love your name - I had a rather sad and very loved knitted thing (may have once been a rabbit) when I was little, he was called Gooby!

Ninja, that's fab. Gives me hope.

ninja - hoorah - so pleased to read your post - and like some other wise poster said even if she doesn't repeat i,mmediately at least you know she can do it.

have been meaning to write recently as i do like catching up with you guys going through the same thing at the same time. tbh though i feel like we are moving backwards at the mo, my ds1 is playing up a treat and some days i feel a touch of the pnd returning hence i haven't felt so much like postingt.

ds2 has now developed eczema (14 weeks) and the guilt of switching to bottle feeding is in full force. Part of me is also able to rationalise though as ds1 had eczema although more mildly and he was exclusively breast fed for 9 months.

Also i really strongly suspect he is teething - is this at all conceivable a proposition - lots of drooling and chewing of his hand, plus i can feel a sharp point where his incisor tooth should come.

sorry to dampen this joyous thread - i am so really really pleased for you!!!!!!!! you deserve to be ott - i was totally ott when he slept through the night a few times.

oh dear, am feeling really bad that have put such a downer on such a happy thread - sorry ninja.

oh dear - have killed the thread

Good to hear from you Percy - I wondered where you were. Well she did it again for a nap yesterday so I'm still excited. Last night was just a food fest though. DP didn't come up to bed 'til late (fell asleep downstairs) and I ended up keeping her in and lost track of feeds! So basically nights are variable but the overtiredness is less of a problem, she has the odd half hour nap but can be distracted better when tired

Yes Gooby I usually feed lying down in the night (and sometimes do wake up an hour later!) she feeds so well like that - in fact I think that part of the problem sometimes is that she feeds better at night than in the day - I love those feeds though, especially in the hot weather with no clothes and she pads her feet on your legs.. She's starting to get very nosey and breaks off in the day.

Oh well - it's all good fun and at least the bags under my eyes can't get any bigger

Hi Percy - are you still out there?

Sorry not to really acknowledge your posting, I always looked forward to keeping up on your thread about overtiredness, and to be honest I haven't anyway nearly cracked it in the day.

Don't beat yourself up about the feeding - there are SO many difficult decisions that we have to make as parents and some of them will have consequences that we don't like - it doesn't mean that if you had stil been bfeeding that everything would be better.

Hope you're feeling better today

hi ninja - thanks for the posting
its such a rocky road isn't it - you take two steps forward and then one back etc - feeling a bit better in myself and am pretty sure i won't get pnd this time but am just so knackered. ds2 is definately teething - can feel the teeth and am just feeling so sorry for him that i am not letting him cry at all wheras before i wasn't jumping to attention so quickly. We are back to getting up every 2 hours in the night after being able to rely on at least a 5 or 6 hour stretch before! i guess we just have to go with the flow for a while.

regarding his eczema we are going to see a homeopath on thursday so hopefully this will help. i just feel so sorry for him, bless.

i do take a lot of heart from your story though, because it just shows that we can do what we like and try and stay 'in control' but ultimately all phases pass and really they are in charge as much as we'd like to think otherwise! clever buggers that they are.

lots of love! and thanks again. as i said it is so nice to know others are going through the same thing at the same time!