Hi all
I'm a bit stuck/confused/nervous with regards to my DD's sleep, and I wondered if I could have either a) some pointers in the right direction or b) some reassurance that I'm doing the right things!
My EBF DD is 19 weeks old and is currently in the middle of sleep regression. Some nights are better than others and I've decided to try and keep things consistent so that hopefully we'll settle down again. I start winding her down for bed at about 6pm, with bath every other night and massage the other night. I take her upstairs to our room which is dark and quiet. I feed her and she invariably falls asleep in my arms. Before sleep regression hit I used to be able to put her down awake (dozy after being taken off the breast) but at the moment, it's easier to put her down asleep, into her bed that's been warmed with a hot water bottle (5* service!). She will sometimes wake up after about 10 minutes and if she sounds distressed, like she isn't going to calm down, I go in and give her another quick feed, which usually sorts her out. Should I be doing this? Am i making the proverbial rod for my back?! I have tried various other soothing techniques, but nothing apart from feeding seems to work (and I'm terrible at leaving her to cry). Some nights this is repeated 3-4 times, and on a good night not at all.
At the moment, she is waking 2-3 times a night, sometimes 4 times. Each time she is wide awake and if I put my hand anywhere near her, she grabs it and starts sucking it. I'm presuming that this means she's hungry (!) so I always feed her in the night. Again, should I be starting to soothe her in other ways? I really don't mind feeding her in the night, and in my heart I feel it's the right thing to do, particularly when she's going through an unsettled period as she is now. She always goes back to sleep quite easily after a feed, and funnily enough she seems to self soothe in the middle of the night.
In the daytime, she naps 3-4 times, but never for more than 30 minutes at a time. Should I be doing something to stretch these out into longer naps? She's no good at sleeping in her bed in the day, so I put her in the pushchair, and either take her out or rock her gently in the house, and she nods off easily.
Basically, what I'm saying is that I've read too many books and all of the conflicting advice is swirling around in my head, and as a first time mum, I find it hard to trust my instincts. I just need someone to tell me I'm doing the right thing...(or otherwise!)
Thanks in advance...
Jessie