Misery loves company: to ride it out or Something Must be Done- pick your camp :)

[DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep]

Hello again all- may the sleepers continue sleeping, the new arrivals due or here get the idea very quickly and the rest of us see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Ah! I have the solution to this problem sorted! Dh did all bedtime nappies :o

Next question...?

That would be nice, but...

If I'm co-sleeping in the other bedroom, I may as well do it myself as walk across the hallway with (most likely) wailing baby, waking up DS1 in the process, to wake up DH to do it.

If, by some miracle, I've got him peacefully enough back in his cot after certain feeds such that I'm still in my own bedroom, I'd have to kick DH awake, wait about five minutes for him to come around, wait another five minutes because he decides a wee is imperative before he can proceed, then watch his cack-handed half-asleep attempts at changing a nappy in partial darkness, then have me re-do DS2's swaddle because he (still) can't work out how it's done. I'd have it done and dusted before the even woke up and with minimal DS1-waking shriekage.

Yeah, I'm swaddling. That's part of my SMBD-from-birth plan with DS2. Seems to work sometimes, but it also seems to have put me back on the 'Cracked it! Shit...no I haven't...' roller coaster.

I'd forgotten two things about newborns:

• the prodigious farting
• the truly extraordinary bogeys. Seriously, I thought DS2 had sneezed out a large chunk of his brain yesterday morning. Couldn't believe it had fit through his nostril

Elph I think ds stopped pooing at night around 8 weeks old. Yeah there was no point me getting DH to do night nappies either, sleeps like a rock encased in lead and almost blind in one eye. Ds would have hosed down the bed whilst waking up his sisters by screaming before he got a nappy on him. Good you are getting ds2 into the cot some of the time. How is ds1 getting on with him now?

Glad you had a good time away hear. I used to like going on meditation retreats before I had kids. Not sure I would cope with all the silence now, would probably end up making a to do list in my head rather than clearing my mind!

Sorry for all the sleepless ones. I am still in the same boat. Ds is cutting his first tooth and is waking hourly through the night. In other news dd2's tests came back negative for common allergens (but weals very weak so still going to keep an eye on possible future allergies). She is waking again struggling to breathe because of apnoea episodes due to another cold :(

Only 10 days left of school holidays, where has the lovely sunshine gone?

I tried swaddling the dts elph and even fooled myself into thinking it worked sometimes. I tried the white noise and the sleeping bag so not down on cold sheets and other things I can't even go into...

he'll transform at 12 weeks. I can feel it in my waters

Stitch Are DD2's adenoids coming out, then, or are you just going to watch and wait some more for allergies?

Swaddling WORKS, dammit, Dreaming! It WORKS!

mine still want to see the nappy poo. 28 months. Even DD will join in and look and she calls dt2 to inspect her poo in the toilet

DD has injured her foot. Awful puncture wound from jumping off the sofa onto a plug and a pin impaled her. Deep puncture pissing blood. She did it 9:30am yesterday and still can't walk. We just stuck a plaster on it I feel.so bad about it.

but dt1 slept through last night.

Oh, your poor dd dreaming! Yay for dt1 though!

stitch this was my first proper retreat. I've been to the one on Scotland but to visit a friend who worked there for a while not to do a retreat. I really enjoyed it.

I don't think dd would have kept to the silence rules elph so she stayed at home with dh :o

Dd hated swaddling and sleeping bags. She liked to be able to wiggle her legs about.

Elph that is so sweet about ds1and ds2. Dd1 is 5 and is still obsessed with her siblings poo . Waiting for ENT appointment re:adenoids now allergy ttesting is done.

Dreaming ouch, your poor dd. Hope her foot is on the mend.

What kind of retreat was it Hear?

Good evening all muesli knitters, I have been lurking for ages, drifting in and out of consciousness, trying to research a sleep consultant for my 9 times a night waking/feeding, co-sleeping, pram/car-seat-hating, sling-dwelling 9 month old DC2.

I need to report that I love Ann Caird. DS just did his First Ever going to sleep without boob . And slept through from 7pm-4am last night. Just one week after Ann's routine tweaking. We are flabbergasted. Fully expecting it to go tits up after I post this but just needed to publish.

Phew.

we might need to change the name of our thread to the unofficial Ann fan club. The fAnnclub! (See what I did there!?) :o

It was a silent budest meditation retreat at a place called Gaia house. It was amazingly woo. The whole silence thing was really interesting to do though.

roopachoo hurrah! !! We do love a nice positive miracle

Day 3 post injury. DD still can't walk. Fucking, fucking plug..why didn't I spot it in time? ! I'm sure I wouldn't be weight baring either after an impalement like that. Still bleeding through dressings though the steri strips are holding it together.

DT1 slept through again. I am taking the dc to mum's for 3 nights tomorrow for some help with her while she's immobile and needs way more supervision/ physical help.

I know I couldn't do 3 days in silence.

Well done to miniroo and welcome Roopachoo :)

Hear Gaia House is very near to wherever my mum lives. She has been there too. The silence thing is amazing and must have been even more so after the constant verbalisation of a toddler around you.

Applauds dt1 and Dreaming loudly. Sorry to hear dd's foot is still bad. She will probably have awful bruising after the wound heals too, how long can your mum help for?

Thank you Hear . But really, really really, [crazy sleep deprived wild eyes flashing, sentimentality gushing] thank you all of you on this thread. All your posts and support for one another are all logged out there in cyber space, waiting to be happened upon by future Mum Ghosts-of-former-selves. Most definitely wouldn't have taken the leap of faith with Ann had I not followed all your stories. So lots of to you all x

And Stitch

Dreaming is DT1 the DT the T? Woohoo! TBH it was your posts that me think if you're having success than I got to give this Emotional Well-being thing a go. Get well to your poor DD's foot.

Yes he is roopachoo 60 seconds older and most definitely Terrible. I think I'd take identical triplets of his twin rather than him and dt2 Ann had said his daytime behaviour might settle down with more sleep. no sign of that yet

Glad she's helped you.

I wonder how peregrin is getting on? Are you lurking or too dispirited and sleep deprived to mn?

Yay, Roo! Keep us updated - don't be a stranger!

Hooray for the sleepers and boo to impalement!

We have extended the programme with Ann because ~~we had hit a brick wall~~ progress has been slow.

If the changes so far are here to stay, we are already in a vastly better place than pre-Ann. The night wakings are fewer, DS does not require his hefty bum to be rocked while walking for so long to fall asleep, and he now accepts DH for bedtimes. Having some time to myself in the evening feels like an illicit pleasure - a bit like what would have felt like to smoke behind the school shed...

We still have much drama if we try to support him to sleep without picking up and walking so now we are taking it really slowly ~~ I keep doing the same thing and hope he comes around ~~

He also woke more often yesterday night than the last few days. Hoping this was the fluke and not the amazing experience of only 2-3 wakes that preceded it!

Can I jump on Roo's bandwagon?

Inspire by this thread I am also working with Ann, and having amazing results.

We are now four weeks in, and despite moving around between in-laws and on holiday, my gorgeous 11 month old son has mastered the art of sleeping through till at least 530am!

After waking six or more times a night since he was born, I am still in shock (and to be honest secretly worried that it can't last).

I want to echo thanks to everyone for sharing their stories. I was in absolute despair, and now I am starting to think life might not so bad after all.

Also, very very pleased to find a crowd that is crunchier than me.

Usually my vegan, barefoot running, breastfeeding ways mean I get to wear the sustainable hemp crown for but I am utterly in awe of a three day silent retreat. [Bows to Hear]

Fingers crossed for lots more sleep all round. And thank you again.

Whoopee, Blaze! I think we will have to follow Hippy-Hear's suggestion and re-name ourselves the fAnns.

Long while before I can go back to Ann, though, so DS2 had better get over these 1.5 hourly wake-ups through the night for feeds sharpish. What if I were to eat a box of baby rice? Would it thicken up my milk and make him go for longer? Thoughts?

Dunno bout that Elph, but it might help with your night feeding ravenous hunger pangs. Ds is back to feeding hourly with his teething and I am starving.

Very belated congratulations to Elph! I've heard baby rice is supposed to taste er, less than optimal... it would be a shame to waste an opportunity to eat cake

Becoming a fAnn seems quite appealing, been up rocking every twenty minutes since half four...

Welcome to the club blaze! :o

Do you think that coming up with a snazzy name in honour of Ann will make her forgive me for using all her techniques without actually paying her?

Dd has a cough and a new tooth so sleep has all gone to shit. Oh well, I was starting to get bored of it anyway

I agree with scandi, cake is the best breastfeeding snack. If you make it a cheese cake you even get added calcium.