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Sleep

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Original poster

OK, we're doing it....!

18 replies

moominmama86 · 12/04/2004 18:22

We're going to do cc tonight - help! I'm absolutely dreading it but am also dreading just the thought of another 10 months of ds getting up for two hours at a time every bloody night. I am going to try putting him to sleep as normal and then cc him (!!) if he wakes in the night.

I thought I would probably do it more 'cold turkey' i.e. just leaving him (after checking him initially to make sure he's actually okay, of course) because I reckon he will just get more and more wound up if I keep going in. He can sleep through the night because he's done it a couple of times before but is so erratic and the last few weeks have just been awful. I really need to do something - now or never!

Wish us luck...

OP posts:

Heathcliffscathy · 12/04/2004 18:25

really really good luck moomin...i agree about cold turkey, going in at intervals just wound my ds up to the point of hysteria...fwiw, i think you will have success and never look back once you have had one or two nights of doom...and maybe not even that...lots and lots of luck and support...DONT feel bad (easily said), you need some good sleep in order to be a good mum and your ds needs sleep too in order to be as happy as he can be...

mckenzie · 12/04/2004 18:57

I'll be thinking of you moominmama. You're bound to get upset and it's going to be very hard for you I guess to stick to your guns but I hope you can manage it.
Perhaps a stiff brandy at some stage in the evening might help!

allatsea · 12/04/2004 19:00

good luck, I second the stiff brandy advice - no matter how terrible it is tonight, the chances are that within a week,if not a few days it will all have been worth it

AussieSim · 12/04/2004 19:08

Good Luck MM, try to have a couple of closed doors between you and distract yourself with internet or TV. Doing the intervals is not necessary, but I just gauge from the tone of the crying when I should go in. I had two bad nights with DS who is normally a good sleeper these days and so I cut out his morning nap and now we are back to good sleep again. Just want to reinforce how important good daytime napping is. Thinking of you guys.

Original poster

moominmama86 · 12/04/2004 19:22

Thank you

Well, he's gone down without a peep as usual, but who knows what the night will bring....! I expect I'll be back here sometime tonight - I just have to keep telling myself that this will work. It's definitely got to the stage now where something has to be done, and it's doing him far more harm than good to be up for so long each night. Not to mention what it's doing to me - my back can't take any more rocking (although I do now have fabulously toned arm muscles lol!)

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roisin · 12/04/2004 19:54

Good luck moominmama - Hope it goes really well for you. CC worked like a dream with my ds2 and transformed him from a HORRID sleeper into an angel, and it only took 3 nights, and the only bad one was the first. I agree about the cold turkey too.

samwifewithkid · 12/04/2004 20:37

Good luck MM. I agree with letting him Cry it out. The going in and out CC wouldn't have worked with my dd. Sometimes you have to set the boundaries. He will be a lot happier in the daytime and you will feel better to from a half decents nights sleep. It will be hard, but grit your teeth and bear it.

Evita · 12/04/2004 20:58

Hope it goes well moominmama. My dd's never responded to us going in and out either, it definitely makes things worse. But I've been a bit of a limp lettuce about sticking to leaving her to cry for ages. I've found that if she cries for 5-10 mins then goes to sleep that's fine but if she cries for longer she'll go on forever so I usually give way at that point. Though I've been chastised for that by more hardened cc supporters. I don't think it's caused a lasting problem, dd's only occasionally given us a hard time at night and it's usually been for a reason.

twiglett · 12/04/2004 21:28

message withdrawn

twiglett · 12/04/2004 21:29

message withdrawn

jojobingo · 12/04/2004 23:20

moomin - am also taking the plunge tonight! My dd was a great sleeper for the first 10 months and since then it has been hit and miss - I hate listening to her cry and have always blamed it on illness, teeth, vistors, change ..... and have been very soft, but after three weeks of REALLY bad nights I have come to the conclusion she is testing me and have decided enough is enough. I plan to log in here when she wakes tonight and sitract myself reading about the virtues of cc. Good luck!

Original poster

moominmama86 · 13/04/2004 07:47

Hope it went okay for you, jojo!

Well, last night was actually not half as bad as I thought it would be. He fussed very briefly at 9pm but I didn't have to do anything except just pat his bum a couple of times and he went back off. Then at 10pm he started yelling. I went in, gave him a kiss and stroked his head, went out and sat rocking on the bed lol! He cried for exactly 30mins, but not full-on yelling, more 'what's going on? and then didn't wake again until just after 5am - yay!

I've just fed him and put him down again for an early nap but he's not happy. He's been going for about 15 mins so far. I've had to come on here to distract myself. I know it will work, it's just so horrible listening to him cry...

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roisin · 13/04/2004 08:20

Sounds like a good night mm, or at least as good as could be expected. Hope he's gone off for his nap by now too.

I'm offline for a few days - I'll check in when I come back and hope things have really turned a corner for you by then, and your nighttimes are transformed

Evita · 14/04/2004 10:21

Sounds relatively painless so far mm? Daytime naps and crying can be a bit more tricky I've found.

Original poster

moominmama86 · 14/04/2004 13:34

Hmmm, well, I'm afraid it all went a bit pearshaped, to put it mildly. He screamed for 45 mins when I tried to put him down for his morning nap In the end I caved and took him out in the buggy. Feel pretty bad about it.

But unfortunately, events have overtaken us and the cc plans have been shelved for a while. Dh and I decided our marriage was over yesterday, so cc has gone out of the window whilst we pick ourselves up. I didn't think I could really cope with any more crying and screaming last night (insert ironic smile here)

I will be back, though, when the dust has settled and I feel more capable

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Heathcliffscathy · 14/04/2004 13:37

oh no moomin i'm so sorry.

muddaofsuburbia · 14/04/2004 13:37

MM - so sorry to hear your news about your marriage. Keep posting - you'll get loads of support here.

jojobingo · 14/04/2004 21:50

I too am sorry to hear. Puts CC into perspective. I hope things get better for you.
On that front, night one was awful - 2 hours awake at 12-2am. Last night slept through and tonight settled without a winge - so maybe it works but I am afraid to hope too much!

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