SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK PART 5....... God have mercy!

[Tamdin]

Can't believe we're onto another new thread already!

I found the Millpond was q heavy on the 'training your child to sleep' business It does describe GR/GW but so do other books/websites. It also talks about CC as a quicker fix - got a bit upset by the comment that your baby might cry so much they are sick, but this is nothing to worry about . They do have a website, so perhaps have a look at that first?

Slightly better night here - not into bed until about 4, settled quite well between feeds but still feeding a LOT. Hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hope there were some good nights out there.

Morning everyone!

EP - glad for your little improvements. for ongoing feedathon though.

Interested to hear your comments about Millpond. I just checked the case studies on their website, and each success story involved CC. So not for us, not right now at least.

Call me - of your Sky+. I keep falling asleep in everything I want to watch. Repeats of Dr. Who (yawn) during dinner at 7 are all I'm watching right now.

Well, some improvement here. DD had what may have been her longest ever stretch: 7pm - 1.15am! Loads of wakings 1-6 though, so I still feel as though I've been through the ringer. Am trying to remain positive though, as we've not had a 6 hour stretch since she was tiny.

Speaking of which - got DD weighed yesterday, 18lbs and she's still a week shy of 5 months!

morning all.

Not great night here and having an SDD day

Went to bed at 7.30 very easily.
woke at 10 when dh went to bed and dh lifted him onto the bed.
when I went in at 10.30 dh was watching tv and ds was stretched out on top of the duvet fast asleep.

I went into the bathroom and heard a huge crash and ds wailing. He'd turned over in his sleep and fallen off the bed. Was very upset and shocked
I had a go at dh for letting him lie near the edge blah blah

He settled quite quickly but kept him in bed with us from then on. (ie didn't try and settle him in his cot)

Gave in and gave him his bottle early at 12.30 which we'd been cutting out but that was the only one he had so still only 1 bottle a night so not too bad ifswim.

woke at 7 for the day.

I don't feel too tired as 12.30-7 was pretty solid sleep for us all but am feeling like i should be trying to keep him in his cot. Wish i could just stick with co-sleeping and not question myself.
Hate days like this because I feel like we're never going to get sorted

Morning all! Well, I have done the sensible thing and am NOT going to buy the Millpond book. Will look into GW/GR when we have moved house.

EP glad your night was a bit better. And Bags for 6-hr stretch. Now if only you can make that coincide with the 6 hours you want to sleep!

CMOC I could not do cc myself so am hoping that time will help!

Quite unsettled evening here (woke 5 times between 7.30-11) but once in bed with me, slept well - one waking/feeding at 4ish, woke around 6.30 but managed to resettle with dummy then woke for the day at 7.30.

X-posted Tam. for your LO's bump and your SDD day! I know what you mean about fighting the co-sleeping, I can't quite bring myself to feel 100% relaxed about it (think it's society's fault for hammering it into us for so many years that it's wrong).

You are doing a great job though

morning all,
ep, for your improved night

bags for your good stretch. it does make you feel like your getting somewhere, doesnt it?

meg, glad your night was better than your evening sounds like a 'doable' one.

tam youre feeling down my lovely. one feed was great, you've more willpower than me. for your little mans tumble, fwiw, i would have kept him in bed after that too, thats your mummy nurturer side you are doing a fantastic job, chin up my darling xx

thankyou tibs and meg for your pick me up words.

Think it's my hormones!
MY homeopath has put me on adrenal support tablets for 3 months as she says my hormones are still not back to where they should be post birth.
Am running on adrenlain too much and unbalancing my whole system.
Plus drinking too much wine and tea/coffee.

adrenalin

Meg, the millpond book, forget it. it won't tell you anythng you don't already know.
i did think about trying one suggestion in there which is to try and push feeds back 10 mins each night etc, so eventually you phase them out. but LO isn't that consistent, so it really doesn't work and just makes life harder. i'd rather just feed him and get back to bed.

average night here, not good, not bad. wakings at 12.30, 4.30, 5.30, but he did stay asleep until 8, although when i got up myself and looked in his room he was wide awake, so god knows how long he'd been awake but if he'd been quietly entertaining himself .. i'll never know!

Tam: you are doing a fab job, I would have had DS in bed with us after a fall as well. He came in anyway, not becuase he wouldn't settle in the cot but because I fell asleep feeding him . V chipper this morning

Ormones have a lot to answer for - I'm feeling a lot more positive atm despite lack of sleep which (going by my cycle) is entirely down to those pesky Ormones . Might be an idea to cut down on the caffeine - can you manage on caffeine-free alternatives? Look after yourself

BTW, DS slid down the side of the bed the other night - twice . I managed to cover up the first incident (I was feeding him to sleep) but DH came in at the second and was not impressed! DS was fine though and didn't even cry

(there's a gap between the bed and the wall filled mainly with the books DH is reading. He was a bit shocked when he saw me fishing for DS who had slid down head first. I was holding on to his ankles)

Meg, I haven't read the Milpond book but am applying the principle of gradual retreat just making up the steps to suit myself. I'm the first person to say bin the books but I have to admit to getting one out of the library this week. Have you thought about the book 3 in a bed? I haven't read that either but if you're doubtful about co-sleeping it may reassure you. Personally, if you're all happy with it, I'd say stick with it. I'm really missing having my DD in with me and last night had to have her on the floor with me (more later) although if you're fed up then GR is a gentle approach but takes a long time. Just reading EP's comments I suppose it makes sense that they're in the business of making your baby sleep so want to do it the quickest way possible. I'd just make your own steps up but I agree with overcautious that they do get better at it as they get older. (not that they do it always but more often than they did)

Tam, sorry you're so I'm feeling really sad about not co-sleeping at the moment. You can't win can you? Don't worry, I think you did the right thing. He will grow out of it and when you move you may find he sleeps better when he has a bed and you don't need to do anything. There is a thread about co-sleeping at the moment. Read that, it will make you feel better. I would still be doing it (still might actually) if we all slept well but as I said, it had started to get silly. The milk, it's just one teeny hitch, you'll get there again. Big hugs for you

Meg, ionizer humidifier arrived this morning and it works a treat so I'll let you know what tonight brings.

Last night we had itchy feet and god knows what else. She slept well until 1.15 and then was up for 2 hours on and off. I got very grumpy and gave her a stern talking to which of course made matters worse (will I ever learn?). By 3 I was so mega pissed off that I took her onto the matress with me and she slept until 5.30 and then up for the day at 6.30. We did give her calpol at 3 wondering if it was teeth. God knows but I wonder, do these people who do cc EVER have problems? I mean, how can we do so well some nights and then soooo badly on others? I can't believe that those children that have been left to cry never wake or have teething problems etc.

and EP

sorry your having a crap day tam, but it sounds like you are making progress over time, even if it feels slooooowww. things will get better love.
and i will NOT give up my daily coffee for anyone. i don't care if ds becomes a coffee addict later in life because of it. i neeeeed it .
i'm going to try and way ds today. last 2 times i tried, he just screamed and wobbled so much on teh scales we couldn't get a reading. hmmmm.

Ginger, i've heard with CC that it's not a one off process, that each time they get sick, teething, routine gets upset etc, you have to start all over again with the process. i think that's the main thing that puts me off with CC - it's not a few nights of pain, it's a committment to all that crying everytime that get unsettled again.

Amber, a friend who is a homeopath says that they use mild doses of caffine (or is it coffee) to 'cure' sleeplessness so you're actually doing your lo a favour.

Tam I gave up caffeine about 3 years ago and have to say I'm glad. As I'm bf I can't imagine what a handful DS would be if I was drinking coffee... he's enough of a livewire as it is! I also found it stopped me getting so many energy peaks and troughs during the day. Can recommend camomile tea to chil out -- Twinings do a lovely camomile, honey and vanilla one.

Ginger, i'm happy to believe it.
I actually gave up coffee for about 3 years. i gave it up because i was working in a stressful corporate job and found i was relying on it, with too many peaks and troughs in energy during the day. so gave it up.
then i was teaching yoga classes at 6am for a while, and after teaching, going to do my own practice, and just needed something to kickstart my practice after being up and working so early, so coffee it was.
gave it up again while pregnant, and during first 3 months of LO's life.
But now I'm loving it - keeps me sane!

i do love herbal teas though. i'm a big clipper fan.
used to make my own blends, but now i'm time challenged i just whip out the clipper tea bags.

Ginger I would have no problem with co-sleeping but it means DH has to sleep on the sofa!

If I didnt have my cup of coffee in the morning to look forward to, i'd have no incentive to get out of bed

GR for meg i tried this meg, it did work, thne had a few setbacks with teeth and whatnot and didnt have the willpower to return to it

amber, hope lo complies with the weighing to day

where would i be without you all.

tibs, the lady at the clinic knew what to do. as soon as LO starting crying and wriggling about on the scales, she got a loud toy to get his attention. he sat still in amazement for just long enough for the weight to register.
and despite his random fussy feeding, he is still doing fine. so now i'll tell myself off for being a worrying mother.

Tam, i was just thinking the same on the way home this morning. i don't know if i would have made it through without siftw. thanks guys!!