I've called around to a sleep schools in times of desperation but so far have not gone any further than speaking to them on the phone. Mitcham was not one of them though. What have you found out so far? What is the waiting list like and their costs?
Not sure on cost, but would be covered by private health insurance. Waiting list is 2-3 weeks and they apparently use the comforted crying approach but will modify if you are unhappy with what they are doing.
We need to sort out day sleeps, feeding to sleep and cat naps.
There is a private service that comes to your home, costly and not covered by private health but it does sound really convenient. There is one in particular that also use comforted crying apparoach and i can't seemed to find the name of them. If i look back on a thread i started late last year i'll be able to tell you. Just got one more little one up at the moment so i'll do it asap.
You sound similar to us also, but our nights are pretty average also, cat naps during the day, we were feeding to sleep which i have since worked on and get an average of 4-5 hours during the night.
Night Nannies is the one i was told about that follow the No Cry Sleep Solution philosophies. I was seriously going through my head ways to afford it, for the convenience (i have 2 others and it's so hard to organise being away) and for the promptness. When i enquired they were willing to come out within a few days.
How old is your daughter? My DD is 14 months old so we have some pretty ground in ways that i need to try to manipulate. If you want to have a read of the thread i started early Jan it's here https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...enough-175516/ Around this time i started trying to change things myself and had a chat on the phone to a couple of nurses from Tweedle and QEC. Trying some tips from them we were making some progress but then then went on holiday for two weeks and as expected pretty much need to start all over again.
I'm desperate from changes and still am undecided if i can do this on my own or if we need outside help. It's so hard knowing how you and your little one will respond to these techniques and the last thing we want is a traumatic expereince.
A little off track i know to the original post i know but i'm just trying to offer help any way i know how.
Good luck and heres to a better nights sleep for all of us
I guess it comes down to what you are comfortable with. I was worried to the point of being sick would they make me do things that I didn't agree, would I feel I wasn't in control, but at the same time new something had to change, for me, for my husband, for DS1 & for us as a family. If you feel that you need the help give it ago if it's not for you don't stay. You will work out pretty quickly when you get there if it's not for you. Usually they ask you to come in before lunch.
Techniques they use (these are based on the ones I was taught that worked for me there maybe more) are watch for sleep cues so once bub looks tired you wrap or place them in the cot (no sleeping bags as the rooms are kept around 20 degrees) & leave them to try & settle. All the time listening to whether they are just protesting or actually emotionally crying. It took me a while to pick these. If DS didn't settle I would go back in & pat the mattress near his head until he was calm. Then leave again. If he still cried I'd go back switch on the music they have in each room & maybe pat again (this worked really well for DS) or rock the cot. They have the big ones on wheels. DS would generally go with music & patting.
These days if he's refusing to sleep mainly at night we do the camp out style where we go in give him his water, give him a cuddle put him back in his cot tell him it's night time & lay on the floor next to him so we are there to soothe him & be in the room but he settles himself. We have done this for probably the last 6 months (from being 12 months) as he cottons on very quickly to different methods. This method is on the raising children website under sleep. DS now knows what is happening and throws all his soft toys out at us aiming for our heads giggles as he gets a bullseye then lays down goes off to sleep.
I have had to change my parenting style with DS2 if I was asked if I would have thought I would have done this kind of sleep routine I would have said never. I felt so guilty like I was abandoning him by putting him in his cot awake. The first time I stood outside & cried, but that was something from my childhood I was a terrible sleeper I was left to go to sleep on the sofa because I would wait for my mum to go to sleep & then walk round & go and sit with my Dad. As a baby it was first in best dressed as who would sleep in Mum & Dad's bed with me. Usually my Dad slept in my bedroom. DS1 was held to sleep, transferred and slept the whole night from being 6 weeks in his cot. We also co-slept as he's a very cuddly child likes to be close even now he sneaks in on the odd occasion at 4, but DS2 hated being held to sleep, would not co-sleep. I used to think if only you would co-sleep we would be fine I could get some sleep you could get some sleep.
Sorry a bit of topic but I thought maybe some background about how I felt may help too. It's the hardest thing in the world sleep dep & I don't wish it on anyone. You need to do what will work for your family. There was lady there at the same time with a 9 month old who got up in the wee hours for 3 hours or so. He did that on the second night of being there & they let him be just watched what he did so that they following day they could get a plan together to try & get him through that wakeful patch.
I hope you find the technique that works for you. I remember it being a huge shock when I realised I had to teach DS1 to sleep. I hope my rambling helps in some way.
I went there with DS2 in November 2010. The child is the patient and you pay a boarding fee. So if you have PHI bubs is covered & then you pay the out of pocket boarding fee. It's for 5 days, if you are really struggling they will extend it for 1 or 2 nights. I really liked the approach they had. My DS2 was around the clock boob feeder wouldn't settle night or day in his bassinet or cot. Would only sleep on the breast and I was beside myself by the time he turned 4 months. Not sure how old your bub is but under 12 weeks they stay in the room with you. Over 12 months they have a small room to themselves. when I was there they could only take 4 babies over 12 months & one under 12 months.
They help you establish a routine basically. They go through on arrival everything that has been happening, what you want to get out of the stay and how you want to approach it. On the first night if you want to the doctor will prescribe two sleeping tablets so you can get a good nights sleep. This all depends on feeding etc. If you don't express or baby won't take a bottle then they will have to wake you. Tablets only last in your system a few hours. As your stay goes on they will go through different methods of settling. First you will go in put bubba down come out saying whatever you would normally say and give them a chance to settle on their own, if they don't settle you go in and try 1 or 2 methods wait till they are calm and not crying and then come out again all the time you are stood outside so you don't have to leave them. They also have an infra red camera so that you can watch them to see what they are doing. There is a lady that comes in and offers massages once or twice a week for $60. I made a good friend out of my stay there. We still speak. Some of the nurses I gelled with others I didn't but thats just life. They like them to sleep for at least 90mins. So if bubs wakes at the 40min mark then they will help you too resettle. If bub is having none of it & it's a day sleep then you or they may suggest going for a walk to the park thats round the corner or down to the shops. By the time we left DS was no longer feeding to sleep & sleeping in his cot for 90 min sleeps
We worked out that DS2 still had an arm that he couldn't control so we had to wrap him in a one arm angel wrap. That he liked to sleep with his teddy (square piece of fleece with bunny head in the middle) on his face. He literally pick it up from the side & dump it on his face. Thank goodness for infra red camera I was worried but they said that if he could breathe through it he was fine. He hates to be held or touched when sleeping. We have our up's and downs he still isn't the best sleeper but I now know what he likes. Day sleeps are normally easy. Night sleeps not so, he went off kilter in Nov last year as he got his bottom molars and only in the last 2 days have we had wins. Especially tonight but I think thats because DH is out & he doesn't think he's missing anything lol DH helps DS2 sleep of a night while I take care of DS1. Also he's a tummy sleeper which I think may have been part of the problem as DS1 who goes to sleep in one position & wakes up in it slept well as a baby.
Let me know if you need any more info or specific information. If you are really not coping keep ringing them asking how far down the list you are & you may get bumped up.
Last edited by Hansie; February 3rd, 2012 at 06:32 PM.
: Can't spell!!!
Thanks for info. The main thing i'd like to know is what sort of methods they use. DD and I went through controlled comforting on weds and we both hated it (she vomited but they kept going. I should have walked out). They seemed responsive on phone when I described my experiences and indicated they would modify if I didn't like things.
The info really helps. DH and I will give it more thought over the weekend. Thank you!
Munchkins mum, I know you're already booked in to Mitcham but for anyone else, I've just been to Northpark private hospital where they have a mother baby unit residential program. The nurses were brilliant there and didn't do anything you weren't comfortable with. It also depends on the baby's age what sort of settling techniques they use. Goodluck! Sleep school is a godsend,
Just an update from my experiences at Mitcham. They are great!
We no longer feed to sleep. DD is feeding every 4 hrs rather than every 1-2. She is self-settling, with varying degrees of success for 3 naps a day and self-settles after every feed overnight.*
The nurses there are fantastic. They look at how the babies sleep, try different things, wraps, music etc. All things can be readily duplicated at home.*
Yes, there is some grizzling, sometimes crying (minimal) but all wirked within your comfort zone. *If anyone is considering sleep school, consider Mitcham Private.*
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Mitcham sleep school, Melbourne
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