This thread is for parents who's baby was born December 1st ~15th 2009
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There are many issues that you will encounter as a new parent. We have put together this list of useful articles and threads in order to assist you with some common questions or issues you may have, and to provide you with bit of extra support that we all need as new parents:
Please contact the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) or a Lactation Consultant if you are concerned that you may have breastfeeding and/or supply problems, and before the introduction of solids.
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Last edited by Olive; July 24th, 2010 at 04:08 PM.
I can't believe I am first to post on the new thread.
Well I have had another good day with Jett yay!!!! Things seem to be on the up and I hope it continues. He went down at 8pm tonight without a fuss. This is the earliest he has been down in a long time.
Sorry no persies tonight I want to get some washing done before I head to bed.
BS - I reckon it's worth giving wrapping a go - it can't hurt, anyway. I know other people who have to hold their bubs still in their arms for 20 minutes or so, actively restraining them so they'll go to sleep. If you wander around the baby whisperer forums, you'll see them talking about "holding through the jerks" a lot - not that I agree with most of what they advocate, mind.
Tilda - Oh goodness, you have my sympathy at the moment Does Matilda cry at night when she wakes? I was reading a lot about sleep training when Liam was still sleeping badly, and had pretty much resigned myself to doing it out of sheer desperation. One of the things that stood out to me as important was learning when they're just grizzling and trying to soothe themselves to sleep, and when they really need something. Which I'm pretty darn sure you already know, but just saying it in case. It's so hard trying to deal with it all when you're so sleep deprived yourself. Is Matilda on solids? Does she have a dummy or suck her thumb?
beany - I read on fb about Michael cutting more teeth. Poor little guy - but at least you know the cause of the recent fussy period, and know that it'll be over soon.
AFM - Had a good day, though Liam was sleepy all day (but not grizzly with it, which is a very welcome thing). My SIL and niece came to visit - it's so awesome seeing my niece, since she's just a little older than Liam and I get a little preview of what he might be doing in a month's time. She's not quite crawling yet (but scoots around in a similar fashion halfway between a crawl and commando crawl) but moves from lying down to sitting and back really well. She's *so* mobile it's kind of scary. I think I need to start babyproofing
I was thinking today about all the things that I think have helped turn Liam's sleep around. Just in case it's useful to anyone, I thought I'd go through them. I know most of you already know all this, so feel free to skip.
The first thing was moving into his own room. I don't regret having him in our room for six months, and I think that he truly wasn't ready to be on his own before then. But once he was physically capable of sleeping through, he needed his own space where he could be undisturbed.
Sleep associations. Bedtime routine (bath with Daddy, sleeping bag and pyjamas, breastfeed in the dim room where he'll be sleeping, short rock and into bed while he's sleepy), the same music playing softly (Music for Dreaming) and a humidifier going for white noise. We used all of these for months before we moved him, which I think made the move easier.
We also keep a small teddy bear in bed with him, as well as using a Prince Lionheart back to sleep bear, so he has familiar objects (and the back to sleep bear can soothe him back to sleep as well, and I wore the little blankie that comes with it inside my shirt to help him get attached to it as a lovey).
I think solids did help, but only a little. In Liam's case, it probably helps his reflux more than anything. Getting his reflux meds sorted helped, too - of course, he could also be growing out of the reflux.
One of the biggest ones for him was learning to suck his thumb to soothe himself to sleep when he woke. The dummy had the same effect, but he would wake every time it fell out. He can't lose his thumb, at least I know a lot of people want to discourage thumb sucking, but I think it's worth it for the self soothing.
Making sure he's warm enough at night. He really feels the cold, and is currently bundled up in fleece pyjamas, a sleeping bag and two blankets on top. Which seems like a lot, but it keeps him comfortable.
And lastly, I think he's just matured to a stage where he can physically sleep through, and eat more to fill his belly.
BS - Funny you should say that about your DH holding Eva down so she can't bounce and will go to sleep, my Mum used to have to physically restrain my brother so he would sleep during the day. And my DH's best mate as a baby in his cot used to rock on his hands and knees and butt his head against the railings! So I don't think what Eva is doing is too abnormal and there must be some way to get her to understand that bed is for sleep. Thanks for sharing the SIDS info and about your brother OMG yes please will you help me with clothes! I love fashion and clothing, but I feel so out of touch with everything now and don't know what my style is anymore, or what is appropriate for my age. I'll email you with some details.
Rose - That's great that Liam is still doing so well! Great sleep tips also. I just read a site that pretty much said what you just wrote. The only thing I would add after the site I read, is that babies seem to sleep better at night when they have a routine of sorts during the day. Not a rigid routine that must be adhered to, but we've all had days when we've been to a wedding or baby's been sick or immunisations, where it's upset the usual daily routine and we have a rough night. Oh yeah and I totally agree that babies sleep through when they're physically and mentally mature enough to do it.
Tilda - No, you're not forgotten! (is that a song lyric? ) I get what the Tresillian lady was saying, that babies like consistency and ritual. Ryan is also a non-crying happy baby and I dread the thought of having to do anything where he's got to cry it out. Rose's sleep tips are great and you can do them without having to let Matilda cry it out. I don't know whether to wrap or sleeping bag, but how about changing her to sleeping bag for all sleeps and making it a part of her bedtime routine? How's her sleeping environment? Did you say you have her back in her old cot and in her own room? Sleep associations: I guess she has a sleep association with the boob. If she falls asleep during her last feed, try waking her gently so that she's awake when you put her in her cot (I did this with Ryan and now I can lie him down awake and he goes to sleep on his own). Are you having to feed Matilda every time she wakes? Maybe try following the advice Karitane gave Lani and feed her as a last resort. Or even get your DH to go and settle her for the first half of the evening while you sleep, so that you get a few hours straight before the dreaded 3-4 o'clock wake up. Hang in there, you'll get that girl sleeping through. Please send me the info about DTD that the physio gave you, I'd be very interested to read it.
Beany - I'm so glad the sleepy dust worked! Poor Michael sounds like he's having a tough time teething I really hope his next teeth are through soon.
AFM - Ryan bit me on the nipple today!!! Not once but several times! Each time I calmly and gently got him to open his mouth and firmly told him 'No!' He dropped the bottom lip and cried each time, he doesn't like being told off and this was the first time I've had to do so. I think it was towards the end of the feed, I've noticed he's easily distracted during feeds now. DH is being a lot more helpful with Ryan than he was with Craig, I think he's feeling a bit guilty about spending so many weekends away. But he's also a much more confident Daddy and Ryan's a big calm cuddly koala of a baby. Which makes me wonder if that's why Ryan's been so much easier than Craig was, because DH and I are more confident as parents? It doesn't take much to undermine your confidence. Does anyone think that babies can smell fear and get upset if you're upset? A midwife told me that I would have calm happy babies because I was calm and relaxed during my pregnancy, but I think it carries on through to motherhood. I know that when I get stressed, the kids seem to pick it up and get upset and then it quickly escalates out of control. But when I'm calm and patient (which is easy when you're well rested, showered and feeling good about yourself) no matter what the day throws at me I can ride it out. That's why it's so important to have time to ourselves to destress and look after our health and wellbeing.
Be good to yourselves ladies
Last edited by *suz1*; June 23rd, 2010 at 10:51 PM.
: added a bit more
Oh, and Tilda, I meant to add earlier: I still feed Liam to sleep 95% of the time. The only thing I've changed is trying to pop him off when he switches to comfort sucking and put him down in his crib still somewhat awake.
Something else that I think helped is that my mother started trying to settle him for some naps while she's here watching him (so I can work) - she's really calm and patient and spent ages rocking him to sleep. Now he'll go to sleep for her within 5-10 minutes of rocking, though it sometimes takes longer when he gets overtired. I think this has been useful in letting him learn that he can go to sleep without the boob. Could you try something like this with someone else settling Matilda so she doesn't smell milk? I find that Liam will only rarely settle for me without being fed, mostly because I can smell milk, I think.
And suz - Great point about the daytime routine. Something that we didn't really work on much, I have to admit, because I was always so damn tired that I was just doing what I could to get through each hour. But it probably would have helped immensely.
Tilda - Oh my goodness I know how it feels to be up and down so often. I wish I could give you some advice. For me, it was just something we had to ride out. However, I don't know if this was a coincidence, but on the night that he stopped waking every hour, the first time he woke up (would have been about 11pm I think), I let him go for a bit before I went it. He wasn't crying-crying (he is a no-crying baby too), just a bit of a whinge-cry. Well, about a minute of that and he went quiet...I went in and he'd gone back to sleep. Ever since that point he hasn't been waking up as often. That could totally just be coincidence tho. Have you tried giving her a minute or two before you see to her? And with his sleep associations, its always in a grobag with a dummy in his cot with the curtains drawn (not 100% blockout). There is nothing in his cot to distract him either. Oh, and YES PLEASE to that DTD info...anything to help!
BS - I agree, I think his lack of needing to be cuddled and held is a sign of independence, for sure. And yes, I think reading all the "your baby needs 'x' amount of sleep" things gets me all done up. I guess its only cos I want the best for him. You can always give the wrapping a go. I nkow if I tried that with Michael tho he will make it his mission to bust out of it! But its worth a shot! I'm sorry Eva cried when you left...that must be so hard. but I'm sure it will get better. And OMG, I'm so sorry to hear you lost a brother to SIDS Thats so sad
Lani - So happy you had a better night with Jett, hopefully the trend will continue!
Rose - yeah, I really think these teeth are bothering him. He woke up a lot more last night, and once when I went in he had fallen asleep with his finger in his mouth (he chews on his fingers when he is teething). Poor little darling. Bonjella helps tho Great idea posting your sleeping tips. With the music, do you play it all night, like, on repeat? Or just until the CD ends? and with the dressing for bed...I always worry whether Michael is too cold. Atm he has a wondersuit on, then a longsleeved top and then a 2.5TOG grobag. The coldest his room has got is 15oC, and when that happens I turn the gas heater on in the living area which heats his room to nearly 18oC. Are they flannelette 2-piece pyjama's that Liam wears? Maybe I should be dressing him warmer... Oh, and how do you keep the blankets on top? Michael would have wriggled out of them in no time!
Suz - Ooochies with the bite on the nipple!! I've forgotten, has Ryan got teeth yet? I reckon babies can sense how you're feeling, I really really do. I remember when we first brought him home and had his bassinet right next to my side of the bed and I'd wake up then lie there stressing that he was going to wake up...and whaddya know, he does. And, the times when he hasn't been sleeping and I come in his room to get him up with me being upset...he looks at me differently, he doesn't smile he just studies my face. They know how we feel, I really believe that. And YES! It soooo helps when you've had a decent sleep and a shower and have eaten, you can handle anything! Thats prolly why I went to pieces last week cos I wasn't getting the sleep I needed and it all just snowballed.
Alison - Hope little Amelia is over her cold now! Where the heck do you buy these Hyland Teething Tablets? I've been to 2 chemists and woollies, coles and target and I can't find them!!
Hope everyone else is doing well!
AFM - no news. Oh, except what I put on face book. He has 2 teeth cutting through atm...I can't work out which ones they are, they're not the front teeth, they must be the ones next to those, but then they look pointy like the eye teeth, but then its waaay too early for them. Hmm...we'll just have to wait and see!
Hey girls, I really don't have time for persies but just an update - yesterday Eva cried when I left her at daycare then ended up having a very bad day. She had four watery poos and her bum is burned bare! They called me at 3 to tell me to come get her because she could not take it anymore. She has no skin left in that area all around her bum and girly bits...I was outside of the school when they called so I got her home and did my best to change her every half hour and did not use any products on her skin (except for the cream) - Her skin is completely raw and even bleeding in some parts What the hell happenned? I read that the teething can do this since it makes the poo very acidic and my friend told me her baby had the same thing and got teeth two days later (she told me it looked lmike someone had taken an iron and burned her skin, which is what Eva's bum looks like)...but I see nothing in Eva's mouth (although she is not very good at letting me in there at the mo)...I feel so bad for her...Every time she has a pee she whimpers like a little dog because it burns I didn't even bathe her last night - DH and I just ran some water on her with the showerhead and she seemed to appreciate that...I can't wipe or use any product on her bum so every change is very slow with a lot of caressing of her head. It seems to be getting slightly better, and I am staying on top of constant changing and cream application. I feel so bad for her It looks so painful.
So hopefully she gets out of this today or tomorrow...The poo is getting more solid and she is eating very well, so I can only imagine it is her teeth. I guess I have to wait and see. Did anyone else experience bad diaper rash with teething???
I have to get some work done since I don't know how much time she will nap for - I managed to get her to sleep with a tight wrap...She just stared off and dropped into sleep - I think she needs a bit of physicall restraint at the mo because no matter how exhausted she is she still manages to be physically active in bed or in my arms when I try to get her down - the wrapping helped her settle in about 5/10 min! I thought she would fight out of it because she hated it when we tried when she was smaller but I think she appreciated the forced stillness. She is even on her back - I put a pillow under her head and the maternity pillow around her legs so that if she wakes up and wiggles around she won't fall into an uncomfortable position. She is sleeping so soundly though, so I am glad I tried it.
Ok let me get some emails read, because once she wakes up my productivity is over (except for spending time with her, which is better
Just a quick one....BS, sorry to hear about poor little Eva's rash It must be so painful for them. But funny you should say that, because Michael has a bit of nappy rash for the first time in his life...and he is definitely teething. Its a dark pinky colour at the mo, no bleeding yet, thank goodness. He even clamps his legs together when I am trying to clean him. Poor darling It started maybe 2 days ago, which would coincide with when I noticed those bumps in his gums. Maybe try and have a look in her mouth when you get the chance...a good way of looking at her bottom gum (where the first teeth normally appear) is to play with her bottom lip...like, pull it down but repeatedly and fast so she thinks you're playing with her. Thats how I got to see Michael's bottom ones (top ones are much harder!).
Beany and BS - Just a quick one to say that both my boys got nappy rash when teething. I stop using wipes and use water and a clean facecloth instead (gently dabbing), sudocrem (basically any good barrier cream will do) and powder (helps to stop all the cream from sticking to the nappy, curash powder's the best), and lots of nappy free time. Craig got it REALLY bad once and I had to buy a special antifungal nappy rash cream from the chemist to clear it up.
Hope it gets better and you both see new teeth soon!
I am really, really annoyed. I lost a huge post last night which I hadn't saved. Grrrr. I'd replied to everyone's lovely advice. I so appreciate the support girls because its been a pretty tough few weeks. So what I might do is just do one big selfish post and hopefully cover things in it.
We've had a pretty good naptime and bedtime ritual happening for awhile now and it certainly helps. By the time we get to the bedroom often her eyes are all glazed and she's doing that pre-sleep wimper. So our naptime ritual is fairly short and begins with a nappy change, story, lullaby, then off to the bedroom for a feed. When she's asleep I've been wrapping her and putting her in the cot with her comforter up against her face. She used to wake up a little when I wrapped her and put her in the cot but she'd just look around and go to sleep. Oh and all through the ritual I try and use lots of verbal cues like, "nearly bedtime", "night-night". The bedtime ritual is longer of course and starts with dinner at 5, nudey kick, bath at 6, play, story, DH usually arrives around this time and reads the last story, gro-bag, lullaby, feed, bed. I've started trying to feed her at 6:30 now though so she's just getting a top-up when she goes to bed. But she doesn't always cooperate. Again, until everything went to the dogs she was even self-settling occasionally in her cot after the last feed. No more....
Other angles I'm trying to tackle it from is increasing her solids gradually to fill her up. I couldn't believe how much she ate yesterday! I kept having to top up the bowl. And I also introduced chicken yesterday which the CHN suggested might help. I'm also trying to teach her to use a sippee cup because she won't use a bottle because I think she needs more fluids than she's getting. We had a little bit more success with this yesterday. I was also worried that maybe I was overheating the room and over dressing her so I toned this down (more on this below).
Oh, forgot to mention we shifted into the spare room a few nights ago but I ended back in bed with her for the first couple of nights. Soooo, last night I tried a few more things you all suggested. But here is a bit of a running commentary. She did the classic overtired baby thing and woke up upset about 4 times between 7.30 and 10:30. We just cuddled her back to sleep on a couple of times. Once I was able to just pat her and give her her comforter (yay) then I gave her a 10:30 feed when she woke around that time. Then I thought I'd try and only feed as a last resort like Lani and then pull her off before she was in a deep sleep. We also thought we'd leave it longer before we went in. I lose track a bit but I think she woke up at 1:30 (that was a good stretch), I heard her cry out and then go straight back to sleep between 2 and 3, she woke at 3:30 and took a couple of gos to get down (including one shot by DH). Had to resort to feeding both times but very short and pulled her off. Then she woke again at 6. The room felt icy so I fed her, put the heater on high and a blanket and we didn't wake up until 8:30. And I actually woke her checking on her because I'd wondered what had happened!!! I'm wondering if she's been cold, not hot. So last night was a bit better (yes, that was a good night LOL!).
So, I'm going to keep trying to reduce the feed to sleep need at night. Basically its my last gentle option I think before I resort to sleep training. I think I'm starting to feel that the benefits of sleep training will outweigh the costs if things don't improve drastically. I don't think its good for her to have such broken sleep. She looks so tired sometimes and she's starting to wake up upset during the night which she never used to and I think that's because she's tired and miserable.
Can you believe how full on it is having a baby??
Anyway, sorry this was such a me, me, me post but wanted to update you on how things went last night. Will try and re-type my persies a bit later. Love to all.
Tilda - bummer about the lost post! i wish I had some answers and advice for you, I really do. Your sleep routines sound really good. How long has she been having disturbed sleep like this for? And do you know what her room temperature is? What do you dress her in at night?
But I know....it is definitely full-on having a baby, sooooooooooooooooooooo much harder than anyone had told me. But then, I remember when people would say it's hard, it changes your life, get used to sleepless nights...blah blah blah - even then I thought "yeah, yeah, it can't be that hard...". But GEES. It is HARD!!! I honestly think it is sooo much easier working full time! When I finished work I honestly thought "....and now to take it easy...". Pfft! Of course, nothing compares to those heart-melting moments when they look you in the eye and smile, and watch you from across the room, and laugh at silly things you do - moments like those make it all worthwhile. Just wanted to let you know you're not on your own
Did it again, lost a post . Oh well, will try again. So I'm sorry my personals are going to be a bit more abbreviated than they were.
Beany - thanks for your support! It means a lot to me. Its weird how you "know" its going to be hard, but it is somehow different to what you expected. I think things are more chaotic than I expected. I think I thought you either got an "easy" baby or a "difficult" baby. But its not at all that consistent. And every baby has their own "easy" and "difficult" characteristics and it these change on a daily basis. But you're absolutely right. It's worth every minute and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Suz - its very reassuring to hear you feel more confident the second time around. Maybe I will to They can definitely smell your fear! If I'm a mess, Matilda is a mess. They are little barometers. When you used to wake Ryan up to put him in his cot, would he struggle? Most of the time if I put M in the cot partially away she'll start waving her arms around and get upset (but see more below)
BS - poor little Eva's bum!! It sounds so raw! Have any teeth appeared? Have any new foods been introduced that could have done it? Thanks for all that info on SIDs awhile back. I was so sorry to hear about your brother. What an incredibly awful thing for your parents to got through. But I think you're right that we worry too much about it these days.
Alison - how are you going? Feels like awhile since we've seen you. I might have to FB stalk you to check whether you've come down with Millie's cold.
Hannah - if you're reading posts, I'm thinking of you and yours.
Rose - It's just great to hear about Liam's turn around.
AFM - well I just want to write a quick update because I can her Matilda starting to stir. Well the night before last was a lot better. She woke a couple of times before 10, at 1.30 and 3.30. But last night....she was a bit difficult to settle around 10 and DH ended up doing it. But then she didn't wake until 5 . I gave her a feed and she woke up when I put her back in the cot, but she wriggled around and grizzled for a minute or so and then went back to sleep herself until 7. I am just astounded! The cruel, cruel irony was that we didn't get to sleep ourselves until 2am because of an out of control party next door where we share a wall with. Very unimpressed Sp god knows what it is now since we've tried so many things! The extra blanket, introducing meat, getting DH to do more settling, trying to feed to sleep less often, moving into a different room and not using a monitor (since its right next door). And I think she might have just gone back to sleep now after whimpering and babbling for a minute. Hmm, maybe not, there she is again. Better go.
Hi Girls - I AM here, I haven't been getting notifications again grrr! I haven't read through all the posts I've missed so will go back and do that now. Things are going well here, Amelia is over her cold - she still has a bit of a yukky nose here and there but she's back to sleeping great at night again, she's hardly even fussing through the night at the moment so I'm lapping it up while it lasts.......I fear when the top teeth start moving I'll be going through it all again. Boy was that week hard! She has decided 1.5 hour day naps are for losers though and has been waking after 30-45 mins, I refuse to get her up though as I know she's still tired so I just go in, pat her bum for a bit, walk out and cross my fingers, she almost always goes back to sleep for another hour! I have to give her points for trying it on however!
Anyway, I've got shanks in the slow cooker today (the garlic and herbs are filling my house with aromas that are making me drool).....so best go check it and get some washing off the line before Millie Moo wakes up. Hope everyone is well. xx
Tilda - I hate losing posts! I try to copy them before I hit 'post' in case I lose them. Hmmm, no idea what did the trick for you the other night but I really hope she does it again and you and your DH get some sleep! With Ryan, I started putting him to bed when he was still awake but drowsy. Now I can put him down fully awake and calm and he justs goes to sleep on his own. Tonight, he fell asleep on the boob (he still does it when he's really tired) and I accidentally woke him up when I put him in bed and he started crying, but I was able to settle him in the cot without picking him up and he went to sleep.
Alison - We've had the reverse, with Ryan suddenly sleeping more again after only sleeping 30mins at a time before. I'm with you, enjoy the sleep while it lasts! Glad Millie's feeling better now. Lamb shanks, YUM!
Beany - Yes, Ryan has his bottom 2 teeth. They don't bother me when BF because the tongue covers them, but when he wants to bite, OUCH! Craig did this too at the same age, it was a phase and he stopped.
BS - I hope that nappy rash is getting better.
Lani, Hannah, Willow, Rose, Kawa, Carmey, Kanda -
I had a curry night with some girlfriends on Saturday night and the boys were good for DH. We started the bedtime routine early and I actually got Ryan to bed after his last BF at 6:30pm. DH had a bottle ready for him but didn't need it. Then last night poor Craig hit his head on the coffee table and he has a big gash and a bump! We've been watching him closely last night and today to make sure he's OK. Today I had my Mum visiting and boy, just having that extra set of hands to feed Ryan made such a difference! 5pm to bedtime at our place is total chaos now there's a solid feed involved. DH usually isn't home in time, so I have to find a way to make it easier. Am really tired and will run myself a bath tonight to relax before going to bed early.
Hey Tilda - how do you cook the chicken for Tilly? I'm going to introduce chicken this week too, thought I'd boil it and then Bamix it??? Re your sleeping routine, it's tough isn't it. I'm pretty much the same as Suz - Amelia is going to bed at 6.30 pm now I've dropped her 3rd nap - although sometimes it's 7.00 pm and Saturday night it was 7.30 pm because I was silly and thought I'd give her a treat of chocolate custard after dinner - never again as she was wired up for play lol. She actually doesn't like it that much, she only had 3 teaspoons, probably a good thing. I think she's fussy and prefers my food ha ha - except for the Raffertys cereals, she loves them, especially the apricot and banana one. Anyway, I used to cuddle/rock Amelia to sleep but since spending a week of teaching her to self-settle I can put her down awake and she'll go to sleep on her own now, sometimes it will only take a few minutes, other times 30 mins if I get her a little too soon. If I wait too long and she gets too tired, then I have a hard time of it and get the crying with it. It's really a timing thing for Amelia that's for sure! I would keep going with it, persevere, it may just take her a little longer to get used to her cot and surroundings. Also, I found if the room is too cold she wakes a lot more - it's been quite chilly in Perth this past week, her room has sat around 16 degrees so I've been putting the heating on so it sits on 20 and she's been sleeping without making any fuss at all, of course I still wake up out of habit, grrrr ha ha. Of course when Amelia is ill or teething all this goes to the dogs but while it's working it's great and I can tell the difference a good night's sleep makes as she wakes up in the morning chatting away, happy as larry, no crying and then spends the day going down without fuss as well. This morning she tried on the I'm awake and want to play after 30 mins, I was like, I don't think so Missy and went in and patted her bum, stood in the room for about 10 mins (the room was nice and dark) and then walked out - she went to sleep for another hour! I very nearly got her up too.......just goes to show. This being a mum business is constantly throwing hurdles at us isn't it........no wonder only women have babies, imagine men trying to juggle everything. We went to a "Grease" themed party on Saturday night, it was a 21st but very tame, we were home and in bed by midnight (mum came and sat here to watch Amelia) but I woke up Sunday and said to DH, I would kill for a sleep in, even just to 9.00 am - I mean, I can't complain as Amelia slept until 7.15 am but I still would love a full night's sleep AND a sleep in.....I don't think we'll be getting one for a while however! hee hee Mum's been here for 3 weeks while my sister and her hubby were in Malaysia - Amelia scored some great prezzies.....but I'm sad as mum went back down south today. She said she doesn't know how she'll cope this week not seeing Amelia, I wish she lived in Perth, it was so nice to be able to see her every day and she got some great Amelia time, she begged to look after her so I had to go out a few times last week so she could look after her ha ha!!!! We'll head down to the farm on the weekend so I'll stop in and see her before we come home. Just as well she lives in the same town as our farm!
Oh and Amelia has done a couple of revolting poo's lately - one last week and another today, really runny and almost a number 3 job where it starts to go up her back or tummy. She seems fine though, would it be teeth or just food or something? Normally she does fairly solid ones that's all.
Hi to Everyone else, how are we all, it's been a little quiet in here lately huh. We're all busy juggling babies who no longer just lie around, it's harder to find time to post isn't it! Love you all though and hope you're all well. xx
Hi girls! I don't have time to write persies but I did want to quickly share my breakthrough in Jack's sleeping patterns!! He goes down at 7 and wakes at 7 - sometimes a little later, so Nick and I are waiting around for him! And I put it all down to two things: self-settling and routine.
Here's how the new routine goes (thanks, Tizzie Hall!):
7am - wake up (normally it was 5 or 6)
8am- solids
9am - milk
9.20 - down for sleep (he has to self-settle, where I leave the room and he goes to sleep on his own)
11am - milk
12pm - solids
1.20pm - sleep (self-settle again)
when he wakes - milk
5pm - solids
6.30pm - milk
7pm - bed
I know that sounds really strict, but it's actually working. When I want to go out, I just work around it.
And the other key, the most critical key, is for him to learn to self-settle. He wakes every night, like every hour sometimes, because he's lost his dummy. He was wrapped and couldn't get to it. So, I took the wrap off him (which is big in itself) and then put lots of dummies in his cot so he always has one at hand.
When I put him down for his day sleeps, he sometimes wakes after one sleep cycle (45 minutes). I don't go in, let him grizzle a bit, and after around 4 minutes he has put himself back to sleep. It was so hard to do that in the beginning but now that I know that he will find his dummy, put it in and then go back to sleep, I feel much better. The book (Save Our Sleep) suggests to not leave it more than 12 minutes, but Jack has never cried that long. He goes to sleep pretty quickly.
The book also says not to let them sleep for more than four hours during the day. Before, I would let Jack have three sleeps before lunch and then two after lunch!
Anyway, I thought I would share this, just incase any of you are battling away like I was. Get Tizzie's book!!
Hi Carmey - yay for you, it's great having a routine isn't it! I had a lot of people think I was strict and a bit weird having a routine from the start but it has paid off for me so I wouldn't do anything differently next time around either. Your routine is pretty much what Amelia is on, she goes to bed between 6.30 and 7.00 pm and I don't stick to the those exact times but it's always within 15-30 mins of those times. The only difference I find interesting is that you give Jack his breakfast solids before milk, I always thought you should give them milk before solids until the dinner meal? Amelia has her milk before solids at breakfast, same as you at lunch and then solids again around 5.00 pm, bath at 6.00 pm and bottle and bed 6.30 pm ish. Sometimes she doesn't go down until closer to 7.00 pm but she's usually asleep by 7.00 pm as she self settles as well. Routine teaches them the difference between night and day and puts their body clock into action. Yesterday for example I put her down at her usual nap times (she has 2 x 1.5 hour naps, one morning, one afternoon) and she wasn't even showing tired signs yet but I put her in her cot, awake, and within minutes she was asleep. Of course sometimes if she's not well or teething these things don't go to plan but in between time isn't it great. I have always followed the Babywise schedule and am onto their second book now for 5 months to toddler age, I love their concepts and it's all about balance, you can't be completely 100% strict but if you follow it as much as you can you can have a happier baby I think, which means happier mum. Amelia woke up after 30 mins yesterday morning so I also let her go and she went back to sleep for an hour, phew. I also put 2 dummies in the cot and Amelia has generally stopped fussing at night now, I don't know if she's finding it herself or is just doing without, that has happened since she was ill (boy was that a tough week). You're right with the swaddling too, I have read it's a big no no at this age as they get too used to sleeping with it. One of the girls from mums group is having a terrible time with her 8.5 month old, she still won't sleep unless she's swaddled but because she's bigger and more mobile now she unwraps herself all night so she's up every hour re-swaddling her and she's also still feeding a few times overnight as she won't take a bottle. Poor girl is going insane. Luckily for me Amelia hated being swaddled in the end so she's been in a Grobag since she went in the cot at 9 weeks old. Last night had a weird one, I woke up to hear her talking to herself and I thought, what the, so I went in, it was the usual 3.00 am time and she was wide awake, on her belly turned around at the other end of the cot with her head up. She smiled at me, I thought uh oh, moved her back to the other end and on her side, popped in her dummy and walked off. I lay there for a little while certain she was going to start crying as her eyes were wide open.....didn't hear a peep, weird! I am wondering if she was dreaming, like sleep walking but not the walking bit lol. Never had that happen before. Anyway, well done Emma you must feel so good now. xx
Hope everyone else is going well. I've got Sesame Street on, Amelia loves it - but not as much as Waybuloo, that cartoon mezmorises her! It's now her nap time so I'd best go before I miss the boat and all I said above goes out the window lol! It's all a matter of timing with Amelia, too early forget it, too late, definitely forget it lololol! xx
Last edited by Alison1973; June 29th, 2010 at 11:01 AM.
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Babies born~December 1st-15th 2009 # 4
to you all xx
Does Matilda cry at night when she wakes? I was reading a lot about sleep training when Liam was still sleeping badly, and had pretty much resigned myself to doing it out of sheer desperation. One of the things that stood out to me as important was learning when they're just grizzling and trying to soothe themselves to sleep, and when they really need something. Which I'm pretty darn sure you already know, but just saying it in case. It's so hard trying to deal with it all when you're so sleep deprived yourself. Is Matilda on solids? Does she have a dummy or suck her thumb?
I know a lot of people want to discourage thumb sucking, but I think it's worth it for the self soothing.
) I get what the Tresillian lady was saying, that babies like consistency and ritual. Ryan is also a non-crying happy baby and I dread the thought of having to do anything where he's got to cry it out. Rose's sleep tips are great and you can do them without having to let Matilda cry it out. I don't know whether to wrap or sleeping bag, but how about changing her to sleeping bag for all sleeps and making it a part of her bedtime routine? How's her sleeping environment? Did you say you have her back in her old cot and in her own room? Sleep associations: I guess she has a sleep association with the boob. If she falls asleep during her last feed, try waking her gently so that she's awake when you put her in her cot (I did this with Ryan and now I can lie him down awake and he goes to sleep on his own). Are you having to feed Matilda every time she wakes? Maybe try following the advice Karitane gave Lani and feed her as a last resort. Or even get your DH to go and settle her for the first half of the evening while you sleep, so that you get a few hours straight before the dreaded 3-4 o'clock wake up. Hang in there, you'll get that girl sleeping through. Please send me the info about DTD that the physio gave you, I'd be very interested to read it.
And OMG, I'm so sorry to hear you lost a brother to SIDS
What the hell happenned? I read that the teething can do this since it makes the poo very acidic and my friend told me her baby had the same thing and got teeth two days later (she told me it looked lmike someone had taken an iron and burned her skin, which is what Eva's bum looks like)...but I see nothing in Eva's mouth (although she is not very good at letting me in there at the mo)...I feel so bad for her...Every time she has a pee she whimpers like a little dog because it burns
i wish I had some answers and advice for you, I really do.
They can definitely smell your fear! If I'm a mess, Matilda is a mess. They are little barometers. When you used to wake Ryan up to put him in his cot, would he struggle? Most of the time if I put M in the cot partially away she'll start waving her arms around and get upset (but see more below)
Sp god knows what it is now since we've tried so many things! The extra blanket, introducing meat, getting DH to do more settling, trying to feed to sleep less often, moving into a different room and not using a monitor (since its right next door). And I think she might have just gone back to sleep now after whimpering and babbling for a minute. Hmm, maybe not, there she is again. Better go.
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