Sleep. Sigh.
Okay, here are my problems:
BB was just nursing to sleep, but that seems to be tapering off with the introduction of more solids. He will now walk to sleep or rock to sleep. I am working on the nirvana of getting him to fall asleep on his own in his crib, using The No-Cry Sleep Sol*ution. I don't know if I am getting anywhere. I am still on Phase 1 (of 6 or 7).
His naps are still brutally short (20-30 min.). If I catch him at just the right time, I can get him back to sleep, but then I have to hold him through a dream session or he wakes himself up in his crib. Essentially, I think the problem is that he wakes when he dreams. He doesn't seem to do this at night, though. So what's the difference? He can stay asleep for several hours at night but not during the day. The result is a baby that isn't getting enough daytime sleep = not enough total sleep.
He also has developed a problem with hypnic jer*ks. He falls asleep nicely, but as soon as I put him in his crib he starts jer*king awake, falling asleep, jerking awake, falling asleep - about every 30 seconds or so. He arms slam down on the bed and he gasps. After about 5 minutes of that, he doesn't fall back asleep. The only solution is for me to hold him. I can lay down with him on the futon in his room, holding him in the laying-down nursing position. He still jer*ks (I can feel him), but he doesn't wake. I don't know if this is a particularly safe way for him to sleep, though. Especially when I accidentally fall asleep with him. Oh, and swaddling doesn't help.
I know that time may be all that he needs to resolve the short-nap issue. Any interim solutions? Any ideas for the hypnic jer*king? I can't start a pattern of co-sleeping with him every time he needs to sleep; as much as I like the idea of getting 14-15 hours of sleep every day, I think that I may have to make a meal or shower occasionally. And the no-sleep-poop issue? I am grasping at straws to imagine that anyone might have a solution for that one.
Here's the real kicker. He doesn't get fussy or upset when he is tired. He yawns and rubs his eyes and stares and maybe whimpers a bit. When I try to get him to sleep, though, he cries and carries on. Does he just need less sleep than average? Hard for me to imagine. He is tired, he just isn't a fussy baby (I think).
I miss my 3 mon*th-old who napped so easily and slept 10 hours though the night. Stupid teething. Poor baby.
Update: I forgot to add that he also has mastered the art of rolling over and therefore must roll over at every opportunity. Which means that he does it in his sleep. And his sleepy brain thinks that someone is tossing him over on his tummy and then he wakes up and cries. Or sometimes he likes to sleep on his side, loses his balance and ends up on his tummy. On rare occasions, he will then sleep on his tummy for a while (thank god for my Angel Care monitor, or I would not be able to stomach it). Most of the time, he needs me to go in and help him fall back asleep.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Ok... here is totally random thoughts since I've obviously never had to do any of this...
My first thought was swaddling... but you said it doesn't help... and that made me sad because everyone talks about swaddling like its the answer to all sleep issues.
Second, I thought it was OK for babies to sleep on their stomachs after they could role over. Maybe he is going to eventually be a stomach sleeper and he would sleep better if he was on his stomach when you put him down. I have no idea how freaked out I will be about this... so I don't mean to be offensive if this would be to worrisome for you.
Yeah, sarah, that's what my ped said about stomach-sleeping...Chloe was a stomach sleeper when she learned to roll over. freaked me out...
Don't have advice, maybe take a look at Weissbluth? There is more in there than just cry-it-out. Also maybe if you search Moxie's site...
When babies learn a new trick, like rolling over in bed, they tend to get a bit obsessed by this newfound talent, and this can interrupt their sleeping for a while till they feel they have mastered the new task. Sitting, crawling, standing etc are the same in this dept.
Some babies end up being tummy sleepers once they can roll. Our local sleep gurus said that as long as you put them down on their backs when they got to bed, its ok if they roll over themselves to get comfy. by this stage, they have the neck strength they need. And doing some 'practice rolling' on his mattress or you mattress while he's awake can help him to get used to the new sensation.
Maybe give swaddling another go? Its not for everyone, but a nice firm wrap with arms down by his side might help. They do eventually grow out of the startle reflex. And if possible, get him down into bed *before* he's tired or showing tired signs. This way, he's not too tired to settle himself (sounds weird, but even as adults we are worse at doing tasks when we are tired, and for babies its the same, they can self-settle easier when they arent tired).
let me know if you want any more random thoughts. I hope you both start getting some sleep soon.
Hey, I've been through this before...
It is tough.
There are so many theories out there. What really worked for us was "the happiest baby on the block" book but maybe that was for when he was younger (before 4 months)
My son had a strong startle reflex so everytime I woudl move him while he was sleeping, he would wake up ...and sometimes just wake up on his own if he wasn't swaddled.
He also slept in the swing for naps most of the time and in his crib at night.
We had a system of turn the fan on for white noise, start the classical CD softly, plus we trained him to have a certain blanket to become attached to.
I think around 4 months was when he started sleeping in the crib by himself and out of our bed.
He was also taking two naps one in the morning and one in the afternoon about two hours each. This was in addition to sleeping 12 hours a night (only waking to feed and go back to sleep)
Also, if he can role on his stomach, all the moms in my playgroup agreed at the time that it was ok to let them sleep that way
Remember, what you start associating with sleep now is probably going to become a pattern for awhile.
One of my friends never made her son nap by himself...now he's two and she is just now sneaking away only after he drifts off...crazy.
Best of luck!
Both of my children of course ended up being tummy sleepers. So the minute they could roll over, they slept that way all night. For my first baby after loss, I had to stare at my monitor to verify that his back was moving up and down. For my second, I just gave into it. The risk of SIDS and tummy sleeping goes down around 6 months.
Post a Comment