I need some ... badly.
My 8-month old is not good at sleeping during the hours of 8:00 pm and 8:00 am.
This is what last night looked like ... because perhaps you can commiserate, relate, or support ... but mainly because I need evidence of just how much this has sucked ... to serve at birth control.
Yesterday afternoon Charlotte had a "not-typical" nap from 3:00 until 5:15. Usually her schedule is closer to 1:30 until 4:30. After she woke up and had a decent nursing session, we played and she spent some time in her Jumperoo while I made dinner. She sat in her high chair while we ate and had a few spoonfuls of baby food apples. I took her upstairs for bath around 7:15. She weighed 12 pounds 9.5 ounces. She seemed very tired and didn't want a story. I nursed her again. Sang to her and put her in her crib - partially awake - at 8:00.
8:00 pm - 9:15 pm - Charlotte fell asleep right away without the binky.
9:15 pm - I heard fussing in the monitor. Gave her about 5 minutes to self-soothe and then went up to give her a quick pat and offer her the binky.
10:30 pm - 11:00 pm - Again, I hear fussing in the monitor. Not crying but her version of calling out. I let her "work it out" for almost 30 minutes. She got quiet at times but always started fussing again.
11:00 pm- I nursed her in the hopes that I could go to sleep at get 4 solid hours of rest.
11:15 pm - 1:00 am - Charlotte would not go back to sleep. I left her in her crib but checked on her about every 20 minutes. Found her rotated 180 degrees with her head down where her feet had been. She was chewing her toes through her sleeper and having a great time!
1:00 am- By this point I was frustrated and tired! I swaddled her a little tighter, stuck her binky in her mouth, gave her a pat and turned down the monitor.
4:00 am - I didn't hear her again until 4:00. I nursed her because it had been 5 hours since her last feeding at 11:00 pm. She went right back to sleep.
5:30 am - She was awake again! She got a quick pat and her binky.
6:30 am - Nursed her again and hoped for another two hours of sleep!
7:30 am - Put her in bed with me. She played with her toes. I tried to snooze until NHV woke up at 8:15 am.
- I generally lightly swaddle her from the chest down ... because she rubs her feet together constantly and/or brings her feet to her mouth - neither of which is conducive to sleep.
- Her room is very dark. I even covered the clock and monitor displays last night.
- She naps in the morning for 1.5 - 2 hours and again in the afternoon for 2-3 hours.
- I have read Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and found it quite helpful early on.
- I have read parts of BabyWise and much of it makes sense. I am just not sure it takes into account the fact that CJV was born early and has difficulty gaining weight.
- I am a firm believer in the importance of sleep (for babies and mamas). I know that sleep is as important as food. I really want Charlotte to get a quality night's sleep and think she is capable of a 5-6 hour stretch at this point.
4 comments:
All I can say is I'm certain this is normal. Though it may seem a bit frustrating, babies will change their sleeping pattern from time to time.
My son slept through the night when he was 2 months old. At 5 months he cried himself to sleep for 30-60 minutes and then awoke again around 3 a.m. He did this for 3 months. At 8 months he was able to self sooth quicker and didn't wake up in the early a.m. He's now almost a year and enjoys talking himself to sleep for about 40 minutes and wakes up much earlier.
It's just a baby thing. It's a shame that we have to adjust to them and not the other way around but it happens!
Good luck!
Wish I had some really great advice for you during this time of little sleeping. It is HARD on mommy for sure.
Has your dr/pediatrician given any helpful advice? Are they still worried about her weight? Is she crying desperately, like she's starving at night, or is it a cry about wanting mommy, or is it a cry of pain (i.e. gas/tummy issues/baby reflux)? Teething?? It can be really painful too (are you trying the natural teething tablets? Sorry, I can't remember). Just throwing out some questions I'd be asking myself ...
Is there an aroma therapy that you could have in her room that helps w/ relaxation and brings on a bit if drowsiness?
Of course, ultimately, I think you do have to use your own mommy instincts no matter what book you read, program you follow, or advice you receive.
Okay, I wish I could help more my friend... but there are some of my random thoughts!
The book is in the mail. I hope it offers you some little morsel of knowledge that proves to be helpful!
I was gonna say BabyWise, but you already read it. We still followed it with Sam....although we kept a middle of the night feeding until about 6 months. I don't know what to tell you, dear....I've only had 1 baby, and she was a good sleeper....perhaps in a few months I will be a zombie and you can laugh at me.
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