Modified to say- Please, please someone respond.
We feel like we are losing our minds, not sleeping here. Part of me just wants to put her into bed with us because at least we wouldn't be awake so much of the night. Each night, we are getting around 5 hours of sleep. This is just isn't sustainable over this long of a period of time (a week of this training plus the 6 months prior to this).
Hello,
I have discovered this forum and Tracy's books from searching online for ways to help my 6 month old sleep. I started perusing the forum and then bought and read one of Tracy's books (I think the one published in 2006). After beginning to implement EASY based on the guidelines for starting with an older child, I have some questions.
Here goes:
This is my second child and she is 6 months on January 1. She began life with reflux, but does not seem really have issues with it anymore. (She still spits up some and likes to sleep inclined, but does not ever throw up or seem in pain anymore. Additionally, pu/pd does not bother her and even seems to help). She was also extremely sleepy for the first 2-3 months of life and fell asleep anytime she was held. Because of these two issues, we ended up holding her and letting her sleep in our arms or in our bed a lot (Accidental Parenting!!!) Based on the temperment descriptions in the book, she seems to fall under the category of "Touchy." She still prefers womb-like conditions to sleep (white noise, arms inside a wombie type sleep sack). She also seems most comfortable with her crib at an incline and turned on her side, wedged between giant rolled-up blanket rolls. As more background: Our first child was more like a "textbook" baby and with very little effort, fell within a VERY predictable EASY routine (I had not even read this book, but that is just how we did). She slept through the night at 7 weeks and was super super easy with sleep, etc. We have tried from day one to continue some form of EASY with baby girl #2. She is fine with the order of E.A.S., but these events never happen at the same time (unpredictable) and she wakes up at least once every night. Up until a few weeks ago, she used a pacifier at night and would wake up and cry when it fell out of her mouth. For 5 months, we would wake up with her and put it back into her mouth (sometimes up to 6 times per night- she slept in a travel crib beside us so it was easy to do this) so that we could quickly go back to sleep. (Since reading the book, we determined that this had become a sleep prop, though we discontinued it about 2 weeks prior because we want to teach her to fall asleep without it).
Before reading the book, we were breastfeeding every 3 hours after 1.5-2 hours of wake time and 45min-1hr of sleep. She was up at night, but never seemed to need fed, just paci put into mouth or re-cuddled, or reswaddled. Since reading the book, she seems content eating every 4 hours and can easily stay awake for 2 hours at a time. We are trying to follow the book to the letter as far as the rigidity of the timing (eating and sleeping at certain times and shh/pat and pu/pd method to resettle). We started last Wednesday (5 days ago). I FEEL like we are making progress because her night wake-ups, though still 1-3 per night, now take only 10-15 min and maybe 1-2 pu/pd for her to resettle (some of the night wakings were up to 2 hours and several pu/pd for the first few nights). So-- this is a great improvement. Her morning nap is usually a full 1.5-2 hours. Her afternoon nap is usually 45min-1hr. She often wakes early and cannot get back to sleep in the afternoon nap, after which we will usually get her up at about 2:45ish and then wait until 3pm to feed. She predictably takes about a 45min-1hr catnap from about 5-6. Bedtime is good at around 7:45 after a feeding. Then, usually up at 2:30, 3:30, and 5:30/6ish. I try to hold off to feed until close to 7am.
Regarding the shortish afternoon nap, I have wondered if she is overtired (b/c of night wakings) or even under tired, or hungry. We are starting sweet potato solids this week and I tried an additional breastfeeding "top off" before the afternoon nap. She slept for about an hour today.
Also, I am not exactly sure how much sleep is the magic number at this age (hard to guage under vs over tired). Also, In Tracy's book, she recommends being very rigid with times in the early days, whereas, when I come on here, I see all kinds of different tips and tricks to try which vary from a rigid approach. I am wondering if I should keep with the rigid approach for awhile longer and seeing if it all falls into place, or if we should start tweaking (which, admittedly, I have already begun as you can see by the last two days of our routine). Furthermore, when I read some of the posts and responses, I feel overwhelmed with the precise measurements and recommendations for activity and sleep times, etc. Furthermore, after 6 months of difficulty, little sleep, and unpredictability, I feel as if I am going crazy, hopeless, helpless, and becoming sort of depressed.
So, if you have experience with this approach, would you mind weighing in?
I'll list our times of things for the past few days-
Sunday:E: 7, woken to eat
A: 7:30-8:30
E: 8:30 solids (sweet potato- 1/3 tbsp)
S: 9:10-11:05 nap (9:15-9:30 shh/pat and pu/pd)
E: 11:05
A: 11:30-1:30
S: 1:30-2:25 (tried and failed to resettle) gotten out of bed at 2:50
E: 3
A: 3:30-5
S: 5-5:45 catnap
A: 5:45-7:25
E: 7:25
S: 7:55 - Bedtime
E: 11pm (she woke up to eat, we usually dreamfeed around this time)
S: 11:30-2:30
2:30am pu/pd once, took 15 min to fall asleep
3:30am pu/pd once, took 15 min to fall asleep
6am- could not resettle, tried for 30 min. then gotten up to eat
Monday E: 6:45am
A: 7:15-8:15
E: 8:15 (1/3 tbsp sweet potato)
S: 8:40- 10:30 nap
E: 10:30 (woke up on own)
A: 10:30-12
E: 12 (1/3 tbsp sweet potato)
A: 12:30-1 (bath)
E: 1 (breastmilk snack), awake
S: 1:25-2:25 (could not get to resettle)
E: 3pm
A: 3:30- 5
S: 5-6pm (catnap)
E: 6pm
A: 6:40-7:30
E: 7:30
S: 7:45 BEDTIME
8:30-11:20pm: Awake, could not resettle, fed 4oz breast milk at 10pm. Given Tylenol for suspected teeth pain at 11
11:20: fell asleep (pain relief?)
4am: awake, 2 pu/pd (15 min total)
6am: awake, could not be resettled
7am: fed
Tuesday 1/1/2013E: 7am
A: 7:20-8:00
E: 8:00 (1/3 tbsp sweet potato)
S: 9:00-11 (fussed at 10:20, back to sleep after shh/pat)
E: 11am
A: 11:30-1:30
E: 1:30 (1tbsp sw potato)
E: 2:15 (2 oz breastmilk)
S: 2:30pm- 4pm (couldnt resettle)
E:4:20
A:4:40-6
E: 6(other side)
E: 7:30
S: 8 (needs shh/pat and soothing to fall asleep)-- never really sleeps, fusses on an off until 10pm, at which pt we try a dose of tylenol (teeth??)
E: 10pm - tried to feed, not very hungry at all. Ate maybe an ounce?
10-11 still awake
S: 11-1:30
1:30-2 awake, needs help to resettle
3:30-4 awake, help to resettle
5:30-6 awake, help to resettle
E: 7:30 (we woke her up)
Wednesday 1/2/13
E: 7:30 (we woke her up as she had been up every 2 hours throughout the night)
A: 8:00-10:15 (E: 1 Tsp avocado at 9:30)
E: breastmilk "top off" 10:15
S: 10:30-12:15 (resettled at 12:05)
E: 12:30 (small feeding, maybe b/c of pre-nap "top off")
THIS IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY
What do you think? Anything you can see that I can do differently? I would SO VERY MUCH appreciate any type of feedback and/or assistance. Given our last few days: What are possible reasons for waking daily at 5:30/6am? If it is hunger, should feeding her more the previous day help this? Should we try waking to sleep at 5am? After how long should I suspect teething issues as opposed to just difficulty settling (it is not obvious by looking in her mouth or b/c of any specific behaviors other than maybe prolonged difficulty sleeping). Also, should I try to keep her up for 3 hours and do an afternoon nap at 2pm (instead of 1pm) b/c she often does not show signs of being tired after just 2-2.5 hours of afternoon wake time?
Does she not need sleep? Because with her staying awake or an extended period at night and waking throughout the night, she is getting 10-12 hours per entire day. We are going crazy here.
THank you in advance-
Tori