BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Naps => Topic started by: bneydgrl on October 12, 2005, 19:59:36 pm
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I will try and make this as short as possible but with enough information to help get a clear picture.
We have a wonderful little girl Ella who was born on 8.26. We started on a basic Eat wake sleep routine for 3 hours. Around 4 weeks she kept waking up early from her naps and I thought it was a feeding issue so took it back to a 2.5 hour routine.
Now at night...she does WONDERFUL. She has been down to one night feeding (4 am) since about the saem time - 4 weeks and has thrown in five all nighters approx 9 -7. Includiing last night and the night before. She will make 'baby noises' for a half hour or so but we don't have to do any soothing at night for her to go down for the night.
My issue is naps. At first I thought she would only nap in the swing but knew we had to transition her out of that. I have devoured Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and now have her taking most of her naps in her crib. The problem is she is taking the dreaded :) 45 min nap and I believe it is leading to her being overtired - she's starting to get quite fussy while feeding (BFing) and doesn't seem to want to take a full feeding - i.e only eats for 8 min or so with some work from me. She is being treated with Zantac for GER but we have had several days where she is back to her screaming self in the middle of the feeding session. (she will start to fall asleep at the breast, i think she may need to be roused - or burped - i'll do that and then she'll start screaming when i lay her back down to nurse)
We do have a soothing routine for her naps - bring her in when she starts to look like she's fading...rock and let her suck on her pac for 5-10 min. Put her down drowsy, asleep or awake.
I rented the BW dvd and was intrigued...came here and saw that this board might be able to help. I am so scared to mess with her schedule because she's doing so well at night but I'm thinking I need to help her to take longer naps...and possibly longer feedings between.
Please help me understand what to do!
her routine right now is:
7am - wake & feed
7:30-7:45 - down for nap - does well for this one
9 am - wake
9:30 - feed
10:00/10:15 - nap - needs a little comforting
11:30-11:45 - wake
12 - feed
she'll normally take a nap - either in crib or me holding her
2:30 - feed
try to get down for another nap - she doesn't settle so well so in fear of her missing a nap i either hold her or put her in swing
4:30 - feed
in swing during our dinner prep, dinner, etc - try to turn off swing after she is asleep
6:30 -feed
hold or in swing
8:00- bath, change into jammies
8:30 - feed
9:00-- to sleep
ACH! I know we're doing something wrong here but I need help! Please let me know what to do differently :)
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ACH! I know we're doing something wrong here but I need help! Please let me know what to do differently :)
It sounds like you are doing an awesome job!!!
You seem fairly okay with the schedule. She's sleeping through, and you've done well getting a refluxer to nap in her crib. Why mess with a good thing? The 45 minute nap (although a real drag some days) is just a phase that everyone goes through. Try wake to sleep for a while - see how that goes. (More on wake-to-sleep on other posts). (Other than that, I would consider moving bath/bedtime up a bit and using a dream feed at the 9 pm.)
Just go with your gut. It has served you well!
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I tried searchign for wake - to - sleep but didn't find anything. could you explain it to me.
Do you think I should take her to a 3 hour EASY?
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Sorry I didn't have time to go into greater depth earlier....I was goofing off at work.
Wake to sleep: Watch for a couple of days (if necessary), and pin down the time she starts stirring before she wakes up. It will probably be close to the thirty minute mark. Creep in and gently stroke her hair or back until she stirs or turns her head or flicks an arm or whatever. Takes about ten seconds if that. Then stop, she'll settle back down into deeper sleep. It sort of resets the sleep cycle without getting to the awake part.
If that doesn't work, just try to time it so you're there with a hand on her (very still) when she begins to stir. She'll hopefully think, oh yes, it is still nap time.
3 hour easy: She's definitely old enough to be on three hour easy, but I don't know what that would do w/ the reflux - I don't have a refluxer myself. You could just try easing back the feeds ten minutes at a time. See how she does. Isom became a very proficient eater when we got him on a regular eating schedule. He's definitely not shy about eating now.
Any how, I hope some of that helps. It really sounds like you've got it together. I am jealous. Until Isom was born, I didn't know a thing about babies, except what I had read. I had no clue how to change a diaper. :roll: I sure did get a lot of practice!
Crystal
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This morning I sat with her for her nap -- and would put my hand on her when she would jerk. I tried thw wake to sleep but didn't get a reaction. Right at about 40 min she just woke straight up -- tried to soothe her in crib but she burped (she's a reflux baby) and started crying hard. So I picked her up and calmed her then tried laying her down. No go. Finally just cureld up with her on the couch and helped soothe her into another good nap. So I think it's obvious her naps need to be longer but how do with without so much intervention?
Also you said it's a developmental thing -- can you explain?
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I can't explain it very well, but it has something to do with the brain developing and the body growing and so much happening at once that the LOs just can't seem to stay asleep the length of time they want/need to. The burping thing would wake me up too. Good job on having your hand there for the jerk. That is precisely the thing. If you want to try the wake to sleep, try a little harder to rouse her, e.i. rubbing on the back or head a little more or faster or whatever will not wake her fully but make her stir.
Back to work I go.....