CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN SSH/PAT

[Jaime]

shhh/pat link

in case you are still having problems. 

[vuhoo]

Thank you for your replies.  The testimonies from other success stories has helped reassure me so I did try the shh / pat again this morning.  It took awhile but not as painful.  From my previous attempts, the patting and shh'ing alone would not soothe my DD so I found another way which was to rub her chest / tummy in a circular motion and patting gently on her shoulder while sshh.  I didn't realize I was that coordinated but whatever works for my DD.  My DD was able to settle down and fall asleep but they were brief so every time she woke up and cried, I would do the ssh / pat / rub again. 

hannahbanana - you so right about giving my DD 'props' before laying her in bed.  I would rock her to get her drowsy but awake, even after seeing her yawn.  I would also give her the pacifier because that was the only way I can soothe her until the pacifier falls out and that would make her mad.  So next time around, I'll try not to give her the pacifier too quickly because I can see already she will become dependent on it to fall asleep.  I also won't rock but just hold her briefly before laying her down.

[elmarie]

Glad to hear that things are going better 

[vuhoo]

After a few days of ssh / pat / rub, we are definitely seeing some improvements...yeah!  Our DD has been able to doze off on her own with minimal crying and assistance from us albeit it hasn't occured for every naptime but any improvement is a plus.  The problem is she doesn't stay asleep for more then 10mins.  It seems she is not able to go into her deep sleep so she wakes up crying.  When she does, we do the ssh / pat / rub again. 

Is this typical at the beginning of ssh / pat?  Will our DD be able to sleep through her cycles as she get older with this method? When her eyes are glazed and she starts to doze we stop the ssh / pat.  Should we continue to help her enter her deep sleep without it becoming a prop?

[*Nicola*]

Hiya

we used pat/shh with our eldest DD when she was 8 weeks old.  At the beginning we had to pat/shh her until she was in a deep sleep but gradually we reduced the time we pat/shh'd for until we were able to put her down awake and leave her to settle herself.

If she is waking after 10 mins it is likely that she is waking herself up as she is 'jerking' as she is trying to fall asleep.  Try extending the time you pat/shh for or at least the time you stay in the room for.  If you see her jerking or startling then begin to pat/shh again until she goes into a deeper sleep. 

I would check the clock when I began pat/shh and make a mental note to myself that I would be commited for the next 30 minutes.  I would then stay until the time had passed, giving DD enough time to go into a deep sleep and preventing me from sneaking out of the room early!

[hannahbanana]

I agree that, in the beginning, you should pat until she's fully asleep.  It helps her body to relax.  At the end, I'd just keep my hands on her until she'd passed through the jolts.  Upon reflection, I think I'd maybe start decreasing the time about 2 months?  No sure.  We did get into a bit of trouble, because I didn't leave soon enought.  But we were able to totally break those habits (including swaddle and pacifer) over the course of three-four days when she was 4.5 months old.  So, don't worry too much. 

You'll get there!  I didn't think it would ever happen, but it did.  Slow and steady wins the race