Hi,
I'm up early today. I think my dd is going through her 6 months growth spurt and for 2 night she woke up around 1-2 am for a feed but yesterday she didn't wake up for her usual feed around 5-6am but today she did. Since she ate at 1:50am, I was pretty sure she was not hungry but more habitual waking. I tried to have her go back to sleep but after some time, I gave up and I tried to give her a feed at 5:45 but she wasn't eating, just using the breast as a pacifier so I quickly stop her and back with pacifier and blankie and in the crib, it took some time but she's asleep. The problem now is I can't sleep no more (I'm not a good sleeper so being up at 5:30 for 30-40min, I can't sleep after).
Oh well, might as well do something fun
Not to worry, this is only a temporary problem (I hope). She was doing so well, going through all night in some days
Ah well, we'll be back to normal in a couple of days, I hope.
Julie, I'm sorry to say but I think that giving him the bottle in bed and letting him fall asleep on the bottle has made your problem worse. Now he wakes up because he doesn't have the bottle in his mouth and won't sleep unless he has it, this is also true for the night. I know you had problem before at night but for some days, you seem to be getting better but then he started to eat less in the morning because of the night feed and then you fed him later and somebody gave him the bottle to the crib. Babies like to suck so obviously he likes that but he is too young to put the bottle back in is mouth if he wakes up. You'll have to stop that if you want him to sleep better, maybe tried the pacifier instead. You might have to put the pacifier back again if he wakes up but at least he won't expect a feed and will take less time to put the pacifier then to give him a feed. When I told you to tried to make sure that he doesn't feed before bed, I really want to say to make sure he doesn't fall asleep on it. So for now, if he only want the bottle before going to bed, give him the bottle at that time but make sure he doesn't fall asleep on it. Do whatever you have to do so he doesn't sleep with the bottle, sit him, rob his back, take the bottle out of his mouth if he sleep. As soon as he wakes up, give him back his bottle, but do the same process everytime he fall asleep with the bottle. Then after the feed is finished, do your sleep ritual (but he might be asleep by then) and give him the pacifier and maybe a blankie to sleep. He can't get a bottle but he will be able to get the blankie. Trust me, I had to do this for my dd at 3 months, because she was use to sleeping on the breast but she wouldn't take the pacifier before her 5 months and everything improve at that time. For the night, I didn't do all that because you don't want to wake him up by all this rubbing, sitting, taking off the bottle. Just feed him at night, and then back to bed with pacifier and blankie. Then after you can work to have feed, then activity and sleep. Sometimes, my EASY looks more like AEAS and this is good as long as the baby doesn't associate eat to sleep. I know this is hard on you because it's hard on every mom but must be extra hard on you with MS, you also need your rest. The rest is important to you as not to make you worse, so use up all the help from your family and friend but put your rules on them so that they don't make it worse for you when they leave. Let me know how it goes. Lots of hugs for you.
Jen, I agree with Michelle about letting your baby learn to sleep by himself but still the routine is really important. I used to have Emily feed everytime she wakes up and really stick to the order of EAS and this was not working, like you seem to do. You need to think more like putting in place the eating aspect, so let's say every 3 hours and stick to every 3 hours during the day. Then you include A and S, just make sure that you have some A times in between E and S, even if it's just 5 min. At least that way, Ben won't associate eating to sleeping. Your routine will probably look more like EASAEAS, mine always do and it's fine like that. The first routine you wrote down, Ben was eating too often, so no good feed. The second one was better. Was he only sleeping in that position or was any music, swinging or were you walking with him with the stroller for him to fall asleep or was it only the position that make him fall asleep? If it's more the position, then maybe the reflux is still bothering him and you might want do as Michelle as suggested for the reflux and maybe talk to the reflux board, and maybe he need to be seated to sleep for some time. My thoughts is nothing wrong with him sleeping in a seating position, just put what you use to sit him in his room if you can't get the crib to adjust to a good seating position. If it's not related to the reflux, then do as Michelle said, have him sleep in his crib with pacifier, sh/pat. Don't forget they need to suck and pacifier is great for that need. Don't worry about getting use to the pacifier, my dd only started to use it back at 5 months and she sometimes don't want it for sleep now, she prefer her blankie. Also, tried not to let him fall asleep on you. I would work both (routine and independent sleep) at the same time. I think you have more a problem for your routine as you think more of it as a strick EAS like I use to, so think of it more like any variation of EAS, EASAEAS. I think he is able to go 3 hours in between feed. Also, I think it would be better to make sure he doesn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time during the day. Let me know how it goes.
Both of you are doing a great job!
Annie
