Author Topic: I'm scared!!  (Read 1789 times)

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Offline christiewi

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I'm scared!!
« on: February 02, 2008, 17:50:49 pm »
Hello everyone!

In the past 2 weeks, my 10.5 week old's nighttime sleep has been getting progressively better, while his daytime sleep has been getting progressively worse.  In the past 4 days, he hasn't had any quality naps (nothing more than 40 minutes, and usually less, about 3-4 times a day), yet his nights have been the best ever.  Last night he went down at 8 pm, didn't wake to eat until 5 am (!!!!) and then went back to sleep until 8 am!  I haven't felt this good in the past 2.5 months!!

So, although I am consistently doing BW techniques such as shhh/pat, winddown, etc for daytime naps, I am secretly afraid that if he does start taking better daytime naps again his good nights will be thrown out the window, and I will be back to my exhausted, when-is-this-all-going-to-be-over self.  And I REALLY don't want that anymore.  What if he's not sleeping in the day because he is getting so much sleep at night and he needs less than the average?  Is this possible?  I'm scared to find out!!  :o

Any encouragement/personal experiences with this would be wonderful.  This board is SO great.  Thank you so much!!

Offline sherry lynn

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2008, 20:19:50 pm »
Hi Christiewi,
I am no expert my any means, but 10.5-13 weeks seems like a really hard time for daytime naps. I found that once my little guy started sleeping through the night the naps quickly got much better. I stuck it out, and at this point it seems worth it, although we still have some rough days. I would at least try to stick it out a little longer with the naps. But don't stress so much about it anymore if he doesn't go down for his naps anymore. Maybe only try the shhh/pat to extend the naps for a little while to help save your sanity?
DS#1: 30 Oct 2007
DS#2 19 Feb 2010

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2008, 20:46:21 pm »
Quote from: christiewi
In the past 2 weeks, my 10.5 week old's nighttime sleep has been getting progressively better, while his daytime sleep has been getting progressively worse. 

Babies work on organizing their nighttime sleep from 0 - 3 months and then daytime sleep from 3 - 6 mo. What you're seeing is pretty normal actually, although not a lot of fun. I agree with PP, stick with shh/pat for now.  :)
Jessica
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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2008, 20:48:09 pm »
Hi, I too am no expert and a first time mum but IL tell you about my experience. My now 6 month dd had great nights sleep from the start and has been sleeping through (from 8 to 8 with just a dream feed) from a very young age. Her day time however was a struggle-I tried everything & was sometimes successful but never reliably so. At about 31/2-4 mints her daytime naps got better-with naps ranging from the odd 45 minute one to way more1.5-2.5 hour ones. I understand you concern about night time sleep but found that they were not affected by her extra day time sleep-the opposite. She used to wake 2-3 times a night looking for her soother (& go back to sleep immediately.) but as her day time sleep improved these decreased to zero.
I remember reading that a baby needs to get a certain amount of sleep in order to be relaxed and sleep for subsequent naps  & more awake daytime naps does not mean better night time sleeps-if they are overtired their sleep may be more disturbed.
Now my daughter sometimes sleep late in the evening and wakes about an hour and a half before her bedtime-when she does this I find she is so so easy to settle despite the last sleep being so close-maybe it is because she is so relaxed.
I think if you Lo needs the sleep during the day (I knew my LO did as if she didn’t get it she would be so so cranky by the end of the day) it should not effect their night time sleep.
Hope to help.

Offline christiewi

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2008, 07:04:24 am »
So, so, soooo helpful!  Thank you so much everyone!  I feel much better and will just keep trying.  I'm thankful for the nights, so even if that's all I get for a few weeks, that's better than what the last few weeks have been like!  :)  Thank you!!!

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2008, 18:34:54 pm »
Believe me, it's wayyy better to have good nights but crappy naps than the other way around.  ;)
Jessica
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Offline *Nicola*

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2008, 19:58:21 pm »
Believe me, it's wayyy better to have good nights but crappy naps than the other way around.  ;)

So true!!
Mummy to 2 beautiful kiddies. 

A baby is born from the dreams of your heart, and becomes the love of your life.



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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2008, 20:56:09 pm »
Believe me, it's wayyy better to have good nights but crappy naps than the other way around.  ;)

So true!!


Very true,
When I was having bad day naps or no day naps I used ot always count myself lucky that my LO slept well at night at least.

Offline christiewi

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2008, 00:40:09 am »
Agreed!!!  My husband and I have been saying that all week!  Even if he stays up all day long, at least we know the night is coming.  Halleluiah!!  ;D  Thanks, everyone!

Offline enna77

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2008, 03:20:22 am »
I've got a 4 month old who has always slept reasonably well at night, not sleeping through but not waking too much, but in the early days day time sleeps were a NIGHTMARE she would get so overtired even though I put her back to bed quickly then the whole day she wouldn't sleep. we eventually used a dummy and got her to have day naps that were usually 45 mins long but if I replaced the dummy could get her to go longer. I never found any connection between the day and night sleeps really that I can remember. I decided to get rid of the dummy in the hope it would extend her day sleeps plus she had started waking a bit more at night for it.

We are now on day 5 of removing the dummy and it has been really really really hard but what this whole process has taught me is its easy to strive for perfection and sometimes its good just to appreciate what you have, by all means if you have a short napper and they are grumpy thats telling you something but Tracy mentions that some babies just have different bio rhythms. Sleeping through the night is absolutely fantastic and something many of us just dream of  :) and like everything with babies no sooner do you think you have one thing figured out when something different crops up.

Good luck and don't worry you have taught your baby to sleep through the night - well done!
Enna

DD1 Oct 07
DD2 Sept 12

Offline Nicole-Momtomegan

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2008, 02:54:12 am »
My dd megan was sleeping 12hrs a night straight at 8wks:) and hardly napped all day!! BUT at 6mo's she started taking 2x 2hr naps and still did her 12hrs at night:) at 9mo's..her nights went to 14hrs :o and  her naps stilll stayed great!!!

Nicole
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Offline Nicole-Momtomegan

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Re: I'm scared!!
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2008, 20:50:46 pm »
Christie...so funny! i didn't even realize this was you!! lol...You're doing fabulously !! Noah looks just like Josh! lol

miss you!come see us soon
Love Nicole
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