our 11 month old son was still sleeping in our bed and breastfeeding all night long--every one to 2 hours-- since birth; it was the only thing that kept him relaxed, he is the lightest sleeper and very restless sleeper and i guess what you call spirited. but over the last months even that wasn't helping. -finally we got the courage to try the BW methods. 9 days ago, when DS started daycare and we heard there was sleeping on a matress just with back patting, we also put up a crib at home and started to separate the breastfeeding from sleep. we try to also add calories and more water during the day, since he is obviously getting less now at night, since i am now only feeding him once or twice during the night instead of many times. my son likes to eat but he doesn't like to drink from a bottle or sippy cup (he will take sips here and there) so this may be part of the problem. we give him water and he won't take formula.
for 9 days my husband puts the baby down in his crib to sleep and if he cries or stands he puts him back down on his belly; otherwise he just pats his back until he falls asleep. he has tried rubbing his back instead but the patting hard at first and then lighter is the only thing that turns the cries into the sleep mantra moans that help him sleep. sometimes this takes ten minutes and sometimes it takes one hour; this has been true every night. when he is very agitated he rolls onto his back and outstretches his arms to be picked up and wonm't go on his stomach. when he is relaxed he does the "mantra" cry. if i "dream feed" him around 11 or 12 or even 1, he will fall right back asleep. but the rest of the night is a disaster after 3....i have felt since birth that he is overtired but haven't been able to get him to sleep more than a total of 12 hours a day, including naps. now with BW it seems he is sleeping even a bit less.
he is very tired when he goes down so between 630 or seven pm or so until 330am or so, he will sleep okay, but still waking every one or two hours, until we pat him down. there has been NO improvement.
in addition, from 330am or so, he is impossible to get back to sleep. he screams and cries and can take an hour to fal back asleep, and then sometimes he will only sleep 20 minutes. he has sevl times since starting BW gotten up at 430 for the day. he takes 2 naps during the day, a short one in the morning and a bit longer in the afternoon. i have tried to put him to sleep later but he's too tired and i've tried to put him to sleep earlier but then usually he wakes earlier.
we would like to have him on a proper schcedule but since BW every day he gives different tired clues and sleeps different hours, depending on how well he did on BW the night before and what time he wakes up sometimes he is screaming like crazy already by 6pm and won't eat and only wants to breastfeed so i'll put him to sleep early. tonight he was fine until 7, even though he woke up at 430 am and was awake for 45 minutes in the middle of the night. still he was pretty grumpy today but wouldn't stay asleep.
i have asked myself if maybe he needs less sleep than other babies and that's why after 9 hours he seems wide awake. but he is not awake and happy. he is grumpy and crying. in fact he often cries when he wakes up. i thought the PD method is supposed to get better every night. i know tracey said to give it 2 weeks. SO--does anyone--pleasssse-- have advice about what might help or what might be happening or if really he will be sleeping well by day 14? there is no indication of that i'm afraid!
he doesn't really have a schedule but let's say it is similar to this:
500am wake. breastfeed
6am E whole fat yoghurt (no sugar)
73o (breastfeed to tank him for daycare since he doesn't drink too much water and won't take formula yet).
900 daycare breakfast (fruit and cottage cheese or bread and cottage cheese and water
930 or 10am 30-60 minute sleep
1230 daycare lunch (chicken meatballs or soy patties and rice and peas and water
130 sleep 60-90 minutes (usually a total of 2 hours morning and PM naps together) and water after.
400 breastfeed
500 dinner (vegetable soup and a protein)
600 breastfeed if he won't drink water or else breastfeed before sleep)
700 sleep
9pm wake to be patted down
1030 wake to be patted down
1130 wake to be patted down
100 wake-breastfeed. pat down.
330 wakes and is patted down for one hour
430-5 sleeps
THANK YOU for any help!!
