Having a hard time

[2fuzzbutts]

I am starting EASY with my 5 week old baby. It seems as though the harder I try to get her to sleep on her own, the worse things get.

I started putting her to bed with a routine at 1 week old in the bassinet: nursing, swaddling, cuddling, pat/shh. She would go 2-3 hrs between feedings, sometimes she would sleep next to me just because I fell asleep too. We added a bath to her bedtime routine at 2 weeks. Last week I started putting her in her crib for bedtime. Some nights I would be in there with her screaming for an hour. She will fall asleep then wake 5 min later and scream again for another 5 min. Sometimes I'll hold her and not be able to calm her down and she'll scream in my arms for 15 min. I cannot handle this very well at all. DH is almost no help, he is not willing to do BW and would let her CIO. I have had to leave the room for a few minutes to gather myself. The pat/shh does not seem to comfort her, I have tried both separately. I have tried just resting my hand on her. She will not take a paci. Other nights she does not cry much and just needs help getting over those minor twitches (we still swaddle.)

Here is what today looked like:
1am: E
3am: diaper change, reswaddle
5am: E
7am: E (this is start of our 'day'),A: diaper change, some cooing, reswaddle
715am: S
830am: A (trying to stretch before next feed)
845: E, A: burping, diaper, say hi to 3 yo brother
915: S, went to sleep easily in crib, but kept waking every 15 min with crying
1030: E, A: play date came over, she watched us, talked to her
11: nap in carrier, slept 2 solid hrs
1pm: E, A: diaper change, burping. look at toys in carseat. Off to mall to run errands
130:S, sleeps great on errands
2:15 E, small amount, right back to sleep
4: E, A Diaper, burp, looking at trees outside
430: Swaddle, cuddle, starts screaming as soon as head hits crib. Wakes every 15 min screaming
545: E, still trying to get her to nap.
630: small E, got her up. Had to make dinner and couldnt let her scream in crib alone.
745: bath, calm for bath, then starts screaming after, is overtired from lack of nap before dinner
8: S, screaming for 20 min until she will breastfeed. Basically falls asleep at boob. Put her in crib.


I have been following a loose EASY, however we are always on the go with our 3.5 YO so daytime naps are frquently in car seat or stroller or carrier. She has been doing great with them. She sleeps well in the noisiest of places and really bright places (like the pool in a shaded area.) What has really been driving me crazy is putting her to nap/bed in her crib. I have not yet found what sooths her. So how do I get her to sleep in crib? How do I try to extend her between feed times? She nurses for about 5 minutes and then is DONE, purses her lips and won't take more. 

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Hi!

{{{hugs}}} first off, it's alot harder to sleep train when you have an older child who needs to go places. You said she sleeps great in noisy places, have you tried running a fan or other white noise by her crib while she naps? Also, we did not do a bedtime bath for Spencer until she was over 5 months, it was way too stimulating. I can't think of much else off the bat and it's time for bed, but I'll be back on tomorrow! Oh, and my oldest was a 5 minute feeder too, and just gradually extended her feeding times.

HTH
Heidi

[2fuzzbutts]

Thanks for the reply. We have a fan in the room, I'll try turning it up higher. I decided to try putting her in her carseat for all sleeping yesterday and today she has been doing a lot better! She is not so hysterical and her naps were longer. Today she took a great 2.5 hr nap from 4-630 pm! She had a cold last week, wonder if her congestion is still bad when she is lying down? Shhing her actually worked to get her to sleep. I also made her room darker and took down the stuff on the wall near her crib so she has nothing to look at.

She seems to like her bath. She is always really quiet and still as soon as I lay her on the bathmat to undress her(even after she has been cranky). She just nurses right through the bath (we take a bath with the 3 YO.) It is so hot here it is nice to rinse her off at the end of the day. I was thinking it was relaxing for her since she was so still and quiet during the whole thing?

She pretty much nurses on demand right now. Sometimes during the day we get 2.5-3 hrs between feedings (like when she gets a good nap!) I am hoping as she gets older she will naturally stretch herself to longer between feedings.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

It sounds like her bath is very relaxing for her, I would keep doing it then, and I can understand wanting to rinse off at the end of a hot day. What I did when Spencer had a cold was prop up her crib mattress on one end with a rolled up towel underneath, it really helped her breathing. Definitely keeping the room dark and low key will help her relax for naptime. I pretty much fed Spencer on demand at that age too, anywhere from 2-3 hours apart, I'm sure she'll stretch it out eventually. Hope she is feeling better and keeps having good naps!

Heidi