Long NWs, no crying - just trying to sleep, any new eyes very welcome!

[babybarr]

Ok so the last few nights I have heard less but know he has been awake and last night he'd been awake for an hour and then was really yelling for me.

The later nap has been working well in so far as him taking an hour or more nap BUT now he can't settle to bed.  I *thought* that the longer nap and less of an A time till bed may be the key but now I'm finding that he's doing a similar length nap to his "usual" amount and now is pushing his A time to exactly what it used to be!  So no further forward, I thought the nights had been marginally better until last night.  I don't know what to do now!!

[babybarr]

So UPDATE -

Spoke to the Gp on Friday.  She wanted me to "go back to the sleep clinic as they are the best people to deal with it"  I told her that they coulodn't find fault with my routine etc and that they just think it's fine and I am so not happy about it!

She then said I have the right to a second opinion and would I like to pursue that option?  I told her it's just as well I have that right and I trusted my instincts after the first ever paed DS saw told me that DS was fine and therefore had nothing to worry about...

The GP is writing firstly to DS's immunologist to see if he will look further into it.  I don't know how far we will get with him as the previous times of mentioning it he wasn't interested - but maybe this time because it has been requested he may help

We are still doing nap at 1pm and the nap is generally around 1hr 10mins.  He is usually asleep around 7pm but most nights still waking. 

Your advice please....  I am *wondering* whether to try a significantly reduced nap or no nap - possibly when the clocks go forward so there os a day with an hour less anyway, WWYD??

Thanks for sticking with me girls!      

[londonmama]

It seems like outside the BW world there are lots of people who have dropped their LOs naps at your DS's age, or even younger.  I think if we weren't paying such close attention to their routine, you might just think "staying awake at night = give less sleep in the day" and then battle through the OT?  Not sure.

I think it could be worth a try.  You'll be so good at catching OT after so long on here that you can nip it in the bud if the no nap isn't working!

[mmom]

Laura, I hope that one of those doctors decides to do *something* at this point.  As far as the nap goes, I am hesitant to say drop the nap because he is already getting so little sleep.  However, it is the one thing you haven't tried.  So if you are leaning that way, give it a shot.  If things get worse, you could always add it back in.

[*Liz*]

I would give it a go I think - just so you can be sure what makes things better and what makes things worse.

And there ARE BW babies who dropped their nap at 20 mths or so - I think Paula's LO was one of them. Had some bad night with OT if I remember right, but had bad nights with a nap as well. Might be worth digging up some of her older posts on here and see what she decided that solution was?

[grace annes mommy]

I'd say if you do drop it, add some scheduled quiet time into his day.  I think everyone needs it regardless of age!!!  So at 1pm, instead of nap, read books, take him in the stroller or for a car ride, even let him watch a tv program if you're ok with that.

I hope it works for you!!!

I can't remember - have you thought about seeing a cranial osteopath? Or naturopath?  I think if I were in your position, I would definitely give it a shot.

(HUGS)

[*Becky*]

have you done a no nap day today???

[MummyToBen]

Just checking in too 

[babybarr]

have you done a no nap day today???

Too scared!! 

The last 2 nights have been marginally better though...  Or so I think anyway!  He looks shattered in the morning, so I wonder if I'm just sleeping through. 

[grace annes mommy]

I would be scared too, I must say.

Maybe he did have better sleeps.  I know if I've missed sleep, then start to catch up I feel sooo much more tired! I think the adrenaline isn't pumping as high, and the body realized just how tired it is.

Keep updating us. We're all thinking about you.

[babybarr]

Well clearly I jinxed it and we were back to the "norm" last night. 

I am SO fed up.  I don't even know why things are better some days and not others anymore.  He was woken prematurely from his nap at 55mins yesterday by my sister turning up and therefore our dog barking  but I put him to bed a little early to compensate but my brain aches now from even trying to get any sort of rhyme or reason to it.

I sort of feel that it's mean not to give him a nap when he actually is napping and not refusing it ifyswim and that I don't think I should not give him a nap if he has a bad night but then when will that be?    It makes me wonder though if he had 2 better nights with ok naps and then back to square one whether the day sleep is the issue.... 

[mmom]

Huge Hugs Laura.  I wonder if for your mental state of mind, if it wouldn't just help you to roll with it for now.  It seems that no amount of tweaking is improving his night sleep.  So either you could just stick to your set nap and bedtime and hope that the doctors come through with something.  Or bite the bullet and drop the nap.  Honestly, it seems like you were just saying that more day sleep helped the night sleep.  So maybe dropping the nap at this point isn't going to help.  I don't know.  All I know is that you must be so fed up and it can't help to keep trying to figure it out. 

[babybarr]

if it wouldn't just help you to roll with it for now.  It seems that no amount of tweaking is improving his night sleep.  So either you could just stick to your set nap and bedtime ...

This is what we do already - just to keep me sane!  I am just so tired it's untrue and sometimes think about trying other things.  I just want something to help!

[mmom]

I can only imagine how exhausted and frustrated you are.  We have had a rough couple of weeks and I have HAD it.  So knowing that this is a never ending battle for you, must be so overwhelming.   If it helps YOU to try and tweak, then go for it.  If it is causing more stress than anything, I would let it be.

[*Liz*]

((hugs)) Laura - see what you mean - that if the nights were better with better naps.....


Does he actually cry for you in the night at all? Are you hearing him through the wall or a monitor? (I hear J through the wall - SO annoying  )