Just - why? So frustrated!

[anna*]

Yeh, I'm not going to be doing it again. I think I'd rather be up there once for two hours than running up and down stairs every half an hour all evening.

[skatty]

But you knew something was wrong with her ears, right? I just know nothing is! I will phone the GP and ask about it I guess but I can't just pursue it tenaciously if I don't actually believe anything is wrong! That would really make me crazy!...

No absolutley no clue, was a real shocker,  only realised because I asked her if she wanted a biscuit while standing behind her and she didn't hear me! Explained so much, all those awful NWs, non napping and days when she was so angry at the world but it had never shown itself as a problem with the ears and I am not the only one, many people on here have said they atre sure their kid has no ear problems and then they have the ear test and find out they have fluid.

[anna*]

I'm confused then, how do mums come to get their babies ears checked if there are no signs or symptoms of anything being wrong with their ears? What do they say to their Drs to get a referral? I am pretty sure that Audrey hears fine, she definitely looks round when she hears a noise, and is generally very contented.

[skatty]

I don't know how other mums find out, I think their babies may have ear infection after infection. Whenever we saw the doc it was obvious L was teething and they would say it was normal for the ears to be red when teething. We didn't get a referral until she had fluid in her ears for more than 3 months, the doc at the surgery tested the pressure. You are probably right after all mum knows best but if it were me I would try everything to just to rule it out ( believe me it was a shocker to find out about L's ears, it had never occurred to me even though her cousin had grommits) for when you speak to the SC who may well ask if ears could be a possibility. I am hoping you still have time for sleep to improve before you pay out 

[anna*]

I spoke to the sleep consultants today - asked two questions: 1) what if after 4 weeks she's still not sleeping better and 2) whether to continue trying to ST this week or what. The answers were reassuring. 1) if she's not sleeping better after 4-6 weeks, they'll keep on working with me until she is and 2) do whatever is necessary to get as much rest as possible this week. If sleep training has been unsuccessful after two weeks, there's no point trying more of the same. Take a break, do whatever, and tackle it from a new angle after the consultation.

[clazzat]

That's great - I hope that you all manage to get plenty of rest this week, and that having someone to hold your hand will mean that you can get this sorted.

[anna*]

Thanks hun. :/ I hope it's the right thing to do. I feel sort of stupid dropping cash on this, but I just don't know what else to do.

[becj86]

I think getting as much sleep into her as possible this week and attacking it with fresh eyes is the best path (hence my comment about APOPing sleep into her any which way and at least ruling out chronic OT).

Hugs xx
I really hope this SC can help!

[Peek-a-boo]

I like the sleep consultant's answers!    I hope you're able to get some rest this week and feel ready to tackle things. 

One thought . . . I think it was with DD around this age . . . if she woke up in the night and I tried to do some kind of sleep training, she would get so upset she'd get fully awake and then need to be up for a full A time amount (2-3 hours).  Once she was fully awake, it didn't really matter how I handled it (apop vs. sleep training), because she was going to be awake for a while.  It was worth it for me to sprint in there and use APOP ASAP while she was still groggy and could be resettled. 

[essexlemon]

Don't feel stupid.  Ultimately, it doesn't really matter if it's stuff you already know, so long as it works.  A good night's sleep is priceless.  Plus, you are sleep deprived - you have a right to be finding this tough.  I know I tried putting DS1's shoes on this morning and formulating a plan for a baby that is not playing ball is much tougher than putting on the right shoes.

I know I would be seriously considering doing the same if we didn't have pain issues.

[timmysmommy]

Just caught back up.  Wanted to say good luck with the sleep consultant.  I hope you can get as much sleep as possible!

I wasn't able to tell how her days are going, but I know that it took about 5 days of good naps, and lower stimulation ( as in we weren't traveling, or having visitors) before E started sleeping better at night.

I really hope you get this all sorted out ASAP.  You must be exhausted!

[katie80]

I like the answers too. Hope you all get some good rest this week, Anna. Don't feel silly about the sleep consultant. I agree with EL, a good night's sleep is priceless. (((Hugs)))

[j.and.e]

yeah, 1 nite sleep is surely worth 150quid?? Xx

[anna*]

Funny. When I go back to 'not sleep training just get back to sleep as quick as possible', she reverts straight back to the old pattern. Wake at 10, wake at 11-something (feed), wake at 2-something, wake at 5 (feed), wake at 7. I wanted to keep her in her cot because I sleep so much better without her - but yeh. Pretty tired. Expect we will try co-sleeping again tonight. My mum is back from her trip so she will have her one night this week too. 

Still, at least she got way more sleep than any time recently.

Bethany I think you may be onto something. Last night I raced in there and cuddled her back to sleep and she was back down in 5-10 mins. Still up four times though 

[Mum of PA]

[/quote]
This 'package' is a Skype conversation, a personalised written plan, six weeks of follow up calls and emails.
[/quote]

Hi Anna

This is exactly what we did for DS when his sleep was rubbish.  I found it really helpful, at the very least it gave me confidence to really deal with his sleep as I had a set plan and stuck to it.  The follow up calls and emails were great as there were times things would regress and she would keep me on track and she was soooooo calm and reassuring, she really instilled confidence in me that I could do it.  The advice she gave me was similar to what I got on this site (and I thought it would be), but I felt so desperate at the time because it had been going on for months and months that I was willing to spend the money to get something 'put on paper' for me and for someone to tell me step by step what to do.  I can't say with absolute certainty that this was the catalyst for DS sleeping better (some things improved immediately  , others took awhile to improve) but it definitely was the 'kick start' to him sleeping better. It did help me to be better able to deal with his night wakings and short naps because I felt like I had a consistent plan and backup 'IRL' only a phone call/email away if I had questions or things were changing and we needed to tweak our approach. This is just my experience and I would say it depends on the SC you get but we did have a positive experience with ours and thought I would share.

PS one thing I would do first though (which I am sure you have already) is ask them about there sleep 'philosophy'.  The first SC I rang talked to me about her gentle approach but once I received the material from her it basically advocated CC which I was not impressed with and we obviously did not continue with her.

Best of luck.