15 mo, never sttn *update-she did it!!*

[babybarr]

Did you medicate hun?  Perhaps you have an answer of sorts?

Glad you got some rest though.

[kayra]

just saw this Claire, my heart goes out to you it sounds really distressing
So glad that she went down by herself and that you got some rest.
many many hugs

[Buntybear]

Wooop!! She settled herself for her nap for the first time this month  !!!  And I put Ben down for a nap too as I needed a rest (he'll be up til 9 tonight but I figure DH will be home then  )...so they have both been asleep for 1.h hours so far!!!  I feel like a new woman 

FAB!!

[katie80]

Yay, it's the little things, isn't it?  Hope you enjoyed the peace and quiet!  (((Hugs)))!!

[C&B&E]

you ladies are lovely 

Well, she took 45 minutes to settle tonight, but only 20 minutes of screaming/head banging.  She is trying to say something to us at every bedtime but I cannot work out what!  It is a word she never says at any other time, and I wish I knew what it was so we could help her  . 

But 1.5 hours with both children asleep was bliss....I hoovered, did some washing, loaded up the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen  !  Sad eh?!

[*Becky*]

But 1.5 hours with both children asleep was bliss..

lovely...can you believe that never happened to me after having m. H only napped in his bed for about 3 months after she was born anyway but if one of them did a good nap the other was up after 40 mins or whatever.

v pleased for you but not pleased you were so productive, what about the chocolate and a trashy magazine on the sofa!!

[kayra]

It is a word she never says at any other time, and I wish I knew what it was so we could help her

that's intriguing, what does it sound like? could there be something/smell/feel in her bed???

[C&B&E]

v pleased for you but not pleased you were so productive, what about the chocolate and a trashy magazine on the sofa!!

I know!  But our house is so gross at the moment that it wouldn't have felt particularly relaxing sitting with my feet up surrounded by mess  . 

It is a word she never says at any other time, and I wish I knew what it was so we could help her

that's intriguing, what does it sound like? could there be something/smell/feel in her bed???

She does it and points out of her bed  .  But she is never pointing at the same thing .  So she will say "ba ba" for bonjela, and then says "guarney" but we don't know what it means...I'm really going to try and figure it out over the next few days.  I might try and teach her the signs for medicine, pain, etc so that she can use them if she needs to. 

[katie80]

How's it going, Claire?

[C&B&E]

hey Katie 

yuk, DH is currently settling her for her nap and she's been screaming/banging for an hour again.  Last night she was sick because she got herself in such a state - and that was with DH is the room right next to her.  In the end I had to get into the cot to settle her as she was totally past it. 

BUT, I think we have worked out what she wants - milk.  She is signing for milk while she is screaming, and so I think we have a prop issue now.  The doctor checked her ears again and they have cleared up, so I'm hoping that it is 'just' that she is upset because she wants to be fed to sleep  . 

She is very spirited, so I'm not really sure what we do now.  She is not fed to sleep about 80% of the time - we persist with the screaming  - but she doesn't seem to be getting the message!  The times when she is fed to sleep it is often because she just conks out (even with the light on), and I just pop her in bed. 

[kayra]

I don't know if this is the correct advice but if she's screaming for milk like you say I'd probably just go ahead and give the milk before any screaming begins. See if it makes a difference, maybe once she's all better and caught up on sleep you can sort the prop out by weaning or dummy or sthg?
many hugs
xxx

[C&B&E]

Thanks Kayra.  Unfortunately she has normally just had a full feed!!  So if she starts signing I know it is not because she actually needs milk - rather she wants to just suck!  On the occasions when she falls asleep when feeding (even with the light on) and I put her in her bed, she will often wake up and start screaming/headbanging etc and I have just noticed she has started signing for milk too. 

What confuses me is that she rarely gets fed to sleep - so I'm not quite sure why she isn't getting the message.  Is it because of the few times when she does  .  Often those times are out of my hands - eg when we get back from a toddler group late and she hasn't fed, and needs a nap. 

[*Becky*]

is she def not hungry though?? I would have thought if she had had a feed then she would be ok???

[babybarr]

rather she wants to just suck! 

I'd try it anyway and see what happens....

[C&B&E]

Yeah, I've tried it *lots* of times - she'll just have some and then when I latch her off 5 mins later (when she's not drinking) she'll scream again.  Or if she falls asleep on the boob then as soon as I lie her into her cot she wakes and it all starts again as bad as before. 

Tonight we had a breakthrough though.  My MIL sat and read her 10 books(!), then I gave her a feed, then I got DH to come in and I asked her if she wanted more milk or a book.  She signed milk.  She latched on for another minute (not drinking, just sucking).  Then I asked her again.  She signed milk  , so I latched her on again  .  Minute later I asked her again - and she signed book  .  Had a book with DH, then he cuddled her and told her it was sleep time.  Turned off the light and she settled with minimal fuss  !

HOOORAH!  So we will try something similar tomorrow!