Hi everyone!
I’ve been lurking and reading for a couple of months and was starting to get a range of tips etc ready to start sleep training with my LO who is just over 7 months old. This is my first post as I’m starting to feel overwhelmed. I’m getting to the stage where her sleep habits (or rather mine since I instilled them!) are not working and we are getting very a cranky mum who isn’t coping well at night! I have a huge number of props and problems and I don’t know where to start or where to post it all for ideas…..Arghh!!!
So please forgive me as I’m not really sure which part of the forum this should be put under as my probs are seemingly intertwined to me... So this is my very first post and cry for help! I’d love some redirection and help please.
Props and Concerns1.
Hold/feed to sleep:- Attempts at putting down sleepy but awake are futile – she ends up crying and I intervene (I’ve tried shh/pat, she goes in hysterics and when I put her down sleepy her eyes ping open each time).
- I’m also trying to do the Pantley Removal Plan with limited success. I’ve also tried not offering the boob at all after NW and then had a crying baby for up to 90minutes before I gave in with nursing. We’ve done this on 3-4occasions recently.
2.
Difficulty with getting EASY – more like AESY- I’m having trouble feeding after sleeping as she refuses to nurse as she is too distracted and wants to play. I’ve tried going into a dark quiet room with background noise etc but she is just not into it. We also wait until mid activity to offer but its just not working. Sometimes she has gone about 8hours in day with only 2-3minutes of feeding when we tried to break the cycle – I ended up feeding to sleep and had a grumpy, hungry baby
.
3.
Introducing solids - I exclusively breastfed until 6month and I originally wanted to try BLW but she doesn’t yet mouth objects independently (but LO is happy to mouth her hand and play with food). If I hold food to her mouth she will occasionally suck on it. As such she is still not really having solids at 7 months so I’ve tried purees too which she refuses 95% of the time, and if she takes a spoonful, tends to just have her mouth gapping open with the food in it. We are waiting to see a speech pathologist about this to see if there are any oral sensory aversions and problems with her oral motor function. So given this situation I’m a bit scared that she won’t get the nutrition if I stop feeding to sleep because she doesn’t feed at any other time…..
4.
Frequent NW’s over past 1-2 weeks - Will nurse to sleep and then she will sleep in her cot for first 3-4hours prior to waking and wanting comfort nursing back to sleep. And then after this wake up I haven’t successfully been able to put her back into her cot. She has then started waking up every hour….. I’m not sure if this is the start of separation anxiety and I’m a bit lost on how to tackle this.
- She has also done some cot parties for 1.5-2hours which is driving me crazy – she refuses to sleep again some nights!
5.
Cat napper - LO has always been a cat napper but I can get a second sleep cycle in (1-2times/day) if I intervene and nurse/hold to sleep. She will sleep for 40minutes like clockwork in the cot or on my bed, but generally only 20-30minutes if in pram or car. She hasn’t been wrapped since about 4 months and when I tried shh/pat she squirms, cries and wont lay still for it to be effective. She normally wakes up happy from 2/3 naps. I’d love to try and drop the 3rd nap but not sure how to start given her A times will need to be so much more if she continues her cat naps.
Typical Routine (give or take 30minutes starting in the morning):
E - 4.30- 5am ish, LO wakes and I hold to sleep to extend sleep time – she fights going back to sleep
A - 6-8.30-9am-ish (plus attempt solids 1 hour after waking)
E - Nurse 5-15mins
S - 8.30-9.10am (40mins normally)
A – 9.10am – 11.50ish (plus attempt solids 1 hour after waking if at home or will do at dinner with her dad)
E – Nurse 5-15mins
S – 12-12.40pm then usually grumbles and I can hold/resettle for further sleep cycle until about 1.30-2pm.
A – 1.30- 4.15pmish
E – Nurse 5-15mins
S – 4.15-5pm
A – 5pm-7.15pm
E – Nurse 5-15mins
S – 7.30pmish.
NW – 10.30pm, feed/resettle for 60-90minutes with attempts to put into cot again.
NW – 40-50minutes after last going to sleep – attempt to resettle, but giving up and co-sleeping instead. She then still stirs and is regularly comfort nursing at night at 1-1.5hour intervals. \
Gee, looking at this makes it seem like my list is huge..! So its no wonder I feel a wee bit overwhelmed!
Very open to any suggestions or tips at this stage about how to tackle this….. Please help and thanks in advance!
From the tired overwhelmed mum
