18 month sleep regression support thread-part 3

[trimbler]

Thanks Kayra, I know full well that I'm reacting so badly because I'm sleep deprived and because it brings back all those feelings I had during ppd with DS - sleep anxiety was big then and it's so easy to slip back into it now I'm sleeping in the living room for the next few nights, mice and all DH sleeps through some of the messing around anyway and as you say, she's happy enough, just crazy If she hasn't been keeping me awake then I respond to her much better in the morning!
Poor M, and poor you, Kayra - so sorry you're having to deal with all this illness hope he gets better very soon!

[First mum]

Hey Trimbler, feel free to vent!!  It's good that you are talking about it.  I too am quite a high strung person and probably focus way to much on my lo sleep or lack of.  My DH and mother ofter have to remind me that I have a happy little toddler who does pretty well with a bit less sleep and it brings me down to earth occasionally.  I also find I can sometimes focus on something that I think needs fixing when in actual fact it doesn't.  Unfortunately that takes me a bit longer to process.

Im sure an addition to your family would be lovely, but think you are right it needs to be at the right time for the right reasons xx hugs

[kayra]

Hugs all round, it's so easy to focus on the negative or like you say think you have to fix sthg that actually isn't al that bad, we all need to step back once in a while.
Trimbler, sorry to hear the mice are still there, but yeah good idea to sleep in the living room, I hate sleeping in the same room as my kids
Things seemed better for a couple days, more settled naps and nights, but there's still the odd nw here and there or 'nw' during a nap...

[ginger428]

Hi ladies,
Love that you're back and this thread is active. I've been following and wanted to return to reply, but I actually had a question of my own.

How bad was canine teething for your LOs? It is bad here. I wish and wish and wish it was a couple of months ago with all the 18mo reg nonsense, but it had to come now... so it's been like a 6 month regression. I don't know who this LO is, because it is not the DS I know. Just checking to make sure I shouldn't take him to the Dr. or anything. He cries constantly about everything. I think the discomfort is also causing bad sleep so he's OT.

Ugh, Trimbler, you had a lot to deal with! Yeah, I would've yelled at that guy... maybe from my window, but yelled nonetheless. =P back to the couch, I see... I know that has helped in the past so I truly hope it helps you now and lets you catch up some. What were your symptoms of sleep anxiety?

First Mum, I'm very similar. I feel at times people think I make up our sleep issues... but I know those are real. But perhaps it bothers me in a way others aren't? Did you have time to cap and reassess? Any progress?

Kayra, sorry to hear about all the illnesses going around! Eek. I appreciate you sharing about your DS1 and reminding us to roll with it.  I've been trying to more and more and keep thinking if I have more children, I can't be this obsessed. No time for it! Haha. How is DS feeling?

How have 1 naps gone? And does everyone think they're in the middle of the regression? Usually associated with leaps, so anything new happening with the kiddos?

[kayra]

Hey ginger, sorry to hear about the rough time if you really feel it's unlike him maybe get him checked just in case?
I don't know what to say about canines, I don't remember it with ds1 or at least didn't realise that was the problem..? I think with teeth here it seems to be in bouts, like it'll be bad a few days then a brak then bad again etc and then eventually a tooth will cut....so it's not like constant constant.
For us speech is developing for sure, new words and just more desire and interest in communicating, at least with dd. She doesn't have that many word but it feels like she doesn't stop talking mostly it's just repeating that we said bye bye to Baba and Arin (ds1), what M is doing, asking for Elmo, or sthg, so the content is xtremely limited but she's constantly communicating! Tiring but very sweet they're both healthy now thanks

[-Maya-]

Ok we are defintely here with a SR. I think it is totally due to canins as DS is drooling, hands in mouth, unsettled nights, short naps, all partially fixed up by ibubrofen.
All this nonsense has lasted over a week now. Of course I yesterday I took it very badly. Today I am in office and I dare say I need this break from DS always calling "mummy mummy".

How long will it take to finish? He has always cut 4 teeths together (i.e. all 4 molars, up down left right) so I hope he is doing the smae now. But I can see no teeth in canines space.

[First mum]

Hey Ginger, yeah the canines were rough.  We popped all 4 in 8 days but the impact lasted about 4 weeks.  It was smack in the middle of the regression so it was probably closer to 10 weeks of pretty rough sleep all round.  Thankfully my lo is a happy soul and her day naps stayed pretty consistent at 90-120 mins.  The nights were horrid and pain relief only took the edge of her pain.  We did lots of sleeping on her floor, co-sleeping, sleeping in a chair.  A few bad habits started but thankfully we are back to normal now.  I did take my lo to the GP right in the middle to check ears and throat just to be sure and gain some reassurance.

We are still rolling with the 90-120 minute naps.  Have been a bit slack and let her have a couple of 140 minute naps but we are in a growth spurt so is a bit sleepy.  I am def thinking that a cap to her day nap is not far off but am hoping to roll with it a bit longer 

[trimbler]

Hey again - been busy! But DH working late (at home) and I'm in the living room again tonight so can't go to sleep until he heads for bed... Actually I'm mainly sleeping there tonight so that I can get up earlier without waking DD (who's in our bedroom) as it's the only way I can work out how to get dressed, eat breakfast and make it for everyone else before getting her up at 7, bf-ing, getting DH out at 7:20, getting DD dressed whilst shoving a cereal bar in her mouth, getting things into the bag for the CM, lunch in my bag, everyone's teeth cleaned, blah blah blah, before getting everyone into warm winter outdoor clothes and out the door by 7:40. I just can't do it unless I sleep in here, but on nights like tonight I wonder if I wouldn't actually get more sleep in the bedroom. Swings and roundabouts! But teething is bad here, I think all four premolars are finally on the move as well as the 5th incisor but teeth seem to take ages here... (((Hugs))) for everyone else struggling with teething!

First mum - it's hard letting go of that down time in the middle of the day, isn't it!

Maya - your comment about E calling mummy mummy reminded me of my DD calling me 'bubbeee' when I arrived home from work the other day - that's what she calls her cuddly bunnies so all I can say is at least E isn't getting you muddled with his soft toys

Great to hear about M and L's speech

Ginger - great to hear from you, but I think I'm needed for pain meds now - poor thing see you all again soon...

[kayra]

Wow Trimbler you guys have an early start!!! Hope you managed to get some good sleep.
Maya hugs for all teeth trouble, does medicating seem to help? It's so hard when they just want to cling to you and whine so much hope the weekend is good.
First mum, it's so hard to cap naps, I've always hated doing it, not that I have to do it these days I'm lucky if we get 2 hrs nap, but they do a good night so I can't really complain. Overall thoigh it seems that it's rare that we get an unbroken nap and unbroken night, there always seems to be a walking somewhere.

[trimbler]

Haha an early start? Well I guess in London 6:30am is a pretty common time to get up for work, so it actually feels like a lie in when I don't get up until 7am at the weekend even if DD did wake up earlier... First molar has started cutting through on one side now they do take a while, don't they!

Sorry Ginger, didn't manage to respond to you - how have the last few days been? Poor M, teething is tough, isn't it! No idea when we'll start on our canines - almost certainly not before she's 2yo...

[trimbler]

Hey there, how's everyone? I'm feeling really frustrated for A, she's obviously teething, I think one is cutting now and two more on the verge with another not far behind - but which will probably take a few more weeks to actually cut Nasty cough too today so this nap has been a complete disaster but nothing can be done, I have to go and collect DS in a minute... Sometimes settles really quickly, other times takes up to an hour - mostly sleeps well at the CM but not so much at home, trying to work out optimum lunch timings as this seems to affect things perhaps. Sorry, just having a moan, but otherwise things are good Finally getting a few words now and she's still such a cutie, I can't be angry with her really. We were reading a book at a group this morning with the words 'I love you' accompanied by signs, so I signed (and said) that to her a few times and she signed it to me as she was eating lunch - adorable Now if only she'd learn to settle for her naps at home as well as at the CM's... Since I have to collect DS, I just watch the available napping time disappearing the more she messes around put her down earlier and she may actually end up getting a long enough nap, or she may just mess around more; put her down later and she may settle more quickly, or she may mess around just the same and get hardly any nap grrr...

[kayra]

Hugs trimbler! Does she not go down at the same time as at the childminders? Maybe more stimulation there..?
Teeth don't seem to be doing anything for the time being. They seem to be napping better after a shorter A in the am..not sure what to do about that. It works now while they're getting up later in the morning but not sure how it'll work when they pull that forward as they're fine going down after a shortish a too...anyway not exactly regression territory so I'll just tag along for support for the time being.

[trimbler]

Yeah same times, she'll often go down well for DH too, just not so much for me Can't work out about stimulation - I know being around lots of other people would really tire DS out (and me - introverts ) but it always seems to have the opposite effect on DD, she seems to thrive on it and then struggle to switch off afterwards. So if we've been around other people she tends to struggle to sleep more than if we've had a quiet morning at home. All I can be pretty sure of now is that she's really struggling with teething, poor thing - definitely three molars and two incisors bulging and at various stages of readiness to cut, with the fourth molar half through. Perhaps this is what they meant by late teethers getting them all at once? Do yours have their canines yet?

Glad things seem to be going well with yours sleep wise - couldn't quite get my head around the problem there, is there one? I'm sure they'll gradually extend that first A...

[ginger428]

Hi Kayra, glad to hear the morning wake up is later and it's working for now. X fingers it continues to work or adjustments are smooth!
Trimbler, same with DS here re: stimulation and being around people before nap. It almost always makes naps harder. So now I try my best to leave down time at home right before nap, but it doesn't always work. I wonder if it has to do with the difference in the sequence of things? Who knows! Hang in there and hope this passes soon! <3

[trimbler]

Thanks Ginger, good to hear from you Well it seems recently she's just struggling to get to sleep whether it's nap time or BT, at home or CM Perhaps this is the time where she's stopped crashing at the suddenly long A time to nap (having dropped the morning CN) and her sleep needs are beginning to dive... But then I know her teeth are really bothering her, she's been really off her food and milk. But it's chatting, not crying, at sleep times, really sounds like she's so hyped up and crazy OT that she can't settle down. And she's so easily upset during the day, loads of screaming etc, could be teeth or could be OT, sometimes it's just so hard to tell now... I do remember however being convinced for months that DS was really OT when in the end it turned out to just be a big drop in sleep needs, and surely DD is ready for one of those now! Did any of you notice a sudden drop in sleep needs overall, and when did it occur in relation to 18mo and the 2-1? Thinking I might just have to start pushing in the hope that if I'm wrong, it will be so obvious that I can then backtrack and help her catch up her OT - or of course if I'm right, then problem solved maybe