Oh help - don't remember it being so hard

[Vally]

Just another quick question. When should I start trying to put to sleep awake and stop rocking to sleep?

[Shiv52]

Yeah that 6.30 bedtime makes night feeds tricky Doesnt it? As if he does a good 4 hour stretch then he may well be hungry at 1.30 yk?  And it means 4.30/5.30 then morning. Bit of a pain.

You can definitely start putting him down more awake and settling in the Moses basket now but just with the knowledge some times it may work or may not and just keep trying. From about 3/4 weeks I'm sure N was feeding and Id just Pop her awake beside me and she'd go to sleep.  That's nights obviously. In the day i ised to wait until drowsy and have a cuddle and put her down awake and she'd go over with a bit of
Sshing. Was hit and miss but I was fairly relaxed about it.
 
How are you feeling now? Being a mum of three is tricky I find especially now we're back at school and activities. 5-7pm is the worst with homework dinner and the baby just wanting held. Asaaahhhh!!!

[Vally]

730pm definitely seems to work better. We managed to go for that this eve so he went to 1130pm and then 330pm which is great. The annoying this is in now sitting here at 5am getting him back to sleep as he woke at 430am after going down at 4am after his 330am feed. I'm not sure that he'd actually managed to get himself off into a deep sleep before so just seem to be struggling to get back to sleep. Will be so much better when he can self settle.

I'm loving being a mum of three but do find the lack of sleep tough I have to admit. Yes it's tough juggling the school run, activities and yes definitely the evening is full on with everything. I stupidly have activities of some sort after school every day with the kids too which really adds further stress but in a weird way I quite like all the rushing around. These clubs and things also really do start costing a bomb! By the time number 3 is old enough to do clubs we will be broke lol!!!

Happy weekend without school run chaos
!!!

[Shiv52]

Do you think he's waking with wind early on?  Or maybe just light cycle of sleep and can't resettle?  I found wind woke this one and that 4-7 slot just very unsettled for a good while.

I know having three is wonderful. I love having a teeny baby again although scarily N is nearly 6 months and I'm not nearly ready for her to be getting so big so quick. Have to start thinking of spoon feeding soon!

Hope you've a lovely weekend! We'd no school run but had dancing orchestra and now gymnastics!!  My DH always says imagine what we could be doing if we weren't paying out for all these activities!!!

[Vally]

Pretty rubbish night. Fed 730pm and went to sleep eventually at 9pm. Woke at 11, 2, 330,5 and 615. When a lot of the times when I got him put he really didn't seem hungry. I think he's just waking from light sleep cycles. My DH said we need to leave him to cry a bit but I'm not sure? Will he start to have deeper sleep soon?

[Shiv52]

Remind me what age the wee bundle is now?   

[Shiv52]

4 weeks (just realised I could see when you started the thread DUH)!!   

It's possible he's hit the 4 week GS and is building your supply with all the little feeds. The NFs build supply quicker don't they with the hormone levels being different? 

What you could do is reduce the holding and start attempting to settle a bit more. So once you've fed and gave a cuddle you could start laying him down and ssh pat. He may get upset (and I assume this is what your DH means as opposed to leaving him to cry to sort himself out?) but you can see if you can build up to getting him to settle out of your arms a bit more? 

Hugs xx

[Vally]

Thanks. Well I think DH was being a bit harsh and actually taking CIO but when I reminded him that our LO is still so very little plus we have never used CIO realised he was being bit harsh!! So I think I will try the shh pat. If he still won't settle do you then use pick up out down and do you just keep going until asleep? X

[Shiv52]

Lol well in that case I think you're DH is being very unreasonable 😝😝😝. Even the people who push CIO/CC say not until at least 6 months. And I've found with this baby HVs and midwives were very against any form of CIO where 6 years ago with my dd2 they actually recommended it. Now it's all about psychological wee being!

I would just try gently to resettle with you right there. If he gets very upset and doesn't settle Id just pick up and help him but just have in mind you want to start giving him a chance to sort himself. It's still very early days and he's so tiny so he still make need some help for now.

Hugs xx

[Vally]

Hi. How are you doing? We are so busy with school and activities but it keeps me busy. We are getting there with feeding and sleeping. Daytime naps tend to just fall into when we are out and about so finding that a bit tricky to get into a routine but that's fine. He's generally falling into a 630/7 routine due to wake up with school run but finding the bedtime tricky. He's generally feeding every three hours so 630,930,1230,330 or often 4 due to school activities etc. he then falls asleep around 515pm abs awake for 6ish. Do you think I should just give another feed at 630pm and try and put straight to bed although he may only be awake for half hour before I'm trying to settle for bed as it seems as if we miss that sleep window he can be up for hours screaming which I think is because he is overtired? Also when he falls asleep at 515pm ish would you wake him at 6pm to feed and get ready for bed? And is i

[Shiv52]

We're exactly the same here! Naps tend to be fitting in with life and I do find she is so OT by the end of the day as she isn't getting the best naps but there isn't an awful lot we can do. I have been working on getting her a good morning nap when the kids are at school and hoping that helps longer term although I've been out a lot of mornings so it's not been consistent.

If he's having to wake 7am ish it probably is a good idea to aim for a good feed at 6.30 and aim for bed after. If he's sleeping at 5.15 I would probably wake and treat it as a CN and feed and a short A time and then to bed. Often LOs need a shorter A time after a CN any ways.

Am pleased feeding has settled and is going so well. How are your nights?

[Vally]

Yes I was getting some good naps in the morning but he seems to have stopped and literally cat napping all day but as you say not much I can do about that due to all the racing around. Nights are up and down but generally he seems to be in a pattern of feeding around 630pm and if lucky going down then or due to OT can be after 8 before he settles. He then asked at 1130pm and again between 230am and 330am then again at 530am. How are your nights?

[Shiv52]

 I know. It's so hard as our nights are still pretty rubbish. We get a good stretch from 8-1/2 then on and off for the rest of the night. But I know it's because our days need to be more consistent as there is a lot of OT at play yk and I'm sure the catnapping isn't helping. But as it is I'm managing grand and the tiredness really isn't so bad. I just wish I could get that big stretch from 12-7 instead . I've tried a DF but it just disturbs her more for some reason.

We'll get sleep at some stage eh?!

[Vally]

Yes sounds pretty similar to us. Days all over the place and after 2am can be hit and miss. Last night was tough. I seem to have a tummy bug/virus as have had awful tummy cramps and dreadful headache. This DS has it as last night he was screaming practically all night. Today I have really struggled as feeling really poorly and extremely tired. Just about to go to bed in the attempt to get some sleep now. Yes one day we will sleep again!!

[Vally]

Well I tried bit of cluster feeding yesterday which did seem to change things. As he can be bit unsettled from 4pm and fed at 4,6 and 8pm. He woke at 1am for a feed and settled to sleep fairly quickly and then again at 5am then slept until 645am so going to try again tonight. No doubt tonight will be different again?!! Hope you had a good night x