Babies of Oct-Dec /04

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Mimi & Lynne,  that's heartening for me to know neither of you do the df.  We're trying to wean Ella off hers and I'm scared she'll have more night waking. So it was real good to hear Mimi that your baby sleeps better with out it. And Lynne you seem to usually be on the same schedule as us with the same "problems" and you don't df either.  hhhmmm. We're still at 3 oz. but we're going for 9:30 tonight.  I'm tempted to just go cold turkey. Any thoughts? Cazao, where are you at with the df? Another question to everyone... if you bf or express at all... any ideas what your lo's are drinking with being on solids now?  As I've said, Ella has cut back her bottles and I worry it's due to too much food...any thoughts/advice, etc. would be most welcome!

Hope you're all well.  Keep the updates coming please! I love them. 

Sharon

[lil'monkey]

Sharon, last night was the first in 2 weeks that she slept from 7-7.  Yippeee!!!  I just cut the df cold turkey - she went from 6 oz to nothing and she slept through.  She did let out a cry at 1:30 am but it subsided in 10 sec.  Sometimes I wonder if she is having bad dreams???  This makes me wonder if the df really does messes around with her internal clock.  Hmmm.  Why don't you give it a try?  If Ella Rose does want the df, then she will cry for it, if not then at least you know that she doesn't really need it after all.  Good luck.

My ped says that once solids is well established (3 meals/day) then expect the amount of milk to go down.  As long as there are at least 3 wet diapers/day then you should be fine.  He also says that the range can be 15-24 oz, depending on baby.  I think that if you are concern about the decrease in nutrients, you could add in the milk with the solids. 

Sharon, I will try your method of extending dd naps.  Do you just go in reassure and pat and leave?  What if she cries or continues to babble?  what do you do?

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Hi Mimi,

Congrats on the good night!!  Btw, the hat Ella is wearing in her pic says "lil'monkey."   

Last night I went to feed Ella at about 9:40.  I did what we normally do, turned the light low and gave her tummy a few rubs and... nothing. Sound asleep. So we left her and she didn't wake until 5, we shushed patted her and she slept until 6:30. Yippee!! Hopefully it continues.

Thanks for your advice about the milk. She's drinking at least 20oz. so I guess I won't worry.  It's only that she was drinking 38 still for the first month of solids! 

When we extend Ella's naps we do shush pat, but I'm afraid she is also dependent on her soother so we pop it back in (she does pick it up herself if she can see it...if it's not too dark) and we just quietly say shhh and stroke her head or tummy. We leave right away. It's all very quick. I used to stay to long but my dh has taught me not too! It works better. And no eye contact.  We only go back in if she starts to get distressed. If she babbles we still leave her but if she sounds like she's going to get worked up we go back in to try and pre-empt any major crying. And we just keep doing it.  It has taken a long while but we really believe she trusts us now and just wants the reassurance.  She's also easier to read now. If she's still tired when we come in, she puts her hands over her eyes and rolls onto her side. If she's WIDE awake, she smiles and laughs and kicks and flips like a wee fish. We usually just get her up then. But for about the past month she won't "waken" like that until at least an hour.  I really believe we have this bit of success now only through perseverance with Tracy's techniques.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you want even more detail.

Sharon

[Jrolph]

Hi, I hope you don't mind one more.

I have been on this website since January but never really stopped in the EASY section.  I just decided to browse here today and found this thread.  My DS is almost 6 months old and was born December 3, 2004 he was 8lbs 5oz and had a head full of hair.  His current weight is 19lbs and he is 28 inches long.  I have been reading everyones posts and I guess I am not alone.  My DS is battling the 45min naps and I also wonder if I should give up the dreamfeed since I know that before I started it he slept a lot longer but I remember reading to keep trying it since it takes a few weeks to work.  After that I was too afraid to stop doing it because I was afraid I would just get to sleep and he would wake up to eat.

[lil'monkey]

Welcome Jrolph, isn't it nice to be in touch with other moms of babies around the same age?  Certainly makes me feel that I'm not alone when dd throws me one of her curve balls and get some advice to cope with it.

Well Sharon, didn't get a chance to use your method as dd had a2 hr nap this morning on her own.  Her awake time was 2.5hrs so I tried again in the afternoon but she took only a 50 min nap.  Maybe I should add another 15 min?  She's still fighting her 5 pm nap so instead of staying in the room, I left.  After 8 min of grunting and her whimpering, she fell asleep for 30 min.  Here's a question for everyone, if your lo is clearly showing signs of sleepiness for the night after 1 hr of waking, do you move the bedtime up?  If so by how much?

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Hi Jrolph! Welcome.

I so agree Mimi... this is my "mummy's group" ! 

That's awesome btw that your lo slept 2 hrs! Ella rarely goes that long and always needs a pat/shush to even get to 1.5.  I think if your lo slept 2 then 50 min. that's great!  Ella usually won't need more than that. Though we too are still strugging with the catnap. She doesn't want it! We tried earlier bed briefly but it didn't really work. We also tried today to extend her awake time too to 2.5 hrs. We did it but as she was up at 6:30 it was basically the same. Meaning she had too long of an awake time in the evening.  We put her in her jolly jumper, which she loves, it's the only thing that even if she's pooped she doesn't care.. :lol: and then just wound down with a baby einsein video and a longer bath. I think my goal is to do as you are doing and extend her awake time between naps and just drop the catnap. Though I still think an earlier bedtime will work.. I just don't have the guts to try it because we have only dropped the df for one night and we also only recently weaned her off "white noise" to go to sleep. I do know I don't think dd could handle an earlier bedtime than 6:30... and all that said.. we have had some nights where it's a small bump up in time. like 6:45 instead of 7...

hhmmm. I think I'm just babbling again!  Thank you all for your help all the time! I love having this sounding board!

Oh and Jrolph... we started the df immediately when dd was born. It just kind of incorporated itself as she got older. So I don't know that I think starting it at a later date will necessarily work...

Sharon

[cazao]

you dropped the dreamfeed?!!! yay!!!!! good for you. fingers crossed for tonight. we`ve been so wonky the last few nights i don`t have the courage yet. frequent wakings early evening and then 4am or 5am or 1am. have no idea why. but i`m being liberal with the motrin  :oops:  :wink:

[IsaacMom]

Well, I am feeling a little more positive today.  We have been on EASY (sort of) for almost 1 week (started last Saturday).  I have been mostly concentrating on getting him to go to sleep on his own and in his crib (he had been nursing to sleep and cosleeping up until then) and get some type of routine.  His naps have been outrageously short all week and my nerves were shot with all the crying when going to sleep.  But I have been trying to be consistent (while tweaking things to find something that works!)

I am crossing my fingers I have found something!  He has put himself to sleep for the last 2 naps (25 min, 15 min) and slept for 45 minutes the first time with no help from me (he's still sleeping now).  I know that's a short nap by most standards, but since he's been taking 20-30 minutes all week I am estatic!  I've found the more i try to help him to sleep (PU/PD or pat/sh) the longer it takes and the more he cries, so I have been taking a hands off approach today.  I also lengthened his awake time and used the time to play with him instead of making him try to go to sleep after a short nap.  The last few days I have also had several failed attempts at naps (he wouldn't fall asleep at all), but today there were none!

So, I am optimistic!  If I can just get him to nap regularly and get on a schedule then I will worry about making naps longer (but hopefully it will happen naturally!)

Thanks for listening!
Jenn

[Jadynsmom]

Hi all,

My lo is now officially 5mos old and boy is she in the middle of a developmental stage!!  She's so cute & happy and so active (esp during sleep times!)  She's doing the scooting her knees up and flipping to her back and just laying there and trying to touch her toes with her tongue and talking the whole time.  It's so cute, if it wasn't during sleep times! :?  I had been rocking her during the winddown routine for about 5 mins and putting her down pretty drowsy, and was getting kind of worried that that might become a prop, so starting today I'm putting her down completely awake.  She scooted for about 5mins and finally got to the very corner of the bed and couldn't scoot anymore so she just fell asleep!! Yeah!  I hope she will sleep tonight instead of playing for up to an hour, which she did last night.  I posted on the General Sleep and waited for an answer and nobody wrote    Anyway, I ended up going in after 45 mins and reswaddled her and put her back on her tummy with her paci and she went right to sleep.

She woke up last night at 2:30 am after 11pm df, which is so unusal.  She usually sleeps from 7:30pm til 6:30 am or 7am without a single peep.  I wonder, is this time for growth spurt? 5mo? I went ahead and nursed her and she fed for her normal length.  Then she was wide awake and took almost an hour of pat/shh and finally gave up and put her in the bed with me.  She woke at 6:40am and I nursed her and when she was finished, she went back to sleep til 9:30 :shock:   I slept in, too.   I didn't know what to do.  I guess I should have gotten her up and started my day, but she was so sleepy, that she slept on her back, on a pillow the whole time.
 
I wonder if I need to go ahead and finally introduce some solids (pears & maybe some cereal) and maybe drop the df?  She's 16lbs and 27 1/2 in.  I really wanted to wait til 6mos, but I'm beginning to think she might be ready for some real food. 

I am still working on the 45min wake and extending it.  Most of the time it works, but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm staying a little too long in there as well.  I want to make sure she's back to sleep and have pulled out the paci before I leave the room. Yes,I'm still doing the gradual weaning.

Glad to hear from all the moms here on this board.
Lynn, that's great you are teaching your lo to fall asleep on his own and he's learning to do it, even if it's little increments of sleep at a time.  I'll bet before too long he'll be sleeping for a couple of hours at a time.  And you've only been on EASY for a week!  That's great.

Welcome, Jrolph!  I think the EASY is my favorite forum to read, since this is where everyone is on a similar routine and stage.

Mimi, those curve balls are always coming, aren't they?  I too am glad I'm not alone in this.  Actually, I am glad for all these crazy stages and having something to worry about :lol:  Jadyn is a miracle baby!!  We tried for     71/2 years to have her, after giving up and adopting Lexi!!  So, all these curve balls are sometimes just fun

[lil'monkey]

Well, today started at 6 am and naps are not so great but it's ok.  Did end up going to the shopping center twice (hoping that she'll nap in the car/stroller) and bought some really cute summer outfilts for dd, though.  I wonder if I'm sending a bad message here - "Let's see, if I take short naps, Mommy will take me shopping and buy me more clothes.  Hmmm, what a tough decision - nap...shopping... nap...shopping..."   :lol:

Kathy, I know what you mean.  After numerous miscarriages and a very difficult labour, I am blessed with a beautiful healthy baby.  DH keeps reminding me that we should feel blessed and be thankful for her everyday.   

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Blargh... I need to vent. Dd has been so cranky the past two days!  Lot's and lot's of whining and if we go anywhere she starts up after only 20 minutes. I'm pulling my hair out as I have pms too.  :x  It's finally warm out and I at least want to go for a walk so very bad but dd will have none of it.  She cries in the stroller unless I stop and put my face down by her or carry her. No to the baby bjorn carrier and no to the sling as well.  So frustrating! Of course she's all smiles for anyone else that pays attention to her... she was up six times again last night but didn't want any food and would go right back to sleep when dh or I went in...

Okay. As I said. Just wanted to vent. Thanks for listening. We're off to try the drugstore again as we need diapers.  Wish us luck!  Hope you're all having a good day!

Sharon

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Okay so we made it to the drugstore with my friend keeping her face in the stroller the whole way... :lol: only to find out they were out of our formula and our diapers.  sheesh...just one of those days!

At any rate I shouldn't complain.  I just find it so hard some days and that makes me pour the guilt bucket on myself... do you all ever feel like you're giving it everything you have to make your lo comfortable and happy and they just won't have any of it? Somedays I feel as though dd could care less what we are doing...she's just plain ornery no matter what's happening. It's hard with a grouchy baby...

Kathy, Mimi, it is very inspiring and humbling to hear what you have gone through to have your dear lo's... thanks for sharing that... it's most appreciated. Especially on a day like today. It makes me appreciate again what miracle's they are.

I wish I had some advice on the 5mo. growth spurt question and the nap issues but I feel very lost today...dd is really throwing me for a loop these days...I'm second guessing everything!!   

Hope you're all doing well.

Sharon

[Jadynsmom]

oops double post

[Jadynsmom]

Sharon,

I'm sorry you are having one of those days!!  I guess we all have to have one or else what fun is there? :lol:

Your lo is so darn cute.  Sometimes when I get a little upset at Jadyn (when she's doing her 45min and won't go back down to sleep), I just start laughing 'cause I look at her and she's so darn cute.  I just end up kissing her all over her face and hold her real tight to my chest and tell her I love her, even if she's being a little stinker! She looks just like my husband, which is hillarious!!  See, I'm 100% Korean and my husband is your average joe white dude.  Jadyn is very fair, has blue/green eyes and except for the shape of the eyes, you would never guess she's got any Asian in her!  My hubby takes advantage of this as well.  Whenever he gets me ticked, he just looks at me and says "who does this face look like?"  And I just crack up 'cause they really do look so much alike!!

I can't believe your lo doesn't like the Baby Bjorn or even stroller.  You poor thing.  Those Baby Bjorn has saved us when she wouldn't go down for naps!!  I guess your lo just wants to be free and not confined :lol: And to answer your question, no, I don't think they know that we are trying so hard to please them or could care less.  I think they just expect it and know that it's our whole mission to do everything for them.  Hehe, they're right on that one, aren't they? :wink:
I hope that this was just a bad day and the rest of the weekend will be some great days!!!

[Mum to Ella Rose]

ooohhh thank you Kathy!!!!

I so needed to hear some support.  I'm just feeling overwhelmed as a mum tonight.  It's funny, Ella looks just like her dad too... I am fair but dh is really "white".  I am blond with blue eyes and dd has green eyes and black hair and the whitest skin just like her daddy... she seems to have such a crush on him lately too. It's the cutest thing. When he walks into the room she coo's and giggles and hides her face in my shoulder if I'm holding her and then she just looks at him and smiles and kicks her wee legs around! 

Thank you for your support I do really appreciate it. I'm sure tomorrow will be better... I just love her so much and I want her to be happy and content. At least I can take comfort in knowing she knows how much she's loved...I think I like to forget about her reflux too... she is doing so much better with her meds, with solids and since she can sit up but I forget she still hurts and what we are doing is just pain management.  My dh said to me tonight when he got home from work..."maybe her tummy just hurts" and I (embarrasingly so) had to say "oh yeah."  I just want it all to be gone. It's been so much pain and turmoil. She wasn't out of hospitals until after 3 months old and I think I put too much on it. I want her to be okay and I want us to have mummy and me time where we just hang out.. and I forget that she is still a sick girl in some respects...

*sigh*

Thanks again for listening!  I really do appreciate you all sooo very much.

Sharon