looking for Jan/Feb 05 moms to chat...

[Deb_in_oz]

hi - the night feeds i mean are those after DF.  lately Olivia was waking looking for food around 9ish (after going down bet 7-7:30) and then DF around 11pm and then waking 1-2 times between 1 and 5am = taking food every time.  bottles first and then overnight i was breastfeeding.

my child health nurse said yesterday that she does not need all this food and to try to settle her someof the time.  last night when she woke at 9pm (she had great feeds at 4 and 6:30/7pm) we did not rush in and she resettled and Dh did DF around 10:45pm.  i fed her at 2am and then heard her between 4-5:30 resettled herself.  fed her at 6:20 b/c she was crying and was upset.

UNFORTUNATELY it turns out it was more than hunger.  when Dh went to get her up at 730am she was soaking wet from neck down - her nightgown was drenched, swaddle and bedding as well.  she was white as a ghost with yellow tinges, her body temp was very low (around 34 celcius / 94 F). we were freaking out needless to say.  over the next 1/2 hour we had her changed and wrapped and spome colour returned and her temp was up a little.  i finally gave her a bottle which she drank about 120ml.  she then napped for 1 h 30    and is now having a little more.

i probably should have changed her nappy at either 2:30 or 6 am (did not think it was soaked through but i was half asleep myself).  as one must have leaked and caused her clothes to get wet and so on and so forth until she had hypothermia oir something.  :cry:   i feel guilty but she is doing better and i will start checking carefully i nthe night instead of rushing us both back to bed

[two_cuties]

Wow, so many new messages, it's hard to keep up!

Re. solids: we won't be starting until closer to 6 mo. My pediatrician will prob. say to start at her 4 mo. appt., but the AAP says 6 mo. for BF babies.

My dd does really cry when I put her in the crib for sleep, and when I do PU/PD. We've had two occasions in the past 2 weeks where she's actually fallen asleep herself after just fussing for 5 min., but it's definitely not consistent yet.

I changed the wind-down a bit so that she at least no longer cries during that (song in the rocking chair while she sucks on my finger - won't take a paci). So now she doesn't cry right away when I put her down and I'll let her fuss, but go do PU/PD when she cries.

This morning I didn't even have to pick her up at all! But she's still only doing 35-45 min. naps. We even had a 20-min. nap yesterday afternoon.

Anyone else ever have doubts about whether this is the right thing to do when their dc is crying thru PU/PD? Even though dd usually only cries for 5-10 min., it's pretty intense and I go back and forth between thinking this is working and maybe it's not working and not a good thing b/c she's crying.

Tanya

[HeatherC]

Tanya, the pu/pd worked great for me at the onset.  However, now that it's been about 5 weeks since I did that and got her going down easier, it's harder for me to follow through with it.  It's rare that she has a hard time with going to sleep now, but if she does I just sit back down with her and she'll usually resettle that way.  However, after doing this she is to the point of being extremely overtired and her naps are usually only 20 minutes.  Actually, that's not a big difference from the rest of her naps which are only 30 minutes, with an occassional long first nap in the morning.

[two_cuties]

Oops, I wanted to comment on activities and sleepy signs.

For activity we do: gymini, bouncy seat, boppy, go outside (weather permitting) either just in the yard or for a short stroller ride, watch TV (occasionally, but she seems to really like it!). Depending on her mood (and maybe how tired she is), she'll happily sit or lay w/o direct attention for 2-15 min. Of course I intermittently talk or sing to her while she's under the gymini or in the bouncy/boppy. When she's laying flat she loves for me to bicycle her legs. She doesn't much care for tummy-time. When my older dd is at home and awake, a lot of the activity revolves around watching her.

Sleepy signs: she does yawn, but not always; turns away from eye contact; gets quiet; gets fussy; sometimes gets hyper and looks wide awake.

Debra - what part of NY are you from? I grew up about half-way out on Long Island.

[949nikkirn]

hwcampbell,
My experience with making the last feed later so he would sleep longer in the morning didn't work. Somehow it didn't matter what time I put him down he always woke up at the same time. I have heard many times that babies sleep better with an earlier bedtime. We put Trace down at 7pm. I never even had any luck with the dream feeds. After a week of trying them I quit. I just put Trace down early and let him sleep until he was ready to get up which started to be 6:30am-7:30am. At first he was waking up at 4:30 am, but I weaned him off of that too.
I firmly believe in the PU/PD. I just wouldn't want to live any other way. I don't want to be stuck with a prop. My pedi said that it's okay to let your baby cry for 5 minutes for every month they are born without reassurance. So, with our 3 month old we could let him cry 15 minutes before checking on him, but really that's hard. We generally let him cry for 5-10 minutes (depending on the intensity of the cry).

[HeatherC]

Just wanted to share my excitement:  She rolled from tummy to back during tummy-time today!  I couldn't get her to do it again, but it still happened!  I guess she hates tummy-time so much that she found a way out of it.

[949nikkirn]

Oh that is so exciting. I can't wait to experience that too. Congratulations!!! Be sure to get that in the baby book!!!

Nikki
Trace 2-23-05

[Schae]

Well done Kelsey!!  :lol:
Sorry to hear Alex is unwell, how is he today?

Hope everyone is doing okay. I'm feeling really despondent today, had a bad one I guess. Luka was attached to me the entire day, perhaps he's going through a growth spurt?
So, all his naps were 30 to 40 minutes long. And he's STILL not asleep now (it's 10pm) and he had his bath at 6.30pm. My dh is getting him off to sleep. We tried: bf-ing to sleep, rocking to sleep, pat/shh and none of it works. There goes my theory that I'll forget all about BW techniques.  :roll:

We're going to start afresh tomorrow. I think we might even give pu/pd a try. He doesn't go down quietly, starts crying during the wind down (I have no idea why).. but we'll try.
Wish me luck! 

Hope everyone has/had a fabulous night.

[HeatherC]

Schae, sorry to hear about your troubles.  I know that it is so frustrating when they won't sleep.
Kelsey had her 4 mo check up today.  She is 10 lbs, 15.5 oz and 23 1/4 inches.  She's a tiny girl.  Her ped is not satisfied with her weight, even though she gains a pound each month.  She wants me to supp each bf with formula, but I've considered switching to formula entirely except for maybe one or two feedings.  How much do your lo's weigh?

[Deb_in_oz]

we are having a hellish day - olivia has been up since 7:20am (now 1:20pm) and has only had 1 x 45 min nap and it took the breast to achieve that   :evil:  i am so upset i have spent most of the day crying, screaming, banging things, etc and feeling very low. i am so sick of trying to get everything "just right" in order to settle her easily for sleep.

why can she go straight down and settle herself sometimes and other days it is as if she is taunting me - "what? you want me to sleep?  i don't think so lady!!" i feel sick with exhaustion and ill from not eating enough - so far had half a bowl of oatmeal. i am just finding it so hard!

i am trying to find the good in the "not AS terrible" days, but can honestly say there are too many stressful days that i find i cannot enjoy myself. i am busy from the second i open my eyes in the morning until after dinner.

Positives: when she is rested Olivia is very friendly, happy and smiley.  she really engages you and "talks", she rarely cries, she likes tummy time and has rolled over since 7 weeks old (dd1 started at 5 weeks - they were both born with enormous strength in upper body and head control from early days) so i do know the joy of watching her do something great 

i am going to see ablout getting blackout curtain material fro her room (and dd1 who seems to be risisting her nap now too - probably too bright in her room too).  since we rent i am stuck with the curtains in the room (rigged up with some strange system) but maybe i can use double sided velcro tape to get it up there.

sorry to rant - vent but i am seriously at the end of my rope today.

Tanya - i am from Brooklyn originally and went to school in Manhattan.  i was wondering where you are in MA as i graduated from Mount Holyoke in South Hadley MA. where in LI did you grow up?

Heather - Olivia is huge especially since starting the formula (but my breast milk was potent too). she is 15 pounds already! :oops:

[Leah's Mom]

Oh my! It took me like 10 minutes to catch up on all the chat! It's been awhile! Busy times. I teach and tomorrow is our last day with kids! Then I stay at home for the summer! Yah!!!!!

Oh Debra! Fear not! Leah was almost 16 pounds at her 4 month checkup!!! YIKES! Doc said she is healthy though, so no worries! I feel for you about sleep. I wanted to try putting DD on her tummy for a nap becuase I am willing to try anything to get her to sleep better. But of course since I wanted to try this, she WILL NOT take a nap in her crib for me! Some days are easier than others. Some days I have no choice but to let her sleep in her baby papasan swing - her first love! I know it is not BW to sleep in a swing, but some days I have no choice!

Heather - I thought the DF was disturbing Leah's sleep so two nights ago I didn't do it and she woke at 11:30!!, Then 12:30 and so on.

I see we are all having alot of sleep problems. I wonder if it is a combo of spirited babies and their age. Someday we will look back on these posts and laugh - hopefully!

I posted a question on the PU/PD board today. i think I need to try this with DD as she woke three times last night  just to see me, I think. How do you do this with a spirited child? I tried last night and she just got more and more hyper. It was like she was ready to start the day at 3am! It is like she doesn't fall back into a deep sleep after her first night waking. She was up for the day today at 5:15! I just couldn't get her to sleep any longer and she has blackout curtains!!! Oh dear! Any advice on PU/PD would be great!

[Leah's Mom]

Deb-
I was just reading your posts about spirited babies in the EASY forum. Very interesting! How do you still swaddle Olivia? We used to use the miracle blanket, but she outgrew it. Does Olivia use a paci? I am wondering if Leah is becoming addicted.....

[Lizzie]

Hi everyone!

Deb - Sorry to hear about your hellish day. I find it hard coping with one let alone two, I don't know how people do it!
Schae-
Alex seems alot better thanks, though not eating as much still but will bring it up with my HV next wk when he gets weighed. Unfortunately this illness has seriously disrupted his sleep (& mine!) just when I thought we were getting somewhere!

How much/often do your LO's eat??

I have also taken away the dummy today & started PU/PD to see how he gets on - will keep you posted.

Heather - Can't wait for my LO to roll over. Did you do anything to encourage it. He seems to hate tummy time just eats his hands & then cries after a few mins!

My peace has been broken as LO has just woken up - better go! He made it to a huge 30 mins..

[HeatherC]

Lizzie-I had just put her on her tummy, which she hates, and she cranked her head back, pushed her arms up, and rolled.  I guess she's found a way out of tummy time!
She eats 6 times a day, but I'm going to go down to 5x as she seems ready to space her meals out, and I'm going to be giving her cereal 2x a day (just a few spoonfuls).  Also, I don't feel that my milk supply is what it used to be, and I have been supplementing with formula more and more (up to 6-8 oz a day).  I have replaced one bf for a formula bottle at the meal when my supply is the lowest.  Anyone else doing a combo of bf and formula feeding?

[Leah's Mom]

I formula feed. I had complications after delivery, so DD and I were apart for the first two days of her little life! She wouldn't attach after two days on the bottle. Anyway. Leah eats every three hours
6,9,noon,3,6 and Dream Feed at 10. (Sometimes she feeds in the night, but last night only took 2 ounces at 3:30.) She takes anywhere between 3-5 ounces at each feeding. I would also like to try and move her to a four hour routine with cereal. Doc said start cereal at 4 months - she's a big girl!
Heather - when do you plan on giving her cereal? What do you think your schedule will look like with cereal? This is what I am thinking. Since I am home for the summer, I hope to get her to sleep till 6:30 at least!!
6:30 - Wake and Bottle
8 - Cereal
8:30-10:30 - Nap (Not so sure about these two hour naps with the four hour schedule - pretty sure we won't accomplish them!)
10:30 - Bottle
12:30-2:30 - Nap
2:30 - Bottle
4:00 - Cereal?
4:30-5:15 - Catnap in stroller
5:30 - Cereal ?
6:30 - Bottle
6:50 - Bath and Bed by 7:15

Not so sure when to put the last cereal feeding in at 4 or at 5:30. This just makes me laugh though because there is no way she will follow this schedule, I highly doubt I will get two hour naps out of her and I'm not sure if she is ready to stay awake for 2 hours during the day. But, I am going to take a week and try this. We'll see. I think I will start next Monday.