EASY day 3 - there is not enough coffee in the world! (long)

[erik's mom]

I don't know how all of you other mom's do it....I just can't get this to work!  My lo is a touchy 11 wk old.  He's been a poor sleeper from the very start.  When he is held he will sleep for 25-30 mins at a time two or 3 times a day.  When I try to lay him in his crib or bassinet he just squirms around for a few minutes (esp when swaddled) then starts to cry uncontrollably.  He's up every 3 hours at night and takes about 45 mins to get back to sleep, even if he's given a bottle.

We've had several attempts at EASY but have never made it past day 3, mostly because I don't have the energy to continue.  I'm so tired and frusterated!!  Husband works long hours so he's gone during day and needs sleep at night. (He means well, but I'd just be dealing with 2 crabby babies then!)

LO eats about 3-4 oz ever 3 hours, including nights.  I try to get him to eat more at a time but he absolutely refuses. Different nipples don't make a difference.

Right now we're trying to stick to Tracy's suggested 3-hour schedule.  We're on day 3 and so far we're nowhere.  I stand at the crib doing shh/pat for the entire 1.5 hour but ds can't stay asleep for more than a few minutes.  I don't think he's overstimulated.  I know I'm not! 

I'm so ready to give up right now!  How do you other moms do it??

[JacobMarksMummy]

Hi!
First of all have a {{{HUG}}} and keep in mind that whatever your going through it's only a phase. Also that it takes up to 1 week to break a habit and although it sounds like every other mum is coping better than you I can assure you we've all been there.  It sounds as though you could do with some extra support, maybe there's a friend or relative who could help you for a few nights.  I struggled for weeks when my DS was your babies age trying on and off by myself to get him to sleep in his cot in the end DH took a weeks holiday to help me and the consistancy of a few days worked.  Dont be afraid to ask for help and although you may feel pressured not let your DH help due to work comitments do talk to him.  My only other advice is to try not to let the situation get ontop of you at the end of the day as long as everyone is fed and clean other things are really umimportant try and enjoy your LO while you can! 

Naomi
X

[Jayri]

okay first piece of advise, you are not alone in this and don't give up.
It took me an entire month for my dd to finally "get" her EASY routine.
Have you tried holding him in your arms while swaddled to do pat/shh.
I found that with starting something new, dd found it comforting to be in my arms to reassure her when going to sleep.I would hold her until she was starting to close her eyes, and then put her down. By that time she would be too tired to fight it anymore. I would do pat/shh if needed when she was in her crib.
Like tracy says the key to it is consistency.
Also what I found is to go with the flow and not watch the clock so much, to me as long as I have it in the right order of things, E then A then S, I am on a roll, anything after that is sheer luck.
HTH, we are here for you if you need us!
Keep up the good work hun, on the dh I know what you mean, my dh is the same, but try to intergrate him when you are home, say weekends, let hime know what the routine is and what your lo's cues are, you never know, you may get some valuable nap time in then!!!
Good Luck...

[Deb_in_oz]

can you post what the past 3 days have looked like (if you have it written down). just wrote out the times for E/A/S noting especially when you put him down for naps/bed and how much he is eating at each feed.  if you have not been writing it down, can you keep a log for the next 3 days as you attempt to implement EASY and we can see if there is anything we can do to improve things.

i will look at the info on touchy babies too (i have had a spirited one and an angel/textbook so am less familiar with touchies).

trust me - we can get this working - he just needs to learn to get to sleep in his own bed and we need to learn how to apply EASY to best suit HIM.

[erik's mom]

you girls are awesome!!  it blows my mind that there are such wonderful people out there who are willing to help!  as soon as i get a chance i will post my schedule...until then you have given me much needed encouragement! 

t h a n k  y o u !

[erik's mom]

i cannot believe it....it's working!! 

i finally figured out that the shh/pat is too stimulating for him.  (if he could i'm sure he'd be saying "hey lady, quit bugging me!")  so we have an extra-long wind-down time before nap and then i just lay him in the crib, put my hand on his face for a few seconds, and he's asleep!  i'm so amazed. 

i feel like the BEST mom in the world right now! i'm going to enjoy this feeling while it lasts. 

thanks for the encouragement and advice!

[momofnewbaby]

Thats great. Stick with it, hear your lo, modify Tracy's methods to suit your lo and they work.

Ofcourse, ladies here are awesome, so pop in anytime you have any questions.

Sumita