Hi, apologies for the long post but here goes:
My main problem is that although I've been using the shush pat method to get my little one to sleep he can't seem to make it all the way. Last night I was there for two hours and although he'd get really relaxed and spend about 5 mins looking like it was going to work he will suddenly just gasp or let out a single cry and wake up. I realise it's important to carry on the shush pat until he is properly asleep but he just never seems to get there before i even have a chance to slow down and stop. Once he does get to sleep he only sleeps for one cycle.
Please help as I'm hardly getting any sleep anymore.
How old is your child? 11weeks
What’s his/her daily routine? We've been following the 4 hour EASY for about a month now. He feeds 9.30am, 1.30, 5.30, 8.30 bath then another feed then down to sleep and only needs to feed once during the night. It was at 4am-ish but has gradually been moving towards 6am.
What’s nap routine? He generally sleeps at 11.15 , 3.15 and 7.15
How long are naps? about 45 mins then he'll wake up again and need settling again, sometimes it works but sometimes it doesn't and he'll stay unsettled until his next feed. Occasionally he'll sleep through and will need waking for his next feed or wake up for it.
What's bedtime routine? Time? I feed him 8.30-9.20 then bath him and then feed him again til about 10.20. By then he normally falls asleep before I've gotten him into his crib. This is the only time that he will regularly sleep for more than just 40 mins.
Do you bottle or breastfed?? Breast
How much? or how long? About 40 - 50 mins
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed) Just the one side as he was very gassy.
How many wakes per night? Lots. Used to be 2 or 3, at the moment it feels like 15-20!
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? It starts off he just wakes a little then he starts to make noises and moves his head around a lot. He starts to grumble a bit then cry. Settling him back down takes hours as he just can't seem to reach deep sleep.
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? He's properly crying before i move. When I hear him I sometimes try to shoosh which settles him a little but he still can't seem to get back to sleep.
What have you tried to settle?? Put his dummy back in cos it helps to soothe him (once he's relaxed he doesn't mind it falling out again and can fall asleep without it) I use the shush pat method and have also tried just placing my hand on him so he knows I'm there. Both work well to relax him.
What do you do for A time and how long is it? Put him on the activity mat for a kick about, put him in the bouncy chair to look at his things hanging from the bar, chat to him, listen to childrens songs, door bouncer. Obviously not all at once! Generally i do just one activity with him and then put him in his chair towards the end as it's a bit calmer. Normally lasts about 40mins - 1hr.
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones? Not sure if it might be a growth spurt but if anything he seems slightly less interested in food not more.
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months) no
Do they have a prop? If so what is it? Dummy? Just for soothing, not falling asleep.
Do they have a lovie?
I should also say:
He's been on a 4 hour routine since birth as he used to take anything up to 90 mins for a feed (constant not on and off!) He also suffered very badly from farting wind which used to always disturb his sleep and would take hours of massage etc to get rid of. At night he used to go down and sleep about 2-3 hours then wake most nights crying and scrunched up trying to fart. The only way i found to get any sleep was to bring him into bed with me where he would get relaxed enough so that he could go back to sleep. It wasn't ideal but til he got to 12 weeks and better able to deal with it there was just no point trying to settle him in his crib as he was in too much pain. However, the last 3 nights I've had this problem he won't even settle in bed with me, he's just very fussy, lots of movement all over the place even though he's well swaddled. Covering his eyes helps but even when he relaxes he doesn't get beyond 5 mins and we then have to carry on till he gets relaxed again but before i can stop he's awake again. I realised though that it's not wind any more and something else is at issue. It's been exactly the same for the last 3 nights. Lastly i should say the longest he's ever gone at night in one go is about 3 hours. Please help me!
A very tired Emma and Luca