Falls asleep, but won't stay asleep.

[sjrmommy]

Since starting EASY, 2 nights ago,the 3 hr schedule,  i have been amazed of the change at night.  My dd, 7 weeks, used to have a meltdown for about 4 hrs each night and wouldn't sleep until around 11p-12a.  the last 2 night have been without meltdown!  the first night she fell asleep on my chest after bath and feeding. she stayed there for about 2 hrs because i was so scared to move her and start the screaming, lol. last night we did the bedtime routine again and she went down around 7pm.  The room is dark, white noise, waves, plays in her room and we keep her swaddled.  So this is what she did last night
7p sleep
730 bf
8p sleep
830 bf
9pm sleep
930bf
slept from about 1030 to  3am, fed for 30 min, then slept till 630am.
How can i keep her from waking?  Even with waking up, this was still a huge improvement from crying all those hours.  She does it during the day too.  wakes after about 45 min in her crib.  i do the patting until she's asleep.  when she wakes i do try to pat/shush her but it doesn't work.  i also notice that she spits some when i lay her down even though she has burped.  maybe a little reflux is whats waking her.  any thoughts?

[Richelle]

HI,

How old is your little one?

Also before we delve into anything here, I am wondering about the BF'ing every hour after she goes to bed?  Is this so that you can get her back to sleep?

Richelle

[sjrmommy]

She will be 8 weeks thursday.  I bf her because she seemed hungry.  But i realized that i was just comfort nursing her.  I really can't do this because i'll be working nights.  So last night i fed hger at 6p, bath at 630p, then fed her again at 7p, then to bed.  Every time she was asleep, she again would be up in a half hour.  sometimes less.  But this time we just picked her up, kept her in the darkened room, then tried again to get her back to sleep.  i fed her again around 10pm, she went down around 11pm.  then up at midnight, fed her, then she slept until 530am.  i was getting frusturated because i could see how tired she was.  somethins she spits up a little so maybe she refluxes and scares herself?  I had been trying to get her to nap in her crib, rather then her swing. maybe she's not resting enough during the day and is overtired at night?  today i'm trying everyother nap in the crib, the others in the swing.
hope someone has some ideas...
chris

[*Nicola*]

Hi Chris

Sounds like things are starting to come together, well done to you both 

At 8 weeks old your lo should only be awake for about an hour at a time.  This includes feeding and an activity eg nappy change.  Any more than this and it is likely that she will get overtired and be more difficult to settle at bedtime.

If she is napping in the swing it is possible that she is using this to help her get to sleep.  This means that when she wakes up in her cot at nigh-time she will be unable to put herself back to sleep.  Also, if you are feeding her to sleep then this will be another strategy she associates with going to sleep.  Hence when she wakes up 30 mins after a bf she is unable to get back to sleep without your help.  This is not a criticism at all, I was in the same place with Ciara!

I would probably start with a couple of things.  Try to introduce a bedtime routine if your lo doesn't already have one.  This could be bathtime, PJ's, milk, cuddle, white noise and bed (for example).  This will keep bedtime distinct from other naps and she will learn that it is time to go to bed for the night!  Also I'd start to work on the feed to sleep association - esp if you will be working nights.  This involves gradually putting her down in her cot more and more awake so that she eventually becomes used to falling asleep in her cot. This will help her get back to sleep independently when she wakes up at night etc.

At 8 weeks she will still probably be up a fair bit for feeding during the night, so don't expect too much of ourselves too soon 

HTH Chris, let us know how you get on and post with your progress x

[Richelle]

Hi,

Nicola has given you some wonderful advice and I just wanted to add that helping your LO to fall asleep indepently in her cot is what is going to stave off the multiple wakings but of course not all wakings as at 8 weeks there is still a need to feed at night.

Do you have either of Tracy's books?

If so there are numerous techniques you can employ to help your LO learn to fall asleep independently.

If you check out the EASY forum there are also lots of sample routines that may be helpful for you to look at.

good luck,

Richelle