Support for Mum's of LO's 16-19months with sleep issues

[kirsty_167]

Kirsty - any luck on the reflux front? I really think a PPI is crucial in his case - have they ever considered an endoscopy to make sure he doesn't have esophageal irritation or a haitial hernia or something?
.

I cant get a dr appointment till MONday!!! My dr is away and they said i need to stay with the same one!! WT??? As for the testing, i asked and asked and was told it was an unneccesary procedure for Jakob.......see what im up against.I seem to have done nothing but battle with doctors since he was born and they said he had colic....not reflux.....YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!!! GGGGRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

But i am going to push and push until i either get somewhere or they relent just to shut me up....i dont care which but it cant go on like this!!

Last night we had 2 NW's one at 9.30pm and one at 5am.He actually only cried  a little bit but not a cry that said "mummy i need you", more a "damn it im awake..." he sort of just cried out loud once then settled down and just quietly sobbed (sad but at least he wasnt screamng madly like usual). I stood by his door ready to go in but it didnt escalate.....yippee!!  I figured that unless he was calling for me I would let him resettle...and he did SHOCK HORROR A miracle has occurred lol!!

So i am thinking that he is slowly relearning to resettle himself which is great.Im not going to get too excited as it may be different tonight....i would like to think that in time if he wakes he wont even cry? Now there's a dream!!


Take care all
Kirstyx

[Mom to M&M]

Sorry to hear that with the doctors but glad last night was better and my fingers are crossed that it continues to improve. How is the new diet going? Maybe that is starting to help Jakob feel better (which in turn may help control his reflux)?

[daisymelan]

Karen, we do have a humidifier in his room.  It is usually loud enough to block out most noise.  We also use a wave sound for him to fall asleep. 

Kirsty, maybe I was using my telepathic skills to tell you that the NW were going to get better.  LOL  That's great news!

[Mom to M&M]

But does the wave sound end after a certain amount of time? If so, maybe he's waking looking for it to soothe him back? Can he turn it on himself?

[daisymelan]

Hmmm, it does cut out after about 20 minutes.  He could turn it on himself if he wanted, but he usually just throws it on the ground, along with all his blankets, his monkey and pillow.  LOL

[aidenmc]

I think I have finally figured out the pattern and the problem. I wonder if any of this will sound familiar to any of you. I will try to be brief.

Aiden started out as cute but gassy baby. Then he developed reflux and a generally sensitive tummy. He was on meds for reflux till about a year. We tried all sorts of things to help including keeping him off a bunch of foods. At that point a GI specialist said he was fine and we could try to get him off the meds. We did that and he was a little better. In the meantime we had fallen into some serious AP and his sleep was poor. I always felt, though, that his problem wasn't all that he was being nursed to sleep. Well, using gradual withdrawal we got him to the point of being a good sleeper - for about a week! Then the NW,s early mornings etc. all started again. Two things happened. He started back at daycare after the holidays and had a major case of SA and he cut another tooth.

His tummy gets bad with teething (which started at about 4 months). He gets very gassy and now I am convinced that the reflux acts up. Today, at naptime I was convinced it would go well. He was happy to go into his crib and I was able to stand andignore him (a big step lately). THen gradually he became more agitated. Bum went inthe air. He rolled and rolled and could not fall asleep. I rubbed his back a little and he passed some gas and had a big burp - well a spitup really. He was very unhappy about that. He popped up and wanted out. I gave him water and offered to rub his back. He woke after 1.5 hrs and it was sudden. He was still tired but nothing would get him back down (although he wasn't trying to get out either). He was just in pain, rubbing his mouth, passing gas. After about 35 minutes I got him up and asked him wherethe ouchy was. He pointed to his mouth. ANother tooth is coming. It is so nice that he can tell me.

So...that is one thing. THe other is the pattern of sleep problems that I think start with pain/discomfort/illness. THen he becomes overtired and has a harder time falling asleep and pops out of deep sleep very suddenly and wakes early -all perpetuating the overtiredness. Also, because he is up so much, we assist more and he gets used to it. It takes weeks to get back to sleeping independently and well, then another tooth pops out.

Thankfully we have the current tooth and the last eye tooth to go before the2-year molars - oh joy.

Does any of this sound familiar to any of you moms?

About white noise - I swear by it. I have read about so many babies being woken by household things. Thank goodness we don't have to deal with that. We keep it on all night and did for ds #1 as well. The nice thing is that you can make it louder when you are expecting more noise in the house!

Good luck tonight everyone! Aiden has received every tooth and tummy remedy known to man tonight as we are actually going out for once. Fingers crossed he doesn't wake before we return!

[vuhoo]

Well it seems we've had MAJOR regression with our LO sleep schedule.  We were doing well with the early wakings, moving it to 4:30am - 5:30am to 6:00am - 7:00am.  Naptime was still an issue though.  We drove (11hrs) to visit my in-laws for a long weekend.  With all the excitement and busy schedule, our LO constantly went to bed later (8:00pm) than his usual bedtime.  Since we were still working on the sleep training, the late bedtime started the snowball effect downhill fast.  His naps continued to be 30-40mins and he started to wake earlier (5:30am) and earlier (4:15am) and earlier (12am AND 3am AND 4am).  Because my in-laws can't stand to hear him cry at all, my DH and I made the mistake of staying in his room and even sleeping on the floor when our LO woke up early.  We weren't consistent with our technique - WI/WO and gradual withdrawal so after a few minutes of crying, we would take him out of the crib. I truely believed this confused our LO because he didn't know if we were leaving or staying.  Now the only way to settle him is to take him out of his crib, which is what we want to avoid especially if it's 2am.

My DH and I haven't been aligned with what we need to do for our LO so this has been causing some friction and stress.  He tends to change things around often depending on how our LO is acting.  I want to make a decision on a plan and stick with it regardless so that we're consistent.  So tonight, we decided to come to an agreement with what we need to do and work together as a team.

I know our poor LO is extremely overtired.  Our LO goes down fine for naps and bedtime but he just doesn't sleep as long as he needs to.  We've decided to do the WI / WO, early bedtime (6:30pm - 7pm) and early nap (12pm).  I found that if I put him down any earlier for his nap, he'll fight it or will wake up too early.  We've determined to stick with one nap because my LO does not take a second nap unless he's in the car.  I hope we're doing the right thing  .  The crying is unbearable.  I know it's going to take awhile for our LO to catch up on his sleep.

Wish us luck tonight.  Tonight is my turn, my DH is bunking on the couch tonight so he can get some sleep.  I guess it doesn't make sense for both of us to be sleepless zombies.

[daisymelan]

So...that is one thing. THe other is the pattern of sleep problems that I think start with pain/discomfort/illness. THen he becomes overtired and has a harder time falling asleep and pops out of deep sleep very suddenly and wakes early -all perpetuating the overtiredness. Also, because he is up so much, we assist more and he gets used to it. It takes weeks to get back to sleeping independently and well, then another tooth pops out.

This sure sounds like it Becky.  But I have never had to deal with refulx or any serious medical conditions this late in the game.  But I'm also wondering if we're dealing with teething over here as well....  I hope you have a nice night out and come home to a sleeping baby. 

Good luck Vuhoo tonight.  I think it's a great idea that you and dh are now working as a team to get this sorted out. 

[binxyboo]

Can I join in???

We had a nice routine going for a few months, now it seems to be different everyday. Some days a short nap (1 hr or less) and a longer night. Other days a longer nap and then night time is shorter. I can't complain too much because he seems to be getting a good total amount of sleep most days, and seems to be doing okay, some fussiness and frustrations at times, I don't think it's necessarily related to his sleep though. I kind of like when the nap is about 1.5 hours as opposed to longer, although I do find the evening kind of rushed though, trying to fit in dinner, bath etc and get him to bed at a decent time.

In one way, I will be glad when he is older and doesn't nap anymore, one less thing to stress about!

[*Natasha*]

Dito to the nap Michelle. Could the short naps be teeth related? Catherine did 1.5hr nap yesterday(usually 2.15-2.5hrs) and refused bedtime again just after we got it sorted out. Her cry was a real pain cry and when i asked her if she needed pain relief she said yes. She settled soon after giving her this.

[binxyboo]

I am sure teething plays a role, 4 eye teeth are piercing through, and I do medicate him before nap and bedtime. 99% of the time when he wakes early from naps , he is ready to play etc., and then goes to bed earlier like a dream. 1% of the time, he will wake early, be fussy and I can't help him at all, and he is on the crankier side until bedtime.

[TDR'smom]

In one way, I will be glad when he is older and doesn't nap anymore, one less thing to stress about!

   

Michelle, In a few years you will be regretting you said this!      Just kidding.  As long as he is still getting a decent amount of sleep, THAT IS GOOD! 

Tyler is pulling at my leg...gotta go and will post more later.

[Colesmom]

So...that is one thing. THe other is the pattern of sleep problems that I think start with pain/discomfort/illness. THen he becomes overtired and has a harder time falling asleep and pops out of deep sleep very suddenly and wakes early -all perpetuating the overtiredness. Also, because he is up so much, we assist more and he gets used to it. It takes weeks to get back to sleeping independently and well, then another tooth pops out.

100% agreed!  I think my DS is very sensitive to teething.  I haven't had to deal with reflux, or other medical issues, but I really do think he's been teething almost his whole little life!

anyhoo, hugs to everyone...I pop on now and again, but not much time to post. 

from a tired and frustrated mommy of a toddler who has slept through only a handful of times...

[TDR'smom]

from a tired and frustrated mommy of a toddler who has slept through only a handful of times...

(((HUGS))))

[binxyboo]

In one way, I will be glad when he is older and doesn't nap anymore, one less thing to stress about!

  

Michelle, In a few years you will be regretting you said this!     Just kidding.  As long as he is still getting a decent amount of sleep, THAT IS GOOD! 

LOL, If you see me here in a years time complaining about no nap, pull this quote up for me!