My 7 week old DS (first time I've typed that!) seems to be touchy as far as sleep and feeding go, but not an incessant crier thankfully!: I've been resisting this as his big sis (now 18mo) is textbook with just a few touchy tendencies. He seems to be so different (or maybe I just can't remember)
3 things I would love help with:
1. he's still doing mostly 3.5 hours at night with the occasional 5 hour gap when we've had a napless evening. but I'd rather he did the naps and the sleeping! I wonder if this is because it's a struggle to get him to feed well during the day (schedule below)?
2. He sleeps well in the morning but it's like a switch flips at about 2 and he's all over the place, I cna spend 45 minutes settling him and still just get 20 min spells of restless sleep with bouts of crying. he settles himself but it's a horrilbe afternoon for him, and then come the evening sleep he's too wired to do it properly. bedtime is very touch and go. Sometimes he spends whole "naps" awake but in his basket not crying just fidgetting and swallowing air and getting more and more wired and windy, i don't seem to be able to settle him and there's no hope with the dummy.
3. I have trouble reading his sleep signals: any tips? not a big yawner except when he's just woken up (or is his A time really that short!?) Several times I have seen the switch flip and his eyes pop wide open, his back arch etc and there was no sign of sleepiness before! once we're at that point it can even be a day before he settles again, if we're not at home.
right from the start I have done EASY, and been very wary of overstimulation. he's never even been on his baby gym! usually I just hold him quietly for his A time, apart from the feed, nappy change and wind down. anything else ~(especially afternoons) he becomes wired: arched back, wide eyes, twitchy arms and legs, jolts at the slightest sound. I can get away with more in the mornings. He's had a weird start with my sisters wedding and things, but we've been at home nearly a solid fortnight now.
Schedule: 3rh easy
730 E:top up feed (sometimes pathetic)
A: sit on my lap and be burped (takes in gallons of air) followed by nappy change
810: S will often not even need a wind down, falls asleep as I swaddle him.
We usually go out with DD in the mornings around 10ish but he sleeps right through that: he's in a carry cot so doesn't need to wake up.
1030: E usually a better feed
A: we're usually at a group and he copes remarkably well!
11: S in the carry cot/buggy. It's a phil and teds double so I can make it really dark. he sleeps wonderfully! I sometimes need to rock him int he buggy while I give DD lunch: she's got a sep anx prob at the moment so putting him upstairs for this nap really wasn't working while she had lunch.
1.30 E sometimes totally pathetic feed. lots of air swallowing and generally difficult to get him to latch on, relax and eat steadily.
A: sitting quietly in my arms, nappy change. not even DD around to stimulate him!
2-230 (I've tried different lengths of A time up to 1 hour) S: usually cries once swaddled, then may have to do 30 mins pat shhh and still he's restless. today I watched him, and hes wriggling away in his swaddle. sometimes he goes to sleep, then jolts awake and no amount of pat shhing helps. in the end today I left him after 30 mins of above and he had a little cry and then slept! but I've done that before and had to keep going back in. Either way, I never get a solid sleep off him at this time!
4/430 E: depending on how nap has gone
A as above
5pm: S: this one almost never works. if I'm alone with DD I give him the dummy. he nearly gets to sleep then spits it out. so I have to keep going in. Shes' up at this time and usualy grumpy so I don't have the flexibility to pat shhh for ages. even when I have done I have the same 20 mins of sleep at a time problem, no matter how long I stay there! I usually manage to get a half hour of sleep off him at this time of day in the end
6/6.30 depedning on nap: E (usually just a small feed) before bath, then
7pm feed and bedtime, usually feeds on and off for half hour, wind down etc then finally get him to bed for 730.
1030ish DF: a good relaxed full feed, always.
anytime between 1 and 3 first night feed, enthusiastic, well latched on, relaxed, takes a full feed!
sometimes has 2 more, sometimes makes it to 6 ish without one. Often doesnt settle for ages after this last feed of the night, sometimes only just going back to sleep before I wake him at 730. He's pretty much always asleep at 730 though!
Lastly: I should say that when he's all tense and wired he gets windy and doesn't poo (TMI!) but sometimes in the night after one of those days once he's relaxed you hear his tummy gurgling and finallly you see him poo and burp and then fully relax when it's comfortable! anythign I can do to help prevent this cycle?
I think that describes him! I'll paste this in touchy forum too, I am really desperate to get him to sleep!
I so thought I had BW sorted, after learnign the ropes with DD who I have worked really hard with and boy has it paid off! he just mystifies me I don't know where to start- help!
thanks
Laura
