So in preparation to make some gentle sleep changes (as the book says) we are supposed to log Eirik's sleep for 3 nights. This is so we get an idea of where we are now and so after trying some different methods to get him to sleep better we can evaluate where we are in about 2 weeks. So here ladies and gentleman is a typical day and night in our house...
6am - wake up
9:15 - 9:40 morning nap
12:15 - 2:20 - afternoon nap
5:10 - 5:40 - evening nap
6:20 - bath time
6:40 - 8:15 - Nurse, rock, cuddle, pat back, place in crib awake, wait 5 minutes till he starts fussing, go in, pat back, rock, gentle shushing, put in crib awake... repeat until he falls asleep.
9:50 - 10 - first wake up. nursed back to sleep
12:05 - 12:10 - second wake up, nursed back to sleep
1:05 - 1:10 - third wake up, nursed back to sleep
2:00 - 2:05 - fourth wake up, nursed back to sleep
2:45 - 2:50 - fifth wake up, nursed back to sleep
3:15 - 3:20 - sixth wake up, nursed back to sleep
4:20 - 4:30 - seventh wake up. nursed back to sleep
5:50 - 5:55 - eighth wake up, nursed back to sleep
he has possibly been awake since about 6:15 unless my husband got him back to sleep... not sure yet...
So, in other words, he is waking up 8 times a night and the longest stretch of sleep was 2 hours. I have to add here I went to bed after the 9:50 feeding.
So, there you have it! That's actually pretty typical... sometimes we probably do a few less... but i'd say that this has been his pattern for quite a while now. I have been trying other methods to get him back to sleep but nothing works... he gets absolutely hysterical if i don't nurse him. And I don't grab him the second he makes a noise... no, i give him a few moments to fall back asleep because sometimes I know he's just getting comfortable. No, these wake ups are actual "I'm really awake" wake ups. Two more days of logging sleep and then we make some changes. I'm really hoping something works soon because this sleep deprivation is really starting to wear on me!
WOW that is a lot of wakeups! I don't see how you have done it for so long. I was searching for a solution at 5 months. Did you mention what book you were using? I know Healthy Sleep Habits: Happy Child has been a life saver for us. It worked like a charm and I then gave the book to my neighbor and it worked for her baby too!
ReplyDeleteWow girl, you are a warrior for being able to deal with this schedule! Hopefully some of the gentle changes help and you can log some zzz's soon =)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. I can't believe you have been dealing with nights like these for so long! I would have gone absolutely bonkers- kudos to you for managing so well:) I also really enjoyed HSHHC and hope the book you got (no-cry sleep solution I believe) works well for you!
ReplyDeleteEmma, I wanted to tell you that we were in the exact same position with one exception. I wasn't nursing. Our son would wake up every 45 minutes all night long like it was his job. I know you said you decided to do the "No Cry Sleep Solution" but if you're open to other things I'd be glad to share ours with you. For us, it took one night and from then on he's been a really good sleeper. (I just read the above comment about the Healthy Sleep Habits: Happy Child book & it worked like a charm for us!) I was exhausted from just looking at your regular night & remember all too well how the fatigue felt. Best of luck to you! It WILL get better!!!!
ReplyDeleteWow that is crazy! If I were you I would NOT have made it this long waking up every hour over night. Hopefully you'll be able to improve things so that he'll sleep longer stretches at night! Wowza.
ReplyDeleteAww... thank you to everyone for all your support! Not all nights are quiet that bad... but I am getting up at LEAST 3 times a night... thats on a REALLY good night. I'll have to look in to the healthy sleep habits: happy child book and read through it!
ReplyDeleteAw, Emma, you're such a trooper. I thought we had it tough with Finn sometimes waking up 4 times a night, and my husband taking 1-2 of the feedings. I have faith that with your dedication, and with Eirik's adjusting, things will get better soon!
ReplyDeleteGood luck Emma! I'm getting ready to go to the used book store and pick up some books on sleeping too. Hopefully we'll both have much better sleepers soon! :)
ReplyDeleteAw..Emma, that's rough! I've been grumpily complaining about my little one's 2-3 wakings a night. I sure hope Eirik can get a good night's sleep with the gentle changes. I too really liked Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. Good luck!
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