MSE Parents Club Part 16

rach

Thanks fuzz and pigpen.

fuzz, we have tried that and it worked in the past but now he just cries everytime i leave the room again. he used to also settle if we put his mobile on but no joy either. i do tend to go straight in but maybe need to leave him a bit.

pigpen - i never thought of him being hungry! he has tea about 5ish, usually eats plenty and has a bf at 6.30 then bed at 7. he settles fine at 7 usually, it's just resettling after the night wakings that's a problem. he's only the last few days stopped waking at 9-10 and going til about midnight. he did take a big bf at midnight last night, seemed to really need it. but then at 4 he didn't really want a feed, and again when we woke up this morning he wouldn't take much. he seems to want to feed back to sleep at night. he had a nap this morning after a bit of a wail (i am better at leaving him in the day when i can easily see him etc). I've just fed him after his nap but again didn't want much..not sure if his 2nd tooth is starting to cut.

side note - how long do teeth take to come once they've cut? one bottom one has cut and can feel a sharp edge a couple of mm above the gum but it doesn't seem to be moving far!

I am meeting sir monster later so will bore her again with my sleep troubles!

pigpen

Squeak has food about 4pm, then 'supper' about 7:30 boob at 8 and bed.. she wakes between 7-8 and has boob then breakfast about 9:30.. after school run.. and will eat 2 weetabix and toast and yohurt and anything else we care to put in her direction! She has boob and a nap about 11-12ish and sleeps until school pick up usually.

Sometimes she eats constantly from 4-7 though.. she'll have her dinner then have rice cakes and cereal bars and fruit and then some of our dinner and then have her supper!

On the odd occasion she gets a bath she has it in the morning.. she gets far too excited to bath her at night! She'd NEVER sleep!

rach

so would you suggest a bit more food just before bath? he's also just getting mobile..rolling all over and desperately trying to crawl. i know there are probably developmental reasons too but for so long i've been saying it's one thing or another but now i think we need to just try and tackle it. I don't expect him to sleep right through if he does need a feed but i'm only getting less than 2 hours at a time and i'm seriously not coping any more

**confuzzled**

Rach have you tried spaced soothing??? I was guilty of the same thing, a little whimper and I was in there like a shot:o read a book (baby secrets by Jo Tantum) that mentioned spaced soothing, followed it and it worked a treat:) I'm not usually one for following books but I was sleep deprived and desperate:)
roughly what you do is when lo starts to cry leave him for 1min and if he doesn't settle go in and settle him by stroking from his forehead to nose or talking to him, but only pick him up as a last resort. once he's settle leave the room whether hes awake or not, next time he cries wait a little longer(1.5min/2mins) and keep doing the same(although I think it's recommended not to go over 15mins), he'll eventually realise you haven't left him and should hopefully sleep:)
If you don't want to do that, if he only cries when you leave the room have you tried sitting in his room out of his eyesight and shushing him when he begins to cry? Done that a few times too on cranky nights;)

Food wise, Lottie has her tea(bottle & food) at 5pm then supper at 6:30pm(baby muesli), then the bedtime routine starts at 7-7.15pm(depending if it's bath night) and its bottle and bed, once she's upstairs though thats where she stays, too much stimulation in our living room for her:)

pigpen

rach wrote: »

so would you suggest a bit more food just before bath? he's also just getting mobile..rolling all over and desperately trying to crawl. i know there are probably developmental reasons too but for so long i've been saying it's one thing or another but now i think we need to just try and tackle it. I don't expect him to sleep right through if he does need a feed but i'm only getting less than 2 hours at a time and i'm seriously not coping any more

It is worth a try... he will refuse it if he doesn't want it.

rach

Thanks pigpen, may try him with some weetabix or something a bit later then. I'm pretty sure he wants to sleep as the cry when he wakes is tired and as if he wants to be back to sleep (my mum and sister picked up on this when they heard him last week).

fuzz - same here, once he's in his room after bath he doesn't come out. I was thinking of trying something like the spaced soothing again, did it before though didn't realise it had a name. we're bang on the separation anxiety stage now too which isn't helping. I do give up quite easily i think as i'm just so tired plus i hate the noise and just want to get back to sleep.

have had some helpful tips from a uni friend whose baby went through the same and have ordered another book (have read a few just need to implement them consistently not just read them lol)

on a different note i'm a bit as i really wanted to do some peer supporter bf training with sir monster but they apparently don't pay travel expenses which means i may not be able to as dh is being difficuly and we're on a tight budget now, it will cost me over a fiver a week to get to the training (9 weeks). Bit annoyed as my background is in volunteer management and it's really unusual not to offer to pay travel expenses.

pigpen

how much do you spend in starbucks? or fewer newspapers? .. they can all be read online.. see.. just a bit of shuffling will cover it surely? It sounds very controlling behaviour.. £5 will not break the bank I'm sure!

CL

Hi Rach. I'm another one who gives my LO supper. She gets dinner at 5-5.30pm and supper (Weetabix or Ready Brek) at 7.30 then changed into PJs and BF and bed by about 8pm. Last night she was ravenous for her supper! She now wakes after 8 hours for a BF, but that is still 4am! But I can handle one feed per night at 24 weeks.

rach

Yes i am sure I can pigpen, I have £100 a month to spend on travel, coffees, clothes, and most of it goes on bits for Leo anyway but it's just a bit beside the point as really it's standard practice with volunteers to reimburse for travel. it's more for the training which is 9 weeks in a row, it won't stop me doing it but it irks me a bit that I'd be spending over 1/5 of my monthly budget on it!

CL you're doing well. I don't even mind a night feed at 7.5 months if he needs it, i'm just not sure he really does...or he wouldn't if he'd feed properly in the day!

wendz86

rach wrote: »

hi wendz. well done on the breastfeeding. It does calm down eventually, promise! Is it that she won't settle after a feed or just wants feeding often?

sir monster - your LO doesn't look like a heffer! he's gorgeous!

Thanks Rach. Is a bit of a mix between her wanting to feed a lot and not settling after sometimes at night. Last night she was awake from about 9 until 1 am and we couldn't get her to sleep.

Sorry to hear you are having your own troubles sleep wise.