Last night was rough. One of the roughest we've had since Eliza blessed our lives. I have to keep on reminding myself that the lack of sleep is somewhat temporary...hopefully.
The Amby Bed has been revolutionary in that she sleeps alone FINALLY. I can do errands during the day, and she doesn't constantly need to be held. The catch is...she ONLY sleeps during the day. We bounce her for a bit and she gradually falls asleep. However, nighttime is a very different story. I nurse, I rock, I sing, I bounce, I cry, I pray...and nothing; She is awake.
She literally slept all day yesterday. It was miraculous. At 1 AM though, she was awake. By 5 AM, I was so deliriously tired, I physically couldn't rock her anymore. I woke up Nathan who took over for the next hour or so while I watched helplessly. Nothing. At 11 AM, she went to sleep.
I woke up at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Gross. I cooked lunch and put dinner in the crock pot. That is seriously all I have the energy to do, which is NOT like me.
With this schedule, it is sometimes hard to eat enough. Goodness knows, I am trying though- for Eliza's sake at least. Although I have asked for suggestions, does anyone have any ideas what I might do to help Eliza? To help Nathan and myself? Zombie parenting really takes the joy out of most days, so I am deliberately trying to be more patient and understanding. I just really miss sleep and days when I showered consistently. Disgusting, right?
Survivor stories of sleepless nights with little ones would be appreciated. I think it would reassure me that people DO make it through rough spots of parenting. I'm just feeling a little deflated these days.
London: A Year in Review
3 months ago
hey girl! i'm sorry you had a rough night. so here's what i've been doing to help parker sleep at night for me. it sounds like eliza has her days and nights mixed up, which is totally common when they are young. you should start by helping her reverse it so she'll sleep for you at night instead of during the day. so what i did to help parker sleep at night is start a bed time routine. i would give him a bath, change his diaper, change him into his pjs, and then nurse him and rock him for a bit. we have lullaby music that we play for him only at night, so once he was calm and ready to sleep i put the music on and lay him in his bed. usually he will fall asleep and sleep for about 5-6 hours straight. then when he does wake up to eat, i get him and nurse him in the bed and put him back down once he's finished. i don't change his diaper unless is sopping wet or poopy because it wakes him up. i wait until he wakes up for his second feeding, usually around 7 or 8 in the morn, to change him. then once it's time to wake up and start our day, i put him in his outfit and keep the lights on and help him wake up. so you could try a routine at night and see how eliza likes it. also lullaby music might help soothe her and calm her down. also, parker loves being on his tummy. i dont let him sleep on his tummy at night but sometimes he will take naps on his tummy during the day on his tummy time mat. every time he is fussy and his basic needs have been met, i lay him on his tummy and it almost always calms him and helps him fall asleep. if eliza likes laying on her tummy you could try that too and once shes asleep transfer her to her crib or wherever she sleeps. sorry this is so long! i hope this helps you! being a mom esp in the first few months is rough, but i know it will get better! eliza's adorable. just keep hanging in there!!!
ReplyDeleteHang in there i am sorry! I remember when Jackie was a baby night after night driving around at 1,2,3am hoping she would fall asleep! Nothing seemed to work! But she eventually grew out of it and got her scheduel somewhat right (about 3 months and when we got the Amby) by that i mean she went to bed at 1 or 2 am and slept until noon. Today i still can not get her to bed before 11 and she is 2!
ReplyDeleteGet your sleep when you can during the day you need your rest!
as for something to try make sure when she sleeps during the day you keep lights on and keep noise present! Dont let her sleep too long and try to keep her up (i know she might be screaming!) but really she needs to reverse her nights and days! At night do the samething everytime you put her downdont change her unless its really bad. Abby loves her mobile i think she just likes the music so maybe some soft music??
ReplyDeleteCelia. Bless your heart. I wish i could help you! Really, i would just take Eliza for the day! One idea, you may have tried it, is just don't let her sleep all day. she has to sleep...eventually. and keep her up more during the day so that she will sleep at night. WE had to do it with Hayden a little bit at first and it worked. I know it's your sanity to sleep during the day and it would probably be a bad day or week, but i think in the end it should work (that is what it's supposed to do). And have you gone to the doctor? If not, you should. Then again, they will just say "it's a phase" not what you want to hear when you don't sleep!
ReplyDeleteAnd i am so glad that we have reconnected too! I have always loved you so much. And yes, pitocin is MISERABLE. I didn't get an epidural (but then again i didn't deliver) so hopefully i can endure next time!
oh, so i have also been googling, and a few things i never thought of (though have heard)... white noise is supposed to work wonders. Hayden actually prefers "shhhh" to singing. Odd. But true. http://www.colic-baby-bootcamp.com/baby-sleep.php
ReplyDeletehave you tried infant massage? http://fussybabyrelief.com/blog/2009/09/infant-massage-instruction/
Have you tried cosleeping? i know sometimes when Hayden won't sleep we take him into our bed and i sleep on my side with my arm over him so he can't roll over (and it's comforting) of course Eliza can't roll yet... but he seems to like being by mom and dad. And then you could move her to the Amby if she fell asleep.
I am sure you have tried everything. Just trying to rack my brain for solutions! Love you and i will be praying for y'alL!
so out insurance has a welcome baby program...any way a nurse came to our house to see how we are any way they showed me a video happeist baby on the block and it made me think of you! its all about calming our baby and easy ways to do it! they work on Abby it amazes me! http://www.happiestbaby.com/book-dvd-excerpts/the-happiest-baby-clips/ here is a link i would check into it its pretty odd but neat! i though yeah right they wont work but we have been using them and WOW they all work!
ReplyDeleteHi~
ReplyDeleteBeing a new parent can be stressful especially when your little one does not want to sleep through the night! There are a few things that you can do that will help immensely to calm & soothe your baby & help her sleep an additional 1-3 hours a night!!
As mentioned by your friends "The Stells!", the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and book work WONDERS for fussy babies. Dr. Harvey Karp highly recommends parents watch the DVD to learn & implemenent the 5 S's which will switch on the "calming reflex" for some much needed rest for Eliza & of course you & your husband!
Your daughter was used to constant movement and sound for 9 months in the womb & it is a huge adjustment for her to be in this "new world" where people try & make as little noise as possible so not to disturb a sleeping baby. They LIKE noise :o)
Dr. Karp stresses the importance of using white noise either in a CD form, sleep sheep or white noise machine. Our "Super-Soothing" Sleep Sounds CD contains 5 tracks of specially engineered white noise to further calm & soothe your little one. The white noise will help create a "buffer" to the outside disturbances she might be experiencing.
By using The Happiest Baby techniques & white noise CD, your daughter will be well on her way to some much needed sleep~ Many parents rave about Dr. Karp & The Happiest Baby -- there are numerous reviews on Amazon that support his amazing work!
For more information please visit our website, www.happiestbaby.com & let us know if you have any questions! We want you & your family to be happy & well rested!!
Kindest regards,
Kristen Terry
The Happiest Baby, Inc.
www.happiestbaby.com
Hi everyone! Thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and support. I will try your suggestions and let you know how it all goes. Thanks again! It is so nice to have so many mothers give their input and advice.
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