I finally got a little time this evening to update the world on all things Isabella. I hadn't made any posts for a while, largely because I wasn't sure if many people were checking the blog anymore. But, I got a few emails about it this week - so I encourage you to post comments when you can, it motivates me to keep you all posted!
The title of this post is SLEEP, because I could really use some. One routine we haven't mastered is the going down for the night and staying down for at least four hours. Last night, Isabella was up every 2 hours - just like a newborn. Meanwhile, all my friends at my postnatal group boast of how their little ones are sleeping through the night like pros. For the record, a baby "sleeps through the night" when they sleep for at least 6 hours straight. I don't think this has ever happened for us - even once. We never used a pacifier for her, which has been great for everyone but me...because I have become the human pacifier. Many times over, we've suspected that she's teething - but she only pulls this routine at bedtime. What to do, what to do?
I've also started Isabella on solids - we're going very slow with this at the moment because she still really loves and needs her milk. But I've heard that solids will help with the whole sleep thing. The only things she's tried so far are baby rice mixed with breastmilk, and mama's homestyle apricot puree. She seems to really like the whole process of getting fed with a spoon. (I'll post token messy baby face photos soon.) All said, may Isabella and I get the sleep with both badly need tonight.
In other news, Isabella is now 5 months old and three weeks. She doesn't sit up by herself yet, but I got her a second-hand Bumbo and she loves the new and unfettered access to her toes. Her toes, by the way, have become her new day-pacifier and she sucks away at them with wild abandon. As ever, she loves spending times rocking herself on our laps, standing with help, and splashing like crazy in the bath. I got her a baby mirror that thrills her to bits. She has also discovered the joys of petting Tracia (who has, in turn, discovered the joy of a new petter). Every day with this little girl is the most amazing experience I've ever had.
7 comments:
Gianna doesn't sleep through the night as most moms describe. She will sleep 6 hours straight when she's not working on a new skill like crawling. I haven't had 6 hours as a chunk for the past week or so. I'm told it gets better so I'll tell you that too but I'm not sure I'm a believer yet..I'm too sleep deprived to believe! LOL.
I totally feel for you because I know EXACTLY what you are going through. Ben didn't sleep through the night (without waking) until I weaned him at 14 mo. I finally weaned him because he was still only sleeping for 3 - 4 hours at a time. Then if he got sick or was teething he'd go back to every 2 hours again. Some of it was his inability to put himself back to sleep on his own. That was also a drawn out process of teaching him to put himself back to sleep instead of passing out on the boob. Hang in there mama! Its a long road but breastfeeding is so worth it! One of my friends said she had some success with having her husband give her daughter a bottle before bedtime. She found the baby would sleep for about 6 hours then. Once Isabella is used to it she might even take a bottle from you! I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Those little seats are so cute. Looks like she likes it!
Maybe the sleeping pattern is a sign of how much energy she'll have as she gets older. Dylann didn't sleep through the night until he was like a year old and he is all energy, but Jack started sleeping through the night at 3 months (8 hour stretches) and he is way more mellow. Who knows. Every two hours, that's rough. Hope you get to take a nap during the day!
what is it about commiseration that makes people feel so much better?
Amanda, when you say "a bottle," do you mean with formula? And out of curiosity, what time would you put Ben to bed? I put Isabella to bed a bit later for the last two nights, after giving her a good meal of solids and she went down without a fight...in all fairness, though, I don't think she realized it was bedtime.
I would try a bottle of expressed breast milk first. We tried formula a couple of times but it didn't seem to make a difference.
I put have been putting Ben to bed at 7 since he was about 6 months. Just recently when he started sleeping through he night and waking up at 6:45 (instead of 5:45!)I let him stay up until 7:30. It works for us and give me some much need asult time before bed.
Sorry to hear about Isabella's night wakings. Do you nurse her in bed when she wakes up or do you sit up in a chair until you can get her back to sleep? I used to get up at 5:20 every morning with my baby until it occurred to me that I could just nurse him in bed while I went back to sleep. On the one hand, I worry about creating habit where he'll cry if he's not sleeping in our bed. But on the other hand, I am a lot more rested! I usually wake back up after a little bit and transfer him back to his co-sleeper, and then settle back in for better sleep.
However, lately, I have been going a little bit crazy about a different sleep problem. It's not that my baby doesn't sleep for long periods, it's just that lately he doesn't GO TO SLEEP without a long session with me as a human pacifier. I'm on the verge of Ferber training, but will wait until next month when we're back from a long vacation. It seems so far away...
You can use google analytics to keep track of your site visits by the way. That helps me stay motivated. I like to see the numbers jump when I post a new update. Here's the site: http://analytics.google.com
You just add a little html code to your blog to make it work. Cheers!
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