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Kellz 
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 Topic: Sleeping through- how to make it happen?!
Posted: 11 June 2009 at 3:30pm |
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I have questions for those of you that have babies who have slept through from an early age -
How did u do it?! Are they fully bf? What feeding 'rountinue' do u try and follow?
I have been wondering a lot about this lately- Isla was a terrible sleeper due to reflux/allergys/eczema and didnt end up sleeping through til 21 months old. Presuming this next baby doesnt have those problems, I would love to know what I can do to make it sleep better than Isla did. Sleep deprivation is a major trigger for depression for me, so I wanna do my best to minimise it, if possible! Of course I dont expect perfect nights from birth, but Isla didnt sleep more than 2 hrs in a row day or night for 9 months,..so I have only seen the worst end of sleep deprivation and am by no means under any illusion to expect unbroken sleep, but I do want longer stretches at night.
This baby will be exclusively bf- cant have any formula due to family allergies.
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Shezamumof3
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Posted: 11 June 2009 at 3:49pm |
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Caden was a good sleeper from birth, but started sleeping right through the night at about 2 months old.
He was breastfed for 4 weeks, during that time woke up every 3 hours for a feed, then we had to switch to formula and he would sleep through from 1am until 7am, then from around 2 months old he would go to bed at 8pm and sleep until 7-7.30am.
I dont know if it was the formula filling him up more or if we were just lucky and had a good sleeper, so I have no idea what this new baby will be like.
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mummyofprinces
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Posted: 11 June 2009 at 4:13pm |
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Jake is bf and last week started sleeping from 10pm - 6am. If he wakes now in the night I settle him without feeding first, last night he wouldnt settle when he woke at 3.30am so I did feed him. That said, we had been out all morning and had not slept well through the day. Personally I think the fact that last week we finally got him sleeping properly through the day (feeding 3-4 hourly and awake for 1-1.5 hours, then cluster feeding in the early evening) is why he is now sleeping through.
Basically I stopped listening to Plunket (who had be waking him every 3 hours to feed as he was only putting on 130gm per week, which I think is just fine!) and started demand feeding again. He put himself into a 3/4 hourly schedule through the day and 2/3 hourly in the early evening.
He has not slept well today so I am expecting him to wake again tonight.
Sleep promotes sleep so they say.
I hope he keeps it up......
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FionaO
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Posted: 11 June 2009 at 4:54pm |
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We have a good sleeper
We did follow a routine (mainly cos I was so clueless) we followed Gina Ford and it worked really well for us. We didn't let him sleep more 3 hours during the day and fed regularly was the main point. It does have routines for BF babies.
We dreamfed up until 5 months too.
Also by a certain point I realised that he didn't need feeding (wasn't that hungry for bottle in morning) so offered water first if he woke and then slowly slowly he just stopped waking at all.
A friend in my ante natal class had a baby who was waking a lot and she just decided to not feed at night, it meant a few painful nights of crying but he now happily does 12 hours.
I personally think after such a rough ride with Isla you deserve the most awesome sleeper going!!
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weegee
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Posted: 11 June 2009 at 5:09pm |
Hey congratulations!!!
I asked this question too, back when I had an angel of an 8 week old who slept through the night (ha! I thought that was it! he changed at 5 months  ). Anyway here's that thread 
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Mum to JJ, 4 July 2008 & Addie, 28 July 2010
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Chickoin
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Posted: 11 June 2009 at 11:03pm |
These babies are all so different.
What we did with Jody was never wake her (unless we needed to, like we were going out etc).
Give her lots of day sleeps, as soon as she showed tired signs.
Fully BF, I also had to make sure I ate HEAPS and drank lots of water.
I don't know if it made a difference but I don't really drink coffee and fizzy drinks.
Except now I am enjoying a rum and coke but Jody's in bed for the night 
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fattartsrock
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Posted: 12 June 2009 at 9:34am |
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Jake was a shocker (and he had formula top ups) and only started sleeping through all the time at christmas time last year, so 3 1/2 !!! Charlotte on the other hand is awesome and has been soince about 5 weeks, she does about 14 hours a night even now!
As a poster above said, sleep begets sleep, and with #2 you tend to recognise sleep cues much easier and earlier, too, so that helps. Also, a word of advice, don't clock feed, but demand feed, cos if baby is hungry and you are saying oh s/he just had a feed an hour ago and isn't due, you will end up with an over hungry and over tired baby, so that causes sleep trouble as well (just learnt that at a course I have just been on...)
Good luck! I am so excited for you!!!
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The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P
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MrsH23
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Posted: 12 June 2009 at 9:52am |
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ever since I found a way to swaddle Ryan so that his arms can't get out, at around 6-7 weeks, he normally sleeps right through, anywhere from 7-8pm til 7-8am. He has a bit of a cold at the moment so I have had to get up during the night to put his dummy back in but he goes straight back to sleep without needing a feed.
I never wake him up for a feed during the day either.
I agree with Chickoin about eating and drinking heaps too, and i also have the tigers brew about once a week or so, especially if I have a busy day, it seems to make Ryan sleep better after having it.
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Lisa mummy to Ryan
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Kellz
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Posted: 12 June 2009 at 10:14am |
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Thanks everyone for your ideas and suggestions.
I think I have to stop thinking about what Isla was like- I dont think I did much wrong but it was the cycle caused by her silent reflux pain that meant she only ever bf for max 3 mins per feed, then wasnt full enough to sleep well, plus was sore as well. She wasnt diagnosed til 5 months, then we had issues with diary allergy etc too.
I ended up being on such a restictive diet, firstly eliminating acidic and acid producing food, then all dairy/ soy/ eggs/fish/nuts, as well as no caffine/alcohol/chocolate, but still with no significant difference in Isla- she was 'better' once she started being medicated for the reflux at 5 months tho.
It still amazes me when I see bf women eating things like chocolate and baby not having any problems,...I can only dream of being able to eat a normalish diet and having a content baby.
Isla was wrapped til 10 months, I mastered how to wrap her really well, and will be doing the same with this baby. We used a dummy for sleep time, but had to get ri of it at about 5 months when I was having to get up 6+ times a night to stick it back in her mouth! The same thing happened with her bottle at about age 14 months, even tho it only had cold water in it, arghh!
We defiantly have more knowledge now and are making steps to hopefully make life a bit easier this time around. Wish we had the money for a nanny!!
Whats tiger brew?
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Maya
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Posted: 12 June 2009 at 1:45pm |
Don't think about what Isla was like, it will only scare you! The gremlins were the demon babies from hell (and are STILL not sleeping thru at 2 1/2  ) and I was terrified of having another baby the same, especially when lil miss started showing reflux symptoms at 3 weeks.
The big difference was that I recognised the symptoms of the reflux immediately coz I'd seen them in the gremlins, and I took her straight to the paed and got her sorted on meds for it. She's still on meds now, which suggests her reflux is worse than theirs was coz they were off meds by 3mths, but is such an awesome baby as long as she has her meds.
She's not the greatest sleeper, she does still wake often during the night, and I was still feeding her at night until after 8 mths, but the difference was that she'd wake up, have a quick feed and then go back to sleep so even tho it meant I had to get up, I was only up 5-10mins max. I made the decision to wean the night feeds at 8 mths and we had a few nights of grizzling but now she pretty much sleeps thru, unless she's unwell.
Having her has been such a healing experience for me and has helped me address a lot of the feelings of failure I had to do with the gremlins as babies, I hope that this next wee bub is the same for you. And if it's not, tell it Isla and the gremlins will sort him/her out for you!
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 Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Maya
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Posted: 12 June 2009 at 1:48pm |
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Oh and was exclusively breastfed to 6 mths, and still being breastfed several times a day.
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Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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fivefoot
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Posted: 12 June 2009 at 10:22pm |
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Jack started sleeping through the night a couple of weeks back, and it happened when i stopped wrapping him! - it was by chance, i went to check on him about 10ish and he had his arms out, so just tucked the blanket around his tummy and he slept right through the night, so ever since i've just had him in a sleeping bag suit thing and blanket , with his arms out and he's slept right through. (my DD didn't like her arms wrapped either), but every baby's different lol!
We don't have a routine as such, just do a variation of a sleep, eat, play to his cues.
I also found stretching out his play time to when he started to show tired signs helped too, rather than doing it 'by the clock', he just started to sleep easier during the day with this.
Oh and he's fully breastfed, and my DD was combined breast and bottle and they've both been good sleepers so far (touch wood)
Good luck :)
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Ella1
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Posted: 13 June 2009 at 11:01pm |
I remember feeling a little frustrated that Mika refused a dummy. She also didn't like to be swaddled, so I never did that. She pretty much woke every 3 hours.
But suddenly at 12 weeks she started sleeping through, and has done so for 5 weeks now, except for last night, when I fed her at 6am.
And now we don't have to deal with dummies falling out, or babies waking themselves up by waving their arms around, cause she's used to having her arms out
oh, and she is fully BF.
A tip: After the first few weeks I started feeding her lying down in bed when she woke at night. It seemed less disruptive for me, cause we often fell asleep together when feeding. This way you can get some extra snooze time in
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monikah
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Posted: 14 June 2009 at 4:20pm |
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we have been really lucky with mack. my milk was appalling an just never really happened so he has been excl FF for a week now. he was in a hammock in our room until 2 nights ago. he wakes around 10, 2 and 6. not really much of a routine except for feed, bath bed at roughly the same time every night. we have slept him in the lounge with lots of noise/light during day and quiet/dark at night. i put him in a cot in his own room 2 days ago and he has slept 7.5 hours both times. he doesnt like being swaddled either but he has got used to his arms to doesnt startle anymore. with feeding in the night we have a lazyboy in our room and i never get up and watch tv while feeding or anything and i dont take him out of the room. he also wont take a dummy but we know he is hungry cos he sucks on his fists. if he isnt sucking his fists we let him cry and he settles himself back to sleep. skin on skin before bed is good too as it calms them but if your BF its normally fine. one of the most important things i leanrt from my plunket lady is put him down when he yawns and never let him get to 3 yawns or he will be overtired and wont sleep. it really takes the guess work out and has made my life so much easier now im not trying to put him down at the wrong times
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Babe
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Posted: 14 June 2009 at 7:48pm |
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I used Babywise with Jake and it was brilliant! He was constantly waking up (like every hour) when he was sleeping in my room so I put him in his own room at 2 weeks. He went straight into 4-5 hour feeds - yay! He kinda hit a patch though where everytime he woke up he wanted to stay up even though he was obviously tired. I had to let him cry for a few minutes and learn to self-soothe coz sleep-deprivation sets me off in the baddest way too. It was fine though and he was fully BF then. He began sleeping for 10 hours at a stretch around 7 weeks after I put him on formula. He had severe silent reflux and dairy allergies so he was on Goats.
I ran to a pretty strict timetable e.g up at 7, fed, nappy, play, down at 8, up at 11, fed, nappy, play, down at 12, etc. LOL sounds abit rigid but for us it worked perfectly and as he got older his up times stretched out. I think its finding what suits you and just going for it. I'll try the same routine with the new baby and see how it goes but obviously every baby is different.
I also found wearing Jake during the day while I was doing housework, etc was awesome. He was way more settled and uhm confident if you can use that word on a baby lol I recommend it.
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Babe
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Posted: 14 June 2009 at 7:52pm |
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Oh yeah and I swaddled him!!! Even when I was wearing him he was swaddled. He loved it and he was so good!! OMG lol I'm getting so clucky I can't wait for this little one!!!
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Kellz
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Posted: 14 June 2009 at 8:46pm |
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Lol Babe at getting clucky, Congrats!
Thanks everyone for sharing what has worked for you. Its good to hear what has worke well for 'normal' babies (ones without bad reflux) cos I had forgetten some ideas we tried with Isla but that failed for various reasons.
Ella- I was taught to bf lying down in hospital and it was great, but after day 4 Isla could not lie flat - can now be pin pointed to the day her reflux started. Her basinette/ cot had to be elevated for 2 years, and for the first year she couldnt even lie flat on the ground, we always made an incline out of pillows etc for tummy or mat time.
Will be so great if things like that are easier with this baby too!
Interesting that some people found baby slept better when not swaddled- will keep that in mind too!
Have already thought I will get a wrap/sling to wear baby, we had a front pacl last time but I didnt really like it and never used it.
Whats babywise?
Good point baout the tired signs Monikah- might pay for me to borrow that video from plunket again before baby is born -I had no idea when Isla was little!
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Ella1
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Posted: 14 June 2009 at 10:59pm |
Kellz, if you're thinking about a wrap, I can recommend the Moby. Unfortunately I only got it when Mika was already 9 weeks old. I really wish I'd had it from the beginning. It's awsome.
Isla's reflux sounds terrible, poor thing. Hope nr.2 won't have that same problem.
If he/she does, a wrap will work great though, cause you can wear the baby upright.
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Kellz
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Posted: 16 June 2009 at 2:30pm |
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Yeah Im leaning towards the Moby wrap, but am a bit worried it will be too hot in summer- due mid Jan. They do make a UV protected one that is more expensive but might be worth it too.
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Blankney94
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Posted: 21 June 2009 at 12:13am |
Hi - I read all the books and found I didn't really want to follow anyone else's structure because Brooke basically went into a 4 hrly routine as a newborn and wouldn't do the 3 hr thing. She would wake at 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, 2am etc on the dot (we did have lots of hard work getting her to sleep thou when she was newborn).
Some things I found helped us get good quality sleeps in those early days:
* Cluster feed - I basically allowed demand feeding in the evening before bed - it was "open boob" - she could take as much as she wanted and often.
* The last feed of the night is an EBM feed for us. We found we could get more milk into Brooke and faster too. (Brooke was a gourmet breastfeeder who took over an hour for a feed!! This also got DH in on the bonding and gave me break.)
* I would express milk during the day and put the best milk in the evening bottle. ie I would express 200 ml during the day. I would let that settle in the fridge and make sure she got the best stuff off the top.
* We followed an evening routine religiously - small feed, bath, quiet big feed EBM bottle with lights turned down, burp time, then swaddle and bed.
* We had problems with possible silent reflux in the early days. I tried an osteopath, and removing most dairy and chocolate from my diet. Something worked as Brooke recovered pretty quickly. Also limited my caffienated (sp?) drinks. I noticed that when I ate chocolate, Brooke would react about 18 hrs later. She grew out of this reaction at about 3 mths.
* Breastfeeding for middle of the night feeds - if you are only feeding one side, do that, then give a little (5 mins) on the other side. The "fore" milk in the breast is the part containing the oxytocin (the hormone that makes you and baby sleepy when breastfeeding). Worked a treat for me, Brooke's eyes would roll back - only figured this method out through sheer frustration and necessity!!
Hope this helps - you deserve an angel sleeper now!
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Sleeping through- how to make it happen?!
