Thursday, October 10, 2013

Days and Nights

I have been lucky enough to score an extra couple of days off of work to spend with Fin! I thought since returning to work soon that I would try and get Fin set on a schedule so we all can get some sleep. I kept her awake all day on Tuesday besides her afternoon nap hoping that this would do the trick. We settled in and were preparing to go to bed at 10:30 (which is a little later than I would like to go to bed when workstarts back up). Fin was WIDE awake and this lasted until about 12:30. Since I'm not working it's not as big of deal cause I can nap during the day when she does, but this was already starting out bad. She fell asleep after eating, but that only lasted an hour or so. We got up and changed her diaper and re-fed her since sometimes she falls asleep on the boobie. Once again she falls asleep after about an hour. So we are now at 2:30 and only have an hour or less of sleep under our belt. Slowly I began falling to sleep again when a loud scream wakes me up. I looked at the clock and some how 2 hours have slipped by. We go through the diaper and feeding routine and once again she stays awake for an hour or so. This continues again at 7:30 and then again at 9:00. By then I thought that it was pointless to try and sleep anymore so we got up and bathed, ready to start the day. After her morning feeding she was OUT! I figured this wouldn't last long as it never does, but I'm wrong. She's still sleeping when 1 o'clock rolls around and I thought it was probably time to wake her up. I placed her in her rocker which usually wakes her up instantly.
Sound asleep in her rocker
 I've tried in the past to let her sleep in the rocker but have never had success with it day or night. The rocker doesn't even faze her and she's sound asleep for another hour. WTF!!! Evidently keeping her up during the day doesn't work. I really need to get her days and nights turned around in the next couple of days but don't know what to do. Any help with people that have experienced the same thing? I know my cousin Heather has struggled with her daughter sleeping in the past...what worked for you?
I'm not a big fan of letting her cry it out bc it just breaks my heart, but something needs to change!!
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3 comments:

  1. TaraOctober 10, 2013 at 6:55 PM

    Hang in there Jes!! I have always fed the boys every 2-3 hours consistently during the day even if I had to wake them. Then around 6 pm I'd cluster feed ( feed at 6 and 6:30ish ), swaddle them and they were out by 7 pm. In the beginning I'd do a feeding when I went to bed too.Hope this helps a little!!

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  2. JenOctober 12, 2013 at 5:47 AM

    Each kid is SO different! I second the 2-3 hour feeds during the day - with both girls I would wake to feed during the day. If they feel asleep again after a good feed - I wouldn't worry about it, but I would still wake them in 2-3 hours.

    At night we stuck to a night time routine - bath (every other night), books, nurse, bed. When I nursed at night I would keep all the lights turned off (except the glow of the tv - didn't worry about the volume too much). I would cluster feed like Tara mentioned above, in the beginning Reese would nurse, always in our bed, for an hour or two. It was my chance to watch tv a bit and relax while she ate and fell asleep. I did the same exact thing with Lauren, but Lauren would sleep a first stretch of a few hours then was up twice in the night. Heck she still is some nights while Reese sleeps staight through : )

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  3. HeatherOctober 16, 2013 at 12:31 PM

    I've been meaning to comment Jes and haven't gotten a chance to do it until now. I'll try to give some advice but as you know Tory is a crappy sleeper (always has been) so do what works best for you.

    First - hang in there. Finleigh is so small yet, I think she'll get better at sleeping at night as she gets a bit older. Even a few weeks will make a big difference. I think Tory was eating every 2 hours until she was 8 or 12 weeks old. Then she transitioned to eating every 3 hours and finally would sleep from 9pm - 3am, eat, and then eat again at 6am. It does get better!!

    Second - I used SwaddleMe swaddle wraps with Tory and they really helped. She was so jumpy up until about 16 weeks and would startle awake easily so I would even nurse her while she was swaddled up, put her in the bouncy seat swaddled, etc. That way she stayed nice and cozy as well.

    Third - I agree with Jen's comment about the lights. I've always heard you're suppose to keep your house fairly well lit during the day (even while they are napping) and keep it dark when it's nighttime so they're bodies learn the difference between day/night. Even if she's sleeping in mid- morning, open up the blinds and let the sunshine in. Keep it dark at night even if it means youre sitting in the dark, too. Try to change her diaper, etc. at night with as little light as possible. I've also heard if you can get away with NOT changing their diaper every time at night, that's a good idea as it can wake them up more than they need to be.

    Every kid is so different and I personally think it's a lottery whether you get one that sleeps or one that doesn't. Haha :) Sad but true. Tory was a crappy, light sleeper from day 1 and she still is. Crossing both my fingers and toes her brother isn't like that, too!

    Good luck, and let me know if there's anything else you need. Always here to talk or vent if you need it.

    Heather

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