These pics have nothing to do with sleep but they're cute nonetheless and there won't be many more pics with bare-legged babies since we're starting to have more and more cold weather.
I knew I needed to post a sleep update but I didn't realise it had been that long.
After our sleep regression, we tried to make sure they had as much food during the day as possible.
I now don't believe there's any correlation between how much they eat and how well they sleep as there have been days when Connor's had 445 ml and woken once, and also days where he's had 810 ml and still only woken once.
But somehow the bad sleep stabilised a bit. You know you're in a bad way when you're grateful to wake twice a night PER BABY.
Connor always does things just before he turns a certain age. E.g. tooth before 6 months. And in the week just before he turned 8 months, he only woke once 4 times and twice 3 times.
Kendra has also been sleeping better - no more 3 times a night waking.
Well, until the weekend that is.
Kendra woke up 3 times a night both on Saturday and Sunday. There's no excuse because she eats brilliantly, gets her protein, etc, etc.
So we watered down her formula (not by much, just by 1 scoop) and the next two nights she only woke twice.
It's like we just figure things out and then the solution doesn't work any more.
Does anyone have this problem too?
While we were on the watering down kick, we diluted Connor's further as it's now been 3 weeks since we did 1 scoop less, so he now takes 2 scoops less.
He woke earlier that night but still once a night.
Although as I mentioned, they BOTH slept through on 17 th and 18 th March (see how these are MOMENTOUS days) until I told Ilse on Facebook and jinxed it.
D just told me that jinxing is against the word of God. Yes, yes, I know but I'm telling you, the MINUTE I talk about sleep or food going well, they do their telepathic thing and put me to shame.
But things are improving. I am CLINGING to Dr S's words "it is normal to have babies waking once a night until 9 months for hunger"
This was BEFORE
Connor's awake times...........Frequency
1........................................................11
2........................................................16
3........................................................5
Kendra's awake times...........Frequency
1........................................................3
2........................................................13
3........................................................15
And this is the last 3 weeks (24 days) since they turned 8 months (I have The Notebook in front of me)
Connor's awake times...........Frequency
0........................................................3
1........................................................17
2........................................................3
3........................................................1
Kendra's awake times...........Frequency
0........................................................2
1........................................................11
2........................................................9
3........................................................2
So as you can see things are looking up.
The strange thing is as I write this, I know a lot of you are thinking, "she's happy about that?"
Yes, I am!
I have actually gotten a lot of 7-hour stretches of sleep in the last two weeks. If they wake before midnight, it's around 10 or 11 pm when I'm still awake, D does the 4 am one and then they're up at 6 - 6:30.
I've started noting something else down on my summary sheet - the times they wake.
At a glance I can see K wakes often around 10 and C's (mainly) one time is around 4/ 4:30.
As for naps, Kendra naps just the same as she always has - around 2 - 3 hours a day, definitely no more.
Since it's gotten cooler, Connor sleeps better (he is my child - loves cold weather) - now has two naps of definitely over an hour and then a shorter one of 30 - 40 minutes, so he gets in 3.5 - 4 hours a day.
Since my success as a mother does not depend on how well my children sleep, I'm not feeling so sensitive about this subject anymore and I will be brave...
Tell me how your children sleep :)
P.S. We gave them cauliflower with cheese sauce today - Connor loved it but Kendra hated it (and then, since she thought the yoghurt was also cauliflower, refused to have her yoghurt too)
I love your statement: My success as a mother does not depend on how well my children sleep! Its SO true. I don't know why we as mothers feel that we have failed every time somebody else does something better/sooner than our own babies! My little one slees like a dream, about 4-5 hours a day and then from 7pm to 7am. So I've not beaten myself up about that, but believe me, there are plenty of other area's where I feel I have failed miserabley. So thanks for making that statement, its so COMPLETLEY true!!!!
ReplyDeleteHave you also thought of decreasing the size of the bottles - I know moms who dilute and simultaneously decrease the amount in the bottle so that over time it is not "worth" it to the baby to get up. You know how my kids sleep so I won't brag here. I'll just say that every morning I thank my lucky stars they are good sleepers and worry what Spyder will do to my mental health when I'm getting up multiple times a night with a new baby. Last time we had a baby nurse but not this time so I'm on my own! I am curious - do you share the burden with your husband of nighttime feedings? Switch off sleeping in the mornings on the weekend? I did all the nighttime work after the baby nurse left because I was on leave and then I did sleep training at 5 monhths so we both got sleep when I went back to work too. Sometimes we trade off on the weekends but I'm usually so eager to see the kids (and I go to bed earlier than my husband) so I usually just get up.
ReplyDeleteDon't hate me!!! Tarynn (who is 5 months old) sleeps from 8pm-8am and for the past month doesn't wake up at all to eat. If she wakes it is because she flipped over and is to tired to flip herself back (sleep positioner changed that.) Then around 10am she takes an hour nap then around 2 she goes down for a 2-3 hour nap.
ReplyDeleteBUT.... I do feel your pain. Aydan, my oldest was terrible about sleeping through the night. He would wake up every night at 3am for a bottle until he was 13 months old and I just started giving him a sippy cup of water. Also, when he was teething, he was up every hour on the hour, Oh yeah, and my husband was gone to Iraq so I was on my own. That lasted for about a month. Then every time he was sick (and he was sick alot with ear infections)he would be up every 4 hours for more tylenol. But... there is hope for you! Aydan is a great sleeper now!
Landan- well that kid lived to sleep. He wouldn't even eat if he was tired. He would sleep all day and all night if I would let him. Now... he is a pain to get to sleep (he lays in his bed and stays put, but it takes him close to an hour to fall asleep no matter what time I put him to bed and how tired he is) So... just because your babies aren't "good sleepers" now, doesn't mean they won't be later and just because other people have good sleepers doesn't mean it is going to stay that way. As our kids grow, they change.
Glad to hear things are going better! What time do they go to bed? I remember you saying it was really early, so they may just be sleeping the maximum they are going to sleep in a single night--for instance, my girls will not sleep longer than 11ish hours, no matter what time they go down. My girls are good nighttime sleepers, but naps are a different story. Some days they may only have two hours or less total naptime.
ReplyDeleteI miss mixing new baby foods! My girls are completely off it now, and it's such a struggle to get them to eat different things. Ah, well...the cycle continues, I guess...we always worry about the next thing. : )
Hmmm ... I always thought my kidlets were great sleepers because we could just put them in their cribs, and there would be no fussing. Even if they woke up in the middle of the night, they'd play or babble a little and then fall back to sleep 5 minutes or so later, unless it was feeding time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they were each waking (and self-soothing) 5-6 times/night until about age 1. I just figured it was their preemie bodies' way of avoiding the sort of deep slumber that results in SIDS.
Sharon, it is very freeing to have that success statement.
ReplyDeleteIt's also very freeing to share my failures and have others affirm me which is why I blog so honestly :)
I probably should… I just kept making up 175 ml and yet you’re right – he doesn’t ever finish it.
Mommy, Esq - D definitely shares night time feedings – in fact, he does a night and the wake-up at 6 – 6:30 since I put them to bed. And on weekends I only have to get up just before 8 (breakfast for babies) Yes, he’s a star LOL
Veronica, I don't hate you! You're right that kids change all the time - something I continually learn!
Deanna, good memory – yes, they are asleep by 5:30 – 6 pm, sometimes it stretches to 6:30 – but totally baby-dependent. I follow their cues and don’t force them to stay awake.
I don’t mind the 11 hours because he wakes, has his watered down bottle and straight back to sleep until 6 – 6:30.
Sadia, that is a great way of thinking about waking – SIDS prevention LOL
K hates cheesy veg??!!! :O I AM shocked :) (but not at all surprised that C loves it).
ReplyDeleteSleep. Bah. So 9 months is really 11 months for your little fellas, huh? I guess that's one thing that bites about prems. I remember people in the office saying "oh those first 6 weeks are such a killer" etc etc - but then you need to tack that prem time PLUS some on huh?
D's a good sleeper. But we didn't realise that until talking to others. But then I would've traded broken nights for not going thru the heinous reflux months. I guess it all evens out in the wash (pun sooo intended!).
Happy Easter to you and yours! Especially those very cute bare legged first Easter babies :)