Sleep deprived. Please help me remain sane

Rakhii · Feb 12, 2012

Usually I receive a notification when someone replies to my thread; but after Hema's reply, I have stopped receiving notifications! I never realised I received so many replies!

Ranchu, How are you? So good to see your perspective. The thing is, even in the 1.5-2 hr sleep, Megha makes some sounds which resemble moaing etc (which are normal according to her doctor). Did your LO made any such sounds?
She sleeps sound perhaps only for about 30 mins. So, needless to say, i am awake when she is in light-sleep mode. When you say your child was sleeping for 1.5 hrs, was she in deep sleep for that long? Were you able to sleep for as long as 1.5 hrs to 2 hrs? when you say 2 hours, does this include the whole cycle of light-sleep, deep sleep and then light sleep again or 2 hours of deep sleep?
Also, I do substitute her with formula. I usually give her formula in the evenings and BF during nights. I will see if I can change that. I tried cushning her crib Ranchu. Its not working; I did it consistantly for over 10 days and left it. As of now she is 7 weeks and 2 days old. I am not finding falut with her that she likes to have human touch; who wouldnt?! I just want to see if there is a way I can avoid co-sleeping. Where is yours sleeping now?

Bril, I am doing well other than in the sleep dept How have you been? I have also heard that babies sleep pattern becomes more predictable at 3 months age. She will be 2 on 15th Feb. Bril, were you co-sleeping with your LO? Did yours made any such sounds while sleeping? Also, was she sleeping sound for 2 hours?
What I noticed is that both of us (me and LO) sleep better when she is on me or right next to me on couch. As of now Megha wakes up every 1.5 or 2.5 hours for feeding in the night. sometimes its even 3 hours. But in the whole 3 hours she is in deep sleep for max 30 mins. I think she is having falling back to deep sleep without waking. I am trying to enjoy this stage also as much as I can Bril. lets see how it goes.

Orion, thanks for your reply. Hubby cant be of much help to me a this point Orion. His work shcedule is 12 hours a day. So, for more than 14 hours he is away from home and he has no energy to take care of baby after long hours; i cant expect him to take over either...so it will have to be me. How is your LO now? Where is she sleeping? Ay tips on gently coaxing her to sleep by herself would be great. By this, I dont mean that I will not be in her room. I will be with her in the room....

Aishu, thanks so much for your reply. was your LO sleeping sound for 1.5 hours? Mine has a sleep cycle (which is normal from what I hear) and sleeps sound for a max of 30 mins. How should I block out the sounds she makes, which I know are not due to medical reason or due to hunger or even due to want of attention.

tashidelek2002 · Feb 12, 2012

I think you should move the crib next to your bed for a few weeks until things settle down...you are doing too much running around in the middle of the night. I also think that you should check out Dunstan baby language and see if what you think she wants is really what she wants (eg you think she is hungry, she is restless due to gas or diaper). Buck up...the first few weeks are hell but at least you don't have a screamer!

Ranchu · Feb 16, 2012

Rakhii,

Am good.. Busy with a naughty LO.
mine used to sleep light and deep for about 1.5hrs. then 30 mins he begins to cry, I put in a pacifier and then prep formula or setup my pillows for feeding.
Infact my LO used to sleep very loud. he has a soft larynx so when he breathes it hits the voice box, constantly we keep hearing Hmmm hmmm sounds when he sleeps.. Slowly we got used to it.

Mine stopped sleeping in crib suddenly in 4.5 months.. And by 4 months since I joined work, I was so sleep deprived, I let go and took him in bed with us.
He would sleep peacefully without a glitch for full 2 hrs. and sometimes till 4 hrs too.
And thus continues the same habit of co-sleeping which I regret now.. Am trying hard to transition him out of my bed , nothing worked out yet..

We used to have a schedule , my DH would take care of night feeds from 9pm till 12 midnight , I'd have a good 3 to 4 hr sleep then. He goes to bed at 12 , and I take over all night feedings from then .
That way Hubby gets his 6 hr sleep , I get about 4 hrs in 1 stretch and rest will be in parts.. Thats fine with me.

Few things you can try -
1) you can try is add 1 pinch of Gerber Rice Cereal in just 1 feed of Formula in the night . Or if you Express, then mix it in BM. it gives a full stomach feeling for the LO and lets them sleep long ..
I used to do this coz my LO had reflux issues..

2) May be your LO is having burp issues or Gas issues.. Until they roll-over this usually is a big thing for babies.. Try sleeping in a swing or an inclined surface with her head raised. It helps in sleeping longer.
Due to reflux my LO was sleeping in swing all night or CAr seat sometimes.. You can try this for couple of nights..
Dont worry about back issues, they are comfortable in Swings or 45 degree inclination..

3) my american neighbor suggests this , but I've not tried this ever. She says try Pacifier for babies when they are disturbed. They sleep longer. She says this is how they sleep train babies to sleep longer. She even skips one feed and gives 1Oz of water instead for thirst. this eventually makes the baby to take more feed in night and sleep long.

tashidelek2002 · Feb 19, 2012

Ranchu:
My goddaughter had a deal with her mom that when she hit her fourth birthday she would go to her own bed. When that time came she was fearful of sleeping alone and they didn't want to force her so they were stuck. I came to visit and she slept with me in the same room (actually it was her room) with me in her bed and she had a mattress. After I left she just stayed there. Just mentioning in case that strategy will work for you. It ended up a non-event.

Rakhii · Mar 1, 2012

Ranchu and Tashidelek, you are a life saver!! You truly are. I wanted to wait and test the results for a few days before I report back and I am here with a positive news.

Tashidelek, as per your advise I didnt exactly move the crib to the master bedroom (due to lack of space) but I moved in with my DD into her room. we put a double bed beside her crib but we also bought a proper co-sleeper for her. This way, even though she is in the same sleeping space as I am, she still has her own space and I can pacify her easily without me waking up.

Ranchu, your advise for formula feed during nights really helped a lot. At 10:30 PM I am now giving her a massage with her calming moisturizer, change her and put on fresh cloths. Then we are reading a story book for 5 to 10 mins and I give her formula (she is taking 120 ml at night and she is 10 weeks old). I burp her and soon after she is falling asleep. Its taking her good 30 mins to go to deep sleep state but after that she is waking up only at 2:00 AM (thats good 3.5 to 4 hours!! Yippie! 3 days she even went till 3 AM!! At that time I am giving her formula (as suggested by you) and she is waking up only at 5 or 5:30 again!! yes, you are right...formula sure is helping her sleep better.

For the first few nights I couldnt sleep at all as I was scared with the co-sleeping arrangements, even though I had bought a proper co-sleeper. I am still waking up with her every slightest sound but at least I can easily pacify her with she lying dwown within reaching distance. My sleep sure improved in the last few days. In fact last night when I saw the clock, it was 12:00 mid night and the next time I woke up (when she made sounds) it was 2 hours! Its a big change...considering how we were just 2 weeks ago. My mom is assuring me that slowly I will be able to zone out the sounds she makes and wake up only when she is making distress sounds. Not sure of that... but lets see.
I can now see some light ahead Bless you!!!

If you have any more suggestions, I am all ears. Really...

PS: Are you taking any multivitamins? I finished my prenatals and i am wondering if I should take any multivitamins to boost up energy levels. and yes, a glass of wine is sure helping me relax. Of course I am not breastfeeding her after that...after your suggestion about nighttim formula feeding, I feel like my life is slowing getting back to normal routine with her. Thanks a ton....

tashidelek2002 · Mar 2, 2012

Glad you are doing better. Since you have her in the crib it will make the transition much later to her own room much much easier. As to the prenatals, you keep taking them while you are breast feeding. In breast feeding, whatever is not in your diet will be taken out of your reserves so it is of utmost importance for breast feeding mothers to take vitamins and a good diet. And no dieting. Some women with poor diet end up with even bad teeth as the calcium will be sapped right out of the teeth.

Ranchu · Mar 3, 2012

Great to hear back..
Yes my doc advised me to use Prenatals as long as am feeding. So do the same.

Since you are using Formula for the entire night , make sure your supply does not go down.. I dont know if its a myth or not but they say milk supply is max in early morning from 2am to 6am. my Lactation nurse advised me to pump without fail during this early morning time.. (it dint help me though , my supply went down at 4 months).