NoAngel
07-08-2004, 02:38 AM
Please advise...
I am a 1st-time Mom who is trying to get her 6 1/2 month old daughter
to sleep peacefully through the night (Who isn't, right?!). My
daughter's name is Kami, and she and I have been benefiting from the
advice of Dr. Weissbluth (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) for the
last 3 weeks. As a result, we have come a long way in a short time.
A month ago, Kami was napping in her crib, but sleeping with my
husband and me at night(after a failed attempt to transition her to
her crib at night). She was waking every 1 to 2 hours to nurse very
briefly, waking up for a special 2-hour "play period" at 1 or 2am,
and then also waking to start her day at 5:30am. My husband wasn't
getting the rest he needed in order to function well at work, and I
was dazed, frustrated, and would have given anything for 3 hours of
uninterrupted sleep. Now Kami is sleeping in the crib in her room and
often sleeps at least 8 hours without any intervention on my part.
However, after astonishing success the 1st week, Kami is waking 2 or
3 times a night and still wakes up far too early in the morning. Plus
constantly expecting/waiting for her to start crying during the night
has made me too tense to rest. I've tried turning down the volume on
the baby monitor, but then I can't sleep because I'm afraid that I'll
miss a cry of distress - like early this morning when she'd turned
onto her tummy (a much hated position!) and didn't seem to remember
how to roll back over. Therefore, I am hoping for input on 3
recurring issues:
1) Kami's night wakings are usually brief ones in which she'll
whimper for a minute or 2 and then go back to sleep. I use
the "Happiest Baby" CD and a humidifier to block out street and
household noises, so I don't think she's being disturbed by any
noises. Is this normal? Has anyone done anything else to get their
baby to sleep soundly through the night?
2) Sometimes she'll awaken around 4am and continue complaining
persistently. In the hope that she'll settle down and return to
sleep, I've begun going in immediately to change her, nurse her and
put her back to sleep. However she'll often start crying again 10 or
20 minutes after I've soothed her and put her back in her crib. Then,
she'll cry on and off for the better part of an hour and then wake up
at about a quarter to 6.
3) She still wakes up far too early in the morning - between 5:15 and
5:45am. So, she's exhausted and ready for her 1st nap of the day
around 7am - which is what I'd prefer her wake-up time to be! She
takes 3-4 naps per day, we have a consistent bed time routine, there
are room darkening curtains on the window in her room, and she's
normally asleep by 7:30pm. The kicker is that she awakens early even
if I put her to bed late - at 8 or even 9pm! Any ideas?
I realize that I may be asking for too much, but I'd appreciate some
insight from others who have experienced any of these issues.
Thanks in advance,
Tara
P.S. If anyone could tell me how to attach an avatar to my profile I'd be forever in their debt. I don't know anything about URLs, but I have a jpg file of my darling, wide-eyed Kami that I'd love to use...
I am a 1st-time Mom who is trying to get her 6 1/2 month old daughter
to sleep peacefully through the night (Who isn't, right?!). My
daughter's name is Kami, and she and I have been benefiting from the
advice of Dr. Weissbluth (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) for the
last 3 weeks. As a result, we have come a long way in a short time.
A month ago, Kami was napping in her crib, but sleeping with my
husband and me at night(after a failed attempt to transition her to
her crib at night). She was waking every 1 to 2 hours to nurse very
briefly, waking up for a special 2-hour "play period" at 1 or 2am,
and then also waking to start her day at 5:30am. My husband wasn't
getting the rest he needed in order to function well at work, and I
was dazed, frustrated, and would have given anything for 3 hours of
uninterrupted sleep. Now Kami is sleeping in the crib in her room and
often sleeps at least 8 hours without any intervention on my part.
However, after astonishing success the 1st week, Kami is waking 2 or
3 times a night and still wakes up far too early in the morning. Plus
constantly expecting/waiting for her to start crying during the night
has made me too tense to rest. I've tried turning down the volume on
the baby monitor, but then I can't sleep because I'm afraid that I'll
miss a cry of distress - like early this morning when she'd turned
onto her tummy (a much hated position!) and didn't seem to remember
how to roll back over. Therefore, I am hoping for input on 3
recurring issues:
1) Kami's night wakings are usually brief ones in which she'll
whimper for a minute or 2 and then go back to sleep. I use
the "Happiest Baby" CD and a humidifier to block out street and
household noises, so I don't think she's being disturbed by any
noises. Is this normal? Has anyone done anything else to get their
baby to sleep soundly through the night?
2) Sometimes she'll awaken around 4am and continue complaining
persistently. In the hope that she'll settle down and return to
sleep, I've begun going in immediately to change her, nurse her and
put her back to sleep. However she'll often start crying again 10 or
20 minutes after I've soothed her and put her back in her crib. Then,
she'll cry on and off for the better part of an hour and then wake up
at about a quarter to 6.
3) She still wakes up far too early in the morning - between 5:15 and
5:45am. So, she's exhausted and ready for her 1st nap of the day
around 7am - which is what I'd prefer her wake-up time to be! She
takes 3-4 naps per day, we have a consistent bed time routine, there
are room darkening curtains on the window in her room, and she's
normally asleep by 7:30pm. The kicker is that she awakens early even
if I put her to bed late - at 8 or even 9pm! Any ideas?
I realize that I may be asking for too much, but I'd appreciate some
insight from others who have experienced any of these issues.
Thanks in advance,
Tara
P.S. If anyone could tell me how to attach an avatar to my profile I'd be forever in their debt. I don't know anything about URLs, but I have a jpg file of my darling, wide-eyed Kami that I'd love to use...