Oh where, oh where has my sleeping baby gone?!? Last weekend, for some unknown reason, Ella had 4 blissful nights of sleep... only waking once or twice for feedings. I sure felt amazing with all that sleep myself! However, now we're back to the same ole' seeing every hour or two on the clock smile past us as the night parades on.She does take naps now... usually 20-45 minutes long (2 or 3 of those daily) and sometimes she will surprise me with a 90 minute nap. I am so grateful for those naps! I need them myself! LOL I'm just really beginning to wonder if there's something I'm not quite doing right to help her sleep better?? Anybody have any tricks we can try?
I have avoided the cry it out approach so far because we are in an apartment and I don't want to wake the neighbors.... also I don't think it would really work with a gal like Ella!
5 comments:
I beg you not to let your sweet babe cry it out. Letting an infant CIO increases stress hormones (cortisol) in their brains and that has so many negative effects on human beings. Research has proven that allowing repeated and prolonged crying has the following outcomes:
When a baby is left crying in her room:
- High levels of toxic stress hormones wash over her brain
- There is a withdrawal of opioids (chemical that promote feelings of well-being) in her brain
- The brain and body’s stress response systems can become hardwired for oversensitivity
- Pain circuits in the brain are activated, just as they would be if she was hurt physically.
- It is not crying itself that can affect a child’s developing brain – it is prolonged, uncomforted distress.
- Early stress can result in enduring negative changes in the infant brain – developing an oversensitive stress response system that can leave her perception of the world and what is happening to her colored by a sense of threat and anxiety.
- A baby who has been trained out of his instinct to cry at being separated from a parent should never be mistaken for being in a state of calm – babies who have been left to cry move into primitive response mode, with irregularities in breathing and heart rate, and high levels of cortisol.
She's probably hit a sleep regression. There's one that happens around 8 months (37 weeks). They are said to occur roughly at the following intervals: 5, 8, 12, 19, 26, 37, 46, and 55 weeks.
This is a good sum up of what is happening during a sleep regression:
"Your baby is also going through enormous developmental spurts that you can't see, because they're dealing with cognitive processes. They work through these spurts the same way they work through the physical spurts, but when your baby is practicing recognizing patterns, you can't see that. Leading up to the actual new skill the baby is going to go through several weeks of intense brain work and prep that you can't necessarily see (unless you know specifically what to look for). One of the side effects of this brain work is that they don't sleep as well as they do during times in which they're not about to master a new skill. They may seem restless in the night (like they do sometimes when mastering a physical skill) but it's just nothing you can see and label. So we call it a sleep regression."
(http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/2006/02/qa_what_are_sle.html)
I feel for you. Just remember that this, too, shall pass, and you'll have a teenager that you cannot get out of bed on your hands :) I'm betting she'll surprise you with a new skill soon to reward you for the sleepless nights!
(I'm wagon train Becky, btw, in case you're wondering who this random person is reading/commenting on your blog :)).
Hey Lisa,
I always recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" By: Marc Weissbluth, M.D. because it definitely has worked for both of our girls but in different ways. We didn't let Jenny cry it out because it just didn't work for her, but the soothing methods that he suggests in this book are great. The most important thing I've learned is to have a set sleep routine, whether it's bed time or nap time. We have the black-out curtains to darken the room and also have a sound-maker to use as white noise. This seems to train them to know that it's time to sleep. Then we give her silky blanket to her and the pacifier and usually she's asleep within a few minutes and if not that I put her to bed. Sometimes she'll fuss (not cry) for a few minutes and then she's out. So, I don't know if that helps or not, but maybe just try and check it out at the library and see if it might work for you. Here is the sound-maker we have: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13630208
Angie still sleeps with hers on the rain setting and Jenny sleeps with the waterfall setting.
Anyway... hope this helps! Take care and hang in there, it'll get better! Ella is such a cutie! Can't wait to meet her someday! Love you guys!
-Amy
Clever title! I wish I had a good answer for you. It is so hard!! If there's one thing I'm learning about being a mom is that things can change very fast. Just when you think she's cured of her sleep problems, something will throw her off. Or just when you think you can't take one more sleepless night, she'll surprise you and sleep through the night.
I did a similar post in February titled, "More Sleep, Help! Please?!" I had some pretty good comments from people on there. You might want to go back and read them.
I'm so sorry. I know it is so frustrating. Hannah had a really bad night last night and I have been feeling it all day! It is just so hard to function.
I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers and let you know if I think of anything else.
Here's another good blog of compiled research on sleep solutions :)
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/12/sleep-training-review-of-research.html
All I can say is that Peter didn't sleep well until he was a year old. Horrible I know, but sometimes kids just have their own ways. Hang in their girlie.
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