Sleep Operation Night 1 & 2

After 7 months of intermitten sleep, i think i've had enough! I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

So i borrowed Gina Ford's The New Contented Little Baby Book and have read halfway thru. From what i understand so far:

1. Baby has to eat well during the day and not sleep too much to be able to go thru longer sleep at night.
2. Timing is everything
3. Changing his diaper in the first night feed will help him be a bit more alert to feed well = sleep longer.
4. I've instilled in Tufeil the association of feeding with sleeping.

One thing i know, it seems i'm too late for it. The book talked about 2 - 4weeks old, 12weeks old... er... Tufeil is already... beyond countable weeks. LOL So i should get the Toddler Sleeping Guide book next.

Current style: No strictly-adhered-to wind-down routine because it really depends on at what point i take over caring for him. Sometimes he's already slept in the afternoon at 5pm, other times not. Sometimes Mum already bathed him though mostly not. Sometimes his last feed is 4pm, sometimes 5pm or even 6. So it's really hard to tell.

But mostly i try to bathe him, then feed him to a short nap by about 7 - 7.30pm so i could have MY own shower, dinner and prayer.

Then by 9pm + i will bring him to the room. Maybe play a bit, read a bit then nurse him to sleep. Mostly he is asleep by 10pm. But he would wake at 12mn, 2am, 4 or 5am (at this point i couldn't be bothered to check the time) then 7am. No diaper change, no burping. Just feed in bed with my eyes closed and he in side lying position too.

Notice that he would sometimes shift in his sleep to get into a better position: on tummy. During day naps, he can only sleep for 30min or 45 at best.

2nd Nov, Mon night

Tried to put some of what i've learnt into operation.

Gave him a bottle of EBM (60ml), played for a bit then turned him down to sleep.

He was asleep by 9pm. When he started crying at 11pm, i straight away changed his nappy. HE CRIED THE HOUSE DOWN. but immediately soothed when Ash who just came home picked him up and played with him for awhile. But nothing doing. No improvement whatsoever. still same pattern.

3rd Nov, Tues night

Came home quite late. He's already had his 6:30pm feed.

Bathed him. Put him on the floor while i ate on the floor too and watched tv.

I fed him at 9pm. Just as he was about to go to a deep sleep, i brought him up to a burp. Then suddenly, i got a thought, "Let's give him the other side too. Hopefully he will become full." Current practice is to give only one side in the hope that he will get the hind (back end) milk which is researched to help babies sleep longer. Humph! Anyways, he took quite a bit in then suddenly he was playful. So read to him while lying down.

at 10pm, i turned off the light totally, in an effort to signal him that it's bedtime (current practice is to turn on the dim coloured lighting). I tried to sing him to sleep while cuddling. He was quiet for awhile but he got cranky after a few minutes. I believe it was because he was ready to sleep but can't sleep cause he wants his suckling time. After 5min or so, i gave up and just fed him.

Miraculously, he tore himself away from the breast on his own accord. He seldom does this. I take this as a sign that he's truly full. And my! He skipped the 12midnight feed and woke up at 2am! Hurrah!!!

At 2am, instead of straight away changing his diaper, i brought him to the hallway to calm him for a bit first. Turned on the light, took the diaper changing things and handed him a soft toy as well. THEN brought him down on the bed to change. He was NOT crying thank god. He even lied down quite still (a rarity for crawling babies!!).

I repeated the process from the last success. Fed one side, burped, changed side. I decided its ok to nurse him to feed. To assoc feeding as sleeping. Unfortunately, I was like so excited and anxious, delirious, high to document this moment, to remember every detail and what to write in blog that i found myself wide awake at 3:30am. GRRRR

Just when i've finally fallen asleep, he woke up again at 4:40am. This time i think supply was rather low at the last feed. and i just sleepily gave him one side WITHOUT properly ensuring he's alert enough to feed well. And i think again at 5:30am. Too groggy to remember. Just stuck him a side. LOL.

I'm thinking i should prolly give an extra bottle somewhere. at 2am perhaps.