another sleep update

Well, sleep for owl is a lot better - he goes in cot now, and evenings are now great, and we get most of the night at least- but we haven't had a magic fix. Continuing problems:

1. daytime sleeps - if I don't time this right, owl screams for the whole hour before as per instructions I pick him up. A bit trial and error - it seems that the very alert owl needs to be up for at least 4 hours before he can be counted on to sleep in the day. still testing this...

2. breastfeed number and sleep at night. It looks like 6 feeds at the moment means good night sleep, but 5 feeds means not making it all the way through. Problem is, that 5 feeds during the day suits him and us better - otherwise he has to be fed when not hungry, and he vomits some up, and hard to time this around sleeps, and hard to time with brother's nap and going out. Also seems to eat solids better on 5 feeds.

3. Even on 6 feeds 5:00am is all we can count on - not the 6am the Earl childhood nurse suggested. This is the least of our worries though - i think I can live with this if 1. and 2. can be solved!!!

trying at the moment to get an appointment to see nurse again. Any suggestions are welcome.....

update on owl's sleep

2nd night: awful - needed us to go in after almost every cycle for several hours
3rd night: good!!! some very brief cries, but didn't go in til 6:15 to feed him

today: days haven't been too hard until now because he has been exhausted. but today he hasn't been as tired, so been a little harder - 1st sleep cried 3/4 hour and only slept one cycle. one 2nd sleep now, cried until I left the room, but is asleep now. So a good improvement.

so getting there. been hard though. I'm tired so writing in short sentences! For those who prayed thanks so much - and keep going please.

hopefully very soon, the name owl will be a misnomer - will have to start thinking of something else.

teaching to sleep

We are currently using controlled comforting/crying - whatever you want to call it - to teach our baby (Owl) to sleep. I know there is a huge debate on this but as Owl had got to the point of refusing to sleep in his cot at all, we were desperate. Done one night so far - went really well. 3/4 hour to go to sleep, but then we only had to go in twice more during the night. Best sleep in 6 months for me, and now I feel like i can be a good mum to Sparky (2 y.o.) and a good wife too - manage all my responsiblities better. Still, not there yet, but an encouraging start - and owl doest sem traumatised. Lots of cuddles this morning!