posted
Our doctor prefers the "wait and see" approach for ear infections, but he does reccommend tylenol and/or motrin if it's keeping the kid from sleeping or if there are other signals that they're in pain.
Our old doctor, I should say. I really need to find a doctor in this state . . . we moved when Charles was 2 weeks old and we're a month overdue for his 2 month check up, missed my 6 week check up, and now it's time for John's 2 year check up and I still haven't found a new doctor. Bad mommy!
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Of course, considering that research has now shown that the wait-and-see approach is prudent in most ear infections in young children
I was under the impression that was debated, but given that my youngest is 9, I could be out of date.
Regardless, it's a good idea to figure out what's going on, even if it then means doing nothing.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
And yeah, there was a big huge study done in the UK and it's pretty well accepted, at least by all the peds at the clinic I take Maggie to and the ped the Ems and Bridey see at Kaiser, and the peds my mom works with. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
A single study, no matter how huge, is not usually enough to change standard practice. Pretty sure many pediatricians I know still consider antibiotics the standard of care.
Googling is providing answers all along the range, as I would expect. Most are suggesting antibiotics in children under 2 if the infection is definite, and I don't think I've ever had a kid over that age with an ear infection. Internal, anyway. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, one ped cited five different studies to me-- but that was the hugest and most recent.
My ped prescribes for kids under 6 months with a definite infection, kids under 1 year who spike a fever over 101 with a confirmed infection or in whom it persists more than 3 days in, and older kids it persists more than a week in.
I still get ear infections. As well as chronic OME (swimmer's ear.) Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by rivka: I had one kid whose only symptom when he had an ear infection was trouble sleeping. No ear rubbing, no fever, no real crankiness. This was also the child who just sat there when another kid bit him -- he was pretty stoic. (At 11, he is way whinier! )
My son's only symptom was his ear drum bursting. Several times. He never rubbed, slept fine, no fever, no sickness, no crankiness. He seems to have a very high tolerance for pain.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
As long as we (were) talking about pumping...
Nathaniel's 9 month appointment was yesterday and his pediatrician was not happy with his weight gain. (He gained 2.5 lbs from 4 months to 6 months and only 1 lb. from 6 to 9.) I had been sending 8 oz to daycare (which I could pump in one session) along with 2 meals of solids. He nurses at 7:45 AM and 4:15 PM. She now wants me to send 16 oz plus 2 meals of solids, which just seems like a lot. I pumped 3x today at work and got...8 oz. (Well, maybe 8.25 oz.) Really what she wants me to do is supplement with formula, while I would like that to be a last resort.
Ugh. Well, I'm pumping away. In the meantime for this week I'm focusing on adding at least one nursing session while we're home. I'm also not feeding a 3rd meal of solids (she wants me to, but she also wants him to get more breastmilk, which seems like a contradiction. I suspect that eating solids at 6:30ish would actually keep him from nursing as much at 8, right before bed.)
I don't really know what to think. I haven't been back at work all that long (4 weeks), so it seems like the problem (if there is one) must have started sooner. In any case, it made me very grumpy to be told that my supply had clearly diminished, the baby was hungry, he needed to be eating infant cereal twice a day and three meals of solids a day to include meats, yogurt, cheese, eggs, Cheerios, pancakes with syrup, and butter and cheese sauce on everything plus snacks plus at least 32 oz. of breastmilk which meant 16 oz. while I'm at work and if I can't pump that much then add formula.
At least we agreed that he doesn't need juice.
As for all of the solid foods she wants me to start, like, yesterday: Nathaniel was 6 weeks premature, so his gestational age is only 8 months. I was waiting until the PEDIATRICIAN APPOINTMENT to ask about starting the solids you usually wait until 9 months to start: dairy, meats, and eggs.
So I'm torn. I have no problem with replacing low-calorie solids like fruits and vegetables with higher-calorie dairy/ meats...but I'm also going to go slowly, especially with dairy. And pancakes? Are you kidding me? He doesn't even have a pincer grasp yet. He just mastered sitting up independently maybe 3 weeks ago.
I have no problem with deliberately nursing more. Nathaniel doesn't really "ask" that often any more...I'm happy to offer every 1.5-2 hours instead of every 3 or so.
I have no problem with the pediatrician being concerned about his weight gain. I'm concerned myself.
I just really hated that the first thing out of her mouth was "formula." With a baby over 6 months, aren't there really other options to try first?
posted
First of all, the majority of the benefits of formula have accrued by the age of 6 months. So if that's your concern, don't worry. If it were me, I'd try to avoid formula if possible and increase my supply, but if that's going to be very difficult, I would consider the formula option.
By the time my kids were that age, if they were away from me all day, I was leaving two of the big bottles -- 7-8 ounces apiece. I phased in solids a bit more slowly than what you're describing, but if you're having trouble getting your supply up, increasing solids are another option.
Is there any way you and he can spend all or most of the coming weekend in bed, nursing as often as possible? That's the only way I ever found to get my supply up when it was low (after I or the baby had had a bad cold, for example).
And supply can drop pretty quickly. The 4 weeks you've been working would be plenty of time.
posted
Liz, I know how frustrating the weight issue is with a preemie. Aerin is barely in the 25th percentile at age 3 and it drives me crazy, even though she's otherwise perfectly healthy.
Are you generally happy with your pediatrician? If you're reluctant to take her advice, maybe you'd be better off seeing someone else. My ped practice includes a former neonatologist and a pediatrician who's been seeing preemies for more than 10 years and I find they understand preemie issues much better than other peds. The pancakes with syrup really throws me - I've never heard of a doctor recommending that. I was told to avoid eggs because of the possibility of food allergies (as well as strawberries and several other foods - I have the list around here somewhere). I was also told to introduce foods one at a time at approximately 1-week intervals. Of course, every baby is different and Aerin had major reflux and is a very picky eater.
I have to say that formula does put weight on preemies faster than breastmilk alone. They started supplementing my breastmilk with formula when Aerin was in the PICU with pneumonia and she gained MUCH faster than she had before.
Preemie feeding and weight issues are NOT the same as term-baby feeding and weight issues. There comes a time when you have to weigh the benefits of exclusive breastmilk with the dangers of slow weight gain. This is much more serious in a preemie than in a term baby. If your doctor is concerned enough to suggest quickly introducing a high-calorie, high fat diet, it suggests that she feels his slow weight gain is a serious problem. I have to say that I find it concerning, too. If I were you, I would supplement with formula. I don't see why you can't mix it with your breastmilk, though - that's what we did with Aerin. Aerin did much better on Similac NeoSure than on the Enfamil EnfaCare.
A lot of preemie moms have problems with supply. I had to pump for 45 minutes just to get 8 ounces. I tried blessed thisle and fenugreek, but Reglan ultimately helped me much more.
Do y'all have a developmental follow-up clinic or something similar? If so, you can always call them for ideas and advice. You can even call the NICU and see what they think.
Best of luck - you'll be in my prayers.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Of course, you're also at the point where many breastfed babies have a slowdown in weight gain.
Is she using the breastfed babies growth chart, or the formula fed babies growth chart? There is a difference.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: That's true.
And yeah, there was a big huge study done in the UK and it's pretty well accepted, at least by all the peds at the clinic I take Maggie to and the ped the Ems and Bridey see at Kaiser, and the peds my mom works with.
The methods and generalizability of that sudy have been negatively critiqued in the evidence-based literature. One of the problems with that study -- and it's abig problem -- is that the dosing of the antibiotic in the intervention group was markedly less than is the standard in the States (about 3X less, IIRC, and I may not). A different dosing may have shown a greater difference between the control and intervention groups.
That being said, I think there is good reason not to automatically give antibiotics to every ear infection. There are good guidelines put out by the APA regarding using age and severity as guiding factors in the decision.
I'm also a big fan of topical anesthetic for eardrums, provided it is prescribed judiciously and (very important!) used effectively.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
My baby was breastfed, but not a preemie, so there might be differences. At 9 months, she just stopped gaining weight. For about 6 months, she was 19 pounds 4 ounces. She went from like 75/50 percentile to 10th. My dr was not at all concerned. She seemed healthy and active, like she was getting enough food, she just was using all of it to crawl and walk. The great thing was that she stayed in one clothing size for like 6 months, instead of the 3 they are listed at.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged |
So, PETA is trying to get companies to use breast milk in their products. Somehow, this does not seem at all feasible to me. Or something most customers would want.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
Liz -- I don't know how the premature aspect changes things, but it is very normal for breast fed babies to slow down their weight gain between 6 and 12 months.
And the other thing is that you have to look at more than just numbers when determining if weight gain is a problem. Babies don't always follow charts. They can't read. It's more important that they are healthy and developing properly than that the number on a scale says any particular thing.
Anecdote: My son only put on 12 ounces between 4 and 6 months, dropping him to the floor of the percentile charts. I was concerned, but my doctor was not. After I thought about it, I realized there wasn't any reason to be -- whatever his weight he was eating as much as he chose and he was healthy. So why mess with that?
I would definitely send formula to daycare if he seems to want more than the 8 ounces you are sending. But if that's all he wants, then I'm not even sure how you would feed it to him.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
So, PETA is trying to get companies to use breast milk in their products. Somehow, this does not seem at all feasible to me. Or something most customers would want.
Wow. Just wow.
For the record, I've considered experimenting with my own pumped milk in cooking...just out of curiosity. I can't say I would buy products made out of human breast milk, though. I know how much work it takes to pump every ounce and am not sure how it would work, anyway.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I once took a cheese-making class in which one of the participants wanted to make yogurt with her own milk.
Posts: 289 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Jon Boy is squicked out that I've even tasted my own milk. This is one of the weirdest ideas I've ever read about. Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
It looks more like an attention-grabber than a serious suggestion to me. They're also using the "no, breast-milk is for babies" reaction to make the point that cows' milk is for baby cows. And probably plan to use the "ick" reaction to point out that cow milk is cow breast milk.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
It won't work...they'll get people's attention and a huge ICK factor but no one will link it to cow's milk or the baby cows.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Is there any way you and he can spend all or most of the coming weekend in bed, nursing as often as possible? That's the only way I ever found to get my supply up when it was low (after I or the baby had had a bad cold, for example).
And supply can drop pretty quickly. The 4 weeks you've been working would be plenty of time.
Thank you so much for the super-quick response, rivka. I didn't have a chance to post again last night, but I read this and was like--duh. Nursing vacation! I can't do it all weekend, but I can pretty much from Friday afternoon to Sunday after lunch. I'm not sure how happy he'll be with spending the day in bed (don't think he'll put up with it, actually) but no reason we can't hang out together in the basement, resting and playing and nursing all day.
And I had forgotten how quickly supply can drop. I haven't had even a shred of a supply problem, even early on with the pump, so it's just not something I thought much about. The good thing is that my supply seems to be increasing pretty quickly. I pumped almost 11 oz. today in 2 sessions. If I can consistently get it up to 12 I'll be happy.
quote: Preemie feeding and weight issues are NOT the same as term-baby feeding and weight issues. There comes a time when you have to weigh the benefits of exclusive breastmilk with the dangers of slow weight gain.
Mrs. M., that is exactly the perspective I needed. He's been doing so well for so long that I sort of forgot about that. I don't think he's in any kind of a danger zone at this point--and the pediatrician was clear that she wasn't worried, just concerned, if that makes sense--but it's important to keep a clear head about what's really important.
quote:Are you generally happy with your pediatrician?
Overall, yes. She's not my favorite doctor at the practice, but she's good. I just thought some of the advice this time was contradictory (OK, weird), and I was frustrated that her immediate solution was supplementing with formula.
quote: Of course, you're also at the point where many breastfed babies have a slowdown in weight gain.
Is she using the breastfed babies growth chart, or the formula fed babies growth chart? There is a difference.
She even mentioned that this is when babies often "find" their percentile, moving from (say) 50th to 10th. It really was a weird appointment--she was all, "don't worry, but change everything right NOW."
As for the chart, she's using the CDC chart which is a representative sample--both formula & breast fed babies--which doesn't reflect the typical curve for breast fed babies...BUT he's fallen off the curve for breast-fed, too, although not by as much. That's why I'm concerned.
Christine and scholarette, it helped to hear about your kids' weight gain patterns. The thing is, Nathaniel is cheerful and happy and meeting developmental milestones. He's behind on some, but is still doing awfully well for a preemie, and he's ahead on others.
Still, it won't hurt to send some extra milk. If I'm pumping 12 oz (which I think I'll be able to do consistently by next week) and he drinks all of that, then if I can't pump more I'll send an extra 4 oz. of formula for the sitter to offer AFTER he's had all of the breastmilk and solids.
And as for breastmilk in ice cream...well, that would solve my problem for Nathaniel, wouldn't it? High calorie, high fat, AND baby milk all in one. Maybe they would make a mushy jarred banana flavor.
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have actually made "milksicles" when my babies are sick or teething, with frozen breastmilk, with or without mashed fruit added.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Liz B: Nursing vacation! I can't do it all weekend, but I can pretty much from Friday afternoon to Sunday after lunch. I'm not sure how happy he'll be with spending the day in bed (don't think he'll put up with it, actually) but no reason we can't hang out together in the basement, resting and playing and nursing all day.
I was dealing with younger babies when I had temporary supply issues, but bed isn't the key ingredient. Especially if you're already seeing such a dramatic increase in supply, I bet that'll help a lot.
And hey, if you have extra, you can just make ice cream. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I would never actually do it, but I will admit to wondering about making cheese/butter/yogurt out of breastmilk. I also wondered if breastmilk counts as an animal product (I am a mammal, but am not being exploited to produce the milk - where does that fall?) or if my fruit-and-veg only baby was actually a vegan before I gave her meat and cheese.
Posts: 2762 | Registered: Sep 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm pretty sure Duplo has reflux. Bad reflux. I've read about "happy spitters" and assumed he was one, but the truth is, there are days when he just erupts all day long in huge amounts. He refuses to nurse, he sometimes vomits more than an hour after eating, he soaks whole outfits, and he cries in pain. I thought it was something I was eating, so I've tried lots of elimination diets. I've eliminated chocolate, dairy, and, just recently everything on the potentially bad list. That means that for three days, I haven't eaten onions, green pepper, broccoli, cabbage, chocolate, dairy, citrus, cinnamon, curry, garlic, cayenne pepper, or chili powder. He still spit up some, but it was greatly reduced. Today I added dairy back in because I was pretty sure that wasn't it (since I'd tried it before). Today he's having a really bad day. I'm not sure if that's because of the dairy or because I had some cherry apple juice yesterday . . . was it too acidic? Was it the barbecued beef brisket I had for dinner last night? (I'm not sure what was in the sauce.)
Ugh. The thing is, I'm getting to the point where I realize that if it is something I'm eating, it's not just one thing. And if I have to go off, say, dairy and onions or dairy and spicy foods or whatever, I will have virtually nothing left to make for dinner.
At what point do you go to the doctor and ask for a prescription for antacids? Has anyone here had to do that?
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, in the very least, I'd go to the doctor.
I'd bring a log of when he is spitting, how much, how much he's had to eat.
I'd ask how his weight is.
My ped doesn't prescribe for reflux unless it's resulting in weight problems or extreme discomfort (crying all the time) and other things (i.e., positioning and diet, etc.) have already failed.
It sounds like you've done the second part, trying other things, and so if it's really causing extreme problems, it might be time to try a medication. So I'd at least go in and talk about it!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
His weight is fine, mostly, I think, because he started off big and nurses a lot. So despite the spitting, he is still 70th percentile or something.
And he's generally a mellow baby, so when he cries, I know it's because he's really hurting. Some days he cries for an hour or more before nursing or sleeping. I'm not sure if that's excessive, though.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'd definitely go to the doctor. I get the impression from the mom's group I'm in that a lot of babies get reflux meds for what seems like a lot less than what you're describing. Poor baby! (And poor mama, too!)
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
If he weren't way too old, I'd worry about pyloric stenosis. Since his age rules that out, it sure sounds like reflux to this layperson! Definitely go see the pediatrician.
posted
It sounds a lot like what Charles was doing before I cut dairy. He'd cry inconsolably for almost 2 hours, wouldn't nurse, wouldn't sleep. Then he'd projectile vomit more volume than I thought could possibly be in him. Then he'd take a deep breath and spit out even more. Then he'd be calm and nurse to sleep. It got to the point that this was happening every day, late afternoon or early evening. I thought I was going to go crazy. I was going to take him to the doctor when Ela suggested the dairy idea, and it's made a world of difference.
He still spits up more often than John did (which was pretty much never) but the horrible crying periods are gone and he only has a major spit-up maybe once or twice a week. And even those aren't "how the heck were you storing that much liquid in that little body?!?" events.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
From what I've read, if reflux is diet related (and it isn't always...it wasn't for me), it is dairy and soy that are to blame. There isn't any real evidence linking any other food to reflux problems (according to "The Happiest Baby on the Block", which I recommend). The thing about dairy and soy is that they are hidden in things and if you have a really sensitive baby you may need to search for hidden dairy. I found out the other day from a woman whose daughter was diagnosed with a severe dairy allergy (sickness triggered) that many packaged lunch meats have dairy in them! Soy is a cheap filler used in so many things it would make your head spin.
I would definitely see a doctor if the reflux is severe. My DD had some reflux but it wasn't severe. I tried the dairy elimination (a little half-heartedly...I didn't cut out hidden dairy) and saw no improvement. I asked the doctor about it and he said since she wasn't having any health problems he didn't want to medicate and that if it didn't improve by about 3 months, to call him. You know what? Magically, at about 3 months, it improved! There really is a lot of truth to babies growing out of this. In fact, even if the dairy and soy elimination diet works for you, I would recommend testing those foods after a few months to see if your baby can tolerate them. Many women find their babies outgrow it. By breast feeding you are giving your baby the best chance of not having those allergies later on. Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, he's almost four months old now, so I'm not sure when he'll grow out of it. I guess I'll go back off dairy now that I've had a response from going back on it and see what happens.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Brinestone: It took my neighbor's daughter 8 months to outgrow it. Her son is almost a year old and may have a permanent dairy allergy, most unfortunately. You never can tell. I've heard as early as 3 months and as late as never.
posted
Aerin was a champion refluxer. I had no clean clothes for months. At different points, she was on Reglan, Pepcid, and Zantac. They all helped. It's important to keep in mind that the meds won't stop the reflux, they'll just keep it from burning as it comes up.
It really helped to feed Aerin upright, particularly in her Bumbo seat. We kept her upright for 30 minutes after eating.
Her overall digestion improved when we switched from cow milk to rice milk (soy milk was a disaster), fwiw.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
I have a breastfeeding question. James is eight months old, and aside from introducing him to solids in recent months, he has been exclusively breastfed (no formula). For the past few months, though, when I nurse him he often pushes against my chest with all his strength at the same time as he sucks. It prevents him from getting a good latch (and it's quite painful for me!). It has become a bigger problem in recent weeks because he's growing, getting stronger, and for some reason is doing it at basically every feeding. It turns our nursing sessions into mini wrestling matches as I struggle to keep him from pushing my breast away at the same time as sucking on it. He gets mad and refuses to keep nursing when I stop him from doing it. As a result he's only eating for 3-5 minutes per side. Could it be an issue with my "equipment"? Can any of you think of anything that could be causing him to do this? Or is he just weird? Any ideas to keep him from doing it? He's an extremely active and incredibly strong little guy. Our nursing sessions are anything but peaceful. Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Some babies do that. Maggie likes to. I have found that giving her a toy to hold and pushing against it while she pushes seems to satisfy whatever pushing need she has (often she's trying to move her bowels as she eats when she does it the worst.) Or sometimes I give her a blanket or something and play tug-of-war instead. Or ditto with just my finger.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Sometimes my finger works, but lately it seems he's figured out that trick. I'm going to try a toy or blanket, though. We'll see how that goes!
Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged |
Not sure how large it is, but I liked the discussion of how this fits in with all 3 of the main theories about SIDS prevention.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
If I couldn't see and feel Katababy's two bottom front teeth, I'd never know she was teething. She's been slightly more fussy lately, but that's not saying much. When she is bothered, holding her, feeding her, burping her, or changing her is what she wants, so she stops fussing when she gets one of those things. Since it's the two front teeth, I'm expecting that the back teeth will hurt more.
I have a frozen washcloth standing by.
The doctor said I could start solids at 6 months, but we just haven't gotten around to it. Katababy is 7 months now. I think she's doing okay. I have to tell her not to bite sometimes, because if she's not very hungry when she nurses, sometimes she bites instead of eating. But she's pretty good about not repeating the biting during a session.
Is it normal for her to jerk her leg sometimes? her daddy thinks maybe it's been hurting her or something. The motion does look a bit involuntary.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Everyone has involuntary leg jerks sometimes. (See: myoclonic jerk. )
They can happen while falling asleep, or if the muscle suddenly contracts (or stops contracting), which happens to just about everyone sometimes as a neuron misfires or for many other reasons. It can be a leg or other limb or the whole body.
Unless it's happening an awful lot and is accompanied by other neurological symptoms, I wouldn't worry, though if it persists in the absence of other problems you could mention it at the next checkup.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I saw the fan study. We were thinking of installing a ceiling fan in the nursery anyway. Now we're thinking harder.
Soooo....long shot here but does anyone have any advice for getting my baby to sleep longer than 2 hours at a stretch? She's 4 and a half months now, was sleeping 6+ hours at a stretch at 3 months, and actually wasn't sleeping this badly in her first month of life. I don't know what's waking her up. She does sleep with a pacifier, something I never wanted to get into for a variety of reasons and I'm wondering if she wakes up when she realizes she doesn't have it in her mouth anymore. She may also be teething, of course, but she may have been teething for at least 2 months and will probably be teething for the next 2 years. At any rate, teething rings, numbing meds, and tylenol don't seem to make a difference.
At about 6 months we taught our son to self sooth (he needed the breast rather than the pacifier to put himself to sleep) and I was wanting to wait that long with this new baby as well but getting up 5 times a night is insane and I'm very tempted to try sleep training earlier with her but would definitely be open to gentler suggestions. (I would let her cry for 3 minutes at a time before going in and patting/reassuring her.)
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Have you read The Happiest Baby on the Block? I never have but I hear they have suggestions for scheduling pretty much from birth on that some parents love.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've read it twice, actually. The book is about soothing techniques for newborns, mostly in line with attachment parenting principles, and it is pretty much anti-scheduling. And if you want to get right down to it, my baby already is on a schedule. She put herself on it. I'm kind of anti-scheduling myself, but this baby thrives on routine. She takes 3 relatively consistent naps a day, goes down at the same time at night, and wakes up at about the same time in the morning. But she also wakes up every 2 hours and that's the one thing I am struggling with. I don't understand why she can't sleep for at least 4 hours at a time at her age.I wouldn't even be tempted to do anything if she slept for 3-4 hours at a stretch at night.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
My baby woke up when she lost her pacifier. I got to the point where I could hear her pop it out and would wake up, put it back in (she was kinda in our bed at that point) and fall back asleep. At around 6 months, she went to her own room and figured out how to soothe herself.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged |
quote:But she also wakes up every 2 hours and that's the one thing I am struggling with. I don't understand why she can't sleep for at least 4 hours at a time at her age.
This is something that tends to be just the way kids are born, IMO. My second slept six hours a night almost from birth and was really attuned to day-night changes. My oldest was a screamer before sleeping from birth and slept more fitfully. This one does NOT sleep for more than 2 hours without waking at least momentarily (and she's now five months old, more actually.)
I didn't sleep unless I was held or in the car. Period. Until I was 1 1/2. And I still have extreme difficulty falling asleep much of the time, and sleep fitfully, often for no more than 3 hours at a time...
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
I didn't have a chance to post again last night, but I read this and was like--duh. Nursing vacation! I can't do it all weekend, but I can pretty much from Friday afternoon to Sunday after lunch. I'm not sure how happy he'll be with spending the day in bed (don't think he'll put up with it, actually) but no reason we can't hang out together in the basement, resting and playing and nursing all day.
