Settling in her own bed?

[prickleyfairy]

Please help i need some advice...Mia has never settled at night in her moses basket, i try to settle her so many times but am so tired that in the end she comes into bed with us. I did'nt want this habit to start cos i know it will be harder as she gets older, but it's just me being lazy and not have to get up for her i can just feed her and go back to sleep and she sleeps so much better in our bed.

Last night i decided that i must try her in her own bed, so my DH and i can have the bed tback to ourselves (she is such a fidgit!)......so i put her in her cot in the nursery at 8pm she then woke up at 10.30 so i went and fed her and she then went back to sleep untill 12.30, again i went in to feed her and put her back down, she then woke at 2.15 i fed her again and burped her which woke her right up and when i tried to put her back down again she just would not settle, after the 3rd attempt i gave up and bought her back into our bed.

This morning i feel worn out and gulity that i didnt keep trying to settle her in her own bed. Tell me will it get better, why is'nt she sleeping for longer and how can i get her settled, it seems as soon as she's been burped she wakes up again????

Sorry for the longwinded post

Amy xx

 

[Lucy]

Hi Amy

It will get better! I think your little girl is used to being close to you in your bed so when she wakes up in her cot she's thinking "where's my Mum, the one with those lovely comforting boobies that I feed from!"

Olivia went in her room at 7 wks old but that was from carrycot to cot, not our bed to cot. She did take a while to settle in her cot I so used to put her in there for some of her daytime naps as well to get her used to it.

Do you have a bedtime routine? I do think they get used to the routine and start to realise when it's bedtime and that they are going to have to sleep.

Regarding waking up frequently - is she taking a full feed when you feed her? Maybe it's just the comfort that she is needing at the moment because it's all new?

Lucy

 

[prickleyfairy]

Thanks Lucy for replying, i do have a routine in the evening with her bath at 6.30, then a feed and then put her to bed. I'm going to give it another go tonight to see if she can sleep longer and settle in her cot. I'm also going to try to see if she will nap in her cot during the day, so she can get used to it.

If she does'nt take a full feed at night, and wont wake up...should i still put her down to sleep, or keep trying to feed her?? Another question, if i express milk for my DH to feed her one evening how much would she need? Sorry so many questions.

Thanks

Amy xx

 

[Lucy]

Hi Amy

Olivia used to fall asleep when I was trying to feed her - I tried changing her nappy, wet cloth on her face, moving her arms/hands etc to try and get her to take more of the feed but it was no use - she always fell back to sleep on my boob! Personally I think if a baby wants to sleep noone will be able to stop them so I would just put Mia down and see how long she sleeps. She's still only wee so it wont be long before she isn't as sleepy for her last feed and will take more. At the moment I think concentrating on the cot first will help you more.

I used to express milk for DH to give Olivia the odd bottle and stored it in 4 oz bags/bottles, she never took more than 3 oz but sometimes wanted another 2 later on (that's if I was going somewhere). Olivia started to refuse a bottle after I hadn't given her one for a few weeks and didn't accept one until she was 25 wks! With my next baby I'm going to express milk for her last feed from early on, I know Kina had great success with this with her wee girl Ella. I was exhausted and felt very tied by the cluster feeding and think she spent most of the time dozing on me.

Have you been expressing? Only reason I ask is to mention that when I first started expressing I didn't seem to get more than an ounce or two but if you keep expressing at a similar time each day you will soon be able to express a lot.

Lucy

 

[Urchin]

I've had this problem for months, but it has got a lot better.

I would put your T-shirt or nightie in the cot with her so she can smell you. I tucked mine over the mattress like a sheet.

Also I'd say to repeat a bedtime routine...I was giving Brody his bath too early, I think...now he has a bath at 8, jamas, bottle and straight into bed AWAKE. He now goes straight off without a peep.
It;s very important to put them down awake so they know where they are and learn how to sleep by themselves.

Hope it settles down for you soon, Brody has recently got loads better (he's 9 MONTHS though!!!)

Also I'd say

 

[prickleyfairy]

Thanks for all the advice....glad to know it does get better!

Monday night, had a terrible night although Mia did settle twice in her cot she then woke and would'nt feed and was constantely crying.....i think she had really bad wind. Tuesday was feeling so tired and upset because Mia was still upset and would'nt settle, i did try her with some infacole and that seemed to help!

Last night had a fab night, bathed her at 8.30, then a feed and put her in her cot....and she slept though till 1am then i managed to re-settle her after a feed and she slept till 4.50 and then woke at 7.15 when DH was getting up for work. So the settling seems to be getting better and i'm realy chuffed, she's even going that little bit longer between feeds which is good! So hopefully will do the same tonight??

Amy xx

 

[*saulino*]

Hi

everyone has pretty much said everything
Kiara slept with us till a month ago and im telling you the first few nights were tough but its the best thing weve ever done, we all sleep better and Kiara sleeps through the night for teh most part now!! I bring her into bed when she wakes up between 6-8 as bernie goes to work then and we have our snuggle time.
Katrina