Gina Ford

[Neha]

I think babies forget the jabs etc our son last year when he was 12 months old was admitted in hospital for 4 days due to severe dehydration and he was on the iv for 4 days and he wouldnt leave me even for 5 minutes he used to sleep in my lap, but once he became ok he let go.

as some one mentioned above it can be teething which makes irritable , restless etc.

best of luck

 

[hkaussie]

I despise routines in nearly every area of my life! There was no way I was going to be keeping my baby to a by-the-clock routine. I fed him when he was hungry and put him to bed when he was sleepy, though we did stick to the general pattern of feed/play/sleep.

From the beginning he was a difficult sleeper, and maybe I contributed to that, I don't know. But he worked himself out in his own time, and now sleeps very well on the whole.

There are as many different stories as there are babies, of course. My friend's little boy of the same age has been a beautiful sleeper since he was born, basically, and has kept to a very strict routine with no problems, but then he sometimes had trouble sleeping in the pram when out and about, while my boy sleeps anywhere.

I hope you find something that works for your family. Sleep issues can be so stressful, but even more stressful is the feeling that you are constantly at risk of making the 'wrong' decisions, if there is such a thing!

 

[LLL_Sarah]

I am just crap with babies crying and thats why I find it such a difficult thing to deal with.

That is your mothering instinct working. Mothers are meant to get upset when they hear their babies cry. All it tells me is that you are truly a mother.

In our meetings if a baby gets upset the mother will get agitated and apologize to everyone about her baby crying. In fact most of us haven’t even noticed – but, of course, the mother has – it is her instinct to care more than anyone else about her own baby.

Babies and adults sleep in cycles. They have a deep sleep cycle and then a light sleep cycle. (The difference between a baby and an adult is the baby’s cycle is about 30 minutes and the adult’s about two hours.) Every time the baby changes from one sleep stage to another there is a potential wake up point. If all is perfect with the baby then he will blink his eyes and go back to sleep but if all is not perfect then he will wake up. (As an adult you might have experienced this and noticed that when worried about something you woke up about every two hours all through the night.)

It can be a hundred things that make the baby wake up instead of blinking and going back to sleep. For example, if he’s hungry, if he’s thirsty, if he’s wet, if he’s dirty (although I’ve found babies quickly learn to poo in the daytime – unless they have jetlag), if he’s in pain, if he’s too hot. or too cold, if he’s got overtired during the day, if he’s been too bored during the day, etc.

It could be that a little more routine would help him get less over tired in the day and thus help him sleep better but it could also be that he’s too bored during the day and a little more activity would help him sleep better – as you know your baby best you’d have more idea about this than me.

Also remember that there is always a convalesce period after an illness. It could be that he isn’t fully back to 100% health yet – although he seems quite fit. Often during the convalesce period the child gets tired very easily and so waking up at night can happen.

Best wishes,
SARAH

 

[joannek]

konradsmom, my daughter slept very badly from infant & she'd wake up very frequently at night. we've stuck to a bedtime routine & regular bedtimes since she was 3 mths. (she' now 3 yrs old!)

i find that since our body clocks work according to the sun (according to chinese medicine), putting bubs to bed around the same time each day helps bub's body clock to work naturally. (i'm talking about for his/her long-term health benefits) it doesn't have to be 7pm, it can be 8.30pm if it fits your family style. but i suggest babies sleep no later than 9pm. the body naturally goes into repair & replenish mode after 10pm, so the whole system should be at rest before that in order for it to function properly. i also think that babies (children) will only go to bed later in the day as they age. meaning tat if bub is 6mths & going to bed at 9pm, but he/she is 3 he might be going to bed at 11pm. (which is, i think, way too late for a small child). my daughter used to sleep at around 6.30pm before she was 1. between yr 1-2, bedtime moved to 7.30-8pm with naps. at 2 she dropped her nap & slept at 7pm. now that she's 3, she sleeps at around 7.30pm-8pm. my husband & i still get our evening to ourselves relaxed & watch a bit of CSI & Desperate Housewives. i've always taught her that we sleep when Mr Sun sleeps & wake when Mr Sun wakes.

another thing with your bub waking frequently after his hospital stay. he might still be in shock from teh IV? some babies/children are more senstive & anxious hence remembering trauma or scary experience more so than other babies. i suggest you bring him to a natural-path (we go to IMI, imi.com.hk). bach flower remedy "rescue remedy" (dropped in bath water, NOT TAKEN ORALLY) & homeopath "aconite" work safely & effectively for babies & small children. (one time my daughter fell off from her high chair when she was 9mths. she was physically unharmed but for the next 2 nights she screamed in her sleep. so i brought her to Dr. Bradshaw at IMI, and he prescribed those & it worked wonderfully) of course, it's best you bring him for professional help. they also sell a CD to aid sleeping at IMI. the CD tunes the brain waves to "deep sleep" brain wave (some beta waves or sth). i played it in my daughter's room at nite repeatedly, and it seems to helped enormously. maybe you can ask them abou it too. it's very expensive (like HK$450 each), but i'd spend that amt of money to exchange for some good nite sleep.

good luck!

 

[Konradsmom]

Thanks for all the advice here, truly appreciated and I don't feel that helpless and lost. I get the feeiling that bubs is really scared, the way he cries with arms flailing....I suppose I just have to give him time to settle ( unfortunately he is due for his 6 month jabs next week - argh). And not rush him into sleeping independantly again....... I'm going to try have him stick to a routine and see if it helps ( he had a fluid one before).

thanks for the homeopathy recommendations - I think I will def try the CD - I probably need it after bubs is done with it !!