We have just come to the end of our first teething stint. Is it a stint? I’m not really sure how it all works. I read somewhere that when bub is teething you should expect three to five unsettled nights. It’s been six weeks for us. Having said that I think half of that was the bottom teeth coming through and the other half was the top teeth which are apparently coming through at the moment. I can’t see anything myself. My child health nurse told me they’re coming through though. We’ll see.
It’s been a rough road. We have had such a good baby as far as night sleep goes and then all of a sudden he started waking several times throughout the night. On average I would say he was up about three to four times each night. I feel a little bad even complaining as I know this is the norm for some people. It was quite a shock for us though. For this to last six weeks, has been trying. Nothing for teething really seemed to help much either. We tried Panadol, Bonjella, Brauers, gave bub teething rings. It was all pretty useless.
I had to abandon day-sleep training just when it was getting to such a great place because bub was just too cranky. Also during this time he learned to roll from his back to his front. So trying to pat him to sleep on his chest while in the cot proved very difficult as the second I started patting him he would roll over in protest. So I’ve been surviving the days by getting him to sleep in the pram, the carrier, the car, or I have fed him to sleep in bed and taken a nap myself. I know these are all bad habits as the only way of getting a baby to sleep but nothing else has worked. And you do what you have to do to survive.
With the lack of sleep during the night and day going on for so long (long for me anyway) I was just dying to get bub to the six month check with my local community health clinic. Maybe the nurses there would have some great tips or something that could help. The last time I went there I majorly hinted that day sleeps just weren’t happening and the nurse made a house visit to help me out. Win!
So I kinda went there with the same tactic. I may have played up my tiredness and bubs lack of sleep a little. I was just so desperate for some help. I may have gone a little too far as the nurse asked me to take a test to see if I was depressed. Whoops. I was just really tired and with no family around and no one to leave our baby with, both hubby and I are hanging on to our sanity by a thread. We are so desperate for a break. But that's another story. Anyway, I obliged and took the test which came out all good. But my slightly over dramatic complaints about bub's lack of sleep actually worked out well because the nurse gave me a referral to a sleep clinic. “That sounds expensive?” I questioned when she suggested it. “No, it’s a free service. It’s just that the clinic is an hour away.” Free? I’m not going to say no to free help. If I had to travel two hours for this kind of help I would. Poor sleeping habits can be an ongoing issue for years and years. The longer it goes on, the harder it is to deal with for everyone. Getting on top of this as early was possible was a priority. So I eagerly agreed to the referral.
My nurse also took the time to point out that perhaps bub wasn’t sleeping so well through the night because I had not started him on solids yet. She clearly disapproved. By this point I had had many people suggest that’s why he wasn’t sleeping well. I knew it was teething and not a hunger issue. But no one seemed interested when I said that. I think their shock of someone exclusively breastfeeding until six months blocked out anything I said after that. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s the case,” I told her politely, “as when he wakes up in the night, he really doesn’t feed much. He mostly comfort sucks because the teething is making him so uncomfortable.” “Yes, well, if you start him on solids you might find that he starts sleeping better throughout the night.” Like I said, it was as though no one heard my perfectly sound explanation as to why solids was not an issue.
It was always so disappointing because I would say it with pride. Being your baby’s only source of nutrition for six months is a huge effort. Well, I think it is anyway. But I was mostly looked down upon for it.
Much to my delight bub actually slept a whole 10 hours the following night. And this was prior to starting him on solids. I took this to signify he was at the end of his teething woes for the time being. I’m so glad he did that prior to starting solids just so that I could prove my point to everyone that doubted me.
Meanwhile, I’m booked in to that sleep clinic tomorrow with my main complaint being that bub won’t sleep more than 40 minutes at a time during the day. But as I’m writing this I keep checking on him because he’s been asleep for over an hour and a half. This is the first time since he was about two months old that he’s slept this long in his cot during the day. If he does this tomorrow at the sleep clinic I’m going to feel pretty stupid.
Wish me luck!
It’s been a rough road. We have had such a good baby as far as night sleep goes and then all of a sudden he started waking several times throughout the night. On average I would say he was up about three to four times each night. I feel a little bad even complaining as I know this is the norm for some people. It was quite a shock for us though. For this to last six weeks, has been trying. Nothing for teething really seemed to help much either. We tried Panadol, Bonjella, Brauers, gave bub teething rings. It was all pretty useless.
I had to abandon day-sleep training just when it was getting to such a great place because bub was just too cranky. Also during this time he learned to roll from his back to his front. So trying to pat him to sleep on his chest while in the cot proved very difficult as the second I started patting him he would roll over in protest. So I’ve been surviving the days by getting him to sleep in the pram, the carrier, the car, or I have fed him to sleep in bed and taken a nap myself. I know these are all bad habits as the only way of getting a baby to sleep but nothing else has worked. And you do what you have to do to survive.
With the lack of sleep during the night and day going on for so long (long for me anyway) I was just dying to get bub to the six month check with my local community health clinic. Maybe the nurses there would have some great tips or something that could help. The last time I went there I majorly hinted that day sleeps just weren’t happening and the nurse made a house visit to help me out. Win!
So I kinda went there with the same tactic. I may have played up my tiredness and bubs lack of sleep a little. I was just so desperate for some help. I may have gone a little too far as the nurse asked me to take a test to see if I was depressed. Whoops. I was just really tired and with no family around and no one to leave our baby with, both hubby and I are hanging on to our sanity by a thread. We are so desperate for a break. But that's another story. Anyway, I obliged and took the test which came out all good. But my slightly over dramatic complaints about bub's lack of sleep actually worked out well because the nurse gave me a referral to a sleep clinic. “That sounds expensive?” I questioned when she suggested it. “No, it’s a free service. It’s just that the clinic is an hour away.” Free? I’m not going to say no to free help. If I had to travel two hours for this kind of help I would. Poor sleeping habits can be an ongoing issue for years and years. The longer it goes on, the harder it is to deal with for everyone. Getting on top of this as early was possible was a priority. So I eagerly agreed to the referral.
My nurse also took the time to point out that perhaps bub wasn’t sleeping so well through the night because I had not started him on solids yet. She clearly disapproved. By this point I had had many people suggest that’s why he wasn’t sleeping well. I knew it was teething and not a hunger issue. But no one seemed interested when I said that. I think their shock of someone exclusively breastfeeding until six months blocked out anything I said after that. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s the case,” I told her politely, “as when he wakes up in the night, he really doesn’t feed much. He mostly comfort sucks because the teething is making him so uncomfortable.” “Yes, well, if you start him on solids you might find that he starts sleeping better throughout the night.” Like I said, it was as though no one heard my perfectly sound explanation as to why solids was not an issue.
It was always so disappointing because I would say it with pride. Being your baby’s only source of nutrition for six months is a huge effort. Well, I think it is anyway. But I was mostly looked down upon for it.
Much to my delight bub actually slept a whole 10 hours the following night. And this was prior to starting him on solids. I took this to signify he was at the end of his teething woes for the time being. I’m so glad he did that prior to starting solids just so that I could prove my point to everyone that doubted me.
Meanwhile, I’m booked in to that sleep clinic tomorrow with my main complaint being that bub won’t sleep more than 40 minutes at a time during the day. But as I’m writing this I keep checking on him because he’s been asleep for over an hour and a half. This is the first time since he was about two months old that he’s slept this long in his cot during the day. If he does this tomorrow at the sleep clinic I’m going to feel pretty stupid.
Wish me luck!
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