Monday, July 12, 2010

Project Sleepy-Time, Take #2

So, Project Sleepy-Time - like i said, it kind of failed. Fell through. Had been put on the back burner. We've had Flynn in our bed everynight for the past two weeks, simply because its been easier to get him to sleep there and Mick and I would like to get some sleep too. Last night though, i managed to have him sleep in his own bed the entire night - he did wake up for one feed at 4:30am and i did have to get up five other times to put his dummy back in, but he stayed in his own bed. No cuddling, head stroking or snoozing between Mummy and Daddy, just the hot water bottle and his own blankies in his own bed.

So, consider today the start of Project Sleepy-Time, take #2. I went in to see my community health nurse again today ( thank god for community health nurses! ) and talked with her a little more about our sleep issues. She seems to think that Mr Flynn is suffering some major seperation anxiety, just that it seems to be only associated with his sleep. Its like everytime he wakes, he needs to immediately know that i'm nearby or else he wakes too much and gets in a panic, which is why its so hard to get him back to sleep. So, she said just to try putting him his own bed again tonight, see if i can get another relatively good nights sleep out of him, and if all goes well just keep doing what i'm doing.  If not, she suggests that we set up a porta-cot beside our bed so that way when Flynn wakes he can see me and i can reach down and touch him, without actually having him in the bed with us. That way he has what he needs but we still have our personal space. Score! As he gets used to being in the porta-cot alone and sleeping pretty well, then we start to move the cot further and further from our bed until he's back in his room.

Alright - i can handle that, if thats what we need. Hopefully we dont need to, but if we do i'm willing to give it my best shot. The only other thing she suggested that i'm not exactly looking forward to - GET RID OF HIS DUMMY. I actually think its a great idea, i'm just not too much looking forward to the hassle of it, but i'd rather do it now while his whole sleep is unsettled anyway, rather than get him sleeping well again and a few months from now try to take his dummy, thus unsettling him again. Wish me luck!

5 comments:

  1. Good luck sweetheart! Sounds like you have a great support network around you x

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  2. Good luck, truly! I've been there and know how awful it all is. xoxoxo

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  3. I wouldn't get rid of the dummy. That's the first time I've actually heard someone use that term for it..lol..Anyways, Claire had hers until just after her second birthday, and we cut it cold turkey. She's just fine. The boys never took it. I guess it wasn't their scene. I say if it helps him sleep, I'd keep it. Good luck!

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  4. Good luck! We've just started trying a new approach to Piglet's sleep issues so we're pretty much in the same boat!

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  5. Sounds like a plan! How's it going?

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