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!

An Update ( For Those Who Have Actually Noted My Absence )

Nope - i havent fallen off the face of the earth. And no, unlike my last lengthy absence, i havent given birth again ( i'm not a miracle worker ). Nope, i've just had a fussy son who refuses to sleep the way i'd like him too and just not enough extra time up my sleeve.

See - remember Project SleepyTime ? Its  not going so well. Its been put on the backburner, for now. I thought we were making some headway after a week or so of going through the motions, but as we got better at our day sleeps, the nights were starting to get worse. Not that they were good - waking two or three times a night, sometimes taking an hour and half to go back to sleep - but they were getting markedly worse. And then, there was last Monday night - Flynn woke at 9:45pm and did not fall back to sleep until 4:10am. 6 hrs - and he whinged and cried and screamed the entire time. I became hysterical, crying and crying and pleading with him to be quiet. I almost took myself out of the house to just sit somewhere away from him, except that it was -4 degrees outside and i didnt want to risk frostbite. I took his temperature three times and it was normal. I gave him Nurofen because i thought it might have been his teeth ( it wasnt and the medecine did nothing ). Mick and i rocked and walked and patted and stroked.... nothing.I got so desperate i rang a medical helpline who, despite the lack of symptoms, suggested i take him to the local ER because he'd been crying consistently for more than 2 hours. As soon as i put him in the car and started driving, he laughed and giggled ( i drove for five minutes and then went home ). Finally, after 6 hours of crying and over an hour of me lying beside him and stroking his head, Flynn finally fell asleep. And so did i, on the mattress beside him, utterly exhausted - only for him to wake at his normal time of 7am, which meant i was existing on 3 hours sleep.

The next night he woke at 11pm and it took me and hour and half of cuddles and stroking to get him asleep. The night after that, when he woke at 8pm, i nursed him on my lap until Mick and i were ready for bed, and then put him in bed with us. Which is where he has stayed the rest of the week. Its only been a few days and i'm already over co-sleeping. We have a queen sized bed but i'm all cramped and my back has been killing me because i dont have the room to roll over properly ( and i spend the first few hours twisted at the waist with my arm slung across my son. ) Somehow Flynn knows if i;m not touching him, which is half the problem - you think he's asleep, he's snoring and all limp and then, as soon as i place him in his bed and my hand leaves the back of his head BOOM! his eyes open and he starts sooking. He doesnt calm down til his back in my arms or back in my bed. Its driving me mental.

So, to clarify, i have been missing in action for the past week because my normal blogging timeslot has been taken up with nursing, rocking, patting , stroking and trying to get some sleep. As we speak, Flynn is asleep beside me on a mattress on the loungeroom floor ( it looks like squatters have taken over my living room ) with his feet touching my leg. I am toying with the idea of putting him in his cot and just seeing how long he;ll stay asleep. I'm thinking an hour at the most, at which point he'll wake up and i, out of frusturation and exhaustion, will bring him to bed with us.

Any advice people?