Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Screamy, Non-Sleepy One

We have taken to calling Gwen by the above name, as she seems to be on a nap strike (total naps yesterday: 1.25 hours, compared to more typical 4-5 hours. Holy crap) and nighttime is getting to be a bit of a challenge too.

We continue to swaddle Gwen for nighttime sleep. Every once in a while we try the recommended test to see if she's ready to not be swaddled: we put her to bed with one arm unwrapped to see if she sleeps the same. She doesn't - that is, she wakes up an hour later - so we re-swaddle and continue as before.

Nowadays, she is strong enough to get out of her swaddle. But she can't sleep when she's not swaddled, so she wakes herself up. Inevitably, I am summoned loudly to her room hours earlier than her typical 4am feed, and I am sure this is due to a swaddle failure, rather than hunger.

She moves around a lot in her sleep - we often find her at one corner of the crib, and sometimes with a leg through the bars. The swaddle blanket, by this time, is wrapped around her neck.

I think I know why she moves around so much. When we co-sleep, I've noticed that I put her down in one spot, then when we finish nursing I roll over to my own side. Though I go to sleep with her a foot or so away from me, I always wake up with her little head not-so-gently butting against me, as she snuffles away, asking in her way to be fed again. I don't know how she moves all that way, but she does. So I'm pretty sure that when she's in her own crib, and starts moving around, it's because she's looking for me. A heartrending notion, to be sure, but it doesn't convince me that nightly co-sleeping is the answer for us.

So, how to teach her to sleep without the swaddling - or, alternatively, to stop tangling herself up so ridiculously that she wakes herself up?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

All babies seek something to sleep against. Not that she wouldn't rather have you than the headboard, (I know I would) but why don't you try placing her squished up in the corner to begin with? Then maybe the swaddle would hold better if she didn't have to wiggle up there herself?

J

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