NCSS: Night -Waking Log

Date: September 11, 2008
Age: 5.5 mos

Six items were logged:

1. Time
2. How baby woke me up
3. How long awake; what we did
4. Time baby fell back to sleep
5. How baby fell back to sleep
6. How long of a sleep stretch since fell asleep

7:40 - Jack fell asleep at the end of our nursing session and I moved him to the crib

8:30 - He woke, crying. Fell asleep again at 8:40 while nursing. Sleep stretch (SS): 50 mins

9:10 - He woke, crying. Fell asleep again at 9:20 while nursing. SS: 40 mins

9:30 - He woke, crying. Fell asleep again at 9:40 while nursing. SS: 20 mins

10:55 - He woke, grunting. Fell asleep on his own a minute or two later. SS: 1 hr 25 mins.

11:20 - He woke, crying. Fell asleep again at 11:30 while nursing. SS: 20 mins

1:15 - He woke, crying. Fell asleep again at 1:30 while nursing. SS: 1 hr 55 mins

4:00 - He woke, crying. Fell asleep again at 4:10 while nursing. SS: 2 hr 45 mins

7:00 - Up for the day. SS: 3 hrs.

Asleep time: 7:40p.m.
Awake time: 7:00 a.m.
Total Number of Awakenings: 7
Longest Sleep Span: 3 hours
Total Hours of Sleep: 11 hrs, 15 mins

Well, there you have it. This was a somewhat rougher night that usual, but not by much. When he falls asleep nursing I try everything I can think of to get him to wake up and nurse longer but nothing works. Yet, when I move him to the crib his sleep doesn't last long.

If I remember correctly, my next logs will be done in ten days (from 9/11/08) to monitor progress. I'm still reading the book though, so there might be other stuff between now and then too. So far the biggest suggestions seem to be that there has to be a set bedtime time and routine. And I knew that, but honestly wasn't using one. We didn't get Henry into a routine until he was older - maybe 9 mos, and yes, I do remember him sleeping better after we did so don't ask me why I didn't do it right away this time. I am also being more aware of sleep cues and taking Jack up to bed as soon as he appears tired. Last night I put him down at 7:00 p.m, and he slept until about 9:30 this morning, but there were TONS of wake ups in between. Like, an ungodly amount. I can handle every 3 hours or so. It's the 30 minute cycles that get me.

So, that's that. Stay tuned for progress reports!

NCSS: Prebedtime Routine Log

Name: Jack
Age: 5.5 mos
Date: 9/11/08

Key (from book):
Activity: active, moderate, or calm
Noise: loud, moderate, or quiet

Light: bright, dim, or dark

I am logging five points:

1. Time
2. What We Did
3. Activity Level
4. Noise Level
5. Light Level

Here are today's results:

5:30 p.m. - Worked puzzles with Henry. Calm activity. Moderate noise (he is a toddler after all!). Bright light.

6:00 p.m. - Misc.... read some books, watched the news, watched Henry play while I did a little baby massage. Moderate activity. Moderate noise. Bright light.

7:00 p.m. - Jack sat in his bouncer while Hubby, Henry, and I ate supper. Moderate noise, Calm activity (for him). Bright light.

7:20 p.m. - Took Jack up to his bedroom to change diaper and nurse. Calm activity. Quiet. Dim light.

Q: Do you have a formal, consistent bedtime routine?
A: Yes, from the time we get into the bedroom we go through the same routine every night. Before that, no.

Q: Is the hour prior to bedtime mostly peaceful, quiet, and dimly lit?
A: Umm, no, is it supposed to be?

Q: Does your bedtime routine help both you and your baby relax and get sleepy?
A: No, it's not really long enough to do that.

Q: Any other observations about your current bedtime routine?
A: It is difficult to get in a routine before we get to the bedroom because often times we are just getting home from my Mom's, etc. It seems every day brings a new adventure. It is also hard to convince a two year old to be (relatively) quiet... though he tries. I always put Jack down first, while Henry plays with his "Pa" . When I come down, if Henry is noisy I will say, "Shhh, honey, we have to be quiet." in a calm voice and he'll say, "Bee?" (his name for Jack - short for baby). So he *kind of* gets it, but not entirely.

I'll log the overnight routine tomorrow. I have some new pictures to post too, so don't get all skeered thinking it's all business from here out (coughChriscough). ;o)

NCSS: Nap Log

Here is the info with guidelines from Pantley's NCSS book for Jack's Nap Log:

Age: 5.5 mos
Date: 9/11/08

I am logging five points...

1. Time Baby Fell Asleep
2. How Baby Fell Asleep
3. Where Baby Fell Asleep
4. Where Baby Slept
5. How Long?

Here are the results for today:

11:20 a.m. - Jack was lulled to sleep by the movement of the stroller as we walked through the zoo. He fell asleep in the car seat (which was in the stroller), and slept there for the duration of his 30 minute nap.

1:25 p.m. - Jack was nursed to sleep on the couch and slept in that position and location for one hour before waking.

2:30 p.m. - Jack was again nursed to sleep on the couch and slept in that position and location for another 1 hr. 40 mins. before waking completely.

Q: How many naps should your baby be getting?
A: 2 (according to chart in book)

Q: How many naps is your baby getting now?
A: 2

Q: How many hours should your baby be napping?
A: 3 - 4 hours (according to chart in book)

Q: How many hours is your baby napping now?
A: Today it was 3 hrs, 10 min total.... yesterday it was 1 hr, 25 mins.

Q: Do you have a formal nap routine?
A: In the morning, no. In the afternoon, yes.

Q: Are your baby's naptimes/lengths consistent every day?
A: The time he goes down for his afternoon nap is consistent every day, but the answer is no for everything else.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

by Elizabeth Pantley

I am not a big fan of self-help books, but I thought I'd give this one a try. It's not that Jack doesn't sleep, it's more that he doesn't stay asleep for long (or so it seems). He seems to do a lot of cluster feeding in the beginning of his sleep cycle, waking to nurse a number of times between 8-12, and then sleeps in longer stretches from 12-8. He will not go back to sleep unless he is nursed... even if it's only for a few minutes (I let him go as long as he wants/needs too, but he typically falls asleep within 3-10 minutes).

I really don't believe that he is hungry every time he wakes up (and neither does the author), it just seems to be his only mode of comfort. Given what I've read so far, it seems this book will help me to change that so he can more easily soothe himself to sleep when he stirs at night. I've already read interesting info about sleep cycles, and why/when babies wake. One interesting thing Pantley noted was something about how she'd cry too if she woke up in the middle of the night and was laying on the kitchen floor. I didn't get her point at first, but she went on to explain how baby falls asleep all nice and cozy nestled next to mum and nursing, and then wakes alone in a crib. He probably wonders how he got there, and where his mum went (by the way, Henry calls me "Mum" so that's how I refer to myself ;o))!

I have let Jack cry it out a few times, but it never sat well with me, and I always caved long before it worked. The results were just more agitation and an even longer time to settle. Not fun. Pantley quotes another author (Jean Liedloff) and her desciption of a baby waking in the middle of the night:

"He awakes in a mindless terror of the silence, the motionlessness. He screams. He is afire from head to foot with want, with desire, with intolerable impatience. He gasps for breath and screams until his head is filled and throbbing with the sound. He screams until his chest aches, until his throat is sore. He can bear the pain no more and his sobs weaken and subside. He listens. He opens and closes his fists. He rolls his head from side to side. Nothing helps. It is unbearable. He begins to cry again, but it is too much for his strained throat; he soon stops. He waves his hands and kicks his feet. He stops, able to suffer, unable to think, unable to hope. He listens. Then he falls asleep again."

Yeah, so, anyway... pretty sure we'll never be trying the CIO method again. Like, ever. That paragraph almost moved me to tears. I can't even imagine doing that to a baby. I know people have had success with this method, but it is not for me. Just like some of the things I choose to do with my children may not be for them. We all have to find our own way, and this No Cry Sleep Solution is mine.

I've read as far as I can for now. I'm to the "homework" part of the book (this is where the self help books always lose me, but I'm sticking with this one). I have to log his sleep patterns three times. At naptime, before bed, and through the night. I will do separate posts for each of them as I'm planning to use this not only for information to any readers who might drop by, but also for my own reference as I work my way through the program.

From now on, I will refer to the No Cry Sleep Solution as NCSS, and will also make a separate label for these posts in case you'd like to track the progress in one place.

Wish me luck!