Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tinkerbell and a cry for help...

I haven't been keeping up to date with my bogging this past week as I am so darn TIRED..... My beautiful little Lola is really bad at sleeping through the night, in fact if she sleeps for 3 solid hours it's a bonus. Lately she has been waking hourly and this is sending me pretty loopy, I feel quite delirious from lack of sleep and I am pretty sure that I have been a wee bit grumpy!!!! If anybody has any advice for me please fell free to pass it on. I do put her to bed awake and she is good at going to sleep in the day. Advice so far has been to give her a bottle and to leave her to cry, neither of which I want to do. I must admit that I am considering giving her a bottle before bed to fill her up. Mind you I am quite sure that there is nothing wrong with my milk supply and she is just waking for the comfort, oh and I have tried not feeding her when she wakes and just rocking her and cuddling her, but doesn't work. HELP........

Okay enough of that, I have just sent my mum a very long moany old email about being tired too, seems I'm on a roll......

Anyway this weekend Talia helped Daddy to make a run for Tinkerbell, don't they look adorable in their matching ear thingies... She loves hanging out with daddy in the garden, she is a real daddy's girl (just like me hey dad......)!




Tinkerbell has been making herself at home, she comes in at night and runs around the lounge and is very tame and friendly. The kids love her, but the cat is terrified of her, it's very funny watching the tiny bunny rabbit chasing the huge fat ginger cat (very like Garfield) around the lounge....

Hello Lola.......

Hope you are all getting more sleep than me............................. X

8 comments:

Kiki said...

Hi Julie, I may have some advice..but I'm not sure of a few things - could you clarify:

How old is Lola? How many hours does she sleep in the day and what time do you put her to bed at night? Is her area quiet? Just wondering so I can give you my thoughts as our scenario about six months back sounds similar.

Miss D is sleeping through the night now but if she does wake nothing but a bottle will console her. She weaned herself instantly at 13 months *sob* and started drinking cow's milk from a bottle. It's her new love unfortunately.

Anyway, let me know your situation and I'll give you some ideas.

sweetp said...

aww cute bunny. No advice on the sleeping sorry....except it WILL NOT last forever!! Mine all were co-sleepers so I never had to get up, if they did wake I was never awake for more than a minute or 2. Unfortunately my 3 are all sick with the flu I had plus a nasty cough so I am awake every hour or so listening to one or the other coughing the night away. Sigh.

Daisie said...

Don't give her a bottle, just ride it out! All three of mine were (Nathaniel still is) co-sleepers. It works for us. They wake in the night but because you are just there they settle themselves easily. At two I weaned them from the breast and put them in their own beds and the girls sleep all night alone. Am hoping Nathaniel will be as easy.
Don't give into the myth tht formula or cow's milk will be better, it's not! Mummy milk is always best!
Good luck, xxxx

Unknown said...

I suffered with my first and had no idea what to do and strove to put her in her bed as everything tells you to do that. We gave in at about 6 months of no sleep and she staed with us until 2. It was a shock for her to move out, but with the second coming our bed was not big enough for 2 small ones in with us. With my second, we didn´t even try. She was in bed with us from birth until 2 years. She still comes in every night.

I do find that I won´t let my children sleep after 3pm as they don´t get to sleep at night.

Hang in there. It seems so bad but you will get over it. Use all supports to get sleep through the day. And don´t even think about housework (lucky that is easy for me to manage).

Claire said...

I can't give advice! esmé would be awake all night if I put her in a cot - she is a super duper light sleeper, more so than any of my others. She is in the big bed, I breastfeed her CONSTANTLY through the night. Some nights it is every hour, sometimes only once or twice a night. I always lie down with her and breastfeed her off to sleep at the start of the night and if I am lucky I get to slip out once she is asleep to do some bots and bobs then get back in with her later for the night. Even though she is 'awake' and feeding lots I don't feel that tired becauuse I spend the whole time lying down!!! It works for me. I read A LOT in bed.

Just so you know that you are not alone!!! I think growth spurts are responsible for the increase in feedings and like everything they come and go.

Poor you though - lack of sleep is truly dreadful.

A big hug to you Julie.

Julie said...

Kiki - Lola is 8 and a bit months old, she sleeps for a about 1-2 hours in the morning and often an hour in the afternooon. She has a bath at about 7ish and is normally always in bed between 7.30 -8pm. She sleeps right next to me in her cot and it is pretty quiet where we live. Love any ideas based on this....

Sweetp - Hope your little ones get better soon, mine have colds too, not happy bunnies!!

Daisy - You are right of course nothing better than mummy's milk!

Ingrid - I am so with you on the leave the housework advice......

Claire - Sounds like I am not alone. Even though she right next to me in her cot, it would probably be easier if she was in bed with me. She spends most of the night on me in my arms anyway and I guess that it would be better for me if I was lying down not sitting hunched up. Sending big hugs back to you..X

Kiki said...

Hi Julie, I agree with one of the other comments left in that you are probably experiencing a number of growth spurts and possible onset of/further teething. Lola is still so young in comparison to my little one who is almost 20 months of age.

We have this great website here in Australia that I'll share with you, it may provide some assistance especially since it caters for all age groups and their development.
http://raisingchildren.net.au/sleep/babies_sleep.html

Anonymous said...

Hi Julie

I breast fed all my kids and the only way I found to stop them getting up was to stop breast feeding them. It is really sad but I think the benefit outways the bad.

Good luck - particularly tough to give up if she is your last baby. Someone said to me that no matter how many babies one has though there would always be a point where all those great things about babies would stop.

Love Emma x

Your fairy is called Tangle Saturnwand
She is a trouble maker.
She lives at the bottom of tangled gardens and in hedgerows.
She is only seen when the seer holds a four-leafed clover.
She wears tangled dresses of multicoloured petals. She has delicate pale pink wings like a cicada.