[MissM86]

I'm a first time mum and after some advice about what you would do in this situation:

My DD (6 months) was, about 3 months ago, sleeping up to 10 hours a night. For about 3 months she has been going to bed about 7pm and waking up at 2-3am. In this time she has learnt to sit, crawl and has grown 2 teeth. She is waking up crawling around the cot then bumping her head and crying. Initially I was co-sleeping with her from her first wake up and it was fine. We then decided to start patting her back to sleep in the cot which we would be doing hourly from 2am-6am before we just get up. Exhausting! The co-sleeping is not working anymore as she is crawling around the bed, bumping her head, bumping my head/Dh head and almost falling out.

MCHN suggested sleep school (actually, Mother Baby Unit at a private hospital). We are booked in next week. Would you go? Have you been and did it help? We try to parent our baby 'gently' and am very nervous about the controlled crying aspect etc.

I thought this was just a phase of bad sleeping and she would grow out of it but the MCHN has made me quite nervous about the whole thing. What do you lovely experienced mums think?

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

I would speak to them about their methods. If you agree with them, then go, it can't hurt. No-one can force you to do anything so don't feel you have to CC/CIO even if they recommend it. Go with your instincts and if anything makes you uncomfortable, tell them.

[Baggy]

You could probably work it out in time yourself, but sometimes it helps to have another opinion. There is no harm in trying out this sleep school. If it is too much for you then just leave

There are lots of different books and methods on sleeping, find something you are comfortable with, then roll with it.

Both my DDs went through bad phases of sleeping and it all ways works out in the end. DD1 started sleeping through consistently at two and DD2 slept though consistently at 9months.

[Guest_Hoggle_*]

For me, I'd just wait it out as it sounds normal to me. I don't really think it is bad sleeping. 7pm-2/3am is pretty good for 6 months I think. I found for my 3 the age of 4 months until about 9 months we had a lot of wakeful periods during the night.

But, in saying that, it wouldn't hurt to go along and see what they have to say. You don't have to take their advice if you don't like it.

[BadKitteh]

I would seek some clarity around what you are being admitted for. Ionly know of one MBU & it is for mental illness in the mother of a baby. It may not be in this instance though, I'd check just in case though.
As for sleep school, you need to be happy with the method they use and whether you are happy to do it once you are back at home. I agree that you don't have to use the methods that they recommend if you don't want, don't feel pressured.
In sounds normal to me. Neither of my children would have slept for that long at that age. If you need help though, go for it. What is right for one family may not be for another.
Good luck, having not enough sleep is very hard. I hope it improves for you soon.
Edited for clarity.

This post has been edited by BadKitteh: 20/03/2012, 06:57 PM

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

Agree with pp too, her sleep does sound very 'normal'. Not to scare you, but we have similar sleep here with my 15 mth old (often an earlier wake time).

[cinnabubble]

No. It would have to be so bad that it was impacting on my or my baby's health in a serious and ongoing manner before I would consider sleep school.

[dejoey]

If you think you can get some benefits from there you could try it. My humble advice would be to have firm ideas on what outcomes you are hoping for. You will be going in sleep deprived yourself, and it can be harmful to an already low self esteem if you let it (not saying you have low self esteem, but just that when I am severely sleep deprived, any criticism seems like the end of the world).

I went to one with my youngest when she was 5 months old, as she is a highly strung baby who, with any disruption from the normal day to day, can take weeks to get back into a sleeping rhythm. I only went there as I had tried all the things I did with the older two and nothing worked. The others were preschoolers, so I needed some help as none of us were getting any sleep (hubby works away). I left there feeling like the most incompetent parent in the whole world. I was told I was severely depressed, that my husband must be emotionally abusive, and that my baby wasn't sleeping because I was failing to meet her nutritional needs. It took me a few weeks to get over all that. I was not depressed, as I went to a psychologist that nicely told me that I was simply suffering from lack of sleep. She also said that the fact that I was so tired led me to cry at the drop of a hat which is why the school thought I was emotionally abused. My baby was breastfed, and was not malnourished, she was simply regulating her weight (as they do at this age I have since been told) they came to this conclusion by licking her foot and saying it tasted salty. They made me comp feed her, and introduce solids (which almost compromised my milk supply) and I now have a huge 1 year old that I can barely pick up.

I really don't want to scare you, and I think there is a real benefit from these places. I just wanted to warn you to have some outcomes besides just get my child to sleep. Have your feeding patterns etc all written down, and stand firm to your ideas on what kind of mothering you want to provide your child. I found it quite a daunting and intimidating experience (although I am a bit of a doormat).

I wish you all the best, and hope you get a good night sleep tonight

[LynnyP]

Sounds pretty normal to me. I think you have been very fortunate in the sleeper you have had up to now. I wouldn't go to sleep school.

[EBeditor]

Did they offer you a day stay first? I would probably try to get some advice on routines to try at home first, unless my mental health was affected or I felt my child's development was being compromised due to lack of sleep.

Just a day stay was very helpful for my first child.

Second child failed sleep school but we got there in the end.