Just wondering what peoples experiences were like at QE2? Did it dramatically improve things? Did things go back to how they were after returning home? Would you recommend it? Thanks

No it didn't help me, but I didn't fit into their "pet patient" mould and I wasn't prepared to follow their CC formula with my then 16m old for daytime sleep problems. I also had other complex issues that the nurses allocated to me did not handle well. QEII ignored input from the MACH nurse who referred me, and my GP, and sent me home even more exhausted than when I arrived. Oh and the food for both mothers and toddlers is awful!

Steph

It really helped me. I went when Kya was 3 months old, and they did a modified program for me as comfort settling wasn't my thing. (I didn't have a problem getting a program different from "norm", but have since realised that I was really lucky and perhaps it was the nurse that was asigned to us being a bit more aware).
Food is dreadful, but at that stage, I thought that anything that wasn't cooked by me was a luxury! Also, they have a spa so take your swimmers and they have a lady that does aromatherapy massages for about $15. The daytime education programs can be beneficial or not depending on the topic and what stage your bub is up to. I think that a major benefit is seeing that other parents have similar issues and that you are not "alone" so to speak.
If you need more ifo, pm me

Hi,

QE2 helped us. The only way we could get our DD to sleep (18mth at the time) was rocking her in a pram and then transferring her to a cot once asleep. She would then wake in the middle of the night and we'd be up for a couple of hours trying to get her back to sleep. It was shocking!

The first night the nurse made us do controlled crying and we weren't comfortable with that at the time. We had a different nurse the second day and we told her that the crying made us uncomfortable so she gave us the option of a different method where we sat next to the cot, no eye contact, and just patted the mattress and just quietly 'shhh' or 'go to sleep now'. Took about 40 minutes but she was asleep with minimal tears. That method was still a bit of work but we preferred it over the crying so stuck with it. She's now 2.5 and a great sleeper. Yippee!!

I think for most of them under 1 they did the CC and I'm trying a bit of that now with my 8 mth old (my feelings about it have changed a bit). But you could always ask them about alternative methods.

And yep, the food is fairly horrible. Starts to all taste the same but I was happy that I just didn't have to cook for a few nights.

I left there feeling much better and I felt like the relationship with my daughter improved as I didn't have a knot in my stomach everytime we approached sleep time.

Good luck!

Gill

We personally found QEII a positive life-changing experience. We took our DS to QEII when he was 14 months old. I had NEVER ever wanted to try CC but I was at the end of my tether with the sleep problems we were experiencing (difficulties getting to sleep, frequent night wakings, catnaps of only 40 minutes during the day). I knew I needed support to try CC.

For us, QEII and their suggestions (it's not only about CC) were nothing short of a miracle. It has been 4 months since we were at QEII and I am still amazed every night when DS (18 months now) waves us goodnight as we tuck him into bed knowing he will sleep all night. His day sleeps are great too. It is a miracle!

I found the midwives at QEII were so supportive and understanding, the kids loved playing together in the fantastic playroom, the other Mums were really nice – in fact, parts of the 4-night stay even felt like a mini-holiday!

If you are ready to make a change (with a bit of hard work for a few days), and are willing to try QEII, I would encourage you. I would not have believed that such a positive and sustained change could happen so quickly if I hadn’t tried it myself.

Hi,

I spent time at QEII about 2 months ago for sleep issues for our then 6 month old and for PND issues with me. I have mixed emotions about it.

I used the Comfort Settling program which is a little different to controlled crying but does still entail listening to your baby cry for periods of time. I have found that it has worked reasonably well and our baby now sleeps better than before. She is still wakeful through the night but we are battling on going health issues with her and I honestly feel that once she is well she will sleep through.

I did feel that the staff were quite judgemental of my lifestyle and were quite 'pushy' with their opinions. The issues was that I work full time. They felt that it wasn't in my baby's best interest and that I should seriously consider quitting, or at the very least, changing to part time hours. Now, I do understand that staying at home with my DD is probably better for her but at what cost to me? And I don't mean financially. I was an absolute wreck before I came back to work with PND causing huge issues in my life. I now feel that as much as I would love to be a SAHM it's just not the right thing for me. And in order to be the best mum I can I need to look after me. I have swapped the quantity time I had with quality time. Both my girls have improved their behaviour since I've been back at work and I am now off my medication.

Sorry - this has turned into a bit of a rant! But just let me say this - if you go into QEII be prepared to listen to their advice and then use it your way. I let the working mum comments slide by and listened to the sleeping advice for my DD as that was the reason I was there. I got what we needed from them and that is the most important thing.

Good Luck! PM me if you want to caht more.

Oh and yes - the food is terrible!

Rach

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Hi - I went to QEII when my baby was 5 months old. During the first 5 months my baby woke every 2.5 - 3 hours around the clock. I was in tears most of the time, my baby was exhausted and my marriage was hanging on by a thread. QEII was the light at the end of the tunnel. I found the staff to be fantastic - they understood that as a first time mum I was incredibly anxious and found it almost impossible to let my baby cry. They taught me how to listen to my baby's cries and not rush in. The best technique they taught me was the feed, play, sleep routine and the guide to how long a young baby should be awake. The nursing staff gave me the support and the confidence to adopt the controlled settling method and my baby and I haven't looked back. It took a very short space of time for my baby to start sleeping for more than 3 hours. I think the comments others have made about the food are irrelevant - QEII is not a restaurant - I wouldn't have cared if they'd fed me grass, I got want I went for and that was a contented, happy baby. I might mention that some wonderful parishioners of a local church (I can't remember which one) supplied home-baked morning tea for the mums in QEII every day. When I left QEII I pledged that I would definitely leave them a sizeable portion of my estate!!