Sleep School???

[lorzilee]

I'm just looking for some advice/experiences/options for all you very experienced mummies!!

DD, who is 5 1/2 months old has never been a great sleeper (understatement of the year!!). She orginally started co-sleeping with us (unintentionally, it was the only thing that worked when I was in hospy, and we just continued when we got home). Unfortunately, this became unworkable at around 8 weeks old, when lying her flat made her scream. We were refered to a paediatrician who diagnosed GORD, or reflux, with a few other problems. Medication has allowed us to control the problem, mostly, but DD had to be moved to a cot, as she would not sleep with us anymore. Until she was three months, she slept sitting in a rocker in her cot and now sleeps in her cot on a special matterss.
Her sleeping as deteriated to a point where she sleeps from 8pm until around 12am, and then crys, talks, screams until 7am. In between, I feed her between 2 and 3 times, but she's not really hungry as she will only take part of a side each time. She may sleep for around 3 lots of half an hour during this time.

My very lovely paediatrician has been so supportive through this and today has suggested we try sleep school, as he feels her current sleeping habits are a result of a combination of her condition, never learning to sleep well in the first place and a bit of a bad habit.

He has suggested the Tweedle Children's Support Centre and I was just wondering if anybody has experience with this, what their methods are like, or if you know of an alternative. DH and I are open to any suggestions!!!

Please excuse any mistakes in this. They are a result of no sleep

[lorzilee]

Told you no sleep. Don't know what happened with the formatting!!!

[bamboogal]

Not sure what the Tweedle school is like but i've heard many sleep schools focus heavily on 'cry it out'. not my cup of tea. I know up here there are people who come out to your home to help with settling methods. i think they were called settle petal and were covered by medicare i think because they also were CHNs.

[mummygeorgie]

Everything I have heard about sleep schools tells me they advocate controlled crying and similar techniques. I don't know if that's something you're comfortable with or not.

[mum_2_lots]

I'm waiting here too....I won't do the controlled crying bit......sheesh! u would think after so many kids I would know how to deal with sleep issues! lol

[mumtojude]

We went to a sleep school when Harry was 6 and 1/2 months old. It was torture on him, controlled crying and he also had his dummy taken from him. I was a tired and anxious new mum, they suggested we stay for 10 days rather than the usual 5. I regret every moment we stayed there. I wish that I had been strong enough in my own parenting to not listen to the chn's who said that it wasn't normal for a baby of Harrys age not to be sleeping through the night.

I don't know of any gentle option sleep schools, others may. Could your DD possible have day and night confused and have alot of her waking hours during the night.

IMO sleeps schools are horrid places for young babies and their parents.

[Eilleen]

Fixed your formatting for you

Here are some alternative resources that you might like to look into:

Elizabeth Pantley

http://www.awareparenting.com/answer13.htm

I know this is awful but do take heart that it doesn't last forever. My daughter slept like yours - awake every hour after midnight. Now she sleeps very well. It comes in big blocks of time and this will happen no matter what "technique" you do. You will get through this stage.

[~Carolyn~]

i have been to sleep school, and found it fantastic.

There are some sleep schools that dont do cc, i know that many of the private ones dont. Also if you do go to sleep school, you can say from the top that you dont want to and they will support you in this. There will be some crying tho i think, as that is what she is doing now.

Im not a massive advocate of CC, but there is a time and place for it, i dont think that 6mo is the right time, but i have seen a gf do it for her 2.5yo as he had gotten into a really bad habbit. But it was more like mummy sitting at the door, not locked in a room and never to be seen again.

It does sound like she needs to be sleep trained as it sounds like she wants to sleep but doesnt know how to.

[lorzilee]

As a first time mum, its very easy to feel unsure about yourself and what you are doing. You can doubt yourself so easily, especially when its doctors and MCH nurses telling you things. Before jumping in to anything, I want to gather as much info and experiences as I can to help make a decision. And I thought mums at NC might be more in sinc with my feelings and thoughts

I don't think I would be very good with "controlled" crying and am unsure about the idea of "school" for one so little. Unfortunately, I don't think she has day and night mixed up, because she doesn't really sleep much in the day either

I do like the idea of more gentle parenting, and have been reading with interest the other Lori's posts about co-sleeping with reflux.

Thanks for your help so far

[sunflowerchild]

I did sleep school with DS1 twice and I'm happy to say we both flunked out.
The one I went to was a day stay and practiced the 'cry it out' method, I remember driving home from the second stay crying because I felt I failed as a mother.
For me I found they didn't work the way I wanted.
But I do highly recommend Elizabeth Pantley's techniques and her book the no cry sleep solution.