DS is sick again. He's 5 months and has caught 3 colds from daycare already, this latest one bringing with it diarrhea, too. Everyone tells me he'll get sick less often when he's older because of this, but I'd rather deal with a sick 5 year old who I can plop in front of the TV with some chicken noodle soup than an infant who cries when he can't nurse. We want to start doing some sort of sleep training to get him to go longer than 2 hour stretches, but it'd be cruel to do that when he's unwell. His weight gain was also only 5 oz over 2 weeks.
I'm not really going to quit my job, but it'd be nice to hear some encouragement that this will get better. Also, has anyone used probiotics for diarrhea? The peds office suggested trying it and didn't have much else to offer since he wasn't dehydrated. And should I be pumping more since he's nursing less? I've just been pumping to take the edge off engorgement. Thanks.
It definitely gets better. DS was sick all.the.time when he was in the infant and walker room. He moved up to the toddler room in September, and he's hardly been sick at all. By the time he gets to kindergarten, he'll have an immune system of steel! Don't let it break you...hang in there!
It does get better, promise! My first DD wasn't sick much as a kid. Then my littles were born and I swear someone was sick every three weeks. Now, knock on wood, no one is sick for months at a time.
I would talk to your pedi about the sleep. I don't think only 2 hours is "normal" at 5 mos. At that point DD was sleeping at least 8 hours, which may also not be "normal." But I do think that 4 hrs would be a reasonable goal. Is he waking to eat? Again, before you do anything I would talk to your pedi, especially if weight gain is an issue, but I would try to space feedings out even if he wakes up - i.e. pick him up, soothe him, but don't feed. I don't think you can really sleep train (CIO) at 5 mos, although I'm sure some have.
I don't think we would do CIO this young, but we need to make some changes like getting him out of our bed. Weight gain hasn't been an issue until this last cold. The ped says he should be able to go at least one 6 hour stretch. When he's sick, though, I just feed him as often as possible.
Lack of sleep - caffeine! Haha. I also have a generous boss who doesn't care if I crash out on the recliner in the office every now and then. But mostly a large iced tea from Dunkin Donuts on the way to work did it for me
I didn't do any kind of sleep training, because like you, it seemed cruel to me when he wasn't well. He was getting recurring ear infections, so I could never tell if he was crying and not sleeping at night because he was in pain or because he just didn't want to sleep. This got a lot better when he had tubes put in (if it ever comes down to this for you and your pedi recommends it, do it! They helped sooo much!)
DS is 21 months now, and doesn't sleep through the night. He usually gets up once. I don't know if it's because he never had any kind of sleep training, or if it's just because he's a sleep fighter. Probably the latter. He's nosy and is afraid he is going to miss something if he goes to sleep!
I wasn't working for DS' first 14mos. When he started daycare, it seemed like he was getting sick every week or something was happening to him because of daycare (a classmate biting him, diaper rash, etc). Now that we are two months in, things are finally settling down. I hope it gets much better quickly for you guys!
Also, we didn't sleep train until DS was 7.5mos. We waited until he got better from his ear infections and RSV. I would not attempt anything at 5mos.
Is your baby not able to nurse b/c of a stuffy nose? Have you tried sitting in the bathroom and steaming up the shower to help clear your LO's nose? What about a Nose Frieda? Saline?
Post by water*drop on Oct 30, 2012 21:26:19 GMT -5
I can't offer much encouragement, but I can commiserate. DD actually has been healthy for a week now, but I'm sick again.
We put DD in a rock 'n' play when she was super congested, and she did sleep a lot better. At the time, we didn't anticipate her staying super congested for the next eight weeks and therefore getting used to being reclined instead of flat, so now we have to break her of the rock 'n' play...
Post by vanillacourage on Oct 30, 2012 21:45:02 GMT -5
Only 3 colds in 5 months actually seems pretty good to me. DS2 got pneumonia 2 weeks after starting school. He just constantly has the sniffles, I call it the "daycare ick". It's like that for the first year and then it gets better. My 4 y/o is hardly ever sick.
It gets better. The first year od daycare was the worst for us. He was sick all the time, but then it leveled off. I breastfed my son for 17 months. He didn't sleep through the night until a year old. Two hour stretches is normal for a breastfed baby. All kids are different though. Don't feel like something is wrong because he isn't doing 8 hour stretches.
Only 3 colds in 5 months actually seems pretty good to me. DS2 got pneumonia 2 weeks after starting school. He just constantly has the sniffles, I call it the "daycare ick". It's like that for the first year and then it gets better. My 4 y/o is hardly ever sick.
No, it's more like 3 colds in 6 weeks. He's only 5 months old. Pneumonia? Yikes!!
It gets better. The first year od daycare was the worst for us. He was sick all the time, but then it leveled off. I breastfed my son for 17 months. He didn't sleep through the night until a year old. Two hour stretches is normal for a breastfed baby. All kids are different though. Don't feel like something is wrong because he isn't doing 8 hour stretches.
:-( Seriously? We used to get longer stretches of sleep, but that changed around 3 months. It was before he started daycare so I can't even blame it on that. I don't need a solid 8 hours, but 4-6 in a row would be heavenly.
I honestly don't think 2 hr stretches is normal for a breastfed baby. DD was EBF at that age and she would go at least 8 hrs. I think 4 is totally reasonable. I would ask you pedi for some ideas. I would have gone insane if DD was only doing 2 hrs at 5 mos. The sleep deprivation in the first few weeks almost did me in. It will get better, I promise! Much of what you are feeling right now is from the sleep deprivation.
Post by sunshineluv on Nov 1, 2012 15:24:45 GMT -5
I could have written this post when Henry was your LO's age, there were about 4 weeks in a row that we would get a call from dc. We took him to the doc so much. Now we are on week three of no sickness, (he will be 7 months on the 4th). AND... we started letting him cio this week, with great success, he has STTN every night.
I think we timed it right, because I agree it would be hard to sleep train while they are sick.
I could have written this post when Henry was your LO's age, there were about 4 weeks in a row that we would get a call from dc. We took him to the doc so much. Now we are on week three of no sickness, (he will be 7 months on the 4th). AND... we started letting him cio this week, with great success, he has STTN every night.
I think we timed it right, because I agree it would be hard to sleep train while they are sick.
I hope things get better for you soon!
Thanks That's encouraging. I hope everything continues to go well for you.
If it makes you feel better - I'm a SAHM and my kids get sick all winter, too. You go to playdates w/ other kids or indoor playgrounds, etc. Kids get sick - it's not the daycare's fault (or yours!).
It totally blows when the whole family is sick and it drags on for weeks SOrry.
I honestly don't think 2 hr stretches is normal for a breastfed baby. DD was EBF at that age and she would go at least 8 hrs. I think 4 is totally reasonable. I would ask you pedi for some ideas. I would have gone insane if DD was only doing 2 hrs at 5 mos. The sleep deprivation in the first few weeks almost did me in. It will get better, I promise! Much of what you are feeling right now is from the sleep deprivation.
It is in the realm of normal - both my kids did only 3-4 hour stretches for one year, both EBF for 6 months and then still BFd after that. Sometimes once an hour all night long. Combine temperament, luck and nursing vs. formula and all babies sleep differently.
Peds usually just give you their OPINIONS on sleep - they aren't sleep experts. They deal w/ medicine. I got different advice from 3 different pediatricians before I just stopped asking them about sleep issues. Unless it's truly a medical issue causing lack of sleep in the infant.