pure bliss!
Libby slept in her Arm's Reach Co-sleeper (ARCS) all night long last night...first time ever!
She's been spitting up since last week and has hiccups and gas after feeding...so I got Colic Calm for her (we had been trying Mylicon and it worked for her but I was not happy with the additives in it and wanted something more natural...)...we FINALLY watched our "Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD (J was home with Libby this weekend while I went out with my BFF...her hubby was with J and they have a 18 month old...long story short Libby was fussing and BFF's hubby showed J how to use the blow dryer to calm Libby...J was amazed! So I convinced him to watch the DVD after that...)
I had written off swaddling Libby since she likes her arms against her face and fusses WORSE when being swaddled...or so I thought. After watching the DVD we realized that it's normal for an infant to complain while being swaddled but that they really do like it. We had noticed that Libby's flailing arms would wake her while she's sleeping and now that we've been swaddling her that is not an issue. She also stays warm which was the other issue we were having with getting her to sleep on her own (not on Mommy or snuggled next to Mommy). I was bed sharing with her and it was working but it makes me nervous to have her IN the bed with me and I don't sleep as well when she's there.
Anyway, Malia had found two gently used Miracle Blankets at a consignment shop near her and sent them to me a couple of weeks before Libby was born. I dug them out of a box of things I had planned on storing away for baby #2 and J swaddled her up (1st "S"), turned her on her side 2nd "S"), shushed her (3rd "S"), gave her a little jiggle and place her in her swing (4th "S"). The only "S" we didn't do is "suck" since she had just nursed (and been changed) and she's not that into pacifiers.
She went down for four 3-hour sleep sessions with short little feeds/sleepy diaper changes in between. I slept for three of those sessions! And best of all...she was in her ARCS, flat on her back...and HAPPY! And so was I...I've finally was able to sleep on my back and spread out and sleep a little deeper than I have since she's been home. Woo hoo!
Re: BR: ColicCalm + Miracle Blanket + 5S's =
nice!
I know things could change with Jack at any time but he seems to love the co-sleeper and I know what you mean about being able to sleep well. I sleep so well, I feel bad because I wake up and he's cooing and grunting and I realize it has been almost 4 hours (or more... eek) between feedings (and I wonder how long he has been up making noise/trying to get my attention...).
I was so grumpy about having to stay in the hospital for an "extra" day (2 nights after birth) because I knew how much better our set up at home was as opposed to the dumb plastic bassinet that is too high for me to soothe or get him out of while laying down.
Jack doesn't like being swaddled at first either, but I (nicely) hold his arms down and get him wrapped up and then he doesn't mind it at all, actually like Libby it probably helps that he can't flail about and wake himself. I don't have miracle blankets but just use thermal blankets (nice and stretchy) for a nice tight swaddle - probably works about the same.
If he's not yet crying then you're most likely awakening just in time to his grunts. Libby grunts too...it's so cute...and I heard her this morning from her ARCS and just reached over and nursed her.
My nurse showed me how to raise the bed up to be even with the plastic bassinet so I didn't have to get out of bed (this was the second night though)...I did have to remember that I was up high when I needed to get up to pee though.
Libby is too big to be swaddled with the blankets we have (we have stretchy jersey ones as well as the thin flannel ones)...she's got to be nearly 11 lbs now! She's out of her 0-3 clothes and I just put her 3-6's in the drawers. AMAZING!
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I'm glad to hear the 5's worked for you guys! I think about a month ago I posted to see if it really worked for moms on here and everyone pretty much agreed it did. I sure hope it works for us too!
Holy cow, I can not believe Libby is already in 3-6 month clothing!!!
Married Bio
That sounds about right Christine...Kaya is about 2 weeks younger than Libby. Two weeks ago Libby was having NONE of this! The only way I could get her to sleep was to nurse. And she could not be moved much without waking/crying. And she wouldn't sleep on her back at all.
At night I just ended up nursing side-lying and that did the trick (in terms of getting her and I some sleep)! She was on her side too in a footed blanket sleeper. We were basically face to face (or in her case, face to nipple...LOL!) I moved into the nursery, sleeping on the twin day bed with her ARCS side carred to it. But she wouldn't let me move her into the ARCS, so we basically used it as a guard rail. I couldn't even roll her to her back without her startling/waking (now I realize that had she been swaddled this would not have been an issue)!
So keep the faith. In a few days or even a week Kaya will change and you can try something new. It's amazing, really. I had written off swaddling for Libby...tried it when she was brand-new and it wasn't working. Now, at 5 weeks old it's working like a charm! Hang in there! Right now...whatever gets Kaya (and you) to sleep is perfect! The first 10 days of Libby's life she literally slept ON me...usually in the Moby-style wrap...even at night...I slept with her in it sitting up on the rocker/recliner. We'd get 2 hours of sleep then she'd be up with a dirty diaper and want to nurse. Now...she's going down for closer to 4 hours between the diaper change and nursing. So it will change. I promise.
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I know! She's one LONG baby that her 0-3 things pull on her neck when they're snapped in her crotch and the sleeves and legs are too short. They're WIDE enough (even with CDs) but not long enough.
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