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At what point would you seek medical intervention to help you child to sleep?

99 replies

popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:16

I have thougth about posting this thread for a fortnight but have avoided it as I think I may be putting myself in the firing line.

But it's Friday night so here we go.


How bad would it have to get for you to consider taking your baby/child to you GP to get some help in getting them to sleep for a longer stretch at night?

Not thinking specifically of medication although I am sure that is on option that a Gp may offer.

Would really appreciate some constructive comments and not being sent to Mumsnet coventry.....

tia

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HarpsichordCarrier · 09/06/2006 20:17

hmmmm. well that's a tricky question. do you mean - bad for you or bad for the child? because the child was suffering?

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Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 09/06/2006 20:18

What's the problem getting them to go to sleep or stay asleep?We had melatonin on prescription to get ds1 to sleep, although it can't be prescribed by a gp (needs a consultant). Yu can buy it in health shops in the states though (or online and ship it over).

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:19

i staying asleep
i am not quite at the end of my tether yet but i am not far off.
suppose i am beign selfish

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Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 09/06/2006 20:21

age? hours of sleep?

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:23

15 months
never slept more than 3 hours on the trot

i am being selfish i
i ought to shut up now really

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HarpsichordCarrier · 09/06/2006 20:24

no, you're not being selfish. you need to think about the needs of the whole family including you.
what have you tried?
I think we might need to have more details about the child and the history please Smile

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:25

evrything but controlled crying in its full glory

shush and pat is making him worse

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Blandmum · 09/06/2006 20:26

You are not being selfish.

At that age I would ahve a word with your GP and/or HV if they are any good.

Friend was refered to a sleep clinic and it worked wonderfs for them. They were at the end of their teather

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Blandmum · 09/06/2006 20:27

Dare I say it? Controled crying worked for both of mine. But I know it doesn't suit every family.

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:28

full blown controlled crying is the only thing i havent tried
and tbh i have run out of energy and will power to go through with it

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alex8 · 09/06/2006 20:28

Do you not want to do controlled crying at all? I did the Penelope Leach less scary version which was never letting them cry for 5 mins and not then not staying in the room for more than 5 mins to calm them down. Its still horrible but not as bad a leaving them for longer than longer I think.

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foxinsocks · 09/06/2006 20:29

I have to agree with mb. If there's no medical reason for his poor sleep, then he's got into the habit of waking and being comforted and he prob needs to learn how to get himself back to sleep completely on his own.

Do you feel unable to do cc?

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foxinsocks · 09/06/2006 20:30

oh I see

what about going away and letting dh do it (apologies if you don't have a dh/dp!)?

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:31

i have a dh but he is being useless at this

i have so many threads inthe sleep topic

it isnt a medical reason
it is habit

i am just fed up

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Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 09/06/2006 20:31

15 months and never more than 3 hours? Bloody hell I'm surprised you're still standing.

If you are not keen on full cc, get a matress put it next to his cot then when he wakes up, go in, talk to him but don't pick him up, lie down on the matress still talking to him, put your hand through the bars so he can hold it if he wants to - and stay there, tough and mean and not picking him up.

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singersgirl · 09/06/2006 20:31

Again, I know it doesn't suit everyone, but controlled crying worked for us too - DS1 had really random sleep patterns, sometimes sleeping for 5 hours at a stretch, sometimes just for 2. Saved our sanity. One night was awful, the second night was unbelievably better, the third night was hardly any trouble and the fourth night he slept through! And we all slept happily ever after.

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:32

jimjams
i have been doing that exact thing for 2 weeks now and nothing has chnaged
in fact he is waking up more regularly

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foxinsocks · 09/06/2006 20:32

you need dh to be on your side.

why is he being useless? perhaps if you two could be strong together you might be able to do it?

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:34

i thin apathy pretty much describes dh
that and being an arse
and it being 'my doing' as I breadt feed still

arrrrrrrrrrrgh

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Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 09/06/2006 20:34

hmm maybe won't work then, but could take a while to break the habit. DS3 got into a habit of waking after illness and I did that and it worked with days. Maybe you do need to do the fullblown cc.

DS2 was a nightmare sleeper and at getting back to sleep. nothing worked with him, (ncl cc) in the end I just brought him into bed with me when he woke. I know people say you can end up in a terirble mess with that but it worked for us. After he turned 2 he just stated sleeping through, and I'd had a lot more sleep the previous year than I would have had.

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:35

trying to kick him out of the bed (ds2 not dh unfortunaely....) he is worse int he bed and turning to me every 40 minutes and grabbing at my boobs

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foxinsocks · 09/06/2006 20:38

crikey popsy, I think I probably would have done fullblown cc out of desperation in your case - you must be knackered!

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Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 09/06/2006 20:39

I kicked dh out! :o (he didn't mind he likes sleep).

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popsycal · 09/06/2006 20:40

right
i am going to do one night of softly softly shush and pat then rethink

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foxinsocks · 09/06/2006 20:43

softly softly pat hush used to make dd more hysterical (at almost exactly the same age as yours) - I think she realised that if she cried, I would come and then she couldn't understand why I didn't stay

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