OK, We need the family's help again, for Christa. I just spoke to her briefly, and she did not ask me to do this, but we didn't talk long because she needed sleep!
So, here is the deal...It sounds like most nights Ty is getting Christa up between every 40 minutes to an hour ALL NIGHT LONG! Most of the time, he doesn't need to be fed or changed, she just walks with him and pats his back until he goes back to sleep...and then she joins him for a short nap until the next go around. I asked her if she can just sleep with him in bed since he seems to need her reassurance, but she said that doesn't work. Even if she gets him to sleep first and then goes to bed, he wakes up because he likes her to WALK him! Aurggghhhh! And the same thing goes during the day. I had told her that she would have to take her naps with him sleeping on top of her, but he wants her moving while he naps. I asked her to PLEASE call his pediatrician for suggestions! How she has survived a week of that, I don't know, except Brigham was able to come home early a couple of times and let her nap.
According to this "Baby sleep Bible" that you girls swear by (not the real name) she cannot sleep train him for another 5 weeks...but she cannot do another 5 weeks like this last one! So please PRAY that her pediatrician will be able to help her find a solution!
Christa, I know that you want to be able to run you life without help. But Kim & I will pay to have a babysitter come in for 2 hours a day if necessary to hold the fort down while you nap. YW are supposed to get so many hours in "Good works" so they might could do it as a service. I PRAY that Ty's Dr will have some solution...but if not...use your resources there to see if that works for you. You have many friends that told me while I was there, that they are happy to help you any way that they can. My guess is that they don't know how badly you need sleep or they would be offering help. Maybe they are offering, and you are trying to be independant. If so, give it up! Wouldn't you want to help a friend of your's if she were the one going through your current trial? We have all heard service lessons given in church frequently...I think they need to add "Recieving Service" lessons. How are the willing to help supposed to grow and recieve the blessings that come from that growth, if no one is willing to let them help? In our ward, we had a sister move in, and within 2 weeks they had organized 24/7 some sister to be with her for weeks as she was going in for surgery that was going to take months to recover from, and because she has Grand Maul seizures, she had to have someone with her constantly! The sisters didn't even KNOW her, and still they were very willing to help! You are not needing 24/7 help, just a few hours of babysitting while you catch up, and you have a great ward of people who WANT to help you. So PLEASE stop being brave and get some help. And of course, if you want me to, I can come back down...but I know that isn't the ideal...and we are perfectly willing to pay for a babysitter while you nap when needed.
I could have sent the later part of this blog in an email to Christa, and I hope she doesn't mind that I didn't, but I want all of my children to think about what I have written. As Compassionate service Leader in our ward, I have seen my share of people who also need help, but don't want to be a bother to others. We all need to receive service at times for our benefit AND the benefit of those that do the serving. Please put in a little extra time on your knees for Christa. Perhaps Ty has some medical condition that is causing him to wake up...if so we need to pray for the Dr to find it. Anyway, thanks for your help family! I love you ALL!

Comments

Gramps said…
Maybe she can try switching formula. I remember that helped us with fussy babies a couple of times and I know it did Emmy some good recently.
Erica said…
The sleep book does say you can sleep train after 6 weeks if you're going back to work, or you can start then if you don't have an extremely fussy or colicky baby. So maybe it's worth a shot. I'm sure you'll know what to do and what works best for you, Christa. We love you.
Erica said…
I meant to say if you have an easy baby (4 months for colicky baby). But you already know all that, of course, since I got the book from you!! :)
Marilyn said…
If I come across as strong and passionate about this subject, it would be because you never out-grow your "Mother-Bear" protectiveness of your children. My daughter is being abused by my grand-son, so I am FRUSTRATED!
Thanks for the tip, Erica. I think it is time for Christa to try the sleep training thing, now. If he was needing anything more than the comfort of mom when he wakes up every 40-60 minutes, then I would not say so...but all he's getting is comfort that she is there...which is fine if it isn't taking over your life, but this is! Since all he's getting is a mommy pacifier, I think he needs to learn that he can go back to sleep without mommy there. But SOMETHING is waking him up..and I think she needs to consult her Dr ASAP!

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