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Originally Posted by Konradsmom  I am just crap with babies crying and thats why I find it such a difficult thing to deal with. |
That is your mothering instinct working. Mothers are meant to get upset when they hear their babies cry. All it tells me is that you are truly a mother.
In our meetings if a baby gets upset the mother will get agitated and apologize to everyone about her baby crying. In fact most of us haven’t even noticed – but, of course, the mother has – it is her instinct to care more than anyone else about her own baby.
Babies and adults sleep in cycles. They have a deep sleep cycle and then a light sleep cycle. (The difference between a baby and an adult is the baby’s cycle is about 30 minutes and the adult’s about two hours.) Every time the baby changes from one sleep stage to another there is a potential wake up point. If all is perfect with the baby then he will blink his eyes and go back to sleep but if all is not perfect then he will wake up. (As an adult you might have experienced this and noticed that when worried about something you woke up about every two hours all through the night.)
It can be a hundred things that make the baby wake up instead of blinking and going back to sleep. For example, if he’s hungry, if he’s thirsty, if he’s wet, if he’s dirty (although I’ve found babies quickly learn to poo in the daytime – unless they have jetlag), if he’s in pain, if he’s too hot. or too cold, if he’s got overtired during the day, if he’s been too bored during the day, etc.
It could be that a little more routine would help him get less over tired in the day and thus help him sleep better but it could also be that he’s too bored during the day and a little more activity would help him sleep better – as you know your baby best you’d have more idea about this than me.
Also remember that there is always a convalesce period after an illness. It could be that he isn’t fully back to 100% health yet – although he seems quite fit. Often during the convalesce period the child gets tired very easily and so waking up at night can happen.
Best wishes,
SARAH