Deirdre Budd’s Blog

Pregnancy is divided into three stages of three months but the first three months after delivery are also very important. Some regard this as a “Fourth Trimester”.  In the first few weeks of life baby has not sorted out the difference between night and day so for many new families sleep is a rare commodity which occurs in short snaps between feeding baby.  While it is not possible to create a definate routine out of this there is usually the begining of a pattern emerging and it is worthwhile starting to work towards creating a sleep/wake regime.

Many babies will start to lengthen their sleep time once they reach the “magic” figure of 12 weeks. Others will find little difference but this is an excellent time to start making a pre bed routine for baby and maintaining that routine will make baby feel secure. Giving signals that become part of the learning process baby learns that these activities are a prelude to night sleep. There is no such thing as a “no cry” solution to sleep disturbances. Babies cry, it is their only method of communicating. Until they achieve language all expression is read on babies face, babies eyes and the babies cry.

Babies cry has been likened to natures’ smoke alarm. This cry can reach 100 decibels,   about as loud as a lawnmower but with deep emotional responses stirred in parents. Nature has done this to ensure that babies are cared for. It is very difficult to listen to your child when they are distressed and crying.  As baby grows and develops the relationship with mum grows too. Learning to distinguish between a hungry or a sleepy cry or a cry of protest comes with experience of one’s own baby.

Ferber looked at children’s sleep and came up with an effective way to resolve some of the disturbances using a technique today recognised as “Cry it out” , where a child is allowed to cry for a time limited period before a parent checks on the child. The period of crying is allowed to become progressively longer before parents intervene and at some stage baby stops crying. While this is an effective solution for some babies/children in some situations it is not an easy method to use. It can be comparatively quick and effective but the emotional cost to the parents and child have never been fully researched. This is not a method which should be considered for children under 3 years of age as it contributes to feelings of abandonment and insecurity.

While there are a variety of sleep disturbances and disorders which affect children between birth and 4 years there are an equal variety of ways to resolve these. Some crying is expected because the child has become used to one way of doing and is being expected to alter that behaviour. Of course there is protest but it is reassuring to both parents and child if this protest can be minimal and the resolution achieved by more gentle means.

If you would like help and support to resolve your child’s sleep disturbances contact Dream-Angus.com

Through the ages there have been a number of people who have been very aware and concerned about sleep disorders in children. In 1545 Thomas Phaire drew attention to the importance of sleep to young children and, to some of the more serious sleep disorders such as nightmares, infantile colic and bed wetting. In 1892 noisy breathing was noted to be symptomatic of obstructive sleep apnoea. William Osler was concerned about the dulling of reactions in daytime which he attributed to obstructive sleep apnoea.  Clement Dukes, 1905, was very concerned about the various serious effects of sleep deficit on young and growing children. In the 1970’s Anders and colleagues at Stamford were chiding colleagues in the medical profession for not taking more interest in the sleep patterns of children until their academic performance was badly affected.

There has been a considerable increase in the amount of research done on the various topics of children’s sleep disorders and sleep patterns. Despite this, there is still a deficit of awareness and of knowledge amongst the medical profession on this important topic. A great deal of knowledge is available but to this day, many opportunities to address sleep disorders in children are not taken, and it is unfortunate that the myth that as a parent one should expect to have sleepless nights for a prolonged period (some say the first four months others the first four years!)  Life is difficult enough, and it is certainly not necessary to parent while coping with this degree of sleep deficit. 

 Some sleep disorders can be relatively easily resolved by behavioural means. There are few occasions when medication is the only effective answer. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders is the current “bible” of these conditions but refers mainly to sleep disturbances in adults. While new research shows that some sleep disorders can be successfully treated the same way in both adults and children there are distinct differences.

As parents we have a responsibility to our children to help them to be all that they can be. We teach them to live in society and to accept the rules and social mores of that society. We should also teach them good sleep habits and be prepared to support them with appropriate interventions when they struggle with sleep disturbances and disorders.  There is no need to struggle to get to sleep, to stay asleep or to cope with sleep disturbance and sleep disorders when there are resources available which can effectively resolve these issues.  We cannot live without sleep and occasionally we all need a little help.

If you would like some help in addressing your child’s sleep disturbance contact Dream-Angus.com