Tomorrow I'll actually participate in a meme that, honestly, actually tells you something about the participant. I'll let you know who to blame tomorrow.
Today I need help from music geeks and parents. I'll start with the least important:
1. I'm trying to identify this song. It has shades of Perez Prado, but as filtered through the guys who played the Munsters theme. Just listen to the chunky guitar. It's a mystery. It was on a mix and I've been able to identify all the other songs, but this one eludes me. I suspect it came from a soundtrack. Could I ask the person who gave me the mix? Yes. But what fun is that?
2. Gert. She can't sleep. Well, to be exact, she sleeps until 12:20. At 12:20 she starts to moan, then I can hear her thrashing then she either yelps or starts yelling for mommy. If you go in there she isn't exactly awake. Last night I stroked her forehead and she went back to sleep. But it doesn't last. Within 20 minutes she's awake, at the side of our bed, crying.
There are various reasons. She's scared. She needs us. There's a monster. The thing is, she is genuinely frightened. Sometimes to the point of shaking. Night terrors perhaps? Then she tries, really tries to get to sleep. She can't settle. She starts to get frantic.
Shut up. I know it sounds just like her father. In this case the apple not only didn't fall far from the tree, it appears to have fallen in it.
No matter what it is, she cannot get back to sleep and it's a night long battle. We soothe, we comfort, we cuddle, we take the hard road, we send her back to bed. Last night we finally relented, possibly out of our own exhaustion, and let her sleep with us. Yes, it was a weak moment, but all three of us slept.
Now, we're not used to this. Matilda used to have problems falling asleep, but never like this. And now she'd sleep through the Rapture. She literally sleeps like the dead. Believe me. On vacation I've actually stepped on her and she didn't wake up.
One friend's kids have the same problem and her doctor suggested melatonin. She swears by it. We're calling the doctor to find out if that helps. And we're also looking for other suggestions. The way I figure it, the more ammo we have going in, the more likely we are to actually get some sleep.
All of us need it. We're tired, crabby and irrational.
Gary, Dr. Gaitan told me that Melatonin is perfectly safe. It works for some and not others. I take in and it works. Eileen
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this is helpful, but I've been going through the same kind of thing over the last few years. I actually kick and clutch my hands so tight that I drive Chad out of the bed. We've discovered that it has to do with stress. The more stress there is, the more I thrash. If I wake up, I'm awake for hours. If I don't, Chad's in fear for his life.
ReplyDeleteSo perhaps there is something going on in her life, like a big change, or an upcoming event, or maybe she's worried about tax season.
NOT melatonin ... its a HORMONE supplement. You don't want to give a little kid that!
ReplyDeleteGive her some warm milk with a little vanilla in the evening. A warm bath to help her get drowsy. Maybe a benedryl tablet early in the evening. After dinner and about 2 hours before bed. Some white noise in the room may help as it can be soothing. Sounds like her problem is more like an anxiety attack and THAT's what you need to address.
We're not doing anything without consulting a doctor. So don't worry. We're just looking at all of our options. When you have a kid who is not sleeping for an extended period of time, you tend to start worrying.
ReplyDeleteI know a hormone supp may not be the answer for a kid. I understand how it could lead to future imbalances, though no specific studies have been done on children and melatonin. Some pediatricians do prescribe it for children for a variety of reasons.
That being said, for the same reasons I'm not going to give her a drug like benadryl to make her sleep. Benadryl is Diphenhydramine, which is an antihistamine. Yes, it causes drowsiness, but it also has side-effects, especially in kids. Diphenhydramine has been known to cause anxiety problems for kids, which would have the alternate effect.
Anyway, she went to the doctor today for her ears (again) because her non-penicilin derived antibiotic did not clear up her ear infections. That may be part of her problem. And, in the end, the doctor agreed with our approach that didn't involve giving her anything but a hug and a re-tuck in bed.