Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sleep apnea


Josh was just diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. 
That explains a lot. To deal with this I will have to put him on a CPAP machine while he sleeps. This means during his daily naps and during the night. I will try my best but I have my doubts. He must wear a face mask that covers his nose and his mouth. He hates things on his face. I can't even get him to wear those cute baby sunglasses to protect his eyes and there is no way that he'll keep a hat on his head! Getting him to wear a face mask that expels pressurized air will surely be a challenge. 

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Sleep please

Josh is one now, and still waking at least 3 times per night. I have not slept more than a 3-hour-block, in over a year. Raising him on my own, this gets extremely draining. I am sure this also has something to do with my weight gain. Research tells me this, it's not an excuse. Honest. It also might have something to do with my postpartum depression. That on top of the death of my mother shortly after Josh's birth and dealing with the fact that Josh has Down syndrome. (something that I now see as a positive-if you asked me a year ago, I would have never imagined saying that)
I've tried many methods, but he just doesn't sleep. I even tried to "Ferberize" him, but that method was too emotionally draining. I can't just let him cry because he doesn't stop. The crying escalates and it seems like it's the end of the world or he's in a great deal of pain, even though he's not. His teeth are a factor; being trisomy 21 his teeth come in arbitrarily to begin with and cause lots of swelling. 
He has a regular bed routine, a proper crib free of pillows and toys as experts suggest, he couldn't care less for a pacifier, and he's got a soothing aquarium that plays calming, quiet music. I rock him to sleep with a bottle and I realized that this could be a mistake. I could actually be creating a crutch that he relies on to sleep which is why he cries upon waking and can't go back to sleep without me soothing him and giving him a bottle in the middle of the night. But if I don't give him his bottle he will cry for hours. 
Is there a secret out there that I don't know about?