Gayle - I just had to post - there are several studies that show a link between sleep apnea and poor glycemic control in diabetics. Apnea IS treatable, with a machine that helps you breathe at night and keeps your oxygen levels up. The studies have shown that when your apnea is treated, your sugars are under much better control (and your risk of heart disease and stroke go down, and people have been shown to lose weight!) There are also durable medical supply companies that sell gently used CPAP machines (the machine that helps you breathe at night) if you don't have insurance. A lot of sleep centers have financial assistance programs, and I know of 2 research centers in my area that have paid for a sleep study as part of a clinical study in the past - it's worth looking into in your area (Radiant Research is a good and reputable company to start with). I have to tell you all, the patients that we've sent for studies and have gotten treatment have said it's literally life-changing. They say they didn't know how badly they felt and how badly it affected every part of their lives until they felt better and saw and felt what they were missing. And to Sephia, my experience was similar to a lot of the others, it was like a very comfortable hotel room, and though you're hooked up to a lot of wires, otherwise they pretty much leave you alone. I was able to sleep, the only thing I didn't like was that they woke me up much earlier than I would have preferred :-P april

I wonder if it would be possible to return to Jen_C's original question, you guys? Seems to me that's what these forums are for.....as for anything else, well...you guys can start your OWN forum and duke it out amongst yourselves over THERE. ___________________________________________ As to the original question(s), seems to me you're asking the following: 1) Is it normal for a baby to have their days and nights mixed up, as far as sleeping? The short answer is yes, lol. If you think back to when your baby was still inside you...try to remember what time of day or night the baby was most active. For my DS, he was most active inside me from about 11 pm to about 4 am.....so when he was born, he was most active during those hours. Seems like it took me forever to get him onto a somewhat "normal" schedule. 2) Is it ok to let your newborn baby cry herself to sleep? For me, personally....when DS was newborn, my DH and I rocked him to sleep, or cuddled with him on our bed until he did. We didn't let him cry himself to sleep when he was newborn. 3) How long do you allow the baby to cry before you pick him/her up for a cuddle? Again, for me personally.....in the beginning, when DS was newborn, I picked him up immediately. As time has passed, however, I'm letting the amount of time he cries to be a little longer. He's 6 months old now, and I let him cry maybe 10 mins before I go back in to reassure him. I don't necessarily pick him up, though. Standing over or near the crib reassures DS just fine, most of the time. Sometimes, though....even after giving him 10 mins to get to sleep on his own, and then reassuring him from above or near the crib...he still needs a cuddle. So, I cuddle! Just for a few mins, then it's back in the bed. Sometimes this gets repeated about 3-4 times before he actually goes to sleep. He's falling asleep a lot more on his own now. For me, gradually increasing the time I allow him to cry has worked, and it's teaching him to be a little more self-reliant, while he still knows that we're there. 4) How long in between feedings? My DS woke up about every 2 hours anyway, so I NEVER had to worry about him going too long without food. Of course, at night...this meant I didn't get much sleep, either! :) 5) and finally, WHEN CAN YOU CATCH UP ON SLEEP? LOLOL...this is the question for the ages. I don't think I'll EVER catch up. Now, mind you, there are babies that sleep much longer (envious sigh). A friend of mine had twin boys, who slept 7-8 hours STRAIGHT, right from birth!! She had to wake them to feed, but holy cow, they were NEVER in any danger of starving, lol. They're 8 months old now and they weigh upwards of 27 lbs each. (when they were born, one weighed just under 8 lbs, and one was just over 8 lbs. At 38 weeks, no less! Can you imagine if she'd gone the full 40 weeks??)

Couple of things about this... Nothing will help a baby "sleep through the night" except maturity. Giving them cereal to try to do this is a well-worn wive's tale. Solids are discouraged by the AAP before six months because avoiding them decreases the incidence of allergies. Babies have very sensitive GI tracts. They're not meant to eat solids this early. As someone already mentioned, give solids before they're ready and sometimes this can backfire, cause GI upset/gas/hard stools and they (and you) will be up more. (But with number one child, I tried it early anyway. Didn't do a darn thing.) Babies wake a lot during the first months/year because of many things...First, their sleep cycles are not like adults (takes years to get to that point). Their's last only 45 minutes long. And "sleeping through the night", MEDICALLY-speaking is considered a single five hour stretch. So if you put Junior down at ten, and he sleeps until 3am, THAT is considered sleeping through the night. And it can be YEARS before you see them do the 8-10 hour thing (and even then, they don't necessarily do it consistantly..might do it one night and then won't again for weeks...). Every child is different in this area. (Some do it very early, but I always tell new moms, don't count on it.) Growth spurts will wake them (they'll want to eat more)..teething...gas or GI discomfort..something you ate (if you're breastfeeding)..reflux...illness...and all of the developmental leaps they go through. If they are about to 'do' something new, THAT will also inevitably increase night-waking. This would be things like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing/walking..language development, you name it. (*If you watch them closely, you might see them acting some of this out in their sleep.) Too much stimulation during the day (like lots of family activity)..changes in their routine because of other family needs (like having them out during naptime). Basically you name it, it can cause them to wake up. And if it's not one thing, it's another..My 7 month old ds started to crawl, a few days later pulled himself, caught his sister's mild cold, and just cut two teeth..All in a two week period! Lemme tell you, we've had a lot of late-night partying these past couple of weeks! LOL! And it will end when he's done with it. So, sometimes it can be more than one thing going on at the same time. With two kids, this is my only advice about sleep. You can make it conducive for baby to sleep, but you can't MAKE EM sleep. A calming routine, a calm household, a warm bath, cuddling, eating, rocking (whatever) can lull him down IF he's ready to go. If they don't want to go, ain't going to happen. Not like they have a sleep switch (and trust me, if they have one, I would've found it! I looked! LOL!). That's the bad news (if there's any bad news with babies). The GOOD news is that this time period doesn't last forever. Blink, and they're crawling. Blink twice and they're walking. Blink several more times and they're riding a tricycle and sleeping like a log. That first year goes by in a flash...but yes, you will have some year-long nights. And then all of a sudden it hits you that your 'baby' is not a baby anymore..they're a KID. Running, climbing, laughing, talking up a storm, playing...And then something weird happens. The woman that wished that her baby would go to sleep, now wonders where her baby went? And would he/she please slow down enough for a lap cuddle? :)) I'm 40 years old and this is my last baby. Although the sleep deprivation is really kicking my behind, I'm ever mindful that I'm not going to do this again. And considering that my first baby is going to start kindergarten in the Fall (how did THAT happen so fast??), I already know how quickly this part of motherhood is over...The baby that woke up every two hours for almost a YEAR (I'm not kidding), and currently sleeps like a rock, came up to me the other night and said "Mom, when will it OFFICIALLY be my bedtime?" I told her and she said "fine, thanks for letting me know"..and trotted upstairs, got into bed, snuggled down and went to sleep (She turns five in March). My how things change! LOL! So hang in there ladies, you'll do fine whether or not they sleep when you want them to. And cherish the baby time. It's amazingly fleeting...

Phoggie.....it is not a cpac as some call it. It is a CPAP (CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure) and I can tell you know nothing about it. You may want to read up on it. You said they ordered a cpap machine for you, but you never picked it up. That is really not how it works as the company supplying the cpap will send out a Respiratory Therapist with the machine and show you how to use and care for it and also how important it is to use. If one was ordered for you, you must have stopped breathing several times while asleep. Stroke, heart attack or death can happen to those who have sleep apnea and do not have it treated. Mare, please go have the test and do as they say. It is not that bad at all, just uncomfortable and you will fall asleep if you set your mind to. Also they will check the stats on your machine (there is a data card in the machine) every 3-6 months to make sure it is still set properly for your needs. Good luck and hope you don't need this, but I will tell you I have not slept this well for years.