Sleep Troubles

Throughout most of the summer, all three of the kids were sleeping exceptionally well because they were so tired from the day that no one got up much at night, if at all. Just after school started, when we started to notice some behavioral signs from Colin (loud noises affected him, he complained his ears/throat hurt, etc.) we also started to notice some big changes in his sleep patterns. He was getting up multiple times at night which we attributed at first to him having to go to the bathroom, but then we started to notice the frequency of him getting up was increasing and when we would lay with him to get him back to sleep, we found that his sleep was extremely restless. Coinciding with this was the trip to the ENT where we found out that his tonsils and adenoids needed to come out because they were blocking his airway when sleeping as well as causing a buildup of fluid in his ears

 

We had the tonsillectomy scheduled but the sleep issue got so bad that we started to break one of our rules for ourselves and let Colin start getting in our bed because we were just so tired from getting up so many times a night with him. We also felt bad for him because he was clearly uncomfortable from everything going on that we wanted to do whatever we could to make him feel comfortable.

 

After the surgery and recovery, we honestly expected to see this issue ALMOST disappear because we thought it would have "cured" the sleep problem. However, at Colin's follow up visit to the ENT (when things had only SLIGHTLY improved), we found out that the fluid filled back up in one of his ears causing a failed hearing test in that ear and the need for a tube to be put in (going in on Feb. 15th).

Lately, it has felt as though we have a newborn in the house again because he's been getting up every 2 hours at night and is not sleeping well at all. Combined with the symptoms he's probably experiencing from the fluid build-up, the behaviors from the habit of being allowed to get in our bed, and the horrible cold he's had has made for some pretty tough nights lately. We have started to transition back to putting him back in his bed each time but it's hard when we are up so many times at night. Tonight I tried making his bed with the same flannel sheets we have on our bed with the hopes he finds some comfort in that (he was VERY excited when he got in bed tonight). I am also hoping this next surgery gives him the relief he doesn't even know he's seeking from all of his discomfort.

 

For Colin, his discomfort manifests itself in different ways than most kids. After having this cold for over a week, I took him to urgent care over the weekend to make sure he didn't have an ear infection and because of some of the signs he was exhibiting. However, we found it to still be a cold and so we were trying to give him some relief in other ways. However, since the weekend, his obvious discomfort has been displayed through behaviors we haven't seen in a really long time that are non-stop. It really came to a head today when I got to daycare to pick him up (his school was still closed due to snow) and he just had a weepy meltdown mess that took a long time to calm him down from. On a whim I decided to take him to the pediatrician because I knew he had not made any improvements and last night was the worst night yet. Now he's being treated for a sinus infection so I'm praying this little man gets some relief he desperately needs.

 

Despite the challenging afternoon, there was a bright spot because he actually ate an entire plate of chicken nuggets and French fries! For Colin, this is bigger than I could adequately put into words! One more little step in this feeding challenge journey we have been on with him.

Hoping and praying for a more restful night of sleep for ALL of us and also praying for some answers to all of this very soon!