I have been noticing of late that there are a lot of  parents out there with unsettled Bub's,this actually is a very common problem.I know from experience the feeling of absolute exhaustion,you get to the point sometimes where you don't even know what is normal for bub and what is not.In essence you start second guessing yourself,your instinct seems to have up and left you for some well earned sleep itself.When you are up through the night and every-one else is asleep you are pounding the floor trying to get this tiny bundle to settle(they wield so much power)You often feel like the most loneliest person in the world.I know to well the feelings of uselessness and failure,you ring the help line and they go over the steps one more time.........you go back and try this one for the 100th time or so it seems,you really cant tell if there is an improvement......oh well try another technique,there has to be one that works. The following ideas are what really helped me get through one of the most toughest times in my life as a Mum

• If you find yourself with an unsettled Bub the key point is to try and relax,they sense tension and discord.If you have a bathtub have a lovely warm bath put a little lavender oil in,immerse you and Baby in the tub.Put on some relaxing mood music.This is purely to try and calm the situation.If this is not an option find one that works for you...... My point is that you have to calm down.

• If you cant bath try doing this for baby,I found Breanna would calm down straight away in a bath,I would bath her in the middle of the night-as long as you can warm the room they are fine.
  

• Before you leave the hospital make sure you are confident in the right method of feeding for you,there is no right or wrong it is purely your choice.DO not leave the hospital if you have any uncertainties,as this will lead to trouble.Don't feel hopeless it is their job to assist you and teach you.It is very important to know when bubby has stopped feeding so you can take them off the breast,and not leave them there to use as a soother.Get the staff to explain this to you.ask as many questions as you need dont stop till you understand.

• An unsettled baby can happen to any-one,I breezed through with my first and struggled with Breanna.They are all different and require different techniques in settling.

• If you live out of town,borrow or buy a noted and well critiqued sleep/settling DVD they are invaluable.heck buy one regardless or give one as a baby gift.

• Don't expect a miraculous improvement straight away from settling techniques,Breanna took 10-14 days for ours to kick in and work.It takes persistence and consistancy.I was running around like a chook with it's head cut off going from one technique to another this was just compounding the problem.

• Decide what you want out of a routine; are you happy to put bubby in a sling or pouch and have them attached to you 24/7? do you require a bit of space,IE being able to feed play and then settle in their cribs/cots.

•  Try and get Hubby or another trusted family member/friend to feed and look after Bubby for a session,express if breastfeeding.Go and have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.Do this for your partner if he is sleep deprived as well.No one can function objectively on too little sleep.
  

• If your baby screams and draws his legs and arms in towards is belly and looks and sounds as though in pain chances are this is wind or colic(severe wind) you can ease this with colic drops,tepid boiled water ,tapping on the back between the shoulder blades.Or any other methods.If breastfeeding keep your diet as bland as possible,I can only speak for me but both my breastfeeding experiences led to bad wind (babies)due to my food intake.If bub is suffering chronically from colic get some prescription medication,it is worth it.

• Take heart they usually start settling from around 3-4months,remember they are all different.Please allow for teething and illness any routine is just that a routine it is not indelible and you change it to suit you and bub as need be.

I hope this has been helpful to some Mums out there as I do really know how hard it can be to cope with an unsettled bub.Please take your Bub to a doctor or health nurse if you think something could be wrong other than just being unsettled.Good luck regards Merle