AAAHHH. I'm really going crazy. Does anyone else have this issue...?????
I have no trouble getting Phoenix to sleep but he wakes nearly every 45 min to an hour until I go to bed and then VERY frequently all night long. He'll only get back to sleep by nursing. I'm really dreading evenings/night lately. He'll be 7 months next week and has been doing this for quite a while now. Seems he used to sleep well with only 1-2 wakings.. now I barely get sleep. I feel terrible because I feel so angry and frustrated.
What do I do??
I have no trouble getting Phoenix to sleep but he wakes nearly every 45 min to an hour until I go to bed and then VERY frequently all night long. He'll only get back to sleep by nursing. I'm really dreading evenings/night lately. He'll be 7 months next week and has been doing this for quite a while now. Seems he used to sleep well with only 1-2 wakings.. now I barely get sleep. I feel terrible because I feel so angry and frustrated.
What do I do??
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Fri, January 18, 2008 - 10:20 PMYou are not alone! My little girl, Alex, was (and still is) extremely attached. Starting at birth, she would not sleep unless she was in my arms, or sometimes in my husband's arms. She would only get to sleep by nursing. She would never sleep in a bassinet or crib...we co-slept (and still do). She was also more of a snacker when it came to nursing...never a full BF session, just a snack here and there between bigger feedings so I was nursing every 1-2 hours....she was not a small baby either...she was over 9 lbs.
From birth til about 15 months, Alex would not go to sleep until we did, even if I nursed her down, she would wake when I stepped away and after getting into bed for the night, she would wake every 45-60 minutes to nurse at night. This is why I weaned her at 15 months. I had originally wanted to nurse her til 2 years but I was starting to loose it big time and was becoming non-functional.
I wish I had a solution for you but at least it isn't just you. -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Sat, January 19, 2008 - 5:33 AMThank you so much Debs. I was seriously wondering if he had a sleeping disorder! LOL This is rough. He also snacks all day and all night. I've never nursed to fill in 20-30 min.. he nurses that long but doesn't eat the whole time.
xo -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Sat, January 19, 2008 - 6:33 AMright. my daughter loki was and still is the same. she continues to wake until we go to sleep. she will wake if she reaches out and no one is there. this has caused so much stress for me, because of course, being the one with the breasts i am was the only one who could calm her and keep her down. mostly for the first two years my night ended when she went to bed--i felt like a prisoner to my child! still i cant let them cry, so i got through it and now it is better, she still wakes but as soon as you are there she will go back to sleep, then i can leave. and now she will let her dad put her down!
i really wish you the best of luck and super mom patience! just consider yourself lucky you are so needed, it won't last forever and then it may be missed*
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Sun, January 20, 2008 - 7:56 PMOur four year old was a breast feeding snacker and she still only grazes when she eats. Even though I am not still breast feeding her, I am still getting or cleaning up her food all day. She also still sleeps with us. Her dad puts her to bed in her bed and stays with her until she falls asleep and then she wakes up every night at about 1 or so and crawls into bed with us. We tried to let her cry it out but the screams of "Don't leave me alone" were too heart breaking. She really hates sleeping alone and loves to be with us. It's something that she needs and I think it would be cruel to deny her, but I totally understand how consuming and draining it is. It does get better as they become more self sufficient though. She now has her standard snacks that she can eat at any time and is great at getting them herself. We are now working on the cleaning up part. : ) -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Tue, January 22, 2008 - 11:14 PMI am so in the same boat. My man is 9 months old now and I swear my boob is in his mouth more then half the night. It can be sooo draining. -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Wed, February 6, 2008 - 6:22 AMHugs Alygirl. My daughter is the SAME way!! She's 6.5 months. Whew! I'm tired! -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Fri, February 22, 2008 - 11:52 AMhe could've started teething. that usually disturbs their sleep patterns. just keep him on a tight schedule for naps, wake times and sleep times. it might help to give him a small amount of solids before bed. good luck!
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Fri, February 22, 2008 - 12:41 PMWonder why you may be feeling angry and frustrated?
I wonder what need you have that is not being nurtured.
Could it be that you:
-- have need for peace and rest?
--have need for your baby to be more independent?
--have need for clarity as to what is happening in you and/or your babies? need for understanding?
--have need for support, so that you can tend to some of your own needs?
--have need for empathy, perhaps only you feel the burden of your babies care?
--have need for self-empathy, perhaps you are feeling like you failing your expectations as a "good" mother?
I wish I could know what is going on with you that is making you frustrated and angry.
I can only guess..
In regards to your feelings.. I think it's perfectly normal to feel angry and frustrated.. it simply meens you have some unmet needs that you are figuring out how to take care of them..
if you have an inner dialog with some self-compassion, I think it may diffuse some of this frustration..but you still have to figure out what is happening.
Your baby, at night, may just have need for exploration, fun, and excercise.. perhaps he needs to get his need for those things done in the day.. and at night he may have more of a need to rest..
..my two cents... -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Sun, February 24, 2008 - 11:28 AMThank yo so much !Alex! for your 2 cents! As soon as I found myself being more patient with this process and actually enjoying being able to be there for my son he stopped waking so much. :-) I DO have a need for some evening peace and rest as I LOVE to sleep! It was a mix of things for me... mix of things you mentioned.
In appreciation of love and support from you all,
AlyGirl xo -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Mon, February 25, 2008 - 2:59 PMThanks everyone for the helpful discussion.
I am so grateful to know I am not the only one up all night...We are in this together.
Blessings to you and your wee ones.
Jade Moon -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Tue, March 4, 2008 - 7:01 PMI am reading the no cry sleep solution- when I have a minute or two and although I haven't gotten a chance to do the sleep logs I've taken some of the suggestions- such as doing different things to help baby Tess sleep and it is helping. We're now at 3 hours at a time and sometimes 4- well, before the cold! The book also has a section for those of us who cosleep so it really is wonderful. Good luck.
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Fri, March 7, 2008 - 9:59 AMOh my.... I am so sorry I missed this from you. Hadleigh and I have been going through the same thing... she still wakes a few times at night and I have felt the same way as you. It is very frustrating and it still is for me sometimes. Particularly with teething she has woken more frequently. Getting mad never helped anythiing so as soon as I feel myself start to get frustrated I remember that a relaxed me = a relaxed Hadleigh and for those times when relaxing isn't enough I keep seeing this phrase everywhere .... this too shall pass... it may seem like forever now but this time will be gone in a blink of an eye! Call me anytime you need advice on this I Love you and want to help -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Fri, March 7, 2008 - 3:41 PMI have found that if I go to sleep at night with the idea in my mind that I am basically starting an on call shift to care for the most important person in my life and that I am ready for anything, I endure a lot better and get a lot less huffy. But it's still hard sometimes. Sleep deprivation is miserable. But it is SO true, this, too, shall pass and oh too quickly! -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Fri, March 7, 2008 - 4:58 PMI don't know if this would help you, but it helped us, and I know a number of other mothers in our area it helped.
We went to a network chiropractor, and it was basically a miracle. My son went from waking about every hour, to sleeping the first night after treatment for 12 hours! (though he didn't do that more than once) I kept checking if he was still breathing lol.
We had to go on a regular basis for quite a few months (something like 6-8 months, because every time we stopped, he stopped sleeping again), but it was totally worth every penny.
The other great thing was that the woman we saw treated both the mother & child up to 2 years old for the price of one person. -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Sat, March 8, 2008 - 8:22 AMWhat kind of treatment did you get? What was it for? I'd like to know more about this! -
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Sat, March 8, 2008 - 7:35 PMshe does network chiropractic. She is adjusting the nervous system. This is the place I went hardwickchiro.net/ In some ways I think it is similar to craniosacral work, though it feelsa little different.
Here's a brief description of network:
www.associationfornetworkcare.com/w...ml
You can run a search engine for "network chiropractic" as well and check out different sites if you want.
I hope that helps. I'd say of the mothers that I know that have seen the woman I saw, I think only one (or maybe 2) of them said the treatments didn't help out the sleep situation.
No sleep is rough. I remember it well with my son. Colicky in the day & evening, waking up all night to nurse or just fuss. I am glad those days are gone, and I am grateful that we found Grace to help us out with the sleep situation.
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Re: Night-time sleep issues.. help!
Sat, March 8, 2008 - 8:54 PMIn response to unmet needs; what about the need to wake up with out a kink in your neck and with an arm that still has some feeling left in it!
Lately, I've taken to crawling down to cuddle up at the foot of the bed (like a freakin dog!) just to get my breasts outta range of a grazing baby.
I feel ya! I'm so glad to read all the "me too" posts, it really helps to know your not alone. Also, I do agree that I will miss the cuddle-suckle sleep when it's gone. *hugs*
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