I might die if I don't get some sleep...

[PeanutBean]

Yet another sleepless night with Byron. I've really had enough. We used to spend hours rocking him to sleep before gingerly getting him into his moses basket. Then he stopped settling in his basket at all at any time of the day or night, always waking within 30 mins no matter how sound asleep he was. So exhausted from lack of sleep we caved in and brought him into bed with us. For a while that worked and we would all sleep so that was great but it didn't last long. Now he won't settle even if he's cuddled up in our arms. He just wants to play all night long. It's no good saying 'make it boring at night' as it couldn't be more boring. We've had him awake until 6 am on a few occasions. Last night I think we got maybe 2 hours sleep tops and by 4am after yet another feed he doesn't really want or need (he always roots when he his bored or overtired) we said enough is enough. The moses basket is clearly never going to work and he's been enjoying playing in the cot so we put him in there about half 5 and cried until 7am when I figured we may as well start the day. The moment he comes out of the cot he's asleep in my arms. I put him back in he wakes up enough to feed. We feed, he falls asleep, he goes back in his cot. And hour later he wakes again. Pick him up, asleep again almost instantly, back in the cot, an hour later awake again and I am dying so he comes into bed with me and sleep soundly another hour or so when I give in and get up for a shower. Now he's asleep again. He was awake all day yesterday, not more than 2 hours of cumulative naps but then we have a night like that. He used to sleep so well. Sleeping 7 hours in a row, sometimes more, but now he's never asleep more than 4 hours, usually much less and hardly at all in the day. And he's so overtired it's unreal. Eyes like slits with exhaustion but he won't let himself sleep or if he finally goes off from sheer exhaustion he wakes soon after from a bloody fart!

What a rant...I'm so unhappy with it all. I'm like the living dead today and I dread to think how poor DH is managing at work. He didn't get an extra 3 hours this morning.

 

[mylittlebubs]

not sure what to say ! my baby is 5 months and 2 weeks old and i only have 4-5 hours broken sleep since birth, i never have more than 3 hours sleep in a row. He wakes up 4-5 times a night and still does that.
hope you get some more sleep hun

 

[xxleannexx]

dont really have any good suggestions, but just wanted to say i kno how tried you feel last night was the first good nights sleep ive had aaaages, it will get better

 

[Ema]

dont know what to say jacob used to sleep good now he is up 6-7x a night and has been for a few weeks now(since x-mas!) Last night i got about 3hours sleep.

Hopefully it will get better for you XxxX

 

[bambino]

have you tried contacting a sleep counsellor, they usually have them in the sure start centre. They help with things like this. x

 

[PeanutBean]

have you tried contacting a sleep counsellor, they usually have them in the sure start centre. They help with things like this. x

Thanks everyone and I hope those of you with sleepless nights also get some sleep. It's so difficult isn't it?

I am going to ask my HV about sleep clinic. We've tried everything I can think of so if things are going to change we need someone to give us some more advice. It's all extra annoying because he used to be such a good sleeper. I put the last couple of weeks down to his huge growth spurt but that's not the answer now. He's just a pain!

 

[nikky0907]

Lola was never a good sleeper, she never sleeps more than 30 minutes during the day so I know how you feel...

 

[1st_baby]

Hang in there hun ! mine still keeps me up and hes 8 months old !

 

[carries]

Oh hun i really wish I could offer some advice. Oscar sometimes has good nights and sometimes bad but never like you describe. I hope the HV can help xx

 

[tinytoes]

one ray of hope - i found that these things go in phases and a bad night or two is followed by agood one....I hope tonight is a better one for you.

When times are bad remember it wont last for ever. Sleep as much in the day as you can and hang on in there. It will get better as baby gets older. Dont worry about baby getting to sleep on his own or sleeping in his own bed etc until he's older. Now is the time to grab all the sleep you can, however baby will allow it.

 

[polo_princess]

one ray of hope - i found that these things go in phases and a bad night or two is followed by agood one....I hope tonight is a better one for you.

I find that happens too

Does he sleep in the car? Could you maybe get OH to take him out for a ride in the car for an hour early evening so you can have a sleep?

 

[xXDonnaXx]

I have no advice hun,but I hope it gets better for you.

I've not had any problems with Lexie (YET). She's in her cot upstairs at 8pm every night and she's been settling very good. She's still up every 4hrs in the night so that hasn't changed.

I can imagine the sleepless nights being horrible. Hang in there.x

 

[smartie]

Have you tried swaddling your LO? This used to work for us (or at least gave us a few hours sleep before she woke for a feed and went back down again)

 

[lollylou1]

no advice hun just big hugs!

Lou
xxx

 

[Vickie]

Is there any way to get him to sleep more during the day? Hannah tends to do better at night when she's had more naps throughout the day. She's a short napper, 30-45 minutes unless I'm holding her so she takes several throughout the day

 

[bisbis]

Toju was a really bad sleeper as well, i remember my heart used to skip a beat everytime he made noise in his cot. he only started sleeping through after 6 months and some tears. i know you must be tired during the day but do you take him out for walks and to the shops so he has fresh air and lots to see. Some babies tend to sleep a little better after this.

 

[Jkelmum]

Does he have a dummy ? this worked with my 2 oldest yet ethan only stoppped waking 4~6times anight 7 wks ago when i threw it away! he will be 2 in march and still wakes twice a night he hates being cuddled me and and hubby on bad nights take it 1 night each so that the other gets some sleep xxx

 

[Tiff]

I'm so sorry hun!

Not sure if I have anything to add. The swaddleing thing sounds like a good idea, it keeps Claire from waking herself up by her jerky movements. Hope you get some rest tonight!

 

[Sarahkka]

Poor PB!
It sounds miserable and I read it with huge trepidation as I'm almost exactly a month behind you and am sure Simon will go through something similar. Some of Byron's earlier patterns already sound familiar. Eeek! I thought this was supposed to get easier as they got older?!!
So far, the husband and I are coping with the sleep deprivation by trying to take the night in stages so that I get to sleep from about 11 pm - 4 or 5 am, and he gets to sleep in the through the morning, or vice versa, whichever fits with Simon and/or husband's work schedule. I know that isn't easy if Byron isn't sleeping at all, but it might help?
Also, have you tried the Superfeed? I express milk for husband to do a night feeding, and we discovered that Simon almost always conks right out if we give him a big bottle just before bed. It gives him a really full tummy quite quickly and he often sleeps 4-5 hours after this. Again, maybe worth a try?
Poor poor girl. Huge sympathy.

 

[PeanutBean]

Thanks everyone. About your suggestions:

Byron does sleep in the car but unfortunately DH is still learning to drive so it'd be me taking him out. I'm not keen on the idea because of how cold the nights are at the moment. For a few nights we took him out in the carrier at midnight but he has grown out of that putting him to sleep, in the day too.

He loved being swaddled in the first weeks but he hates it now, likes to have his arms out above his head and to be able to kick his legs about.

He often sleeps a lot during the day but it comes and goes with his bad nights. Also the amount he sleeps in the day doesn't often relate to how he sleeps at night.

He goes out for at least one walk every day because he comes with me to walk our dogs. If he's out in the car visiting that tends to disturb his sleep that night, especially if its later in the day.

And finally, we have tried a dummy but he's just not interested in it. I've tried it at various times, including after BF when he is calm so he associates it with comfort, but he just treats it as a nipple, getting frustrated after a short time when no milk is forthcoming. If we manage to get him to suck it for more than 5 minutes then it just works him into a more hungry state more quickly!

So, last night we did pretty well considering how things have been. We did our usual routine and went to the bedroom determined not to let him sleep in our bed and to try and get him to sleep in the cot. It took us from about 10:45pm until 12:30pm, 2 feeds, cuddles and few false starts and a 20 minute nap before he finally went to sleep soon after 1am and then slept peacefully in his cot until 6:15am! Hooray!!! A solid 5 hours has done so much for both of us! I then gave him breakfast, we had a play, then he got whingey and fell asleep again and I got another two hours. He's much happier in the cot. We've got the nightlight by it so he can see his mobile well enough to entertain him and I think he likes being able to look around and in a big space, so yay! Fingers crossed if we are disciplined with him and ourselves we will be able to get him to sleep well in there now.

Thanks again for all your support and suggestions!