Rant - Feeling so hopeless about sleep!

[seaweed eater]

Hmm, funny that it was the same time...does Sofia have any teeth now? Or did you start giving her solids around that time? I know that can change their poop a lot...Munchkin is not on solids yet.

An hour 20 minutes since we started trying to put him down for his first nap, and he's currently playing away happily in the jumper. Grrr.

 

[Sunnie1984]

Ummmm I'm so sorry, I know I usually reply to everyone, but I just can't! You guys have all been so active, I am completely lost, and too tired to work back through it all and read it!

No idea why I'm tired really, just am.

Seren sleeping ok. She's awake a few times a night needing repositioning, but that's pretty much it.

Although she has been sleeping curled into a ball in the corner of her cot, which sets the bloody movement monitor off at least once per night, but I'm too paranoid to turn it off!

You should see me at 3am when the warning beep goes off, I look like I've been set at the blocks for a 100m sprint, I dive out of bed and sprint down the corridor to get there before the main alarm goes off and wakes her up!

Found Seren sleeps much sounder when she's properly tired, and it turns out the wake ups are undertired wake ups, as are the early mornings!

Seren had a meltdown after we were out late at a party (by late, I mean we left at 5:30pm instead of 5pm ), but then slept like a rock, that's how we discovered it!

Glad to see lots of STTN going on! Polaris, I caught your posts particularly. I have no advice, but lots of sympathy.

x

 

[polaris]

Thanks everyone. Naps today were a disaster too. She wouldn't settle for morning nap and I ended up feeding her almost to sleep because I had to leave her with the babysitter to bring my toddler swimming so I just needed her to go to sleep. Anyway she then slept for an hour and a half but then refused to settle for her afternoon nap. It took almost an hour to get her to sleep and then she woke up after twenty minutes.

She's in bed since 6 p.m. but woke up after 45 minutes, possibly a bit windy, because she resettled quickly after a little burp. Does anyone else still have issues with wind at this age? Clara never had a difficulty with wind until she was four months old! It's like she has everything backwards - my DS was dreadful with wind but his got better at four months which seems much more usual!

 

[Noelle610]

Sunnie, I still feel tired even when C sleeps okay. I think we just don't sleep as soundly now they're we're moms.

Polaris

 

[gaiagirl]

Polaris that's frustrating, we have been struggling with naps a bit and even gone back to swaddling because I was so fed up. I can now feel a teeny edge of a bottom tooth though so I'm hoping that's why he's so bonkers with naps this week.

Seaweed - that's a crazy night, I hope tonight is better and A is feeling better!

I agree about the tiredness...honestly the amount of tired I feel in the morning doesn't even usually correspond to how F sleeps! Sometimes the weather has a bigger impact on my energy level too!

 

[cmarie33]

Well LO is at her grandparents tonight so she can do whatever she wants! Last night wasn't as bad. She woke twice before waking at 6.30 for the day. Hope everyone's nights are better than last nights x

 

[seaweed eater]

Second night in a row LO has woken up screaming after 45 minutes. I know it's not the most obvious explanation, but it kind of seems like night terrors to both me and DH. DH said he seemed asleep when he first went in to check on him, plus the crying sounded scared. And he calmed down quickly once we took him out of his room.

I guess it could also just be teething.

He's still in the bassinet at night...but I'm getting really nervous to have him in there. We left it way too long. I guess I should let him nap in the car during the day so that at least he's better rested, and then we can try a gentle move at night? I'm also thinking I'll put his bassinet mattress in there for a couple nights, with some rolled up towels next to it or something. I don't know. Somehow we have to get him into that crib.

 

[Sunnie1984]

Sunnie, I still feel tired even when C sleeps okay. I think we just don't sleep as soundly now they're we're moms.

Polaris

Weirdly, I actually feel more awake when I've been up several times during the night. Maybe it's the adrenaline needed to keep me awake!

Second night in a row LO has woken up screaming after 45 minutes. I know it's not the most obvious explanation, but it kind of seems like night terrors to both me and DH. DH said he seemed asleep when he first went in to check on him, plus the crying sounded scared. And he calmed down quickly once we took him out of his room.

I guess it could also just be teething.

He's still in the bassinet at night...but I'm getting really nervous to have him in there. We left it way too long. I guess I should let him nap in the car during the day so that at least he's better rested, and then we can try a gentle move at night? I'm also thinking I'll put his bassinet mattress in there for a couple nights, with some rolled up towels next to it or something. I don't know. Somehow we have to get him into that crib.

I find that a waking 45 minutes after bed is usually overtired. Seren does this when she's overtired, and it's a really horrible scream with it too. Can you try putting him down just 15 mins earlier? Sometimes a little bit earlier can make a world of difference.

Have you thought about putting the bassinet in the crib? If it's one that you can take the legs off, just put it in the crib, so he gets used to being in the new space, and then take the bassinet away after a few nights?

We did ok here last night. One waking after 45 minutes, but that was overtired because she had a 30 minute crawling round the room party before bed, as she just wouldn't settle, so went to bed 30 minutes late.

Then a random waking at 3am, she was really screaming. Wondering if it was a nightmare, as she couldn't settle herself, but when I went to her and picked her up, it only took a couple of minutes of cuddles to go back to sleep.

We're on a bit of a milk strike here, she's so distracted by crawling at the moment it's almost impossible to get food into her. She's BLW so she's not actually eating much solids. I'm just trying to let her tell me when she's hungry, rather than trying to ply her with it all day. Hopefully we'll get back on track soon.

Hope everyone else is having a restful night!

x

 

[seaweed eater]

He's definitely very overtired. I thought that could be triggering the night terror, if that's what it was. He's really not napping enough during the day, since we haven't sorted out this nap transition yet, and at night it hasn't really been enough either what with the MOTN parties and the doctor visit last night. I think I just need to be more insistent about naps tomorrow, and let him nap in the car if that's the only way he will. His first nap today wasn't until 11:30.

The bassinet is a pack n play one so the bassinet part of it is just a soft frame that hangs on the playpen, if that makes sense. So putting the mattress in the crib is as close as we can get. I like the suggestion, though. The bassinet has been right next to the crib for over a week now so hopefully he is getting used to the look of the bars on one side (and it's the side he faces). I don't know why he won't sleep in it. We slept in a hotel one night a couple weeks ago and he slept, not as well as usual, but decently. And he's napped over an hour in his crib at daycare. I don't get it.

I'm sorry about the milk strike that is always stressful. You are doing the right thing in letting her take the lead, though. I hope tonight is as good as or better than last night for you.

 

[VikkiD]

Lo as been waking up a couple of times in the night normally around 2 settling himself then wanting a feed. Yesterday we went out for lunch and his naps were a bit all over the place I think he got around 2 hours in total though. He was shattered by 6:15 so put him to bed early an he slept 12 hours without a sound from him.

 

[Noelle610]

Vikki, that's awesome!

Seaweed, we get the 45 minute thing pretty often unfortunately. Sometimes it's overtired, sometimes I think it's dreaming (or that's what my pediatrician says) and sometimes teething. I try not to stress about it too much. The sleep coach I know said it does pass.

In terms of the bassinet, I did two rolled up towels in a u-shape facing each other under the crib sheet to make a bassinet type thing in the crib for about a week. It worked well. I think if you can stick with it LO will be fine. Like I always say, they're adaptable!

 

[mellyboo]

I need to rant..

So my baby decides to finally sleep decent last night and i go to bed around 930 and im literally laying there awake and i swear i seen 430 am pass by all i kept thinking was o.m.g im going to be tired.. and why isnt my baby up a zillion times im missing a grand sleeping oppertunity.. I think i fell asleep after 430 and she woke up at 630 to eat then back down till 8am...

I'm so flipping tired.. OH works nights but his getting up around 11 30 and im going to BED!!

 

[VikkiD]

I just don't know what to do today now lol do I let him nap late till 4 or do I try get him have a nap now an put him bed at the same time so confusing lol

 

[Noelle610]

Melly, I used to do that too! You're so used to waking that it can be hard to sleep when you have the opportunity.

Vikki, what time did he wake from his last nap? I tend to err on the side of early bedtime versus a late nap.

 

[polaris]

We had a much better night last night, back to only two feeds and another couple of very brief wakings. I think she was overtired. I think I have been keeping her awake too long before her naps. I got her up at 7 a.m. today and put her down at 9 a.m. for a nap and she went down without a peep even though she was wide awake and didn't seem at all sleepy. Got her up at 10.30 and down again at 1, again way before she seemed in any way tired, and she talked to herself for five minutes and went to sleep. I think by the time she is showing any tired signs it's too late.

And guess what, I looked back at my diary from when DS was a baby, and his sleep was absolutely terrible at seven months, but by 8 months he was only waking once at about 5 a.m. and by 9.5 months he was sleeping through pretty consistently. Fingers crossed Clara follows a similar pattern!

 

[Noelle610]

Polaris, I'm so glad to hear you had a better night! If we're getting a lot of fussiness and night waking, I always kind of try to shorten wake times in hopes of reducing overtiredness.

Our night wasn't so great. My LO is getting tons of teeth and she was teething so badly. She woke several times only to scream out for 15 seconds and then return to sleep. So all in all she was really okay (just uncomfortable), but DH and I got really broken sleep. I finally gave in and gave her advil at 5am, but I just feel like we've been medicating her so much recently. Teething tablets only cut it for so long. It's hard because she teeths really badly. I've considered getting her an amber teething bracelet, but I can't find any evidence that they actually work.

 

[mellyboo]

Polaris, I'm so glad to hear you had a better night! If we're getting a lot of fussiness and night waking, I always kind of try to shorten wake times in hopes of reducing overtiredness.

Our night wasn't so great. My LO is getting tons of teeth and she was teething so badly. She woke several times only to scream out for 15 seconds and then return to sleep. So all in all she was really okay (just uncomfortable), but DH and I got really broken sleep. I finally gave in and gave her advil at 5am, but I just feel like we've been medicating her so much recently. Teething tablets only cut it for so long. It's hard because she teeths really badly. I've considered getting her an amber teething bracelet, but I can't find any evidence that they actually work.

Had the necklace it did crap she isn't any different I ended up taking it off

 

[bananaz]

melly - Ugh that's the worst! For the past couple weeks I've been taking two meds that make me sleepy before bed because otherwise I just lie there and get really anxious. Anyway, I hope you get some sleep today!

polaris - I'm glad you had a better night. It sounds like you are definitely on the right track with the naps. I think a lot of babies go straight from happy and awake to monstrously overtired so sometimes you just have to go by the clock instead of waiting for sleepy cues.

Noelle - Sorry you had a rough night I know what you mean about the medicating. Elsie is also teething right now and it seems like I end up giving her a dose of ibuprofen before bed more often than not, but the nights that I don't she does the same crying out thing you're describing. Anyway, I know if it were me I would want the pain relief! I haven't been able to find any real evidence for the necklace either, or even a reasonable explanation for how it might work. I want to believe but the science just isn't there, though they do look really cute! I hope Charlotte's teeth cut through soon. Which ones does she have coming in now?


The past few nights have been okay. I decided to not give any feeds no matter what before 6am for 4 nights and then if she's still waking for a feed on the 5th night I would reconsider. I feel so torn because 10-11 hours does seem like a long time for her to have to go without food, but then again she's almost a year old and there are little 6-week-old babies who sleep 12+ hours straight through every night! And she gets three solid meals a day in addition to lots of nursing.

Anyway, last night was night 3 of this plan and she slept from 7:45pm to 5am which is an improvement, but she just couldn't get resettle herself, though she really did try. When it became clear she wasn't going back to sleep on her own, I went in and attempted to soothe her. It was totally futile, which I knew going in, but somehow I always feel obligated to try. Finally I got her up at 6am and fed her, but after that she was really cranky and clearly not ready to be awake so I put her back to bed at 6:45am and she went straight to sleep. I know I probably should've just kept her up for a couple hours but she was so tired and grumpy I couldn't do it.

Fingers crossed all this hassle will actually pay off and she will finally adjust to not having that feed tonight!

 

[VikkiD]

He had a nap this morning 9:45 till 11 then he just had another nap 2:25 till 3:15 do you reckon 7:15 bedtime?

 

[Noelle610]

Bananaz, a lot of my breastfeeding friends have had a hard time giving up that 4am/5am feeding. It's tough. No advice here! I guess I don't think 11-12 hours is a long time to go without eating because I regularly go that long in the evening But everyone is different.

I feel like I would want the pain meds too! I know that overmedicating is looked down upon, but I really don't think infant advil would have adverse affects. Charlotte is currently getting FIVE teeth - four top ones (they're just starting to break through) and a molar. Poor kid.