Rant - Feeling so hopeless about sleep!

[Noelle610]

Sunnie, sounds like you are having good nights! 4am/5am is a very normal time for a night waking if you're gong to have one - babies enter a light sleep cycle at this time and often have a hard time re-settling.

We've certainly gone through phases with reflux, but if your LO is fine at night in her cot and she's still having night feeds, it's unlikely that's the issue. How long is she awake before you put her down for a nap? Could she be fighting it because she's overtired?

 

[Sunnie1984]

I don't think she is overtired, she's been going to nap a little bit earlier than usual because she's catching up from not STTN recently, but she always goes down as soon as she is slightly tired, and she has really obvious sleep cues.

I have no idea, but I'll try putting her down a little earlier if there is no change tomorrow, thanks!

 

[Boo44]

Hi girls just checking in! Do any of you have any advice re coughing in the night? Jack is slowly improving but has been left with this chesty cough and a slight wheeze (he's been started on more antibiotics today). The last few nights his cough has bothered him. He always seems to cough just when he's gone down on and off, I never need to go to him, he's still asleep. Then each morning it's around 4am he starts coughing and last night the poor thing coughed for 1.5hrs!! I went in twice to give him water and comfort him and he was never actually awake! But unsettled obviously. So any bright ideas for this?

Thanks

 

[Noelle610]

Boo, Charlotte does the sleep coughing thing too. Have you tried a humidifier? I've found it helps, but doesn't eliminate it totally.

 

[AngelUK]

Humidifier is a good idea as well as maybe a vapour diffuser? We have the calpol one though I think that might be more for stuffy noses. Also I would maybe try and elevate his head a bit. We have wedges which helps with reflux too but if you don't, then maybe put a phonebook under each of the head-end legs of the cot? Mind you not too much or he will then end up as a crumpled heap at the end of the cot. Hope he gets better soon

 

[Boo44]

Thanks! We don't have a humidifier but I'll try raising the cot slightly xx

 

[Noelle610]

A humidifier is definitely worth getting if your baby gets a lot of colds. It's been a life saver for us!

 

[MrsPear]

Can I rejoin your group now??!!!!! I tried so hard to take sleep deprivation in my stride but I'm fit to burst now!!! All I can say is aaaaaaaarrrrrgghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Joni's sleep is as bad as ever if not worse, i hold her more than 50% of the night every single night, some nights never put her down AT ALL, I spend hours every evening trying to get her to sleep (she is screaming now, oh is with her, definitely a 'walk away moment for me), she just WILL NOT SLEEP. I blame separation anxiety in part.

It's just all so depressing. I have totally stopped reading about anything sleep related now, even sleep threads on here (except this one which I'm coming back to because it is more 'please give me strength' than please give me advice lol) because it's all so random and nothing works.

Eta...oh isback now so I had to cut this short, will go back and read the updates when I get a chance xxx

 

[Noelle610]

Hi MrsPear, I was wondering where you had gone! I'm sorry to see you back, however, without your report that Joni is now STTN.

I'm not sure if it gives you any hope, but we saw big improvement around the 8 month mark. I think it was a combination of an increase in solids, Charlotte wearing herself out during the day with crawling and scooting and just her growing out of some of her previous sleep issues.

 

[Boo44]

Noelle was Charlotte born on 23rd May? I think she's exactly 1 month older than Jack, it's his 7 month birthday today His present to me was having some random internal alarm which wakes him up exactly 30 mins after he falls asleep for every single nap. No matter where he is including his cot, and no matter if he self-settled beautifully to start the nap! Happy days lol xx

 

[Noelle610]

Yes ma'am - May 23rd here!! I can't believe she's 8 months old today.

Oh my gosh, I hate those 30 minute naps. They're the worst! Hopefully this isn't a new pattern for him. We've been through those phases and they always pass quickly

 

[Aimee1003]

Lysh- I don't know how you are doing the early morning wake ups. I can't even imagine waking for the day. mine woke up at 530 this morning and I thought that was bad.

Mrs Pear - that sounds horrible too. you have to hold your little 1 all night? Wow.

Well an update for us is that last Friday Coleton started sleeping better. he is now waking only 1 to 2* a night. I am actually getting 4-5 hour sleep at a time. It is like heaven. I have been so so so excited. I can so do a few wake ups. I think his was developmental. Saturday he started pulling up. Sunday he waved bye bye and started using his pincer grip perfectly to feed himself and he started scooting backwards. all of this in 1 weekend

 

[socitycourty]

well luckily my LO slept ok last night as I was having horrible anxiety attacks, and unable to eat, I felt like crap.

I did hold her all night but I didn't care, I just wanted to have peace and quiet, plus cuddling her does help me at times with my stress.
I am hoping that I can get my anxiety under control and not feel awful again tonight.

 

[Shadowy Lady]

ok guys i'm sooo confused! Sofia's been waking up at around 11 pm for the past 3 nights fussing and fussing. Here's the situation:

1. She's not in pain coz Advil doesn't help
2. She does not have an ear infection
3. She's not hungry as she either only drink s 2oz or so or if I pick her up to feed her she starts smiling at me and wanting to play...

this goes on for an hour or so with either DH or I going in every few minutes to check on her till she falls asleep. It's starting to really get to me :/ I don't know what the issue is coz she always self soothes. I do not rock her to sleep, she doesn't use a pacifier, has a humidifier in her room and wears a super snuggly and warm sleep suit. Her naps are also amazing (3-4 hours every day in 1-2 hour increments).

What am I doing wrong? the only thing i can think of is that last thing i do as part if her bed time routine is feeding her and so sometimes (not always) she falls asleep as she eats.

Any advice is appreciated

 

[Sunnie1984]

Shadowy lady - Seren was doing this until a few nights ago.

I think it's just the sleep regression, or developmental. Sofia is pretty much the same age as my DD.

As long as she's not crying we don't go into her and she babbles herself back to sleep after an hour or so.

Sorry, no practical tips, but eventually Seren just started sleeping through again.

 

[Noelle610]

Aimee, so happy you're having better nights! Socity, I'm glad your night was okay, too.

Shadowy Lady, I do wonder if Sunnie is right and it's developmental. I'm not sure if you follow the Wonder Weeks, but the fussy phase for WW26 starts around 23 weeks. When Charlotte has long night wakings and wants to play, it's usually a developmental thing and they pass quickly.

 

[Aimee1003]

Shadowy- Sounds heavenly to me. lol. What's the problem? Great naps, self soothing, only 1 wake up!!!! What I would give for that to be my reality.

After 5 days of "better" sleep, C was up a lot last night. His longest sleep stretch was 2.5 hrs! I am tired but the 5 nights have renewed my hope that one day he will sleep well again! I was almost to the hopeless phase...

 

[bananaz]

Shadowy - I agree that it sounds developmental, so I don't think there's necessarily anything you're doing wrong. Elsie also added a long 11pm waking to her nightly lineup at around 5 months. I tried a million things to get rid of it but in the end I think she just grew out of it on her own. Anyway, if Sofia is just fussing and not really upset I would probably leave her to it

Aimee - Sorry about the rough night but I'm glad you're hanging in there. Hopefully he'll be back to better sleep again tonight.


Things here have continued to be hit and miss, but on the whole I can't complain and I've managed to stick to only one night feeding which I'm glad about. I still have no idea what's going on with her other random wakings but at least for the past few nights she's been able to resettle herself so that's awesome.

It seems like she's going through some kind of intense wonder week thing right now - she's nursing almost every hour, doesn't want to be put down but also doesn't want to be held, won't eat any solids, having a melt down every 5 minutes, etc. I think I'm just going to leave her sleep alone for a while and see if she falls into any kind of pattern before I actively try to get rid of that feeding again. In the meanwhile I need a stiff drink

 

[Noelle610]

Bananaz... Wonder Week 37! It's a big one. Charlotte's been fussy/clingy too.

 

[MrsPear]

Ahhh bananaz I'm sorry to see you're still struggling with sleep too. I'll shout you a stiff drink and I'll make mine a double!! It's awesome she settled herself, I hope that continues for you.

We had a bad night last night. Oh is off work this week so he is helping me out. Joni screamed most of the evening, I don't think it's pain it's separation because she stops when I pick her up. Anyway, we were in bed before 9, it just feels pointless staying up to hear her screaming. She was in her cot from 9.30 to 11.30 then I had several goes putting her down in the cot or between us after that, but eventually just held her the rest of the night. It's really taking it's toll on us both but I'm trying my best to keep calm and just ride it out.

Xxx