Rant - Feeling so hopeless about sleep!

[socitycourty]

i just feel bad for being so absolutely grouchy and also yelling, at times.

 

[anti]

Just need to rant.... It's now 4am and we have been up for close to 2 hours now!!!! Why won't she sleep??! I'm so tired....

 

[Sunnie1984]

Is it morning already?

Socity - so sorry you have toothache, that's the last thing you need on top of bad sleep. I don't know whether your DH could take a couple of days off work, or at the weekend, and you go to stay at a hotel or at a friends house etc and just sleep for a couple of days?

Perhaps if you could just catch up on some sleep, it would make everything else a little easier to bear if you come back refreshed?

Mrspear - Seren has cut her back molars a little (don't ask me how) but they are not above the surface, just a sharp slit on top of the gum. So no real teeth yet. I hope it gets easier once she actually cuts one, but it seems to be going on forever.

I bet Joni is feeling much better now she is actually getting some sleep! I hope your cold disappears too so you can also feel much better rested.

Don't worry, we all get mad and shout sometimes, especially when our babies are resisting change. It's totally normal.

Daneuse - So glad you are having some success with an earlier nap time. Don't worry about a bit of crying, if it means so goes to bed with little fuss and is well rested after her nap, it's fine, It's not like you left her to cry for a week straight

Michelle - So glad you are having some progress!

Anti - so sorry you are having a MOTN party. Is she learning anything new like trying to stand or walk? Long night wakings are usually developmental.


We were up every three hours last night. I'm having a bit of a crisis of confidence at the moment, feel like I don't even know my own baby and have no idea whats wrong.

We seem to be rid of the cold - thankfully.

But she woke every three hours screaming. I went in, gave her anbesol, a cuddle for about 30 seconds, and she put her head on my shoulder and sucked her thumb to go back to sleep and I put her down.

I don't really know if it was teething, so the anbesol helped, or whether she was just checking I was still there, although I don't think we're in the thick of the wonder week yet, so not sure if separation anxiety should have started.

She could also have been overtired from going to bed late last night because she was cluster feeding.... who really knows!

This morning she was awake for just over 2 hours and fell asleep on me, so she went to bed..... for a whole 20 minutes.


I give in.... well I don't really, I'm sure I'll have come up with something else to try in about half an hour!

Consistent, consistent, consistent.......

 

[anti]

Sunnie thanks for that... I totally didn't think about it but in the last 4 days or so she's learning to really bear weight on her legs so I guess that's the start of the learning to stand milestone. I just didn't think of that at stupid o'clock in the morning!!

 

[x Michelle x]

So many things to try aren't there sunnie!
We had 12h last night... Bed at 6:30, up at 6:45 and nothing inbetween. 2 nights in a row, I daren't even hope this is it as I dont want to jinx it!
Anti, definitely sounds like your LO is learning new things and its affecting sleep

 

[Noelle610]

We had a strange and wonderful night. After hourly wakings, Charlotte went to sleep at 6:30pm and at 5:30am is still sleeping soundly - not even a peep all night long. So weird. She must be the most inconsistent kid ever. Ask Moxie (great blog!) does mention that after a developmental spurt, babies will often sleep through for 3 nights or so and shock the hell out of their parents because their kind of "catching up".

If only I could sleep! I've been up since 4am! I did go to bed at 8:30pm, so that certainly helps.

 

[MrsPear]

Hooray Michelle and Noelle!! But big sad face for you Anti- MOTN raves are hard to bare. Sunnie, you sound like me trying something else every 20 minutes. Sticking to one thing had amost 100% certainly helped though, although at the back of your mind you do always wonder if it's just coincidence.

Last night was not great because Joni is horribly constipated. She has been screaming in pain intermittently. I'm trying to force water on her today and she is NOT pleased about that. I don't really mind getting up when she's not well or in pain but I'm just praying that all the good work over the past week isn't undone!!

 

[bananaz]

Sunnie- Sorry you had a tough night. I can definitely sympathize with feeling like you have no idea what's wrong or why they're waking so much, I've been there with my LO for the past 4 months. I hope it is just teething and that she gets past it soon though.

Michelle and Noelle - That's so awesome and I'm so jealous!

anti - Ugh, I'm sorry. I hope she went back to sleep soon after your post. As others have said, those long MOTN parties do seem to be developmental for whatever reason.

MrsPear - Aw, poor kiddo, we're dealing with a little of that here too though nowhere near that bad. I doubt it will affect your progress though, I'm sure it's just a temporary setback.


We continue to have shitty nights here for no reason whatsoever. She's not teething, she's not sick, she's not learning any big new skills, she knows how to self-settle, she nurses like a champ all day long and has plenty of solids before bed. It seems like she just enjoys being awake and screaming.

She'd woken twice before I even went to bed at 9pm last night. At 11pm she went through her "crying for 5 minutes and then trying to settle for 10 minutes routine" for almost an hour before she finally got herself back to sleep, and I just let her be. It is agony hearing her cry but I know from experience that the moment I go in there she gets hysterical and it turns into a 2+ hour disaster. After that she woke at 3 for a feed and then was up for the day at 5am. I have no idea what to do with this child anymore. It feels like no matter what choice I make she is a screamy mess and neither of us are getting enough sleep.

 

[x Michelle x]

Don't be jealous, it will happen it's taken us a year lol! If Hayden wakes at 5, I feed him and put him back in his cot. I started a new rule that mummy doesn't get up pre 6:30

 

[bananaz]

Don't be jealous, it will happen it's taken us a year lol! If Hayden wakes at 5, I feed him and put him back in his cot. I started a new rule that mummy doesn't get up pre 6:30

Yeah I've been trying to keep her in her crib until 6am but it hasn't seemed to help. She'll play for a bit and then start crying and she just escalates until I get her

 

[x Michelle x]

Don't be jealous, it will happen it's taken us a year lol! If Hayden wakes at 5, I feed him and put him back in his cot. I started a new rule that mummy doesn't get up pre 6:30

Yeah I've been trying to keep her in her crib until 6am but it hasn't seemed to help. She'll play for a bit and then start crying and she just escalates until I get her

Hayden was exactly the same, then one day he just went back to sleep. Clearly he took the hint lol

 

[bananaz]

Don't be jealous, it will happen it's taken us a year lol! If Hayden wakes at 5, I feed him and put him back in his cot. I started a new rule that mummy doesn't get up pre 6:30

Yeah I've been trying to keep her in her crib until 6am but it hasn't seemed to help. She'll play for a bit and then start crying and she just escalates until I get her

Hayden was exactly the same, then one day he just went back to sleep. Clearly he took the hint lol

Haha, yeah she used to go back to sleep but then she just stopped for some reason. Maybe I just need to stick with it.


A question to everyone - when do you ladies do your LO's last feed? I usually nurse LO at the end of her bedtime routine, so right before she goes to sleep. I still put her down awake 90% of the time but I'm wondering if nursing so close to bedtime is sabotaging my night weaning efforts somehow. Thoughts?

 

[x Michelle x]

We have dinner at 4:30, then bath @5:45 then back downstairs for supper (toast) fingers, hen when he looks grouchy we gave him his bottle upstairs, all snuggled in his sleeping bag, usually 6:30ish
Hayden is always put down awake but just after a feed. I also wondered if it was affecting his ability to get him back to sleep but I could never be bothered completely changing his routine around....

 

[Boo44]

We're having those awful early wakings again over here! 6.13am this morning. I knooooow he doesn't want to be awake then. Usually I can either leave him or pop dummy in once and we'll get 7.30 or even 8am! This morning the cough did away with that. At least I hope it's the cough....

Am trying to be consistent and not let him have his first nap too early. Fingers crossed we see some benefit once his cough goes

Bananaz I feel for you. And sunnie. And anti. Am really pleased for Noelle and mrsPear and Michelle! The feeling tht this sleep thing is never ending is soooo soul destroying especially like now when I have pmt! Haha

 

[x Michelle x]

I know, I used to say to my OH all the time that I was 'broken' is amazing what a lack of sleep can do to a person!

 

[Noelle610]

Don't be jealous, it will happen it's taken us a year lol! If Hayden wakes at 5, I feed him and put him back in his cot. I started a new rule that mummy doesn't get up pre 6:30

Yeah I've been trying to keep her in her crib until 6am but it hasn't seemed to help. She'll play for a bit and then start crying and she just escalates until I get her

Hayden was exactly the same, then one day he just went back to sleep. Clearly he took the hint lol

Haha, yeah she used to go back to sleep but then she just stopped for some reason. Maybe I just need to stick with it.


A question to everyone - when do you ladies do your LO's last feed? I usually nurse LO at the end of her bedtime routine, so right before she goes to sleep. I still put her down awake 90% of the time but I'm wondering if nursing so close to bedtime is sabotaging my night weaning efforts somehow. Thoughts?

I give her a bottle prior to bedtime, but ready a story in between. I started doing it mostly because I had to hold her upright after a feed due to reflux, but I think it's really helped Charlotte not associate feeding with sleeping.

 

[cmarie33]

Hi ladies. Haven't posted since Saturday. Took over an hour for lo to sleep that night but she slept for about 7 hours before waking. Tonight she's been in bed nearly an hour and is still crying. She stops crying when I go in and soothe her after ten mins. I know she's tired. I just don't know why her sleeps
Changed

 

[Randianne]

Bananaz, thank you thank you thank you!!! The Cerave has worked so well. She didn't wake up once last night from the itching. Her outbreak is fading fast. That stuff is pricey, but very worth it. I really appreciate you suggesting it! Also, to answer your question, I do a feed before bed and I read her a story during it, then she goes down. If I don't she wakes up at 4-5 because she's hungry.

Cmarie, have you heard of the Soothe and Glow Seahorse? My LO goes through stages of doing what you described, and it really helped.

 

[jessicatunnel]

Hi ladies! I haven't been in here for ages, and it seems there are s few new ladies in here. I haven't gone through and read much, just the last page, but I hope everyone's LO's sleep isn't too horrible.

Just a little update on Lilly. She was doing really great for about four weeks. We would put her down at 630 or 7 and she would sleep until 730 or 8 with zero wake ups inbetween. Over the last three or so weeks she wakes up about four times from 630pm-1130pm. I can't figure out why. She's not hungry or cold or hot. We don't even need to do much to settle her. Just stand by her crib and sing twinkle twinkle little star. We literally only get "twinkle twinke little star, how I wonder what you are.." in before she's fast asleep again. We've tried leaving her when she wakes between those times but she goes ballistic. She usually sleeps 11-8 straight through now though.

Anyone have an idea of how to stop the wake ups between 630-1130?

 

[megangrohl]

bananaz - we do solids supper at 4:30 then a bedtime bottle at 6. she goes to bed at 6:30 also being 100% awake and is asleep by 7 and sleeps through until 6:30am.

HTH