Seeking positive outcome stories- Baby doesn't sleep

[JumpingIn]

Some of you here are already aware of my situation. My 12 week old is mostly only able to sleep for 30 minutes at a time, day and night. He suffers from silent reflux and gastric pain, suspected multiple intolerances, frequent explosive diarrhoea with mucous etc and is on a load of meds. I suspect it's all this keeping him awake. He desperately wants to sleep.

The most he has EVER slept in a row is 2 hours. This is rare. During sleep, he makes constant very loud noises.

I'm desperately seeking stories from people who have been through similar and come out the other side. People whose babies couldn't sleep and turned out ok. People who got through it.

Reading nothing but experiences of people's 'normal' babies is heartbreaking. No-one's fault obviously, but the reminders of the severity of his problems are everywhere we turn.

Anyone whose babies couldn't sleep... Please speak up

 

[mummytobe_93]

Some of you here are already aware of my situation. My 12 week old is mostly only able to sleep for 30 minutes at a time, day and night. He suffers from silent reflux and gastric pain, suspected multiple intolerances, frequent explosive diarrhoea with mucous etc and is on a load of meds. I suspect it's all this keeping him awake. He desperately wants to sleep.

The most he has EVER slept in a row is 2 hours. This is rare. During sleep, he makes constant very loud noises.

I'm desperately seeking stories from people who have been through similar and come out the other side. People whose babies couldn't sleep and turned out ok. People who got through it.

Reading nothing but experiences of people's 'normal' babies is heartbreaking. No-one's fault obviously, but the reminders of the severity of his problems are everywhere we turn.

Anyone whose babies couldn't sleep... Please speak up

My daughter who is now nearly 21 months was a horrendous sleeper. And I mean horrendous. She literally just did not sleep at night she used to stay away for hours at a time and have the occasional 20 min nap and then wake up again I was exhausted she was that way until around 5.5 months when she started sleeping longer stretches at 7 months she was occasionally sleeping through and then at 8-9 months she was sleeping through most nights. She sleeps 6.30pn-8.30am every night now without fail and has been doing for ages. It will get better

It does really sound like your little one just isn't sleeping because they're in pain as soon as you find out what intolerances are causing the pain and adjust diet accordingly Etc im sure they will begin to sleep so much better! It is hard though. Sleep when baby sleeps. Say yes to help. If you have a partner take it in turns. If you breastfeed pump a bottle so you can get some sleep c

 

[Cattia]

My son wasn't quite as bad as you're describing but he was a pretty awful sleeper. He had silent reflux and I also cut out dairy and soya on the advice of the paediatrician. He refused to slept in a Moses basket or cot and so I co slept with him a lot. Some nights he would sleep in his bouncer. He would never lie flat so I couldn't put him down in the day. I wore him in a wrap all th time. We got him on omeprazoole which helped and by five months he had improved and would sleep in a cot. By eight months he was sleeping through and he now sleeps twelve hours a night.

 

[NoodleSnack]

My son's sleep was like that, up until 8-9mo, he would wake up at least every 1.5-2hr at night. For naps, during the 'good' time, he would feed to sleep, during difficult periods, I walked or pushed him in the buggy to sleep.

It was really awful during that first year, but now that he's 2.5yo, it seems like another life time. He sometimes wakes up once at night for water, drinks it and straight back to sleep.

Just try to get through it a day at a time, it does get better, much much better.

 

[Button#]

My friends son was the same. He's now 17 months and for the past month he has slept through consistently. His sleep started improving at just over a year when he outgrew his dairy intolerance and his reflux improved significantly. He's teething again at the moment and she says he's still sttn.

 

[_jellybean_]

Both of mine were just really awful sleepers and we tried everything. We actually ended up having to get our rugs ripped out and hardwoods b/c my daughter has such a severe allergy to dust mites. My husband did night feeds/wakings, bless him and he was extremely sleep deprived and is still recovering IMO. I did do night wakings as well at times and it's exhausting, but you will get through this.

We tried everything and we now co-sleep. They both FINALLY sleep through. Well, my daughter wakes once a night still but just for a diaper change and some lotion for her eczema.

We never wanted to do CIO or CC so we just went with it. She started sleeping through at about two years old iirc and my son started sleeping through consistently at three years old. He did have a longer sprut tho b/t two and three where he slept through.

It's sooooo hard. Here are some things to try:

--blackout blinds
--check temp of room
--white noise (we have a machine)

Sorry... I wish I had some advice, but many, many babies and toddlers don't sleep well. A lot end up sleeping through at a year old. We were one of the few that took two/three years but I think that's much less common.

Can you get someone to help you out? Like a family member...have them come over and help for a night a week or something so you get a break? Sleep deprivation is brutal and can really make you depressed and it helps a lot to have support. Haven't read the previous posts so sorry if you've already mentioned anything about your suppport system.

Massive hugs...You will get through this hon.

 

[Smanderson]

My DS used to sleep in 30 minute bursts around the same age, he had severe GERD he was on meds till he was one. However, his sleep improved around 5ish months and he was almost symptom free by 6 months. He sleeps through the night every night and he's a wonderful happy and loving boy.

There were times I felt like I was punch drunk through sheer exhaustion but I promise you THIS WILL PASS. You will be ok and he will get through this and you will ALL sleep. I recommend using a swing or bouncer for naps. Prop the end of the cot up, I hear osteopaths are excellent for reflux and wish I had tried one. If your LO isn't already on omeperozole I would recommend asking your doc about it, it really helped my DS.

You know you will both breeze the terrible twos after all this and having learned to survive on almost no sleep the times they are unwell and wake at night don't feel half as bad either. Hang in there things will get easier. Sending lots of love and hugs to you, I have been where you are and it's not easy but it does pass xxxxx

 

[JumpingIn]

Thank you so much for your stories and encouragement. The kind words really do help. I love being able to imagine a time when this has passed and he is content.

He has GERD and is on 20mg Omeprazole a day, very steep angle cot etc, will only nap on my lap. We're in the process of switching from breast to amino acid formula as his intolerances are so bad and I'm eating nothing but chicken and rice so we'll see how that goes.

I so appreciate you all taking the effort to reply. I needed to hear that this will pass more than you could know

 

[havingmyfirst]

Our son wasn't as severe as your baby but he only had two naps a day from birth rarely longer than fifteen minutes, he wasn't on any mess but had reflux and colic. He continued to suffer from an immature gut for months.

He slept longer at night but only in a bouncer on vibrate for first 8 weeks, no he hasn't got a flat head.

Then we raise two legs of his cot and gradually got him in there but he was up several times a night. He was exclusively breast fed and it was exhausting.

It gradually got better and we got three hour sleeps. He slept through but not until he was two.

You are not alone... But in the middle of the night or with a lack of sleep it can feel that way.

My son wanted to be held all the time too, and I thought it was me but we now have a daughter and she sleeps so much more, it wasn't me it was just the way he was.

 

[VickyLou]

My daughter is like yours, reflux and allergies to milk. She has never slept to well to be honest especially in the beginning. She would only nap for 15 minutes here and there. The only thing that helped is was to co sleep. I would have to put my arm under her head so she was tilted. Now at almost 10 months I've had her in her own room in her cot for the last months. Some night she will sleep all the way through some nights I have to bring her back into my bed. Depends if she is having a reaction to a new thing we have tried. It's heart breaking and exhausting but it does get easier once you have the allergies and reflux under control.

 

[MumToEva]

My first, while not as bad as yours, was a very poor sleeper. She had reflux combined with feeding issues associated with being early / small, and over time I think it also became habit to be up so much overnight. It was exhausting, especially while I was pregnant with my 2nd, but she started sleeping through at around 17months, and has basically been good since. She still would avoid sleep if she could get away with it in a way my son never has, but with a firm routine she now sleeps through every night.

Sleep deprivation really is a killer, but it will get get better!