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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

Please, please help me with my very over tired 6monther

20 replies

FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 18/02/2007 13:55

I am so very, very tired I can hardly write this. My bones physically ache with lack of sleep and I feel like total poo.

We have just got back from a week in Devon with our 6 month old DD. At home she goes down OK (sometimes bf to sleep, sometimes goes off on her own in her cot). She then wakes once or twice in the night but goes back in her cot happily after a quick bf. In Devon she was totally over stimulated by the new bedroom, new cot, new people, new noises. She would go to sleep on the breast but wake and scream the moment she was put down. She kept waking around 9pm and refusing to go back to sleep. As we were staying with friends I ended up bringing her downstairs so I did not have to sit in the dark all night with her. She loved that but to get her back to sleep I had to have her in bed with me which I find very hard as she wants to stay on the breast all night and wakes whenever I stir. As a result she got about 8 hours sleep each night instead of 12. Her naps went haywire too.

Last night we got home and she was so tired she could not sleep for more than one 35minute block at a time. She was awake until about 11pm crying whenever I took her off the breast. Then I went to bed with her and she literlally sucked on the breast or screamed all night. I hardly slept at all as when she did drop off I was petrified to move. Today my shoulder is frozen from staying still all night. Nevertheless she only got about 6 hours very interuppted sleep. Now she will not nap and is in a TERRIBLE mood. This is just not like her.

Please, please help me before her and I implode with exhaustion. How do I get her back on track??? I hate the idea of cc but it is seeming more appealing as all other methods are tried and fail. HELP!!!

OP posts:

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purpleturtle · 18/02/2007 14:05

How long do you let her cry before going to her?

FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 18/02/2007 14:08

If she is just grumbling I try to leave her but she rarely goes back to sleep and she usually starts screaming after 10 mins or so. If she is screaming I go straight away. When she is in bed with me (like in Devon and last night) I put her on the breast the moment she starts to wake as I am desperate for rest.

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purpleturtle · 18/02/2007 14:12

See, I would probably go the cc route. Have never actually done it in any regimented way, but have always been very slow to respond to a crying baby who I know is tired. A closed door can work wonders, IME!

Will bow out now, to make space for anyone with something other than cc to offer.

Hope you get some rest soon.

FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 18/02/2007 14:23

Thanks PurpleTurtle. I fear cc may be my best option and I think I will be terrible at it especailly as DD can get pretty nuclear with her screaming. If anyone else had advice I would welcome it. I almost feel like cc might be a kindness to her right now as she really needs to sleep.

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purpleturtle · 18/02/2007 14:48

You're beginning to sound like me, now! I come from a school that says things like "Mummy knows best" and "I know exactly where you get that stubborn streak from, db, but I've had more than 30 years practice"

When you know that she's crying because she's tired, and you know she's safely in her cot, I don't believe she'll come to any harm if you don't go back.

I know I said I was going away, but I thought I'd bump for you.

purpleturtle · 18/02/2007 14:49

(A school of thought, that is)

FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 18/02/2007 14:53

Very funny timing there PurpleTurtle. I just showed DH your post as literally 2 mins ago he was giving DD a stern talking to along the lines of "just because your mother could teach master classes in how to be an awkward, stubborn sod, you do not have to copy her young lady.". DD had the audacity to laugh loudly before puking on him for his efforts (she is 6 months and already gets a kick out of being contrary).

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purpleturtle · 18/02/2007 14:54

Girl after my own heart!

colditz · 18/02/2007 14:55

take her for a walk in the pushchair, wrap her up really really warm, and give her some calpol in case she is teething.

colditz · 18/02/2007 14:56

9 times out of 10 this works.

purpleturtle · 18/02/2007 16:01

Hope you've gone for a snooze, FDA.

colditz · 18/02/2007 16:07

let us know what worked! It's always nice to know.

FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 18/02/2007 16:18

Sorry for brief absence. Took Colditz's advice and DH pushed DD round the park for a nap. I had a nice break lying on the sofa reading the sunday papers. She got over an hour so hopefully that will help. She is now exhausting herself again trying to crawl (without any success) across the living room floor. We are going to put her down at 6.30pm after her normal routine (which she has not had since we went away). If she cries we may leave her to cry for a while but I just hope it does not turn into hours of listening to her wail as I do not have the stomach for that. I am NEVER taking her away again . Am trying not to be temtped by the thread that is discussing the wonders of drugging with Medised...

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FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 18/02/2007 18:43

Oh God. We did her routine. She was happy. Loved her bath, fell asleep on her last feed so I lowered her into cot at 6.20 (her usual bedtime). She screamed. Left her for 5 mins but she was beyond hysterical. Picked her up and could not calm her so fed her. She fell asleep immediatly. Put her down, she screamed. Left her five minutes but she was so upset it was impossible. DH is up there now walking her back and forth and no doubt she will fall asleep and wake on being put down. No doubt after 5 mins of fever pitch screams we will give in. This will carry on all evening and she will get more and more tired thus feeding the vicious cylce . I am so tired and so sad for her and so at a loss for what to do. Her screams are so urgent I defy anyone who thinks they could ignore them.

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purpleturtle · 18/02/2007 19:14

I'm so sorry, fda.

I do hope she settles soon.

dcb · 18/02/2007 19:35

i know it's not really a solution but could you substitute your boob for a dummy just for now until you get her used to her routine again and to gve you a break? we used to use a dummy day and night. have recently just done some cc which wasn't too bad - but perhaps you need to do it when you are all a bit more settled at home? we then were able to get rid of dummy at night but still use it for daytime sleeps as it gets her off quickly and doesn't really matter if it falls out. it sounds like she's got herself in a pickle being overtired it's so hard not to got o them when they are really screaming and crying. it's easier when they just sound tired iykwim. not sure if this has been that helpful but good luck. i hate going away from home at the moment.

FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 18/02/2007 19:46

Thanks for the sympathy. DH walked her round for about 20mins but she carried on screaming and threw up all down her sleeping bag. I went up to help change her and as soon as I went in she stopped crying and clung to me . I got her in a clean sleeping bag and fed her on my lap, in the living room, in the dark. She fell asleep straight away and then 20 mins ago I lowered her into the cot and so far so good. I am living in fear that at the end of this sleep cycle (next 15mins) she will wake and scream...

DCB - I wish she would take a dummy. She never really has. I tried one again just now and it seemed to upset her more. Like you I now dread going away. The worse thing is DH (she is actually my DP but I only just got what DH means) and I are getting married in Devon in 11 weeks so we have to go down again soon. Shas to learn to sleep without the boob before the wedding else I will spend my wedding night on my own, in our hotel room, in the dark, uncorsetting my dress to feed by baby .

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singyswife · 18/02/2007 19:52

Hi, this is going to sound very bizarrre but bear with me. I had a dd who WOULD NOT sleep. Eventually I got a soft toy (a baby) and slept with it for a few days, then I wrapped her tight and put the baby beside her. Because it smelt like me and her dad (she was also bf) she got comfort from it and went to sleep. Could be that you DD was not overstimulated in Devon but was actaully totally confused and needed you for comfort. Try tonight with the top you have been wearing today. Wrap it round her, put her on top of it, whatever you think will work, it's got to be worth a try.

FantasticDaisyArtichoke · 19/02/2007 12:28

Just to update - last night was not as bad as I feared. DD woke at 11 and 2 for a feed but went back in her cot without complaint. So hopefully things are getting back on track although she screamed blue murder today when I laid her in a cot for a nap. I am too tired to push her in the pram but have parked it in the garden and she is lying out there in the cold sleeping happily (for now). DH and I came down with a tummy bug last night - not terrible but too much on top of lack of sleep . Am actually feeling really low today as I am under the weather, exhausted and DD is very crotchety a she still needs to catch up on all her lost snoozing hours. Its a shame as I have really enjoyed everyday with her so far but not today . I hope we all feel our normal selves soon as this is not fun.

Singyswife - funnily enough I tried a similar scheme in Devon. I thought DD might like her travel cot more if it smelt of me so I wore the matress under my jumper each evening before I put her down. Did not work but maybe I did not wear it for long enough. Will try your tip of using the top I have worn all day.

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colditz · 19/02/2007 16:41

The chances are your dd has come down with the same tummy bug as you and your dp.

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