Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Why does my baby wake so much? I'm losing my mind and need help.

39 replies

orangesO · 25/04/2019 02:17

I don't know what to do. I am at my wits end. I haven't slept longer than 2 hours straight in 15m. DS wakes so so many times. I don't know why. The sleep deprivation is killing me. I am crying here because he's just woken up for the 5 time in 4 hours. I cannot sleep. I cannot function. I've left him with dh whilst I try to rest in the other room but I can still hear him. Why does he do this?

I can't sleep train him. He wakes up everytime I just put him down in the cot. He screams and screams.I cannot cope. I regret having him. He has turned my life into a complete hell.

I cosleep and bf and don't know if that's the problem. I have never felt so so ill from sheer exhaustion.

OP posts:
PhillipeFellope · 25/04/2019 10:10

My ds was similar. I tried controlled crying without much success although friends have sworn by it. Ds used to go straight to sleep in the cot but would still wake up a lot so it wasn't worth it in the end.

Ds coslept and was a frequent waker, it was awful. I would suggest night weaning and then maybe gradual retreat sleep training? White noise? And for the nights you sleep in the other room, get some earplugs.

BelulahBlanca · 25/04/2019 10:24

@RedCrab I’m going to PM you

PhoenixDown · 25/04/2019 12:13

OP i really sympathise. My DS was exactly the same. By 9 months i had a month left before I went back to work and I couldn't cope any more. He BF constantly still in the night, I had his cot next to the bed but he wouldn't sleep longer than an hour in it and I just put him in with me through exhaustion by about 11pm. I had no evening, no time to myself, behind with everything in the house, and felt ill with exhaustion. I didn't want to do CC, and after reading many mumsnet threads I went with a method by Andrea Grace - she has a book worth reading, but here's briefly what I did.

The goal is to teach him how to fall asleep on his own and break the feed sleep association:

1 - consistent routine. Bath, pjs then last feed downstairs, so he's not associating it with bed. If he falls asleep at the end gently wake him, though mine woke up taking him upstairs and putting him into sleeping bag anyway.
2 - place into cot awake. This will be hard. He's no idea how to fall asleep on his own, and he'll protest! I dreaded this as I thought mine would scream all night. In fact, it took 45 mins for him to fall asleep. Don't leave him - you can hold and stroke his hand, sing, cuddle over the cot, but don't pick him up. This is where you'll feel horrible, but you're teaching him how to fall asleep by himself, and he's going to tell you off as he's never done it before. When you put him in the cot asleep - as I used to try too - he wakes up, doesn't know how he's got there, and then gets upset. By falling asleep on his own, he knows he's in the cot, and will be able to learn to get himself back to sleep if he does wake.
3 - Same method with the night wakings - comfort in cot, but don't pick up. I just sat next to cot shushing and stroking his hand, and he actually went back to sleep. I think about 3am I really couldn't settle him so did a quick feed, but again back into cot awake, and same routine again. I did 1 night feed for about a week I think, then I stopped having to do that one too. If I hear him cry in the night, I wait for just a minute, and half the time I don't hear anything else and he goes back off. If he carries on I go in.
4- When up for the day, open curtains in room, saying good morning etc so they know its daytime and feed time now, then take downstairs for feed.

First night was 45 min to get to sleep with about 4 night wakings/one feed. This reduced to around 15 mins to get to sleep after a week, with one night feed. After 2 weeks no night feeds with the odd wake up.

Her method includes gradual retreat, so over days moving further from cot until you can lave the room straight away, but I haven't actually done that yet! He now takes 5-10 mins to fall asleep, and sometimes he still cries for a minute, but I just pat the mattress and he lies down and grabs my hand.

He now sleeps from 7 to somewhere between 5-6. I actually have an evening again to myself (just used to go to bed early in the hopes of any sleep I could get). Sometimes he wakes once or twice, but I can get him back to sleep easily sitting by cot and shushing.

I also think that by BF so much at night, he wasn't hungry in the day, and so it became a vicious cycle. By 8 months he was still barely eating any solids as he filled up on milk. Now he eats loads in the day!

Disclaimer - obviously all babies are different and i can't guarantee what works for me will for you, but if you're anything like I was I'm sure you're ready to try anything! I liked this method as I was able to reassure and comfort DS that is was OK to go to sleep on his own while gently giving him the message that night time wasn't feeding time anymore. I hope things get better for you soon OP xx

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

PhoenixDown · 25/04/2019 12:14

Sorry for the long post! I forgot to mention, if you do night feeds, she advises to do 5 mins, then take off the breast awake and put back in cot,. After a couple of nights reduce to 3 mins, then 1 min. Can also offer water if thirsty rather than bf x

Hollowvictory · 25/04/2019 12:17

You can sleep train him. But you don't want to. Your choice. Can you hire someone to help with that?

toucantoo · 25/04/2019 21:54

You need to trust that at 15 months your dc does not need feeding at night. You need to seriously think about stopping the co sleeping. Yes it can be wonderful but not when it is actually making you ill. I have no idea how you are coping. Not having more than 2 hours at a stretch is something no one can live with. Please, put dc in another room. Seek help.

waterrat · 25/04/2019 21:58

You can sleep train him. You are too tired to think straight you need a sleep consultant. I used one and my son was sleeping for 7 hours within one night minimal crying. I'm not making it up it was that simple.

You are going to him so often it is disrupting his ability to fall and stay asleep.he needs help . He needs the sleep too.

Stop reading Mumsnet and just find a paid sleep consultant. What they do is not rocket science but you need the help because you are so tired.

waterrat · 25/04/2019 21:59

Just like a toddler doesn't need a piece of toast at 2am they don't need to breastfeed at 3am.

It isn't helping him sleep is it? So stop. It's actually making him wake and stopping his nromal sleep pattern.

He is 15 months. Honestly op get help and stop night feeds.

Raspberry88 · 25/04/2019 22:08

I felt like this too OP. Like there was no hope. One night when DS was 14 months I just couldn't do it anymore and I just took my breast away. It took 2 hours and then he slept and I never offered it again. Next night it took him about 30 minutes to go to sleep with me patting him and he woke a little bit less. Next night was a little better. Has been up and down since then but now he's 18 months and he's slept through 2 or 3 times and will often do until 2 in the morning before stirring. I very rarely have to go in during the evening. We still all share a room through necessity but he will sleep in his bed all night most of the time. I never thought I'd get to this point but I do believe that it was the bf that was doing it! I'd try to stop, if it's too awful then you can always give in and try again in a couple of weeks.

Yinderling · 25/04/2019 22:29

stopping breast feeding at night and then sleep training was singlehandedly the best thing I ever did for my kids made me a much nicer parent in the day and restored my relationship with my DH.

Yinderling · 25/04/2019 22:30

Didn't help my punctuation though Grin.

weloveicecream · 25/04/2019 23:39

@ChocolateRaisin hey 👋🏽👋🏽 would it be possible to get the details of your sleep consultant please? X

midsummabreak · 26/04/2019 00:13

cheshirebabywhisperer.com/
I would call this consultant and ask if you can pay for phone advice -gentle, calming way to support your baby to sleep

midsummabreak · 26/04/2019 00:45

See the GP with your toddler to rule out any illnesses such as ear infection and try to reduce, then stop all night feeds, as others have said. Many great sleep consultants and this will help, but believe in yourself too.

You are too sleep deprived to go on like this, so you will have to sleep away from baby while they get used to no night feeds. Can your husband or a relative be there for your toddler at night for a few nights. If not can they be there during the day and you can sleep all day ? You must catch up on proper sleep.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread