AIBU to just want some bloody sleeeeeep!!

[MollyDixtures]

I know this has been done to death but have woken up feeling royally shit about the fact my DS has never slept for more than 5 hours straight since he was born 6 months ago. Checked the dreaded fb to read yet more comments on how soandso slept for 126 hours straight last night. DS is ebf, aibu to secretly think this does make a difference? I know things could be a lot worse and I was only up the three times last night, but I just feel bloody down in the dumps and wanted a bit of a rant.

Well done you for going this long. I only managed 2 weeks

I don't have any advise I'm sorry...

is ds still in your room? if so, might be worth trying him in his own room. that was the thing that changed my dd's sleep routine. i kept holding off as i thought that it would be worse for me getting up several times during the night, and having to physically leave the room. however, within a few days, her sleep pattern was much improved and a couple of weeks later, she was sleeping through.

It gets better Molly. With ds1 at that age, I was so tired I was hallucinating. With ds2, I kind of knew what to expect, and was still getting up to ds1 when ds2 was born. Not much e,se was achieved in those early days. But ds2 was a great sleeper after Bout 7/8 months, and so I am hoping ds3 is the same (currently 8 months).

I think maybe your body adjusts eventually to cope.

I opted for co-sleeping after the second feed of the night. I think ebf probably does wake them more, but even once n solids, it didnt change dramatically, and I do know of some ff babies who didnt sleep briliiantly.

Your doing a great job!

You're not your .

You have my sympathy.
I ebf DS for nearly six months and he was regularly up five or six times a night. I don't actually think he was hungry all those times, he was just a pain!
Some babies just don't sleep ss well as others. My DS was overtired which meant his sleep cycle was all over the place. He used to wake himself up by throwing his arms around. We found swaddling and baby sleeping bag thingies helped a bit.
He still doesn't sleep through (he is three) but is usually only up once or twice. Ignore fb people, it only makes you feel worse. Everyone I knew had babies that slept through from about six weeks.

Hope it improves for you because broken sleep is an absolute misery.

Hugs

Get off FB now - it is toxic, destructive and crap for self esteem.

Instead take one step back and think how strong you are to be sticking to ebf. It can be a tricky time just before weaning but it is for a v short period of time. Will you get to catch up a bit over the weekend?

Ds3 is 15mo and still waking too many times each night to count. Last night was a good night, only 3 times and instead of the usual 5 o'clock wake up call it was 6.40.

I don't think it matters how they are fed, I've ff, ebf and expressed and bottle fed and non of mine were good sleepers until they were 2 years old.

Well done with ebf for so long, it's hard when your the only one who can do night feeds. Maybe try cosleeping

DD was 3, and at nursery, before she slept through and I am sure I was going slightly crazy by that point. DS is 12mth now and I'd love for him to sleep for more than 2hrs at a time, that is the longest stretch he does. DS is still bf, but DD was bf until 27mth and still woke until she was 3, so I don't think it has anything to do with method of feeding. I co-sleep with DS and it's somewhat preserving my sanity.

passes OP a spare set of matchsticks and a

We put him in his own room at 5 months and there hasn't really been any change. I just go through phases where I doubt myself and think that feeding him back off to sleep isn't the way to go. Saying that, he won't settle for anything else!

I do wonder whether overtiredness might have something to do with it. He self settles for naps but has recently started waking after 45 minutes. Think I will give fb a miss for a bit!!

Poor you, yes I think ff has the happy side effect of them sleeping longer, lots of the mums I know & myself have found this, but also with ebf it can happen. Just try to enjoy feeling smug that you have managed to ebf!?

How about trying a ff as the last feed before bed? I know this may have other complications - will he take a bottle? May be a solution if you've had enough & I know someone who does this as they think their milk supply is too low at bedtime to satisfy their babe. It has helped & allowed them to continue bf the rest of the time. Wish I'd thought to do this, I found nights so hard I gave up bf all together.

I don't have any advice (sorry) but you are not alone. DS has only slept 5 hours when he's had his needles. Other than that I'm lucky if I/we get 3 hours. He's 6 months next week and is mix fed. He has a bottle of formula at bedtime, but if I bf him at this time it doesn't change the time he sleeps for. He's on some solids as well and that hasn't changed his sleep pattern either.
I feel your pain. Some nights I feel like I can't do it anymore, but I can and do!

Also well done for ebf for so long! I only lasted a week before introducing a bottle in the evening.

Hi MollyDixtures. Congratulations on breast feeding for so long. You have done brilliantly. FWIW, my two slept exactly the same, one bf one ff so I am not sure it makes much difference. Because I couldn't express enough and needed a break just before six months, I introduced a bottle of formula for DD1. It didn't make any difference to her sleeping - she was a good sleeper anyway - but it meant I could go out for a couple of hours. We continued this and I succesfully mix fed until she was over a year. Whilst it might not make a difference to your son's sleep, at least it will give you a break.

However, what I would probably try first is to re-settle him for his naps. I had a friend who did this, in order to try and get her son to have at least one long nap during the day. I am a firm believer in sleep breeding sleep in babies. It certainly has seemed to be the case with my two.

Good luck in getting some sleep. You deserve it!

YANBU

My DS2 was like this, and he still isn't a brilliant sleeper at 14 months although he does do 10-11 hours occasionally and 7-8 hours regularly.

My DS1 was also rubbish, but since 20 months he has slept through 95% of nights, even when we moved him to his own bed.
Many friends who had babies that slept, now have toddlers that are up and down all night.

Molly I could have written your post starting weaning next week and am so hoping it helps, although know it probably won't. We had 3+ hours between feeds last night and I woke up thinking 'ooh that was a good night' which says it all!
Am so so TIRED

Thankyou all for your encouragement! It is good to here that I'm not alone when all I get is ' he still isn't sleeping through?!' I'm sure the only people who ask this are those who had babies that were sleeping through at 15 minutes old. Unfortunately DS won't take a bottle, only boob will do. Think i might reach for chocolate brioche number 3!

My first slept very well, my second still has sleep problems and he is almost 5 but has special needs.

Don't feel guilty, and don't try to be superwoman - if you are tired grab a nap or sit down with a cuppa for 10 mins, sod the ironing etc!!!

So true justa, I am desperately clinging on to the hope that solid food might make a difference even though I know it probably won't!

I'll start off by saying that I don't think that BF has anything to do with it- I say this as dd was ebf until she was 6 months & she slept through from 11 weeks. Ds started going for longer stretches when he was about 4 months but didn't sleep through properly until he got to 6 months, again ebf. I think it's just down to the individual baby. I think they do sleep better in a cot in their own room & I also think you're right about the sleeping in the day-it's never made sense to me but both of mine had early starts if they didn't get proper naps during the day

Have you tried cup feeding. Some ebf babies never take a bottle which is great in that you then don't need to worry about taking it off them!