Bit of a shameless AIBU for traffic, sorry! It’s more of a WWYD?
10.5 month DS. Exclusively breastfed, currently on three milk feeds a day, eats solids well - three meals a day.
For several months now he hasn’t been able to sleep for me unless he’s feeding. Attempts at swaying just result in thrashing about and shouting. He has on occasion self settled (we used the Lucy Wolfe gentle sleep solution approach) but recently teeth, colds, stomach bugs etc have gotten in the way of that.
DH can sway & sing him to sleep 90% of the time. My mum can read him books until he falls asleep on her.
I’ve tried everything but he absolutely won’t settle for me. We think it must be because I breastfeed him. He doesn’t even want a feed I don’t think, but it’s the only tool I’ve got to relax him.
Problem is he doesn’t unlatch so I have to feed him into a complete milk coma, pull him off the boob then pray he doesn’t wake on the transfer to the cot. It’s 50/50 whether he wakes and it usually takes 2-3 attempts over the course of an hour or so or feeding.
BUT, once he’s down he will generally sleep through the night. Doesn’t matter whether he’s been swayed by DH, self-settled, or has been fed.
It really gets me down that I can’t soothe my own baby to sleep. Also DH is going to go away for work for a week soon and I’m going to be screwed!
We’re considering introducing formula (as it’s too early for cow’s milk) for one feed initially to try to accelerate dropping breastfeeding. This makes me a bit sad and I’m aware if it doesn’t work I’m removing the only tool I’ve got to get him to sleep!
And/or we do Ferber. But this also seems cruel and disproportionate for a baby who sleeps through the night! But nap and bedtimes are now such an exhausting struggle.
WWYD?