Calling all night time feeders - always up feeding when we should be sleeping! Let's keep each other company PART 2!!

[Writerwannabe83]

I think to start the new thread off we should reintroduce ourselves and our babies for the sake of our own memories and also for any newbies who may join

I have a 10 week old DS who is EBF. Has been sleeping through the night for the last week and I'm just waiting patiently for things to go downhill as I'm sure they will

[Cariad007]

Seems like everyone's DC is sorting themselves out re sleep except mine. He's already woken up and it's barely gone midnight He's been asleep a grand total of two hours and didn't sleep much in the day either. WTF am I doing wrong?

[mrsmugoo]

Don't worry Cariad, this one may be self soothing but he's still woken up for a second feed only 2 hours after being put down for the last one, little rascal!

[Writerwannabe83]

Oh cariad - we can't do anything 'right' or 'wrong' as all we can do is respond to our babies and Lord knows we have no control over them!!

DS woke at 2am.....I can't remember the last time he woke up at this hour. He has only slept 4.5 hours! Also, he usually only has a really quick feed at his 'middle of the night' feed but he's having a huge one tonight, currently on his 2nd breast!

I wondering if this is the 16 week regression coming into place??
(He is 16 weeks this coming Friday)

[snoozysleeper]

Thank you johull and mrsm it really helps to hear your stories

Had 2.5 hour sleep just now and feeding again, hoping he at leSt does another 2 hour session

cariad your baby sounds similar to mine so please don't worry, you're not alone!

[Cariad007]

Thanks all. He's just finished his second feed and is in our bed but I'm going to attempt a crib transfer shortly. He sounded so distressed when he woke up - it wasn't his normal cry so am assuming the teething is giving him trouble. He's certainly chewing his little fists for all it's worth.

[MissCalamity]

I've just been back into DD's room for the third time in a row, because she wasn't settling, brought her in with me, whacked my boob out (again) & she's gone straight to sleep

Me thinks it was just a ploy to get into my bed. Can't be arsed shifting her back now...

[midnight1983]

Morning everyone, lots to catch up on. Amazing work on the self settling, mrsmugoo; you're inspiring me. I will have to give it a go too. I fear I'm too lazy...

We've had a few good nights, just 2 quick wake ups. Keep in finding him on his front though! Guess I can't control him now that he can roll. He can lift his head very well but seemed to have face planted! I suppose he would move his face when needed?! Anyone have any experience of this? I'm reluctant to move a sleeping baby.

[Writerwannabe83]

Oh midnight I'm dreading it when DS has learnt to roll - I will be an absolute paranoid wreck!! I can just see myself sitting up all night watching him!!

Well after his 2am wake up and feed he then slept for another 6.5 hours!!
He's having a feed now but is practically falling asleep at the breast. Think I will put him back in his Crib and hope he drops off again.

[FrankelandFilly]

midnight DD learnt to roll from her back to her front 2 weeks ago, but has only just started trying to roll in her cot. I've used a tip I found online - roll up a towel and place it under the fitted sheet in the cot. Put baby down next to the towel so if they try to roll it acts as a barrier. I'm going to leave it in the bed until she can roll easily from her front to her back, though she shows no sign of trying to yet!

I'm wondering if we're having a minor sleep regression, for the last 5 nights she's been waking in the night and whilst not crying she is fidgeting and making noise which wakes me up. She seems to be doing it every couple of hours from 1am onwards so I'm having a pretty broken nights sleep at the moment!

[KateTheShrew]

Hi all. Sorry, not caught up with this thread for a couple of days and not got time to read all the posts I've missed right now. However, mugoo sounds like the self-settling is going really well and midnight, my DS is now always sleeping on his tummy (I put him down on his back but he rolls). I'm getting a bit more relaxed about it now, though I do sometimes wake up and check on him. Occasionally he does plant his face straight down, but seems to shift it to one side pretty quickly. If the mattress is really firm it should be quite tricky for them to stay completely nose down IYSWIM!

Anyway, we are v proud of DS as last night he slept 8.30-2.30. 6 hours, people!!! Then another 3.5 and up at 6ish. It probably ring beer repeated for a while but it's progress

Also we've just started BLW and it is MESSY. But fun. He loves broccoli!

[KateTheShrew]

Oops! "Won't be repeated" not "ring beer repeated" (whatever that might be. Sounds tempting though. Mmmm, ring beer)

[mrsmugoo]

Writer I'm in awe of your LO's sleep! "Only 4.5 hours"???

[Cariad007]

I had another insomnia attack last night and finally slept at around 6am til 930. It's a stressful time for me because in addition to DS and his relentless waking we also have to move in a month and are yet to find somewhere. Have also figured out that with rent and childcare we will be pretty broke for a few years which depresses me. How is childcare so expensive in this country? It's ridiculous! I guess it doesn't help that we are in London but if were to move say up north then our salaries would go down accordingly too. Sigh.

[Cannotbelieveit]

Sorry haven't posted for a day or two. DS didn't manage as long as night, think it was a 5.5 hour stretch (which I know is still good) then 2.5 hours, then fidgeting and grunting then went to sleep in his swing when put in it!!! 5.5 hours would have been great if DS 1 wasn't up 2-3 times every hour from midnight-3 with his teeth wish they'd just come thru as he has started biting us with the ones he has and he cries uncontrollably when we have to tell him off

[Writerwannabe83]

@ mrsmugoo

I only said that because he normally goes just over 6 hours for his first chunk of sleep.

I am lucky really because in a 14 hour period overnight (usually between 9am-11am) DS will typically sleep for 12 of them.

He's just had his morning power nap which is usually about an hour long, then he has a 3 hour nap during late afternoon.

I suppose he sleeps quite a lot really.

[mrsmugoo]

You don't know how lucky you are - he sleeps a lot!

I was awake from 2-6 last night. I'm now so tired and wound up that my clock watching all night had caused insomnia. Like that's what I need!!

I literally slept 9-11 and then 12-2 last night. That's it. That's not enough for a human to function on!

[FrankelandFilly]

He definitely sleeps a lot writer! DD is pretty good overnight sleeping 7-10 then 10.30-6/7ish, with a few minor stirrings during the night. However she doesn't believe in long naps! The longest she'll do is about 45mins every 2 hours. I'd really like her to extend her midday nap to 2 hours so that she only needs one nap mid-afternoon, but I can't see that happening anytime soon!

So, someone needs to do a new thread, I've done one and so has writer, so it's someone else's turn!

[KateTheShrew]

mugoo insomnia is the worst. I frequently get that. I'm trying not to clock watch now as I think I feel worse if I know exactly how little sleep I've had.

writer your baby sleeps more than any baby I've ever heard of ever! I'm incredibly but also glad to know that it's possible

[Writerwannabe83]

Oh dear - I thought things had improved slightly?

When DS was very young I had to take down all the wall clocks or clocks on mantelpieces etc because I couldn't bear to keep seeing the hands going round and round and watching hour after hour pass and me still be awake.

[Writerwannabe83]

I'm worried now that I have a super lazy baby!

[KateTheShrew]

I wouldn't worry writer I would enjoy it! They're all so different. Yours sounds lovely and chilled out

You're right, my DS had been better at night lately although I still often have trouble sleeping. His latest thing is refusing to nap except on me (he's another 45 minute napper, frank). And he's developed a truly horrifying ear-piercing shriek which he uses any time I try to put him down to nap in the day. It's blood-curdling

[mrsmugoo]

It's improved in that he's magically learnt to settle himself off to sleep with his fingers, but the downside is that each waking takes longer for him to get back to sleep compared to being rolled over asleep in my bed. Naps also take a LOT longer compared to feeding to sleep and holding in my arms. Number of night wakings is still 3-4. Haven't haven't had a 2 wake night for ages. And to top it all off I'm struggling to sleep when I have the chance. I'm beyond shattered and feel very weary that self settling hasn't helped his (or mine) sleep. Although I'm very happy he can do it.

Roll on weaning as that is the only thing I can think off that will help him sleep longer stretches. I'd kill to sleep midnight to 5am.

[Writerwannabe83]

I sympathise missmgoo - when I was doing the self settling it used to take DS 45-60 minutes sometimes to fall asleep and I'd be thinking to myself how much quicker it would be if I just picked him up, rocked him, fed etc. It seemed a bit of a backwards step in trying to get myself and DS to sleep better/longer but it's just a case of focusing on the bigger picture isn't it

[mrsmugoo]

DS has just dropped off for the night. We did a slightly later bathtime tonight. Instead of him refusing a late4th nap I decided to do push his 3rd nap back a bit to close the gap between last wake up and bed time. It unexpectedly produced a 1.5 hour nap!

So at bathtime we had a lovely chirpy fully rested baby instead of a grizzling monster which meant we did bath followed by poems and songs. I've just fed him and put him down and he's dropped off even without sucking his fingers.

I'm going to have a camomile tea and hopefully get myself to sleep ASAP.

Good night!

Shall I start a new thread??