My 20 week old boy (Ds2) has never been a great sleeper. We had one good week when he was about a month old and he would sleep for a 4/5 hour stretch but since that magical week, he has been waking every 2 hours for the first part of the night and then every hour for from around 4 until 7/8am.
I finally was starting to accept this for what it is, but last night just got a whole lot worse. He woke every 40 mins, sometimes waking after only 5 or 10 mins after I'd fed him back to sleep. We co sleep, have done since birth, and each time he wakes I have to nurse him back to sleep. He won't accept patting or shushing and cuddling, he has to have nipple in mouth or else he wakes up completely.
So I know he has a bad feed to sleep association but what i'm not understanding is why he is waking so often? He can't possibly need the feeds that often. And especially last night he seemed to get upset when milk would come out and pull off only to reattach again and pull off again and reattach until he fell asleep.
He naps regularly in the day, in the wrap sling, 4 naps, first 2 are usually 1h 20 mins, second 2 are normally 40 mins. Then around 2h awake time before "bed". Last night stretched to 3h awake time because he wouldn't sleep after 2h awake time and seemed jolly and happy to be awake.
I'm just exhausted and at a complete loss, I have no idea what I am doing wrong, what I'm supposed to do now to make it better. I also have a 2 year old so I can't nap during the day although my sister has actually taken my toddler today so that I could nap but DS2 has allowed me two stretches of about 20 mins each as he woke after 30 mins of sleep, needed to be "fed to sleep" and then woke again 30 mins later. I can't sleep during the feed as I feel uncomfortable, I'm a rubbish sleeper myself, I guess its genetic. But c'mon this is beyond ridiculous.
Help me please. Either reassure me that he's going to be a better sleeper soon, or tell me what I can do.
He's too young for sleep training right? I cannot do CIO and may consider CC with shorter intervals because I can't really stand listening to him crying and also don't want the crying to distress my other son.
But I can't do this for at least another month. Is there anything else (a gentler approach perhaps) I can try?