Co-sleeping/BF through the night @ 10mth

[LizzieHart]

I have a 10 month DD and we have co-slept since birth. Her sleep patterns change regularly so one night she only wakes 3/4 times a night, but last night she woke up nearly hourly and when she latched on, she wouldn't come off without writhing, moaning and if I didn't latch her on again, she would wake up.

Does anyone else have experience of being used as a giant dummy and what I can do to stop this from happening? I am not ready to stop co-sleeping but I am wondering if me sleeping next to her is waking her up more than she would if she slept alone?

How is do those who have co-slept wean off the breast without major traumas? How long have people co-sleep for?

Have not had the same problem but there are some useful ideas in the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I think if you google Pantley Pull Off you will find some tips.

Yes, my ds has just turned 9 months and has just started waking hourly all night. We were co-sleeping unwillingly anyway as it was the only way to get some sleep but now even that's gone to bollocks!

It could be 9 month sleep regression I think. You might find this cheeryuppy:

www.askmoxie.org/2008/03/talk-about-the.html

Well not that cheeryuppy as there's no real solution except to wait it out, I'm hoping he will improve a lot by 11/12 months, apparently they often do.

I'm too tired for the Pantley, went to sleep at 8pm yesterday. I have read the book but so tired I can't really remember any of it except it mentioned the word "sleep" quite a lot.

JenniferCanesten Made me smile with the "that's gone to bollocks."

Lizzie - I too am used as a giant dummy. Co sleep for the second part of the night unwillingly as well. Every night I go to bed and say Right when she wakes up feed her in her room put her back in cot and go back to your own bed. And every night I stumble in there about 1 or 2 when she wakes and bring her in with me. I liken it not only to being a dummy but to also being an eat all you can chinese buffet restaurant that she thinks is open all night where she can just graze at leisure. The only time I'm firm on something is the first part of the night no boobie until 4 hours have passed so if she wakes before that then we'll settle her in her cot (where poss). But after 1am to paraphrase JC's words it all goes to bollocks. I do think I'm compounding the issue with having her next to me though as I'm just on tap.

Hi Lizzie, if I co sleep with DS he also wants to latch on all night. For a time he was in his cot (after shush patting him to get him to sleep there) but it had no effect whatsoever on his night wakings, he was still waking every 2 hours. He has been teething and hard to settle so back in with us for some of the night again, sigh.

Just wanted to mention my experience as sleeping in his cot has not been the magic solution I hoped it would be!

You could google the Jay Gordon method, it is a night weaning method, though I think he says it is for 12 months plus. Worth a look maybe - I seem to recall it is for nightweaning while still co-sleeping.

Also naps have GTB (lets make it a new mnet acronym!). It was the one thing I had down to a fine art (sobs) but they do keep on changing, the old babies don't they. I managed to get him to sleep some of the night kneeling against me, sprawled over my chest feeding. I am happy to be a chinese buffet, as long as I can sleep during opening hours.

I'm not sure if this is what you want to hear, but I am still co-sleeping with DS aged 2.5 - it suits us and I don't want to go through the hassle of getting up in in the night if he wakes. He has his own bed in his own room and loves to play on it, so I guess he will ask if he can sleep in it one day soon.

About being used as a 'giant dummy' - if you can sleep through BF then this might not be a problem. What I used to do was gently ease away when he was actually asleep and roll away to the other side of the bed to give him a bit of space. (Then again, we have plenty of space... a double mattress for me and DS with a single mattress next to it for DH).

Thank you for all your comments! It turns out that putting her down in her cotbed wasn't as traumatic as I thought. The first night she woke at midnight (having been down for 4 hours), fed and fell back to sleep for another 4 hours, then came in with us. The next night she work at midnight as usual but wouldn't go back to sleep so I brought her in with us then.

It seems that she is taking to it ok, and does seem to sleep for longer stints before she comes in with us in the morning. I am also getting the 4 hours sleep in a row that I was sorely missing! Long may this continue, although I am expecting there to be nights when she just wants to come in with is earlier and that will be ok! :)