Come sail with me with you're in the same boat...

[IMissSleep]

SLEEP! Not getting enough at night or naps during the day. Doesn't matter what age your DC are.

Share your stories here, solutions or just have a vent!

I'll start...

My DS is 8.5 months. Went through a good stage with night time routine, still has really - self settles to sleep no problem. Feeds at 11pm. But will wake between 2am - 5am maybe 3 times. So I'm up and down a lot during the night! He has slept through maybe a handful of times. Still good with naps, 2x 2hr.

Still would love a full night though!

Morning! Well we didn't get the repeat we hoped for but it was still better than it has been.
Put to bed 07:30 (finally asleep at 20:00)
Woke up 12:30 (shush/pat to sleep)
Woke up at 02:00 (bf and put down 02:15)
Woke up 03:15 (took to bed)
Woke up 05:30 (bf)
Woke for the day 06:30.

Still a few wakings but we did get a four and a half hour stretch in. Just got to keep at it! Remember if a baby sleeps 5 hours then they have technically slept through. Don't beat yourself up Zimm as I too felt like this but I now accept it's not something we are doing wrong. All babies are different and as long as your baby is healthy and happy you are doing an amazing job considering you are so tired and exhausted. Big hugs all round. The other mums must think you are amazing too and they are just lucky.

To be fair I did get a stretch of DD sleeping through from 6-19 weeks when all my friends were jealous of me, so it's swings and roundabouts! t's just the going back to work thing that stresses me out! Sorry your night was not great Nov75!

Hello ladies. Hope people have had a better night.

Imisssleep, sorry,didn't mean to panic you! We have good nights and bad nights, but we havent been blessed with a sleeper, that's for sure! thank goodness DD2 sleeps though!

Zimm - no, we've never considered a sleep consultant,(we're not in the UK, but I've heard of Millpond - are they a clinic? I know DDs nursery uses their advice as a guideline) DD's issues have been varied, mostly linked to anxiety or illness. The most recent bout of wakings (3 months) has been the worst, as none of our usual tricks seem to work. We had to resort to Phenergan at one point, which broke my heart, but I was on my knees . We had a better night last night, only up twice.

Hi Ladies,

How was everyone's night? DS went to bed at 8:15pm, woke for a feed at 11pm. He slept till 4am but was faffing around till 5am! Fed him and he was wide awake but I just couldn't get up so left him in his cot having a chat with himself and he fell asleep again till 7:30am. He had 4 teeth all coming through at once which I think was disturbing his sleep. Things have settled down a bit now they're through. Hope everyone managed to get some rest!

Hello all, my DS2 is very similar to yours. He was a dream until 12 weeks believe it or not, and then we've had a tricky 3/4 months! He's 6.5 months now and anything goes in the night really. Having said that the last 5 nights or so have been fairly consistent: sleep by 7, wakes around 11-12 bf, wakes at 4 bf, and then up for day between 6-7, obviously 7 is better! But I am still knackered. Ebf, so DH sleeps in the spare room to get sleep for work and to see to DS1 incase he wakes. Solids have meant some poos in the night (ds2) that is, which doesn't help! No signs of teeth. Not sure what to do about the feeding in the night, but instinct tells me to just go with it as far less stressful than any sleep training. Although I do feel a bit trapped at times as he won't take a bottle. I have a rare night out coming up (just a meal so won't be too late!), DH will just have to cope if he wakes before I'm back!

Glad to hear good news. Mixed night for me.
Sleep 20:00
Woke 22:30 ( shush/pat to sleep)
Woke 23:30 (shush/pat to sleep)
Woke 03:00 (bf and put down in cot by 03:15)
Woke 04:45 (took to bed with me)
Woke 07:00!
Feel like I got more sleep due to the extra hour in bed so hopefully once her first teeth cut she becomes more settled at night.

How is everyone? shite night here - down at 7,30, up at 9, 10, 11, 2 and then for the day at 5!!

I could cry.

Sorry zimm

Has your DD got teeth yet? My DS sleep is HORRENDOUS when he's teething. When his teeth come through it all settles down, have you tried Calpol before she goes to bed?

DS went to sleep at 8:15pm, faffing around for an hour at 10pm - didn't want a bottle, wasn't really awake just moaning. Woke at 3:15am - fed him. Woke again at 5:45am, I left him chatting to himself and he went back to sleep at about 6:15am till 7:30am. Could you get your in laws to watch DD for you so you can sleep for a few hours? You must be exhausted.

If I had to describe last night in one word it would be horrendous!!! Up so many times I lost count. Definitely teething so there is little I can do but wait for these teeth to make an appearance! Feel do sorry for her as she was moaning in her sleep so it's obviously upsetting her. Don't know what tonight will bring but I guess it won't be much sleep. Hope this ends soon for us all.

Its so tough isn't it. A few of my friends are pregnant and I make a point of never talking about the lack of sleep I've had around them! (get quite jealous when a friend says " oh my DS sleeps for 12 hours a night, always has, never wakes up blah blah blah"

DS is currently in bed, rolling around. Will report back later. Sorry you had a rubbish night nov75

- usually helps me :)

Ouch zimm. my night was worse than it has been. Down at 7pm, woke at 12am, bf, took ages to settle then woke at 3am, wake til 4am and up for day at 5.40!!! Managed to ignore him with earplugs (tricky as he was in bed with me) til about 6.40 and then DH took him while he got ready for work!

argh I can hear him now!! Screaming, no way will self settle :(

Ouch nov75 too! Have you ever used an amber necklace? I didn't with DS1 but friends swear by them so I may get one for DS2

oh dear, sorry to hear of some rough nights. We've been having a hard time too; DD1 is really unsetlled again, going back to school, and we've been having 5 or 6 wake ups a night - yawn!! DD2 has mostly been good but is apain going to bed at the moment - you can't win!!!

You have to learn to close your ears to those people who harp on about how well their children sleep, as well as those who say they know how you feel because their baby didnt sleep well for a couple of weeks...

we are going to go back to the GP next week with DD1 - we last went 2 months ago, but they dont really seem able/willing to do anything.

When re we going to get some bloody rest!!!

DS went to bed at 8pm, no problem. Dream fed at 12. Then I was up 3 times between 4-5. Up for the day at 6:30am.

He only had a 45 min morning nap and was sooo grouchy when we went out, I took him into a toy shop that he usually loves. He screamed.
Managed to get him to have his afternoon nap at 12:45pm. He's still sleeping. My mum is coming to stay this wkend. She's going to look after DS on Sat eve so my and OH can go for some us time. And I've got someone viewing the flat tomorrow so I'll be up cleaning tonight. I'm so tired, OH has booked a cleaner to start Monday so that will help. Right, time for a strong coffee and to hide clean up the mess :)

Hello all!

Room for one more??

My DS is 8 months old and has never slept through. I am being urged by friends to try controlled crying or Cry It Out but I really don't have the heart to do it - I hate to hear him crying as he cries so little normally.

At best, I get woken twice a night - which I can cope with, really - but more often than not it's 4-5 times (settles well at 1900 then up around 10:30ish, 0100, 0300, 0500 or there abouts). He's still breastfed (topped up) so I still feed at night, because there is always a niggling doubt that he may be hungry.

It got really bad for three weeks from the start of April because he was going through a growth spurt (these are a bit out of whack because he was 6 weeks prem) and I was alone at the time as DH was working abroad. During those three weeks he was up more or less every 45 mins... I cried. Often. It's better now, but he's cutting teeth so it's not great.

He naps well - 2x2hrs during the day - but we got into a bad habit of him sleeping with me for naps so he won't nap on his own (he got oral thrush at 4 months and could only feed comfortably when half asleep... hence the napping with him so he could feed and nap at the same time). Not a disaster as I am generally so knackered that I am delighted to get 4 hours during the day.

The DH works away a lot so I can't really send him in to do the settling at night (when he's back, it takes several days for DS to remember who he is!), so it's really all down to me. Consequently, I co-sleep once I go to bed and I don't really have the energy to attempt sleep training.

I guess I am aware that I have fallen into the Attachment Parenting way of life and I'm not really worried about that. I guess I'm just curious about the experiences of others.

Sympathis to you balletmoo, must be hard not having DH at home much of the time, and to the rest of you having tough noights. On here I start feeling like we've got it fairly easy no, instead of in RL where everyone elses 9 month olds seem to sleep better then mine! Still, we are having some succes with getting down to one feed per night, but so far he's still waking up about 1am and then again at around 2 - 3am when I feed him. Last night woke up loads in the evening too but has been better tonight so far. It wouldn't be too bad except he just will not go back to sleep for my DH, only Mummy will do. Makes DH feel rubish too as DS just screams at him if he goes in to settle him, and then shuts up the moment I appear! Ahh, there he goes now...

balletmoo My DS would only nap in bed with me too! I used to love it :) I'm lucky now because he self settles.

Rubbish night here - Naps went a bit wrong yesterday. Didn't have his normal 2hrs in the morning. But had 2 hours in the afternoon. Went to bed at 6:30pm rather than 8pm and woke up alot. He sleeps sooo much better when he goes to bed later.

I've been up for the day since 5:20am. OH went in to sooth him and got him up!!! He thought it was 6:20am...!

can i join too here?...my son sleeps for 4 hours over a 24hr period, and has done since he was 8 weeks old (hes now 1)

weve tried everything and absolutely nothing has worked. Maybe hell grow out of it?

Im shattered.

Morning all,

Well we had a terrible evening (up 3 times between 8pm and 11.15pm when I gave up and went to bed with him) but the night was actually pretty good - only one other wake (time unknown) before up for the day at 0545.

He is teething pretty badly so I guess that explains the evening wakes. Just got to catch up on the end of the Apprentice!

Thanks all. Nice to know that whilst I seem to be alone among my friends, I am not alone in the world!! :o)

Nubbles: Poor you... I really hope it gets better...

nubbles How do you cope?! Do you get lots of help from anyone?

DS is sleeping again now. going to take him to the park for a few hours later and make sure he (and I) get a good afternoon nap.

My OH's friend has had a breakthrough with his DS and sleeping. He has been giving him Magnesium before bed and he has been sleeping through ever since. My OH uses it and he sleeps like a log! Will do some research...

Welcome balletmoo and nublles. some good news here - managed to get a cot nap out of DD yesterday with only 5 mins settling (she is a dreadful napper) and then the night was not too bad - down at 6.45pm and up at 1am and 4am and for the day at 6.20am. So I imagine we are in for a rubbish night tonight! Nubbles I saw your other post on your DS's sleep - I really don't knwo how you cope, amazing! Perhaps your son is destined to be the next prime minister, I heard Margaret Thatcher only ever needed 4 hours sleep! Imisssleep - my OH did that the other day - sent to sooth at 5am and got DD up! GRRR!!

Ah well done Zimm :)

As soon as my DS self settled in his cot for naps, night times were brilliant! I think the answer is sorting the day naps. DS missed his morning one yesterday and last night was crap!

Crickey nubbles, hats off to you for still being alive! My MIL was telling me about a friend of hers who had a daughter who onle slypt 4-5 hours in a 24 hr period. Hope some of you had improved nights. We didn't do to badly. Went to bed about 7.20pm (and even went in his cot awake - I've been feeding him to sleep but am trying to get him into his cot at least not totaly awake, and last night he woke right up mid feed because of DH getting home so he went in the cot really quite awake. Still had to stay with him and shush/pat but it's a start). Woke up 11.30pm but back to sleep fairly easily with shush/pat then woke up a 2.25 and fed. So, finaly stayed asleep passed his old 1am feed. Sadly has started waking up at 5.30am for the day instead of his old 7am. Still, can't have everything. I feel we're making progress of sorts, with still a long way to go though. He just will not settle at all for his Dad, and can't self settle. I'm going away over night in two weeks so he's going to have to learn to do one or the other!

nubbles I am , poor you. balletmoo, like you, I have fallen into attachment parenting a bit I guess, but I was just so happy that bfing worked properly this time that I demand fed lots and it has stemmed from that - ie. any problem, stick a boob his way. Like you, I can't rely on DH at night at all and we're in separate rooms, it works for us at the moment, but wrt sleep training: 1. I am too lazy when a bf works, 2. I don't want to do CC and 3. I am hoping that as his meals increase in size that he will miraculously start sleeping through!

Last night was 11.30, 3am and up at 6am, and DH took him away so I could get a bit more sleep. So not too bad really, 2 feeds seems to be our norm now.

CamperFan how old is yours? Sounds much like mine, though we are currently trying to get it down to one feed per night, and seem to be getting there this time (tried previously with no success, in fact ended up on 3 feeds instead, oops!). And love your name by the way, do you have a camper van CamperFan?