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Original poster

Sleep Nightmares Part III: At 3am No-One Can Hear You Scream

611 replies

CountBapula · 25/05/2011 10:31

I've been moaning about documenting my 8 mo DS's 'challenging' sleep patterns on MN since he was three weeks old. He's still waking every 2-3 hours at least Hmm and the other thread's full, so here's a shiny new one for all you parents of hardcore sleep refusenik babies.

Who's with me?

Brew
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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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Cosmosis · 25/05/2011 10:48

Don?t worry, you?re not getting rid of me that easily Grin besides, I?m sure it?s not going to be all plain sailing from now on, I?m not that deluded!

Cosmosis · 25/05/2011 10:49

Ps is that a very strong coffee in that mug??

Bumperlicioso · 25/05/2011 10:50

Here you are :)

Will catch up properly soon.

bigkidsmademe · 25/05/2011 11:39

I'm here too!

RaisingMrC · 25/05/2011 11:46

Lol, loving the new thread name! Still here too.

binkybonk · 25/05/2011 13:20

Can I join?! I actually think my 19wk PFB son sleeps quite well, bed at 6.30, wakes 1&4 for a feed and never stays up much after feed but my PITA sister in law just said her kids 'slept through' at four months because 'that's normal' and now I'm mumsnetting my arse off to find evidence that that isn't 'normal' and maybe it's why her kids are so dull.

Cosmosis · 25/05/2011 13:39

No, it?s not normal! There wouldn?t be a sleep section if it was Wink your son is doing very well, certainly better than mine was at that age.

JudysDreamHorse · 25/05/2011 13:46

Good title.

DS woke at 10pm,11pm,2.30am,3.30am,4.30am and 5.30am last night so don't think I'm going anywhere soon!

JudysDreamHorse · 25/05/2011 13:48

Funny thing is, before I wrote it down I thought it was an ok night - I mean there's a 3.5 hour stretch in there!

Cosmosis · 25/05/2011 13:49

oh grim judy :(

bigkidsmademe · 25/05/2011 13:53

Ha ha I know that feeling Judy! DS woke at - 9.20, 10, 11.20, 12.15, 12.30, 12.50, 2.30, 3.30, 5.45, 7.

But I thought it was ok, I only had to get him out of the cot once and he self settled at the beginning! My definition of a good sleep has gone 180.

JudysDreamHorse · 25/05/2011 14:08

I think it was worse because of the night weaning. At least he slept 7 till 10 ok, and he didn't feed between 11 and 4.30.
Meant to say before that I thought the blog raisingmrc linked to was really interesting. There was a good piece on the effect of crying as well (saying in the content of sleep training it was prob ok but impossible to come up with a definitive answer as depends on the baby). I

Original poster
CountBapula · 25/05/2011 19:40

Ha, well, DS is doing his usual trick tonight - falling fast asleep on the boob then springing to life as soon as he's put in his cot. He's shouting at poor DH now. Forty minutes and counting of trying to settle him ...

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RaisingMrC · 25/05/2011 20:10

With you there - DP has just gone in to resettle DS after...oooh...ten minutes of sleep!

Meant to ask you all, how do your DCs settle for naps? I'm still walking DS in the buggy for one nap of the day. Takes him ages to settle in his cot and often he wakes after 30 minutes.

Count forgot to say that I think DS dropped his third nap at about 8 months though his naps are quite random still and if one or both are short then he still has 3.

Cosmosis · 25/05/2011 20:50

DS has just learned to self settle for most naps as long as you catch him in time. He generally has 2 now, 1.5-5 hrs from 10ish, and same from 3ish.

He's just woken, DH settling him now.

Original poster
CountBapula · 25/05/2011 21:18

DS is still up Shock

DH and I just gave up in the end and brought him downstairs to play. We've both got streaming colds - courtesy of DS - so neither of us are in the mood for hours of screaming.

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Original poster
CountBapula · 25/05/2011 21:21

PS DS is rocked/cuddled to sleep for his cot naps (usually the morning one and sometimes the lunchtime one if we're staying in). Then he has a catnap in the pram mid to late afternoon. He can sometimes manage up to 1hr 45 for the morning one, but usually only an hour or less for the lunchtime one. If he's had less than two and a half hours total or he's woken before 2:30 he has the 15-minuter around 4pm.

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JudysDreamHorse · 25/05/2011 22:14

DS went down ok tonight but has woken for the 2nd time now.
He has his first nap 2 hours after he wakes. He lies next to me on top of the covers and I have a sleep as well. He always wakes after 40 minutes but if I settle him he'll sleep for another hour or so. He then has a 35 minute nap after lunch and generally another 30 minutes in the buggy or carseat about 4pm. I've tried resettling him at lunch time but it never works. If we're at home he falls asleep sucking my finger - not sure how I'm going to ever wean him off it .

Cosmosis · 26/05/2011 08:43

Well, it wasn?t quite in time for the end of the last thread but?? after the waking above, he didn?t wake till 5.15.

And even better, neither did I!!!! that is the first full nights sleep I?ve had in about 15 months, as I had pregnancy insomnia as well.

Original poster
CountBapula · 26/05/2011 09:31

Bloody hell Envy Grin

Well done mini-Cos! Sounds like a pattern's developing there ...

DS was up a lot last night. Didn't really look at the clock - am sick and need my sleep more than ever so just shoved him on the boob each time ...

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RaisingMrC · 26/05/2011 09:33

Congratulations Cosmosis! You must be feeling good this morning!!

DS had a really bad night last night, ages to settle (up 4 yimes before 10) and then 2, 3 and 4 when I brought him into bed with us and he slept til nearly 7. Hope its a blip as I was feeling quite pleased with him waking 3 times a night, which he has been doing for the past 3 weeks.

That's really interesting to hear about all the babies' naps. I am used to the NCT babies I know who just go into their cot and fall asleep. I feel like the only ridiculous person still walking around the street with DS while he sleeps!

RaisingMrC · 26/05/2011 09:34

I am doing a lot of shoving on the boob too! Planning on stopping bf soon ish though - no idea what my magical solution for getting DS to sleep will be then though??

bigkidsmademe · 26/05/2011 10:20

We had ten wakings again last night :( . Although partly things are improving - he sleeps all night in his cot now, is settled instantly and does not feed to sleep - the constant wakings are really getting me down. I'm just so exhausted! I have a call with Andrea later so we'll see what she says. I know I shouldn't be impatient, it's only been 9 nights so far and she did warn me to expect me to take a whole month. But GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

I'm giving up bfing in the next month too. I wanted to go a year but i have four days in hospital in three weeks, am going back to work two weeks after that and I'm just so beaten down it seems easier to stop. Then DH and I can really do one night on one off!

Fabulous news Cosmosis! You're an inspiration :)

Cosmosis · 26/05/2011 11:49

Tbh I?m not convinced it was anything we?ve done, I think it may just be developmental. He just seems to have gradually got better and better at self settling. Although I do think that stopping feeding to sleep ever has been very important in the development ? given that I stopped that in about February, it has taken a while.

bigkidsmademe · 26/05/2011 12:43

Cosmosis, does he have a dummy? I think I might need to get rid of ours but the thought is terrifying

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