Cracking up here...

[weakestlink]

Am running out of patience with DS2 - 6months.

He will only sleep in bed with me feeding him lying down then I can creep away after 10 mins or so and he'll sleep for up to 45mins there.
Or I have to feed him & hold him in my arms until he wakes up. If I try to transfer him anywhere he wakes up and I'm back to square one.

I am sure he needs sleep as he is very grumpy and constantly cat naps for 20-30 mins throughout the day (usually after feeding).

He won't sleep in the cot or Pushchair. I pushed him for an hour today and he didn't fall asleep - just sat there then cried for the last 10mins or so home.

I have tried controlled crying but even after 1.5hours he was still just screaming (I did go in every 10 mins to resettle but did not pick him up).

I don't really have a 'routine' with him yet but have started introducing solids at 9,12 & 5pm and he wakes up at 7am and goes to bed with me around 9pm. He feeds on average 2 times during the night :(

I don't really want to breastfeed anymore but he won't take a bottle (even of expressed milk) or drink from a cup so what does that leave?!

I can't leave him for more than an hour in case he wants to feed or sleep :( I have another DS who we think might have ASD and so his behaviour can be very challenging at times so I need all my energy to deal with him!

Help :(

I'd start trying now. Haven't read the book, only skimmed. But I'd say stating as early as possible is the way to go.
Since I adapted a more relaxed attitude to naps DD definitely seems a bit better, but maybe I'm just a bit hopeful.
Yesterday I boobed her to sleep and she slept from 3 to after 4. Last night she slept better than she ever has. One 6 1/2 hour stretch, then another 2 + hours. (still up at 5 though).
Unfortunately I'm now in a learned pattern of waking every 2 hours.

Did anyone else find that in late pregnancy they couldn't get a full night's sleep? I think from about eight months pregnant I started waking up every couple of hours and still do now.

To tell you all the truth, the only reason I've got any sleep this week is because I went to the doctor on Monday and said I if I don't catch up on my sleep I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. So he's prescribed me a week of mild sleeping tablets. My husband is doing all the night feeds with formula otherwise I wouldn't be able to do that. I just couldn't cope anymore. I wouldn't trust anyone in the state I was in to look after a hamster let alone a baby.

Michelleseashell do look after yourself-lavender bath oil and hot water bottles might also help.
I boobed DD to sleep this morning and slept myself - often DD will go through the day on 40 mins sleep so not giving the opportunity to catch up -and woke up feeling that things really have to change. this afternoon I put DD into cot awake after a feed and let her bellow it out- so counter intuitive to what I believe in. Had to glue myself to The Hour but amazingly enough after 15 mins she slept. She woke after 40 mins but looked tired so I fed her again put her back in awake. She bellowed but again slept after 20 mins for another hour. Dared to do the same thing at bedtime tonight and have had the first evening in a long time-ie I am sitting her without a baby on my lap or toddler crying out with the television on normal volume not subtitles!

Oh no typed too soon screaming started

I woke every couple of hours from about 4 months pregnant. But I didn't have to get up (apart from maybe to pee)!

Late afternoon nap for DD yesterday - 1st sleep was 6+ hours at night.
No afternoon nap today - 1st sleep 3 hours.

DH is taking DD for me first thing in the mornings before he goes to work and I've been getting an extra nap. Usually only 30mins by the time I get to sleep, but it makes such a difference.

Thanks gecko. I could've trained myself out of waking so much over time but it just got too urgent for me. I now feel sane (mostly :o ) but still tired. Just normal tired now.

Are you just on your own gecko? I know it does go against your instincts to ignore the crying but sometimes you just have to. I would've done it a long time ago if it weren't for giving in at nights because I didn't want him waking my husband up.

It can't be that bad to cry for twenty minutes anyway. My mum and mother in law are both part of huge families with six siblings each. They must have been left to cry and I know they both have great relationships with their mothers.

It's so hard not to feel guilty on the other hand though isn't it? The guilt is worse than the tiredness!

Oh I'm sorry. This is me! I go round and round one minute thinking I have to be strict and then the next thinking I can't bear to! :o

Hi all - sending lots of sympathy all round!!!

Chicken pox is thankfully now over and DS went to
Nursery today.

We're doing sligtly better at night - going down at 7ish then I quickly eat supper as he usually wakes after an hour and I end up sitting with him (he's still sleeping in my bed and DH in spare room) until he's well and truly asleep. Then he feeds at midnight and 3am ish.

Naps on the other hand are still proving difficult.

Am shattered so off to bed. Will post more tomo!

I'm getting a bit worried about going back to work and thinking about becoming SAHM...

We normally get one or two good sleeps a week, recently. We got a sleep from 9 until 7 last night. He had two naps in the afternoon and the last one finished at 5. Maybe that was it? Oh and we gave him as much formula as he wanted to drink first (only about 2oz) and then boob to sleep.

Weakest link- I was hoping the nursery would be better at getting a baby to nap, since they're professionals. And they'll be stricter because they have to have a routine whereas I'm more likely to just do what's easiest for me at the time. If you can afford to stay home and you want to then go for it! Things will get easier sooner or later.

I don't even bother trying to get him to nap without me during the day anymore though. It was just too stressful.

I've given up trying to get DD to nap without boob too. We're both much happier.
When I get time to actually read the NCSS I'm planning to gradually withdraw the boob-to-sleep, but for now it's sleep by any means.

I'm really loving the boob to sleep term! It's great to talk to some fellow boob to sleepers! :o :o

The nursery we've chosen is really lovely. They have two rooms joined together but still separate if that makes any sense. One has cots in and is the quiet room and the other one, the babies are playing in. I'm hoping that he will have a nap there because he will know people are nearby.

I can easily transfer him to his cot at night but during the day he wakes up instantly and screams, why are you leaving me!! Well, he doesn't talk but that's what he means :o

I don't want to push it and leave him to get fed up and sleep in case he starts associating his cot with being lonely and we get him not wanting to sleep there at night either.

Hello boobing to sleep as I type!

But DS had a 2hour nap on DH this morning after being swayed to sleep (this often happens but he doesn't usually last 2 hours). I went back to bed for 2 hours myself which makes such a difference. We treated ourselves by going out for lunch - first time we've been out for a meal all 3 of us! DS was quite grisly (he always is around mealtimes even if he's well fed and rested?!)

gecko any updates after Weds evening? Did the letting her cry a bit change things at all? How are you doing?

weakestlink any progress with getting DS to take a bottle? A friend of mine's bf son refused totally, then suddenly at 7.5 months he did and she switched quickly while she had a window!

Michelle sorry you got to feeling so awful but very glad you're feeling better now. It does get to that stage where you wake up even when they're sleeping which feels SO unfair!

Last night DS woke about 4 times, some close together - we tried swaying him on one occasion (it sometimes works) but he was having none of it. Like you bagel we're going to try gradually withdrawing feeding to sleep but I reckon we'll have to make a plan, carve out a couple of weeks and grit our teeth...there'll definitely be some crying even if we're cuddling him at the time, as he's so set in his ways. All join in: "Might as well face it, you're addicted to boob"

weakestlink DD refuses milk from a bottle, but is taking some water. We got an avent bottle with handles the comes with a traditional soft teat and a harder sippy bit and she's drinking water from the teat. And also a nuby sippy cup that she can drink from too, but it's almost the size of her head!

Right now I'm just going with the flow while I gear myself up to the NCSS. I need to find time to read it first. Now if I only had a baby that napped easily I could read while she was napping...... (If I try to hold a book and feed she tries to punch or eat it and won't fall asleep)

Thank god for wifi and iPhones or there's no way I'd still be breastfeeding! (although maybe I wouldn't be in this mess....?)

Ah well. It is what it is.

ps mothercare delivery just arrived with cot mattress and blackout curtains...the transition to his own room and cot (not moses basket) is nearly upon us!

would people advise first moving his basket into new room before moving him into cot or just do both at once? we're going to get him playing in cot first so he gets used to it (it's a glorified changing table at the mo and he loves being on that...)

bagelmonkey I'll pick out the most helpful sections of ncss and let you know the page numbers if you like?!

If he's semi-used to the cot I'd just do it all at once. Maybe put him in the cot awake a few times in the daytime and talk to him while you're in the room or sing to him or whatever so he gets to know it better??

Can I ask a question as a new member of this website please - what does DS, DD, DH etc mean, there are so many abreviations on here I have no idea what they mean half the time. I'm sure some are very obvious....but I've got nappy head. Haha. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
On another note.
My son - 5 weeks will not sleep for any great length of time during the day either - but I am trying hard. He feeds well and ocassionally rests/sleeps for up to 30 minutes, but that's all really. Luckily at night he seems to settle much better (up to four hours - heaven :-) but I can't get anything done in the day. Swaddling helped settle him for a little while but not long.
Good luck everyone!!!
PS I could quite happily chuck people out of the window when they say "oh just sleep/rest when your baby does!" EErrrrrrr NO!!!

hi beckie welcome! If you click on the link below Acronyms it explains it all...I remember the same confusion when I joined MN!

Yes we know that "sleep when the baby sleeps" feeling..! out the window with 'em all! Well done on getting 4-hour stints at night though, that's really good for 5 weeks! my son hardly slept during the day at first but now naps for about 4 hours so I'm sure you'll get there...just keep trying.

thanks for the cot tips bagel Here's to a good - better! - night everyone.

looby hi :) have switched to Tommee tippee bottles and he will attempt to drink at least! Major progress! I try and give him one every evening around 6pm and he drinks up to 2oz then I boob him to sleep - loving the phrase!!! I have not put it to the test yet but I imagine if I was not here he'd drink a little more... Have arranged to go out for dinner with friends on 9th so we'll see soon enough! Good luck with the cot/own room transition! Are you doing it tonight?

bagel also using nuby cup for water at mealtimes... He seems ok with water but when I put formula in it he refuses!
I'm so grateful for my iPhone! I honestly would have gone mad without it!!!!!

michelle 9-7 is amazing! I dream of that! You might be right about nursery... I am trying to work out if we can afford for ne to be SAHM for a couple of years until baby starts preschool. Or I might try and speak to my boss about going back one day per week but I doubt they'd go for that tbh. I'm not due back till February as taking the full 12 months (last bit unpaid) so have a while yet. Cannot imagine having to get out the door, with 2 kids, by 7.30am right now though. Mission impossible!!!!!!

Totally addicted to boob :o

Have any of you bottle try-ers with a baby six months plus tried cold follow on milk? Our baby likes it cold for some reason! Never know, it might work!

If you're not getting anywhere then stick to water and try again in a week. It will happen eventually. If you'd told me my baby would take a bottle one day I think I would've fainted with shock! But he did! :)

Oh let me just tell you all, my husband has taken some time off work to do my job this week because I was going cuckoo. Well it's been eight days now and he is ASHEN! He says he knew it was hard but he didn't realise it was this hard. He says I'm his hero for managing seven months on no sleep.

How's everyone doing?
I couldn't even get DD to boob to sleep for naps today :( She'd get really dozey but never fell asleep. We're in for a bad night - she never sleeps well when she hasn't napped and I can't remember the last time she had zero daytime sleep.
My plan for tomorrow is to try and boob her to sleep for naps at around 9:30 and 2pm and do that every day for a while. If she doesn't fall asleep it will still be cot time. At night I'm going to start trying the gradual withdrawal of boobage. I was going to start that today, but she's so overtired there doesn't seem much point.
I think I'll discuss with DH about him taking some time off in a couple of months and if she hasn't improved by then we'll do controlled crying.....

We've got our first tooth! He just wouldn't stay asleep longer than half an hour last night and kept waking up screaming rather than grizzling. Finally at midnight I checked and there was a little tooth coming through at the bottom. No calpol in the house so cue a late night dash to the petrol station for some. I let him spend the night in the bed after that so I could soothe him. I've had no sleep whatsoever. But my little man is growing up! It's so much less frustrating to be kept awake by something you can see with your own eyes!

congrats michelle on the tooth! how exciting. ds has been dribbling for 8 weeks now with no sign of anything enamel...

bagel how was Monday night? did the overtiredness make it a mare? DS's naps seem to have very little bearing on his sleep...whether he gets plenty or not enough.

So he's been in own room but in basket for 2 nights, barely any improvement to his wakings but at least we can relax not worrying our rustling duvet is disturbing him! the longest he slept last night was 2.5 hours...soo zonked!

BUT- STOP PRESS - he almost self settled from AWAKE in his basket on Sunday night!!! .

We'd put him in it while I got ready to feed him and stuck on a naff lullaby on the baby monitor & he also had his rabbit which I've been taking to bed so it smells of me. He tried to annihilate it played with it loudly then started sucking his fingers and got sleepier and sleepier... Then the inbuilt kick alarm went off, his legs flew in the air and eyes wide open...

Today he also fell asleep in my friend's pushchair while sucking his fingers, we think perhaps he prefers it to a pram cos it's not so flat. Anyway these feel like minor steps forward but not helping him to sleep more at night!

It's weird how they seem to find it easier to sleep in awkward positions, in noisy places isn't it looby? Places where you're the least likely to get any sleep too!

It sounds like you're going in the right direction. I remember the relief of turning over in bed as noisily as I liked! It's bliss after months of hardly daring to breathe.

We had a sleep last night from 9-7 again! But tonight we only got 9-11 and he's refused to go back to sleep since then. Husband's just taking him for the grand tour of the house for the millionth time to try and bore him to sleep. Ah well, we're getting there slowly.

Update!
We went swimming for the first time on Wednesday afternoon. In the morning I couldn't get DD to nap, so went for a drive to scout out the pool (just as well, satnav couldn't find it). She fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I kept driving. For an hour.
Swimming went well, but she was exhausted afterwards. Fell asleep boobing. But I put her to bed at 7 and although she made noises a few times she settled herself and I didn't need to go into her room for 9 hours!!!!
Yesterday I took her for a drive in the morning to get a nap because we were going out for lunch etc and she got about an hour of nap again. Last night was the same. Woke briefy a few times, but didn't wake properly for 9 hours again.
Unfortunately we're stuck in the house today waiting for a delivery.
I can't say I actually got much more sleep, because I still woke a lot and listened to see would she settle and had to get up to pee etc, but I feel so much better! (Did wake up with mega boobs, which became uni-mega-boob after she only needed to feed from one )

bagelmonkey 9 hours!! YAY. Is this the first time she's settled herself back to sleep? Did you start the boob withdrawal programme or do you think it's because of the morning naps? In any case hope it continues and you can start sleeping through yourself I'm exactly the same - any time DS sleeps a little longer, I'm still programmed to keep waking myself.

DS has had his last lotta jabs so perhaps it's time to take him swimming - maybe the extra exercise / fun all helps!
He has improved a little in the last few nights...don't know whether it's being in his own room...going for 3-3.5 hours at the start of the night. Even that extra hour makes such a huge difference!

michelle is DS still going 9-7? Hope so!

weakest link how're things with you? Sounds like ours are on quite a similar pattern. Have you made the decision about SAHM? I can imagine with 2 I'd want to do the same if possible, it seems like such hard work running round after a toddler AND a baby!