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Sleep

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Original poster

7.5 mo sleep problems....please help me!

15 replies

Moulesfrites · 30/08/2011 10:35

have posted this in bf section but is mainly a sleep issue so thought would try here too...

My ds has gone from waking twice in the night to waking now 4/5/6 times over the past few weeks. I always said I was happy with feeding him to sleep and would do it until it stopped working - well - now I think that time may have come. I am so tired I am getting headaches and my eczema has flared up so I really feel I need to address his sleeping but I don't really know how.

He has gone from feeding very efficiently and going straight back off to not settling after a feed and he would now comfort suck for hours if I didn't unlatch him. I thought it could be teething but this has been going on for weeks now and no new teeth are through. Nurofe/Calpol/teething powders don't help.

He is on 3 meals a day now, and bfs 3/4 times during the day. I have tried feeding him more often during the day but he is not really interested and it doesn't make any difference to his sleep at night time.

I know people will suggest co-sleeping. We have done this occasionally but it is not something I am really comfortable with as a long term solution. It is lovely when he is asleep but I have to put up with a lot of pinching, hair pulling, wriggling and fidgeting before we get to that point!!

Last night was just awful. He woke at midnight, having gone down at 7, and fed again at 9.30. At midnight I fed him but he would not go back down at the end of the feed and just screamed. I tried feeding him again but he just messed around and then he bit me. At this point I put him back down and went to scream into a pillow. He was doing a sort of shouty cry. We left him for a couple of minutes them dh went in and settled him (he has never ever been able to do this before) and he slept until 3, at which point I fed him again as dh was unable to settle him this time. I suppose this gave us a taste of what CC might be like and it made me think I could perhaps consider it having always said I would never do it!

I am basically just wanting some advice on how I could cut down the night feeds. I don't expect that ds could go all night but I'm not sure how to discern when he is genuinely hungry. Should I get dh to settle him at every other waking? Or should I decide on a block of time when I wont feed him and get dh to do it then?

I have just read to expect a sleep regression at 8-11 months and now feel like crying - we have never really got over the 4 month one!!

Sorry for length, would really like some advice.

OP posts:

doblet · 30/08/2011 11:07

Are you me in a parallel world? Very much considering CC as nothing else seems to work. I have always been against it but I am getting desperate.

doblet · 30/08/2011 11:08

Someone suggested offering water instead of bf....unfortunately we can't try this as dd is a bottle/cup refuser

Original poster

Moulesfrites · 30/08/2011 11:18

How old is your lo, doblet?

We could try water but ds only drinks from a doidy cup with his meals and it is a bit messy and faffy to try in the dark!

I have even thought about giving formula in a bottle for the dream feed but tbh it seems silly to have got this far without it and now introduce one. Ds has only ever had a bottle of ebm from dh on the 4 times I have been out since he was born, but he has taken it!

OP posts:

doblet · 30/08/2011 11:35

she is 7 months. I have just driven round the block to get her to sleep! I have asked my HV to refer us to a sleep consultant so we shall see what she says

debka · 30/08/2011 11:40

Right, well my DD2 started doing this and I was at the end of my tether too. I decided to do CC, so packed DD1 off to Granny's for a few nights and we did it. First night she cried for an hour, then 40 minutes. Then I fed her at 1.30, then she slept till morning. Next night she slept till 1.30, I fed her, then she cried briefly after that and slept till morning. The third night she slept through, and has done since then (a month ago). I feel like a new woman. It REALLY wasn't that bad and was totally worth it. She now feeds better during the day and we are all much much happier. I didn't expect her to go all night without a feed but she does now.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do. I found just making the decision to do something made me feel better and more in control of things.

Original poster

Moulesfrites · 30/08/2011 11:44

How old was she debka?

OP posts:

debka · 30/08/2011 11:45

6 months.

Rootle · 30/08/2011 11:55

Hi Moules

You sound just like me & my 7 month old DS. Still reeling from 4 month sleep regression, fed to sleep for naps & evening, he wakes at 11, 2.30, 4.30. & 6. DP can sometimes soothe to sleep but it's not reliable. We co sleep but feel we need to get some proper sleep & get our bed back.

Friends have done cc successfully & am beginning to think it's the only way. Have had teething on & off which has put me off but think going to start it this Friday. Fancy trying it with me?

Am stealing my self to be brave, tend to crumble easily.

doblet · 30/08/2011 12:02

Debka - Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you do the same for naps?
I'm pretty certain I want to do CC bt not sure when to start it. We are on holiday this Friday for a week so may leave it till we get back. Or do we start now in the vain hope that we can get some sleep on holiday?

debka · 30/08/2011 12:09

She's always napped fine so I didn't have to do it for naps. I have a friend whose DS is the same age as my DD2 and she has done CC for naps successfully.

What sort of holiday? Will you be able to continue as at home? If not, I might be inclined to wait till you're back.

Original poster

Moulesfrites · 30/08/2011 12:46

Hi rootle,

The thing is, I can't be sure that he is not teething as before when he has been the worst of his symptoms have been before the tooth comes through. I would feel awful if I started it then realised it had been teething that was e problem.

I'm not sure if I could do full blown cc. Think I might start with sending dh in with water first, and trying to break the feed to sleep habit and just hand holding/ shushing?

OP posts:

doblet · 30/08/2011 13:51

Let us know how you get on Moules. I'm pretty sure dd settles quicker for DH as she knows she won't get any milk from him

Rootle · 30/08/2011 19:05

I've been putting it off because of teething. We have hopefully reached a gap between teeth & am confident I can recognise his cry if in pain. Discussed with HV this afternoon & plan is to feed at 7 & put to sleep using cc & if he wakes at 3 I will go in with a bottle of water. We tried DP going in with water a while ago but DP often works away so difficult to be consistent. Am also going to wear one of DP's t-shirts to try & disguise smell of milk. During the day more cuddles & time in the sling for reassurance. HV advised just to tackle night time before trying naps.

Not sure if any of this is helpful to others. We're going to try from Friday when DP is back for hand holding & support.

Fingers crossed.

Flisspaps · 30/08/2011 19:11

Sounds like DD was when she was teething - bloody horrendous, and with some of her teeth it went on for days and days. We ended up giving a mix of ibuprofen and calpol (max dose of each at the correct intervals) as well as Dentinox gel.

I did find that sorting out her nap actually appeared to sort out the night time a bit though, although that wasn't until 14 months. If you're prepared to do CC and you have tried everything else, you have nothing to lose :)

Putting formula in the bottle is certainly no guarantee to help him sleep either - DD was FF from 7 weeks and we still had the whole up every couple of hours palaver (and you only need to look at the number of posts from sleep deprived FFers to know I'm not the only one!)

Wishing you a peaceful night.

Original poster

Moulesfrites · 31/08/2011 20:27

Ok, just to update, last night ds woke at 10 as usual and I fed him. When he woke again at midnight dh went in with water. He took a couple of sucks apparently but then started batting it away when he realised what it was! He cried for what seemed like forever, but when I looked at the clock it had only been 7 minutes, then went back off. DH was there the whole time, so no CC. He then slept til 4, at which point I fed him again, then woke for the day at 7.

I was quite pleased with this - much improved from waking 5 times a night!

Some questions though -

do you think feeding him again at 4 was ok or should I have sent in dh again? Just he had gone for 6 hours without a feed at that point, so could have been genuinely hungry, but I worry that we are sending him mixed messages if I feed him sometimes but not others.

Also, am really trying to stop feeding to sleep but he pretty much closes his eyes as soon as he goes off!! I worry if I pull him off when he is still sucking that he will not have taken enough?!

OP posts:

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